Monday, August 21, 2006

A content filter made me angry.

I'm trying to use gmail to get me through the transition as we move westward. Today, I sent a letter and it bounced with this message:

PERM_FAILURE: SMTP Error (state 12): 554 Content filter will not allow this message
I removed the word "fucking" from the letter, and it sent just fine. So there is a content filter in place for either (a) lazy parents or (b) people who don't like spam. "SafeSearch" is sometimes on when I use Google and I just click that off, so I go looking for the off switch. Can't find it. Search the online help, can't find anything. Find the help forums with posts from users, can't find anything.

Remember the first night I played WoW with the profanity filter on? I HATE THIS IT MAKES MY HEAD EXPLODE!

Edit: Changed title to blame some company's content filter instead of gmail. See comments for the whole exciting story! Soon to be a major motion picture! Coming to a theater near you!

3 comments:

Kathy said...

I am testing this from my gmail account. I could almost swear (heh) that I've sworn at least once in a gmail message. We'll see if you get the profanity-laden message I just sent you.

Honestly, I could almost have just sent one in my natural speech pattern, but I overdid it even a little for me. If that gets through, then there's something odd in Denmark.

Shocho said...

I did get your message (quite colorful), and I sent you one and it hasn't bounced yet. Maybe it was just a glitch in the matrix. One tends to think of Google and Yahoo like utilities, like the phone and electric companies, but they're just online crap that goes offline every once in a while.

Shocho said...

Looks like it weren't gmail at all, but the (probably businesslike) place I was trying to send to. Filtering out certain words prevents certain kinds of scholarly discussions (like etymology of "fuck") which I for one do not approve of. But hell, I don't run a company.