back to article F***=off, Google tells its staff: Any mention of nookie now banned from internal files, URLs

Googlers must clean up their language at work as the ads giant is being anal about references to, ahem, carnal knowledge in internal web links and documents. Files and URLs with raunchy words like "fuck" in them are now forbidden from being shared around the workplace, and are already being automatically filtered out to …

  1. Mayday
    Stop

    FFS

    This totally wouldn't work in Aussie.

    1. Mark 85

      Re: FFS

      Won't work with ex-Navy and Marine types, either. Not sure about Army and Air Force but probably the same language issues.

      1. Martin Gregorie

        Re: FFS

        The US airforce, army, marines and navy*, all speak Army Creole. For a concise definition and examples, see the Urban Dictionary.

        Tom Wolf's "The Right Stuff" contains a more graphic description of Army Creole: Chapter 6 'On the Balcony', 11 or 12 pages in - page 119 in my copy.

        'The Right Stuff' is a much better book than you'd expect if you've only see the rather pathetic film. It's still a very good read that offers insights into the lives and backgrounds of the pilots who became the Mercury Seven at the beginning of the space race and of NASA.

        * The US military services are listed alphabetically - no form of ranking is implied.

        1. A.P. Veening Silver badge

          US military services

          I am missing the Coast Guard in your list and I would expect them to speak Army Creole as well (and better than most).

          1. Rich 11

            Re: US military services

            And why doesn't your list include Space Force? You can't leave out the mighty Space Force!

            1. Martin Gregorie

              Re: US military services

              I'm not American: in countries where I am a national the Coast Guard is a branch of the Navy, so it never occurred to me that it wasn't part of the USN.

              AFAIK the Space Force is still pretty much a figment of the Trumpian imagination.

              Put it this way, I've seen nothing about the USSF since the first announcement. In any case, to be a real Space ForceTM, it should surely control all US nuke-tipped missiles, ABMs and manned military space vehicles, but as the missiles and ABMs are currently owned by the USAF and USN I imagine these outfits are lobbying hard against giving any of them up. So far there are no manned military space vehicles and no announced plans to build any. So, with no hardware of its own and nothing being planned for any time soon, the USSF is just a Governmental boondoggle.

              1. Jaybus

                Re: US military services

                "I'm not American: in countries where I am a national the Coast Guard is a branch of the Navy, so it never occurred to me that it wasn't part of the USN."

                The US Navy org chart is vast and the bureaucracy so deep it is hard to follow. The US Coast Guard is organized in a unique way due to the relatively recent establishment of the Dept of Homeland Security. Ordinarily, the Coast Guard is organized under the Dept of Homeland Security, however in times of war, or when directed by the President, they are subject to orders of the Secretary of the Navy. The reason for this goes back to the Posse Comitatus Act forbidding military forces from law enforcement activities. That is, the spirit of the Posse Comitatus Act, since the law specifically does not apply to the Navy. However, if the Navy were to act as law enforcement against civilians, even though technically legal, it would cause a hell of an uproar. So, during boarding or interdiction activities, the US Navy uses Law Enforcement Detachments (LEDETs) of Coast Guard personnel to perform civilian arrests and law enforcement duties.

                Should the US Coast Guard be included in your list? Don't know. It's like Schrodinger's cat. It could be either way until you actually look.

              2. MachDiamond Silver badge

                Re: US military services

                "I'm not American: in countries where I am a national the Coast Guard is a branch of the Navy, so it never occurred to me that it wasn't part of the USN."

                In the US, the Coast Guard is nominally a police force and not military. The difference is how they are allowed to be used on US soil. The definition is a bit gray by not being entirely police or entirely military, but biaed more towards police. Training can be different too. Those in the military are taught to kill, and the police are expected to use deadly force as a last resort.

                1. Cris E
                  Boffin

                  Re: US military services

                  The military is not allowed to be used in domestic law enforcement so as to avoid the third world tackiness of presidents using them to ignore the will of the people. The CG technically being outside the Dept of Defense gives them the right to arrest, detain, enforce all sorts of laws, etc, which is the big reason Trump's recent plan to use the military at the border was such a non-starter.

                  1. Chairman of the Bored
                    Pint

                    Re: US military services

                    Coasties! Some dedicated, hard working men and women. Never seen a fat or lazy one. The service is too poor to afford a permanent desk jockey class, so just about every one is a real operator.

                    Back on the language topic: slide over to the bar and have a big fscking beer, on me.

                2. greatpix

                  Re: US military services

                  Just to muddy the waters (pun intended), the Coast Guard is also America's inland navy, responsible for all navigable waters in the U.S. including rivers.

                  Prior to the mashup that created Homeland Security the Coast Guard was under the aegis of the Treasury Department (as was the Secret Service).

              3. This post has been deleted by its author

            2. AceRimmer1980
              Headmaster

              Re: Frak those frakking toasters

              What if, say, you live in Scunthorpe and want to write to your Aunty in a small Austrian village. You know the one.

        2. Michael Strorm Silver badge

          Oh-Oh-Whoah-Oh-Oh

          @Martin Gregorie; "'The Right Stuff' is a much better book than you'd expect if you've only see the rather pathetic film."

          I've only heard the song, and I was even less impressed with *that*.

          1. Santa from Exeter

            Re: Oh-Oh-Whoah-Oh-Oh @ Michael Strorm

            And exactly what's wrong with a bit of Bob Calvert?

            https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VkMMUOp3Y4k (Vaguely NSFW, Go Stacia!)

            1. M. Poolman

              Re: Oh-Oh-Whoah-Oh-Oh @ Michael Strorm

              Beat me to it!

          2. M. Poolman

            Re: Oh-Oh-Whoah-Oh-Oh

            Not sure which song you're refering to but the song of that name in "Captain Lockheed and the Starfighters" is pretty good:

            https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L1gUnXFb9yM

          3. tuppence

            Re: Oh-Oh-Whoah-Oh-Oh

            the Captain Lockheed and the Starfighters one?

      2. BKF2014

        Re: FFS

        I work for the US Navy with coworkers who all served at least 20 years and retired as CPO's or better. They rarely swear in conversation, and NEVER use swear words in correspondence. It's considered unprofessional and is not generally considered appropriate.

        1. Lotaresco

          Re: FFS

          "I work for the US Navy with coworkers"

          How many cows do they ork each day?

    2. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: With that amount of censorship internally, just imagine how Google Search will end up.

      It sounds like #Hashtags Amber Rudd and her hyperbole, has been recruited to Google.

      With that amount of censorship internally, just imagine how Google Search will end up, it's already a lobotomised version of its former self. The whole hypocrisy regards criticism of China for over censorship.

      1. JDX Gold badge

        Re: With that amount of censorship internally, just imagine how Google Search will end up.

        I would hardly call it censorship to insist you don't use profanity on WORK documents. It's called professionalism. Let coders swear in the coffee-room or when they're "pair programming" (that's a circle jerk anyway so it's apt) but I'd rather not sit in a meeting or one cubicle along from a co-worker who is turning the air blue.

        If you want to swear at work, get a job as a white van man.

        1. Sgt_Oddball

          Re: With that amount of censorship internally, just imagine how Google Search will end up.

          Evidently you've never had a boss speak up on a conference call with people much higher in the food chain and state "that's bullshit" usually followed with and you fucking know it.

          When applied correctly swear words can shock people into actually acknowledging a problem...

        2. Falanx

          Re: With that amount of censorship internally, just imagine how Google Search will end up.

          Except cursing hasn't been banned. Only references to Natalie Dormer doing that two handed gesture. Which is about right for the Puritan States. Killing in the Name of is all fine and good, but no bobs or vagene, thank you very much.

          (No, Amanfrommars hasn't hijacked this post)

        3. The Original Steve

          Re: With that amount of censorship internally, just imagine how Google Search will end up.

          Bollocks.

          You're clearly willing to put up with uncensored (e.g. profanity) in textual form by reading this mighty website. The fact you are reading the comments even more demonstrates that you may not be as precious as you first make out.

          Because you don't like hearing certain words doesn't mean people stop having the right to say them around you. Actually berating you with swearing is one thing, overhearing someone muttering a phrase you dislike is something else - and it does not justify infringing on their freedom to express.

          Equally you are more than entitled to tell the co-worker to pipe down and tell them how much you disapprove, but actively censoring is fucking stupid.

        4. Ubermik

          Re: With that amount of censorship internally, just imagine how Google Search will end up.

          White van man? How racist :)

    3. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: FFS

      The sunburnt bloody stockman stood

      And, in a dismal bloody mood,

      Apostrophized his bloody cuddy;

      "This bloody nag's no bloody good,

      He doesn't earn his bloody food.

      A regular bloody brumby."

      1. disgruntled yank

        Re: FFS

        @AC

        According to Robert Graves's "Lars Porsena, Or, The Future of Swearing", the point of "The Australian Song" was that Aussies were not particularly imaginative in their foul language. Now, this may have been simple Pommie bias, I don't know.

    4. Black Betty

      Re: FFS

      Telstra's online support chat censors even the mildest examples of Aussie vernacular.

      1. Soruk
        Boffin

        Re: FFS

        @Black Betty Rather makes it impossible to refer to the root password or root access!

    5. macjules
      Coat

      Re: FFS

      Also a bit of an embuggerance if you happen to be in Scunthorpe, Brown Willy in Cornwall or indeed Dicks Mount, Suffolk.

      1. tiggity Silver badge

        Re: FFS

        Lord Hereford's knob (obligatory HMHB reference, Twmpa for Welsh speakers, a hill / mountain)

    6. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: FFS

      FFS is frequently used in the 3GPP/LTE documents.

      The official acronym is for future study.

      I'm sure you use it in that meaning. (smiles)

    7. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: FFS

      Get the fuck out!

    8. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: FFS

      GTFO! (because El Reg won't let me spell it out)

      1. chapter32

        Re: FFS

        I'm based in Europe and the company working language is English although most of the employees aren't. Here they use FFS to mean First Flight Standard which always made me smile. After explaining the alternative meaning to my French boss he now takes great pleasure in using it inappropriately in meetings to try and get me to laugh. We also have a First Certification Standard so as not to forget those with religious sensibilities.

  2. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    The tourism board of Scunthorpe aren't going to be happy.

    1. Ptol

      Im sure theres only one reason why a tourist would visit that town...

      Have you ever been there? Its a nice enough place - but its not exactly a tourist honey pot. In fact, I can only think of one reason for a tourist to visit there, and thats to pose by the welcome to... sign.

      1. Steve Davies 3 Silver badge
        WTF?

        Re: Im sure theres only one reason why a tourist would visit that town...

        What about the people who live in Sussex? or Essex or any of the US States that have a Sussex County or Middlesex County or Essex County?

        What about "Lower Bottom" and "Upper Bottom"

        The landscape of the British Isles is littered with names that the Puritans of Google would find offensive.

        Going all Puritan on us does not stop your constant need to get information on each and everyone of us.

        Are you going to become the 21st Century WitchFinder General then?

        Another reason to give Google the Finger? Yep.

        WTF Icon naturally.

        1. onefang

          Re: Im sure theres only one reason why a tourist would visit that town...

          "Going all Puritan on us does not stop your constant need to get information on each and everyone of us."

          What if we contaminate a lot of that info about us with swear words? Will their internal censorship systems filter us out?

        2. Daniel von Asmuth
          WTF?

          Re: Im sure theres only one reason why a tourist would visit that town...

          "What about the people who live in Sussex? or Essex or any of the US States that have a Sussex County or Middlesex County or Essex County?"

          What about Sexbierum in Friesland?

          Google's motto used to be "do no evil"; is "make money, not love'"an improvement?

      2. Anonymous Coward
        Anonymous Coward

        Re: Im sure theres only one reason why a tourist would visit that town...

        I went to Scunthorpe once. It was cancelled due to weather.

      3. Flywheel

        Re: Im sure theres only one reason why a tourist would visit that town...

        thats to pose by the welcome to... sign

        You'd probably have to nip over to Penistone to pose by their welcome sign - it's about an hour away from Scunny..

        1. onefang
          Coat

          Re: Im sure theres only one reason why a tourist would visit that town...

          "You'd probably have to nip over to Penistone to pose by their welcome sign - it's about an hour away from Scunny.."

          How do you get the sign at Penistone to stay up for an hour so you can get there from Scunny?

          1. Ubermik

            Re: Im sure theres only one reason why a tourist would visit that town...

            Then you could go down to Bicester and then bend right over to Gaydon, surely the next town along should be called normalsville?

          2. JJKing
            Facepalm

            Re: Im sure theres only one reason why a tourist would visit that town...

            Viagra paint of course. Sheesh.

      4. tiggity Silver badge

        Re: Im sure theres only one reason why a tourist would visit that town...

        Lots of good fossils at Scunthorpe, though a lot of the best are on the iron extraction site so access can be a PITA.

    2. Giovani Tapini

      Neither are fans of

      Duck Tracey, of Fanny Burney.

      Filtering has a habit in my experienceof creating as many issues as it solves.

    3. Frank Bitterlich

      Austria too...

      Just like the inhabitants of Fucking, Austria, whose town will probably be replaced by a black bar on Google Maps now...

    4. Potemkine! Silver badge

      Looking at this picture, the tourism board has a lot of work to do...

  3. Alister

    Do you think Google's AI knows what a mewling quim is?

    1. The Dogs Meevonks Silver badge

      "Do you think Google's AI knows what a mewling quim is?"

      I was laughing out loud at this line in the Avengers movie... people around me wondering what I was finding so funny.

      I have to hand it to Joss Wheedon, he managed to get the phrase 'Whiny Cunt' in a Disney/Marvel kid friendly rated movie. :)

      To this day.. many people still don't realise what he actually means by it. :)

      1. deadlockvictim

        And then there are Spoonerisms

        And then there are Spoonerisms, of which my favourite is 'cunning stunt'...

        1. MyffyW Silver badge

          Re: And then there are Spoonerisms

          Having spent time in the company of enlightened ecclesiastical folk, I happily raise a toast to the dear old queen.

        2. phuzz Silver badge
          Happy

          Re: And then there are Spoonerisms

          "my favourite is 'cunning stunt'"

          Almost as good as the collective name for a group of bankers: a 'wunch'.

        3. TechDrone

          Re: And then there are Spoonerisms

          The "cunning stunt bonus" of Carmageddon. Probably caused more offence than driving through the crowns of people, sorry, zombies. I think Jasper Carrott (remember him?) did a sketch on spoonerisms on BBC1, back when the beeb was very prudish. And finished it with reference to somebody's shining whit.

          1. Anonymous Coward
            Anonymous Coward

            Re: And then there are Spoonerisms

            I think Jasper Carrott (remember him?) did a sketch on spoonerisms on BBC1, back when the beeb was very prudish. And finished it with reference to somebody's shining whit.

            It takes very little effort to find the clips on Youtube - some kind soul uploaded them :).

          2. Uncle Slacky Silver badge
            Thumb Up

            Re: And then there are Spoonerisms

            There was also the Kenny Everett character Cupid Stunt. All in the best possible taste, of course.

            1. Yet Another Anonymous coward Silver badge

              Re: And then there are Spoonerisms

              >There was also the Kenny Everett character Cupid Stunt.

              Which was named such because the BBC executives saw through the original character name Mary Hinge

              Barry Cryer has a wonderfully filthy mind for such a charming gentleman.

        4. Fruit and Nutcase Silver badge
          Happy

          Re: And then there are Spoonerisms

          'cunning stunt'...

          Here's Cupid...

          https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GLBW8L198GQ

          https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZkqxagJglaI

          ...It's all done in the best possible taste!

          Thank you Mr Everett

        5. Anonymous Coward
          Anonymous Coward

          Re: And then there are Spoonerisms

          As Cupid Stunt said, "it's all done in the best possible taste!"

          (It seems odd to me now, that, as a naive teenager at that time, the real meaning of her name really did go completely over my head at the time!)

          [oops, I have only just seen that, on the next comments page, somebody else has already recalled this memory from the past!]

      2. This post has been deleted by its author

    2. Charlie Clark Silver badge

      #Busheating (from the BBC's Tourist Trap)

      1. Josco

        Bus Heating?

        Not sure why the heating system on a bus is relevant.

  4. blunderbus

    Sounds like they are going to have troubles setting up weekly Devils Triangle meeting.

  5. Snow Wombat
    FAIL

    The sign of a dying company

    When they devote time to petty stuff like this, you know the ship is sinking.

    Do you think their system will understand twatwaffle?

    1. Rich 11

      Re: The sign of a dying company

      If you've read their marketing bumph you'll know they are fluent in twatwaffle.

    2. Christian Berger

      well it shows...

      that Google has moved on from being a company staffed with adults who can deal with eathother without being constantly nursed, to a kindergarten full of apparently immature kids who fight about the slightest things like there would be no tomorrow.

      We are already seeing this on the technical side. For example Android fell into the same traps as IOS did, instead of looking at a problem and solving it in a sensible way.

      1. gfx

        Re: well it shows...

        Got an Android 8 update for my phone. The bloody icons are all f*cked. Compared with nexus 7 that didn't got an update since version 6.

    3. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: The sign of a dying company

      Honestly having worked in IT in numerous posts including dev teams and infosec I can't think of a single time where we thought it was funny to use swear words. Just wasn't done, must be a cultural thing or perhaps they never need to deal with being internally audited.

  6. Anonymous Coward
    Facepalm

    Just tell 'em...

    To smeg off...

    1. Korev Silver badge
      Joke

      Re: Just tell 'em...

      Do you have a Lister of naughty words from Red Dwarf?

    2. MyffyW Silver badge

      Re: Just tell 'em...

      Spin up the FTL and get the frack out of there ...

      1. Uncle Slacky Silver badge

        Re: Just tell 'em...

        What a load of felgercarb!

    3. Uncle Slacky Silver badge

      Re: Just tell 'em...

      Or feck off...

    4. Sgt_Oddball

      Re: Just tell 'em...

      Now I just need to get my phone to start accusing things of being the Bolivian naval on manovers....

  7. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Americans Don't Know...

    ...what "bollocks" means. Useful, that.

    Of course it is a medieval word for "priest". So perfectly ok, if a little quaint.

    When constrained by such pointless restrictions, the Viz Profanasaurus is a useful tome.

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: Americans Don't Know...

      > Americans Don't Know what "bollocks" means.

      orly? You must not have met very many Americans then.

      1. Peter Mount
        Happy

        Re: Americans Don't Know...

        Those who've spent any time over here in the UK know's what Bollocks means but most don't.

        Hence why you have Wilma Flintstone say it in an episode & get away with it (Channel 4 broadcasted that episode specifically for that 1 line), or at the end of the film version of Hitchikers Guide to the Galaxy you have one of the mice say "Oh bollocks!" - again got away with it as the American's involved didn't know ;-)

        1. R. Williams

          Re: Americans Don't Know...

          @Peter Mount you're confusing the fact that Americans may simply not care about some words rather than that they don't know what they mean across the pond. The fact that someone says "Oh bollocks!" in a movie in America doesn't get much or a reaction.

          The same way I can call a little kid running around getting into trouble "a little bugger" and it wouldn't raise an eyebrow here even though we Americans generally know if means something else over there is a case in point.

          1. Anonymous Coward
            Anonymous Coward

            Re: Americans Don't Know...

            The same way I can call a little kid running around getting into trouble "a little bugger" and it wouldn't raise an eyebrow here

            I'm told that not long after my grandparents married (so we're going back a bit!) my Grandmother did something daft, prompting a comment of "ye silly sod" from my Grandad. With his Irish background (a sod being a clod of earth) it was a harmless, loving, tease. My Grandmother was from an English Methodist background, where "sod" was more connected with with "sodomite", and was not amused. It took a while to sort out, I gather.

        2. Anonymous Coward
          Anonymous Coward

          Re: Americans Don't Know...

          > Hence why you have Wilma Flintstone say it in an episode & get away with it ...

          You're citing a cartoon that first aired on TV over 50 years ago? That's your proof that Americans don't know what bollocks means? Those Hanna Barbera cartoonists were tres clever slipping a naughty word by the American censors back then. Clearly somebody here knew the word, and no doubt what it meant too.

          But I dare say I didn't know what bollocks meant then either, and I'd even wager you didn't either, because unless you're even older than I am, you probably were even born yet.

          Stupid git.

    2. Teiwaz

      Re: Americans Don't Know...

      Americans Don't Know...

      ...what "bollocks" means.

      Come, on. They Must do.

      Most the ones I've met are fluent in it, nothing but.

    3. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: Americans Don't Know...

      Course they do, it's where pee is stored.

    4. Androgynous Cupboard Silver badge

      Re: Americans Don't Know...

      The Profanasaurus is amateur hour. This is how it's done properly.

      https://greensdictofslang.com

  8. Dig

    Call me a prude..

    ..but why would you want to litter internal documents and commits with swear words and such like or is his just for some in house blogs, even then why?

    1. Mark 85

      Re: Call me a prude..

      Sometimes, explicit and direct language is needed to properly express ones self to others. Linus T. comes to mind here as well as others. Being able to freely vent is good for morale and usually no one takes a venting seriously.. Letting it build up inside one's self isn't a good idea.

      I've been in meetings where the walls turned blue from the intense language used. When the meeting was over, they returned to the normal color and everyone was still speaking to each other.

    2. JLV

      Re: Call me a prude..

      Agreed. I can have a fairly foul mouth, but putting it in writing (even in personal emails) is just not the cleverest thing. Let alone company documents. Prudes and ill wishers can easily use that to undermine you. Sadly, we’re not all indispensable a la Linus.

      Good moment for life-work balance separation.

    3. onefang

      Re: Call me a prude..

      Dig, you are a prude.

    4. Charlie Clark Silver badge

      Re: Call me a prude..

      I'd expect to see a high degree of informality, including humour and profanity, in commit messages and possibly blogs but not in anything formal. If, for example, someone has had to put a lot work into fixing someone else's mess or deal with a frustrating or vague specification then why shouldn't they vent? Forcing people to censor themselves is one of the best ways to encourage dishonest communication.

      But I suspect the lawyers are behind this: the current legal climate in the US favours expensive civil suits over inferred sleights so companies have to be seen to be doing "the right thing".

  9. cNova

    Call me PC if you will

    But I prefer coworkers who don't sound like Lee Ermey from Full Metal Jacket.

    1. onefang

      Re: Call me PC if you will

      cNova, you are not a PC, though if AI manages to get anywhere, maybe someday in the future you could be a PC.

    2. Steve Davies 3 Silver badge
      Unhappy

      Re: Call me PC if you will

      coworkers? What's wrong with colleague? At least the latter does not have the word 'cow' in it when spelt without the hyphen?

      All rather sad really.

    3. MyffyW Silver badge

      Re: Call me PC if you will

      @cNova ... strongly recommend watching "The Thick of It" for the art form of workplace swearing in all it's glory.

  10. SVV

    Speech to text translation engine adds asterisks

    Does the text to speech translation engine reverse this, because otherwise the results would be f star star starring annoying, especially if as already noted you just wanted to hear the local Sc star star star horpe news every day.

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: Speech to text translation engine adds asterisks

      Google Translate and the like have a setting to "block offensive words" enabled by default, but unlike what the article implies you can in fact toggle it off for full effect!

  11. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    You do have to watch out with those URL shorteners

    Our company sends shortened URLs to the public, usually with 5 character codes, but we did have a one-off request to send some 4 character codes. What could possibly go wrong? It didn't go through the usual process and as such, it wasn't automatically checked against our rather amusing file of expletives. I wasn't going to bother checking manually but then thought better of it at the last moment. Just as well I did as we were about to send one poor guy a URL literally ending in /CUNT.

    1. Giovani Tapini

      Re: You do have to watch out with those URL shorteners

      You can get a similar effect with warehouse part numbers,

      Copper nominal bore tube CUNT too. Context can be fairly important.

      Ended up making it CUNBT to make it safer...

    2. Uberior

      Re: You do have to watch out with those URL shorteners

      I had a sales letter from Barclays a few years back, which asked me to quote my "exclusive" reference number which started:-

      BADCUNT

      That was a £250 apology cheque. :-)

      Along with an explanation that the first three digits was their abbreviation for "Barclaycard", the "C" for existing customer then the following three and more letters then numbers were randomly allocated.

  12. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Who actually swears in internal emails anyway?

    Isn’t it normal to not use this language in written form at work?

    Still, I doubt that my place gets sued as much ;)

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: Who actually swears in internal emails anyway?

      If you work in public authorities your e-mail can form part of subject access and FOI requests. Yes redaction can be done in places but not for swearing etc.

  13. cosymart
    Angel

    A Place For Everything etc.

    Standards are good, people then know exactly what is expected. For instance the most foul mouthed person is very unlikely to let go expletives in front of their ageing granny (depends on granny but you get the gist). Respect goes along way and I have always believed that people who swear in public or in front of people they don't know either don't care a damn or are just piggin ignorant!

    1. Teiwaz

      Re: A Place For Everything etc.

      I have always believed that people who swear in public or in front of people they don't know either don't care a damn or are just piggin ignorant!

      Or have Tourettes.....

  14. Kevin McMurtrie Silver badge
    Trollface

    Substitute for horrible Google products

    Google Groups licking G+ fanatic.

  15. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Was this to ban all communications with Linus Torvalds?

  16. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    When this happens in a workplace a whole new subversive language is usually spawned:

    My boss is a sooka and has a sharries face.

  17. WibbleMe

    Googles logo is full of colours, ***@! is just colourful language though some times missed-used by halfwits.

    As soon as the word HR came to mind the though of a Dilbert cartoon and big cracks in the building appeared due to the weight of bureaucrats.

  18. EveryTime

    The evolution of euphemism

    Historically, the words we substitute for words "not to be used in polite company" quickly are regarded as offensive themselves.

    A gentle reminder is much more likely to be productive than an outright ban. Sometimes "offensive language" should be used.

    1. VikiAi
      Megaphone

      Re: Sometimes "offensive language" should be used.

      I very very very rarely swear in front of other people (at technology technology is another matter entirely). So when I do swear in front of people, they really really really take notice! Which is, of course, the intended effect of my very very very carefully chosen words of castigation.

    2. Alister

      Re: The evolution of euphemism

      In Ireland, the use of "feck" seems to have become so commonplace that is no longer considered to be a corruption of fuck, and is considered quite a mild expletive and is often used freely in conversation.

      I'll just leave this here for those who haven't seen it:

      https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l6pj3Fdbwng

      1. MyffyW Silver badge

        Re: The evolution of euphemism

        deeply offended ... I'm getting the flock out of here

      2. Teiwaz

        Re: The evolution of euphemism

        I'll just leave this here for those who haven't seen it:

        Oooh, very nasty. You didn't Warn that it was going to be Folk Music, or even a form of it.

        And no one had their finger in their ear, the universal gesture to warn listeners a folk song was about to be committed...

        1. Yet Another Anonymous coward Silver badge

          Re: The evolution of euphemism

          The Yes Minister: CGSM - consignment of geriatric shoemakers = a load of old cobblers.

          Personally I prefer a note asking if contributor X came from a close family, specifically did his parents have the same name before marriage?

          The new marketing plan suggests that the executive in question has a heritage rich in inter-species diversity.

          1. the Jim bloke
            Headmaster

            Re: The evolution of euphemism

            Querying if someone has a grandparent deficiency, or a straight-line family tree, or just from the shallow end of the gene pool.

            I dont believe describing people as various flavours of genitalia is a good practice, but its what we have grown up with, and we really dont have any suitably pungent alternatives to describe, say, the board of Uber.

            There are appropriate levels of language use in different contexts, knowing which to use is part of being an adult.

            1. Yet Another Anonymous coward Silver badge

              Re: The evolution of euphemism

              Odd really because the piece of female anatomy they are generally described as - I'm quite attracted to

        2. Alister

          Re: The evolution of euphemism

          @Teiwaz

          And no one had their finger in their ear, the universal gesture to warn listeners a folk song was about to be committed...

          I thought the normal warning was the long drawn out "Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaas" in a whiny voice...

          Or a similarly long chord played on either the fiddle or accordion - or is that warning of a Morrissment...

          :)

    3. Spanners Silver badge
      Boffin

      Re: The evolution of euphemism

      The pointlessness of this is shown by people from the less developed side of the pond saying "ass" when they actually mean "arse".

      The story I heard was that a US teacher wanted to teach their pupils not to swear and required this usage. Now, people from over there find the actual animals rude...

      1. Yet Another Anonymous coward Silver badge

        Re: The evolution of euphemism

        The word Donkey is relatively new, it only became common in the late C18 - allegedly because gentle people felt uncomfortable saying ass.

      2. VikiAi
        Alert

        Re: The evolution of ass

        Well, in the US, every time they coin a new word for people of high UV resistance, 2 weeks later it has become a highly offensive slur. I gave up trying to keep up with that one!

        1. Stork Silver badge

          Re: The evolution of ass

          Is pigmentally gifted no longer acceptable?

          I have referred to myself as pigmentally challenged...

          1. VikiAi
            Boffin

            Re: The evolution of ass

            It depends. At low latitudes, pigment is a pro. At high latitudes, its absence is advantageous (fancy that!). Post-technology, the pro/con effects are pretty easy to eliminate on both sides, though.

  19. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    SNAFU

    What a charlie foxtrot that's going to be

    1. Korev Silver badge
      Holmes

      Re: SNAFU

      I'm off to listen to FUGAZI...

  20. Pangasinan Philippines

    I swore Once

    An obnoxious know-it-all down the pub insisted I was wrong when I had researched a subject.

    I told him he knew f*** all and that shut him up.

    Pub boss bought me a drink.

    The point is that swearing CAN be effective when used in moderation.

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: I swore Once

      The point is that swearing CAN be effective when used in moderation.

      'tis the moderation that is the key.

      I sometimes swear, but it's rare and I prefer to put some intelligence into using other words to say what I mean. When I do swear, people take quite a bit of notice. Unlike some foul-mouthed idiots we know (people who use swear words every 2nd or 3rd word because they lack the smarts to have a wider vocabulary), its quite a change from me and means something is seriously up.

      Of course, I sometimes use other words from other languages (including ancient English) in place of modern vulgarities. Same meaning, same insult, better effect.

    2. Korev Silver badge
      Childcatcher

      Re: I swore Once

      I told him he knew f*** all and that shut him up.

      Pub boss bought me a drink.

      The point is that swearing CAN be effective when used in moderation.

      I have a friend who's a cop in the UK; he said that one thing you have to learn is how to moderate your language. Oddly enough, in some situations "It's time to go home now" doesn't work and "Right you guys **** off now" works better. Of course the latter would get complaints if he tried it in Godalming...

      1. Anonymous Coward
        Anonymous Coward

        Re: I swore Once

        I agree with the concept of moderation, because that makes the few times that you *do* resort to less formal means of expression more effective. I am also very selective, in that I will still not do this in front of women (I know I'm probably being labelled as sexist as a consequence, but for me that falls under standards of behaviour).

        On the receiving end I am generally more offended if they don't put any real effort in. If you're trying to be insulting, be at least original.

        :)

        1. Anonymous Coward
          Anonymous Coward

          Re: I swore Once

          I'm the AC who spoke of moderation :)

          Years ago I nearly got punched out by some one whose gene pool resembled a cesspool in more ways than one.

          He mouthed off at me with one long chain of expletive-laden speech. I stood there and at the end of it asked if he found it boring with such a lack of imagination, or did his strong ability to not know better compensate for it?

          Took him 3 days to understand he'd been called dumb. And then I think his missus explained it to him. He surely wanted a go at me, but didn't manage to catch up with me. Tried telling one of my more violent-prone co workers I'd said something nasty behind their back - a lack of swearing provided a simple defence of "does that sound like something I'd say or something he would say?".

    3. The Nazz

      Re: I swore Once

      "The point is that swearing CAN be effective when used in moderation."

      I still laugh to this day. Many, many years ago, as a recent school leaver, fairly naive, the Director offered me a new role, that of his Sexual Advisor.

      "What does that entail" i asked.

      "When i want your fucking advice i'll ask for it."

      Lesson learned.

  21. Phil Kingston

    Hey boss! Honestly, I did all those TPS reports, but they had cuss words in them so they've been deleted.

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Would be nice if they had a folder like /advertising/shitwestole/private_data :)

  22. tempemeaty
    Joke

    Prepare for extended down times... LOL!

    The next time Google servers go TITSUP and the IT staff says so...no one inside the place will receive the message....

  23. T. F. M. Reader

    Just curious...

    Do they pipe all those short URLs through a CLI version of Google Translate before grepping?

    Just in case?

    Come to think of it, I'd also collect (anonymized) statistics of deletions and put them in the Diversity Report.

    1. VikiAi
      Trollface

      Re: Just curious...

      Yes, It is called the CLI Translation Service. Or for short, (redacted by Google (redacted by Google ( redacted by Google (redacted by Google (redacted by Google ( redacted by Google (redacted by Google (redacted by Google ( redacted by Google (redacted by Google (redacted by Google ( redacted by Google (redacted by Google (redacted by Google ( redacted by Google (redacted by Google (redacted by Google ( redacted by Google (redacted by Google (redacted by Google ( redacted by Google ...

      Error: iteration stack too deep.

  24. Cincinnataroo

    Pedicabo ego vos et irrumabo

    1. Rich 11

      Ah, that brings back fond memories of the more entertaining classes at school.

      No, I didn't mean it like that! Get your mind out of the gutter.

    2. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Yop tvoyu mat

    3. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      ->Pedicabo ego vos et irrumabo

      I thought Catullus got into hot water over that one? The authorities were a bit prudish at that time. Tactus aratro fuit.

  25. Milton

    The mewling quim vs the corporate hypocrite

    Pleased to see a few mentions of Loki's judgement of Black Widow. I was thunderstruck when I heard the phrase, and like others here, then realised I was about the only one in the audience who understood it. Whether I owed that to early exposure to Shakespeare or grammar school in Yorkshire, I cannot say.

    But, to topic, Google's stinking hypocrisy should surely be called out. "Don't be evil" was always a touch naive, but it has become risible in the years that Google has corporatised—and lost whatever scraps of basic decency might have motivated its founders. The lies over the hacking of WiFi during Streetview patrols left a rotten taste, as does the relentless attempt to monetise every aspects of other human beings' lives, but nothing beats the cosying up with those murdering bastards in China. You really have to wonder whether anyone on the Google board looks in a mirror any more. Or can even bear to do so.

    China has a truly vile, undemocratic, authoritarian regime which has a bloody record of murdering its own citizens when they dare to speak out; is curently in the news for establishing "re-education" camps for minorities; has illegally annexed and in some cases created territorial expansions outside its borders in clear military adventurism; constantly undermines its neighbours and steals even from its trading partners—in short, it is a reeking pit of barbarous corruption poorly disguised by shiny gadgets—and "Don't Be Evil" is bent over, trousers down, just to make some more money?

    I suppose it's like the "boil a frog slowly" analogy. Google started out in the belief it could use tech to do a worthwhile thing, and may even have been right about that. But bad money insidiously drives out good, doesn't it? And now we have a destructive leviathan of pure conscienceles appetite that literally cannot tell right from wrong, provided the dollars roll in.

    1. Clockworkseer

      Re: The mewling quim vs the corporate hypocrite

      "Pleased to see a few mentions of Loki's judgement of Black Widow. I was thunderstruck when I heard the phrase, and like others here, then realised I was about the only one in the audience who understood it. Whether I owed that to early exposure to Shakespeare or grammar school in Yorkshire, I cannot say."

      Yes, that did make me smile.

      Of course, Joss has form for this kind of thing. If you look back at Buffy, Spike sneaks an awful lot of British profanity in under the American radar

  26. Michael H.F. Wilkinson Silver badge
    Childcatcher

    Well I sure hope they also banned "Semprini"!

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CfU6bmKsoko

    And they should of course also ban "swut", "jujuflop", "turlingdrome" and of course "belgium"!

    1. Yet Another Anonymous coward Silver badge

      Re: Well I sure hope they also banned "Semprini"!

      If enough of us use B***ium in that sense we could get it banned from Google search.....

      1. I ain't Spartacus Gold badge

        Re: Well I sure hope they also banned "Semprini"!

        Then we won't be able to buy belgian buns! So shut up you stupid Ghent!

        1. RancidOrange

          Re: Well I sure hope they also banned "Semprini"!

          He needs a good kick in the tallywags.

  27. Tigra 07
    Big Brother

    Like Amazon, do Google workplaces have monitors showing the words: "Conform", "Obey", "Report" on a repeating cycle?

  28. Colemanisor

    Just spell fuck differently - Phuq works pretty well

    1. Updraft102

      Just spell fuck differently - Phuq works pretty well

      I thought it was fsck!

      1. onefang

        Just spell fuck differently - Phuq works pretty well

        "I thought it was fsck!"

        Nah, fsck is what you do to disks after you phuq them.

  29. SteveK

    So, if I change my name to something Google deems offensive, will I get purged from their databases, or stripped from data feeds to advertisers? That sounds like it has possibilities...

  30. Big_Boomer Silver badge

    Hypocrites

    Google seem happy enough to link to all kinds of "naughty" words in URLs when it comes to their search engine,.... oh but that is their income isn't it.

    To the censors of our fine English language I say faq you all. You are all a bunch of fokking shoiteheads and really need to get a life.

    You will never ever manage to suppress the marvellous invective that English is graced with thanks to our Celtic, Gaelic, Old Germanic, Latin, French, Viking and other invaders, not to mention the excellent contributions from just about every other language on the planet.

  31. Efer Brick

    Thank duck for auto correct!

  32. Wupspups

    Futtocks

    They can go and wurdle their futtocks with a shrieving woggle! Its an old west country habit you know.

  33. onefang

    The prudes think these words are "magic", somehow corrupting youthful minds and resulting in other nasties. The only reason why these sorts of words have any "magic" is coz the prudes declared these specific words to be dirty words. The opening sequence for Four Weddings and a Funeral would not be funny at all if it was some non-"magic" word. The "magic" words are different in different languages. The prudes are entirely to blame.

    1. I ain't Spartacus Gold badge

      I seem to remember that when Channel 4 first broadcast that film, their switchboard was overwhelmed with complaints who didn't see the funny side. So their second broadcast had a specific warning about "the very strong language from the outset" - or whatever formulation they used.

      How you can fail to laugh at "fuck-a-doodle-do" is beyond me.

      Who at some point in their life hasn't woken up at about 5 minutes before an event was supposed to start, realised they're late and said [expletive deleted] then after the eyes have started working properly realised exactly how catastrophically late they are and [repeated expletive deleted]?

      There's a wonderful scene in the first series of the wire, where two detectives go to the scene of the crime and realise that the first forensic team did it wrong. It's a great bit of acting/directing that shows not tells - so the entire dialogue for a couple of minutes is just the actors different intonations of the word "fuck". And yet as a viewer you get to pick up exactly what they mean by each one, and they've advanced the plot in a major way without effectively having a single line of dialogue. And avoided the dreaded Basil Exposition.

    2. The Nazz

      Talking of films ...

      I can't recall the details, despite having seen it a few times, but Rita, Sue and Bob Too was funny with a limited screenplay.

      More so if you've ever been fortunate (err?) enough to have ever lived in Bradford.

      1. hopkinse
        Coat

        Re: Talking of films ...

        I now can't get Black Lace out of my head....

  34. Uberior

    Hopefully they will also ban abusive slang terms such as "fud", which in parts of Scotland, can be used interchangeably with =mid("Scunthorpe",2,4).

  35. johnnyblaze

    There are a million abbreviations and other ways of saying it, so it won't change much

  36. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Not just Google

    I have it on fairly good authority that the British Army's "Future Urban Combat Missile" program got renamed when someone started to use the acronym in meetings to describe what it was intended to do to the other side...

    Anon because I'm not supposed to know about such things ;-)

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: Not just Google

      That wasn't the only one.

      We had a finance line for the demolitions project Future Cratering Kit.

      Credit to our Colonel at the time for keeping a straight face when discussing the costings page titled "FuCK"

    2. The Nazz

      Re: Not just Google

      And yet, still available (naturally) on Google's You-Tube :

      https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cdUI8PTfMyI

      https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=09-Zyk0EIrE

    3. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: Not just Google

      Allegedly one of the Scottish ITV regions was originally planned as Scottish Highlands & Islands Television, until someone was doodling in a planning meeting. It became Grampian after that.

      1. Anonymous Coward
        Anonymous Coward

        Re: Not just Google

        That comment about Grampian TV made me laugh, but it rather sounds far too good to actually be true, I suspect?

  37. Anonymous South African Coward Bronze badge

    fopdoodle?

    1. Anonymous Coward
  38. RobThBay

    Will Dildo disappear as well?

    Does that mean Dildo (Newfoundland, Canada) will vanish from Google Earth??

    1. Michael Habel

      Re: Will Dildo disappear as well?

      It would be best forall if Canda as it is just dissapreaded off Google, and took Trudeau with it.

    2. Fruit and Nutcase Silver badge

      Re: Will Dildo disappear as well?

      up Google Search

  39. Michael Habel

    So...

    Does this also apply to other Words such as Belgum too?

  40. Qwelak

    Sounds like a load of ...

    Male bovine effluent to me.

  41. shaunhw

    As a software dev I never used to swear very much whilst at work at all.

    Then Windows 10 came out....

  42. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    The simplest answer...

    Eventually new euphemisms come along and old rude words are retired. Chaucer's Trump would have grabbed women by the quaint. (Those who remember Mary Quant will know she chose the name deliberately - which is why today we find numerical analysts calling themselves "quants" funny).

    So let's just create a version of the Académie for English and have them rule that "fuck" means "an insignificant event" or some such, and reduce it to banality. Then we invent a really rude new word, and start all over again.

    1. bobsmith168

      Re: The simplest answer...

      I don't think that is correct.

      Please cite anything that refers to women's privates as their 'quaint' .... an good archaic word would be; 'quim'.

      1. Alan Douglas

        Re: The simplest answer...

        Definitely Chaucherian

  43. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    https://www.minds.com/media/901450287910916096

  44. spold Silver badge

    Reminds me of....

    Reminds me of the old story of poor old Mrs Babcock who was constantly having her material blocked by nannyware - and who used Babpenis instead which was accepted just fine...

  45. MatsSvensson

    Oh yeah?

    https://www.google.com/search?q=penis

  46. Handle123456

    no one wants to work in an office or environment that's toxic and unwelcoming

    I can't think of any environment more toxic and more unwelcoming than current Google.

    1. Claptrap314 Silver badge

      Re: no one wants to work in an office or environment that's toxic and unwelcoming

      You must be young, but your point remains.

  47. Stevie

    Bah!

    *Mental note to self: count how many posts until some commentard trots out the threadbare "Scunthorpe" thing*

    11.

    Number 12 couldn't resist.

  48. Claptrap314 Silver badge
    Facepalm

    Google Culture

    Fascinating that the Googlers & x-Googlers appear to be silent. Oh well. This is going to be long enough that there is no point in trying to be AC. I was there 2015-6.

    Google culture encourages staff to "bring your whole self". And stay all day. Free three meals a day if you like, showers, gyms, and more. (One guy lived out of his car for two years until management found out.) This is particularly attractive to green grads who don't have a strong view of life after college. (And are not in a relationship outside work.) It also deliberately smears the line between work and not-work. In such an environment, "professionalism" can have implications that are very different from most places.

    For example, consider Google's internal Imgur/Memegen. While I was there, the decision was made to officially support it. At least two FTOs. Few companies would allow such a thing. But there, it became one of the best sources of internal news in the company. To the point that at least one team copped to reading it to help debug an outage. So are these memes "official communications"? If so, when did it start?

    When I started, there was an aggressive (how much depended on where) culture of enforcing screen locking by inventive embarrassment (posting embarrassing memes was fair game). Apparently, some thin-skinned director got busted this way at some point, and demanded an end to the practice. Shortly, a document came out proscribing what was allowed & not. It was decidedly NSFW for many places. (A fact which was the source of several highly popular memes.)

    When you have a culture which is (officially) consciously relaxed, you're going to have people regularly needing to be herded back inside the smeared lines. This looks like one of those events.

    Of course, the entire thing gets really messy when you take a consciously relaxed culture & start demanding adherence to the liberal pieties. But that's a different post.

    1. Yet Another Anonymous coward Silver badge

      Re: Google Culture

      So now instead they probably have an official screen locking policy which is enforced by requiring colleagues to report your unlocked screen to HR and the number of incidents being reported on your annual review, and having an entire army of enforcement and reporting staff.

      And somehow this produced lower moral than having your homepage set to Rick Astley !

      1. Claptrap314 Silver badge

        Re: Google Culture

        Nah, what happened was that there were a lot more computers unattended & unlocked. Well, for the first year. Anyone know if there has been a correction to the correction of the corrective?

  49. HellDeskJockey

    Most are professional in email, especially as in the states they are a legal record. Which can be made public in the event of legal troubles. Most have learned not to say anything in email you would not want said in public.

    Now as to %$@^%) phone calls.

  50. Anonymous IV
    Facepalm

    Today's Government Crisis

    ... used to be discussed in BRA, Briefing Room A.

    But this was a word far too naughty for our leaders, who changed it, prefixing it by Cabinet Office:- hence 'COBRA'.

  51. Steve Knox

    Alternative to the F word

    The G word.

    Then we can tell those Googling Googlers to Google the Google off.

  52. Alowe

    Had this problem many times. Trying to refer to a bastard sword on AD&D forums is a nightmare. Also when you can't refer to Essex because of the last three letters.

    It's moronic and childish and the world we unfortunately live in.

    1. tiggity Silver badge

      Similar issue with a file that can also be preceded with the same word.

      I assume at some point its name was Bowdlerized as only people above a certain age seem aware of / use its proper name these days.

      It used to be a classic one to ask a newbie to pass the appropriately named file

      * Yes this is posted from behind a system with filters, hence no direct usage of said word!

  53. Big_Boomer Silver badge

    I like Fucking!

    It's a lovely little Austrian hamlet although their village signs do get stolen quite often. Location courtesy of Hypocrite Maps.

    https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@48.0678063,12.8666873,1516m/data=!3m1!1e3!5m1!1e1

    1. Fruit and Nutcase Silver badge
      Coat

      Re: I like Fucking!

      I like Trucking!

      https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HZbQ3lTObas

      And I like to Truck

    2. Popsi
      Childcatcher

      From Petting to Fucking in a Car

      Google is always a source of insprirations and education.

      Did you ever wonder - for no specific reason - how long it takes to get from Petting to Fucking in a car?

      35 minutes, according to google maps if you go via Tittmoning.

      https://www.google.com/maps/dir/Petting,+Germany/Fucking,+5121,+Austria/

      No data on how long it takes in a bus. Seems the bus services in Germany and Austria don't want to use them to for this purpose.

  54. MachDiamond Silver badge

    Kill, murder, disembowel

    ... and other words/concepts that depict violence are perfectly acceptable.

    I've had to work with people that curse the air blue all of the time and it's not conducive to a good working environment. Rather than spending time rooting out "bad" words and references to sex, the better thing to do is make sure everybody knows that any sort of bad language is not allowed in company documents, communications and in personal settings. If there are people in the company that constantly use aggressive or sexual language to shock co-workers and subordinates, they should be given one chance to change or get tossed on their ear. Technology is often a poor choice to solve social problems.

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: Kill, murder, disembowel

      Have to agree.

      But there are those who will try to claim it as a 'right' (it's not if you work for someone else, nor is it a right to swear at or in front of someone if they work for you in many places), or claim somehow it's a part of being professional.

      A potentially effective way to deal with those who won't follow a language code is to not follow the dress code. I'm far from being good looking, and also far from having an ideal BMI. It's perfectly legal to walk around in public in nothing but speedos so.... It's your right to swear how you want, it's my right to dress how I want!

      1. MachDiamond Silver badge

        Re: Kill, murder, disembowel

        "It's perfectly legal to walk around in public in nothing but speedos so.... "

        As long as you don't criticize me for the Aloha shirt and lederhosen.

  55. russmichaels

    Re: "The former policy wonk -

    LOL, the irony... they ban swear words, but then behave like complete c*nts :-)

  56. JohnG

    Filenames

    Is the ban on banned words in filenames going to be applied retrospectively? Are they going to allow people to reference existing files with banned words in the filenames or are some interns going to have to do a rather large search and rename operation? Can we expect Google to expunge all references to Scunthorpe (again)?

  57. Popsi
    Angel

    Discrimination suite waiting to happen.

    Here in Austria, there's a small but existing population of people with Fucker as family name:

    https://www.herold.at/telefonbuch/was_fucker/

    Also there are quite a few Wanker out there:

    https://www.herold.at/telefonbuch/was_wanker/

    So what happens, if the Google discriminates against them based on their name? Or doesn't process their job application correctly because of their name? Can they sue?

    Seems like Google tries to get rid of all aCUMen.

  58. Briggster

    Time to burn my Sharon Olds poetry books. Oh well. As described in the Independent circa 2000, "In Olds's poems, we are creatures who bleed, suck, give birth and - to use her uncompromising word - fuck." This artless risk panic needs to tone it down.

    I, for one, would rather live in a society where I am occasionally offended than one with "One Grep to Rule them All."

  59. Ubermik

    This might make it "hard" to be able to get anywhere near Scunthorpe or Penistone in the UK

    Or if youre undecided which you want you could visit Bicester or Gaydon to try and help you decide, however we don't seem to have anywhere called "normalstown", a sign off the modern Marxist times we live in I guess :)

  60. J27

    It won't work anyway, people just work around this sort of thing. Maybe it will result in a whole new set of Google in-group slang. That would make it worse.

  61. Scott 53

    So if your name is Roger, don't bother applying for a job at Google.

  62. jonathanmiller

    May I put a word in here for my colleagues very fine Euphemism Generator....

    http://ifyoulikeitsomuchwhydontyougolivethere.com/

    e.g. “Staring at the blacksmith's velvet butler ...despite mashing his greek paperclip”

    I'm sure we'd consider licensing it to the Chocolate Factory to help their brave new world....

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