F-Word Town's Name Gets Censored By Internet Filter
It turns out the filtering service used is provided by an American company whose filter works on phonetic pronunciations. The filter is triggered because the 'wh' in Whakatane is pronounced like an 'f' -- the town's name sounds like a certain swear word that begins with 'f' and ends with a 'k.' The town has since added its name to the list of words that can bypass the filter.
Plenty of towns around the world there have even more questionable names. We wonder if these would get through the filter:
- Bohner's Lake, Wisconsin
- Cockplay, Scotland
- Anus, France
- Three Cocks, Wales
- Weener, Germany
- Fort Dick, Pennsylvania
- Dikshit, India
- Gofuku, Japan
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
retro77 @ Aug 1st 2008 4:42PM
Oh and my personal fav [from experience while being IT in the military]: Phuket, Thailand
http://maps.google.com/maps?hl=en&safe=off&q=Phuket,+Thailand&ie=UTF8&ll=8.132648,98.350983&spn=0.470379,1.012115&z=10&iwloc=addr
ax1um @ Aug 2nd 2008 1:39PM
pronounced "poo-ket", but ok :/
retro77 @ Aug 2nd 2008 3:22PM
It was still blocked by the DoD sensors for surfing the local town news paper there.
Neal @ Aug 1st 2008 4:55PM
How did Norfolk, Suffolk, and all those get through?
CraziestGadgets.com @ Aug 2nd 2008 7:45AM
And yet the corner of Seaman and Cumming is still on the map right around the corner from Dykeman and Staff Streets.:
http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&geocode=&q=seaman+ave+and+cumming+st,+new+york,+ny&sll=40.866414,-73.927549&sspn=0.004909,0.01075&ie=UTF8&ll=40.866584,-73.925865&spn=0.004909,0.01075&z=17
Bryan @ Aug 2nd 2008 8:36AM
Whakatane me!!!
artie @ Aug 2nd 2008 9:34PM
there is also blue ball and intercourse pennsylvania
orygun @ Aug 2nd 2008 10:00PM
And 20 miles from me is a dam named "Green Peter", named after the mountain beside it.
undrgrndgirl @ Aug 2nd 2008 10:10PM
ya can't even say "titfortat" with out sticking the words together!
kiaora @ Aug 2nd 2008 10:33PM
Whakatane is NOT a "dirty name" and has nothing at all to do with the F-word. It commemorates an incident around 1350 A.D, in which a high-ranking Maori (native) woman took it upon herself to paddle a canoe (which women did not do) that started to drift after the men went ashore. She said, "Ka Whakatāne au i ahau" ('I will make myself like a man'), and with the help of the other women saved the canoe.
TrashBat @ Sep 19th 2008 4:24PM
yawn :0
Amanda @ Aug 3rd 2008 12:39AM
When I was in school I couldnt resarch my town because of the spelling of name. Its Sussex, the competer picked up on the sex at the end.
Marty @ Aug 3rd 2008 2:02AM
Along with intercorse and blue ball in pennsylvania is a town called bird in hand. all three of these towns are in the same area, Lancaster county. You know where all the Amish come from. What was on their minds when they named these towns. Maybe the Amish are not quite sooo pure lol
Beth @ Aug 3rd 2008 2:04AM
Along with Intercourse Pennsylvania and Blue Ball sits another town ,All in Lancaster,Ya know ,where all the Amish folks live? Its called bird in hand. Maybe them Amish folks are not soooo pure after alll lmao
Jewel @ Aug 3rd 2008 2:23AM
Kiaora, I think you missed the whole point of the article. It never said that it had anything to do with the F word, but said it was blocked due to the pronounciation being extremely similar to that of the F word considering the "wh" is pronounced like an F.
Anyways, I think it's kind of funny, but ridiculous at the same time. Way too many things are censored now days. What about that baseball player, Fukudome...split that into 4 words... (for those who don't get it "fuk u do me") I'm suprised his name isn't blurred out on t.v. Censoring has gone way too far as it is.
Denise @ Aug 3rd 2008 2:29AM
Just another reason not to let other people decide what you and your family has contact with.
JD @ Aug 3rd 2008 6:02AM
Here in the city I live in, in Washington State, cannot be put into AOL's Profiles because it contains the word "penis" The name of the town is Toppenish. So do to the word "penis" being in the name of the town, it catches it as a word that violates AOL's TOS or Terms Of Service.
Robert Banks @ Aug 5th 2008 2:45PM
Your list of twons with censor possible names is very limited.
For example, the is a town called Suc Dic in Viet-Nam.