Octopus Overlords blocked

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tru1cy
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Octopus Overlords blocked

Post by tru1cy »

My job has now blocked this site due to influx of racial topics




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Cylus Maxii
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Re: Octopus Overlords blocked

Post by Cylus Maxii »

Not surprised - I've been worrying about that happening. I assume more people will complain, since most site blocking is done by lists and subscriptions.

I'd like to see some moderation of subject matter to keep OO off block lists.
Last edited by Cylus Maxii on Tue Apr 24, 2012 1:00 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Octopus Overlords blocked

Post by Smoove_B »

I guess I'm completely ignorant, but if either one of you could explain how that could happen, I'd love to hear it. Is it because of thread titles? Embedded links in threads?
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Re: Octopus Overlords blocked

Post by Cylus Maxii »

I think all it would take is for a web crawler to find enough occurrences of racially charged phrases. If that weren't enough - it would definitely flag the site for human review and all they would have to see are a few titles about "Why do Black People.." or "Racism", check to see if moderation locked them down, and if not, that's all she wrote. KC's thread is 7 pages long. I think it counts as pretty active.

Its not necessarily right, but its a PC world and lots of companies block sites with "Objectionable Content" in order to avoid strife and litigation. What's more, those same companies like to offload the decision making about block lists to a theoretically unbiased third party to avoid the litigation that might come from making the decisions themselves.
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Rip
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Re: Octopus Overlords blocked

Post by Rip »

I will ask the mods to consider putting out a call for people to edit thread titles where they can and to consider what effect a thread title may have on the ability of our substantial browse at work community to enjoy the site.

It isn't just profanity that can cause a problem these days and I can't imagine how a little thread title restraint can harm anyone's ability to speak their mind within the thread itself.
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Re: Octopus Overlords blocked

Post by Blackhawk »

Before anyone starts changing how things work, are we absolutely certain that a couple of race topics is the cause?
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Re: Octopus Overlords blocked

Post by Rip »

I checked from a client that has websense today and they didn't have it blocked.
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Re: Octopus Overlords blocked

Post by tru1cy »

Hopkins doesn't use Websense, but our IT flagged the site and I had to have a chat with HR and my Manager about some suspicious activity. The thread topic was discussed. Sigh.. anyway I'll just visit the site via tapatalk while at work
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Re: Octopus Overlords blocked

Post by Kelric »

tru1cy wrote:Hopkins doesn't use Websense, but our IT flagged the site and I had to have a chat with HR and my Manager about some suspicious activity. The thread topic was discussed. Sigh.. anyway I'll just visit the site via tapatalk while at work
Wow, that sucks.
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Re: Octopus Overlords blocked

Post by silverjon »

And here I thought Hepcat's post about people thinking he'd accidentally joined a white power forum was comedic hyperbole.
wot?

To be fair, adolescent power fantasy tripe is way easier to write than absurd existential horror, and every community has got to start somewhere... right?

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Re: Octopus Overlords blocked

Post by Smoove_B »

Kelric wrote:Wow, that sucks.
Absolutely. I'm horrified that someone would think that of this site and bothered that you were pulled into a meeting over it. That's insane.
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Re: Octopus Overlords blocked

Post by LawBeefaroni »

That seems like an overzealous IT and maybe HR department and I'm surprised a title alone would cause problems (if they went that far, didn't they explore the thread and see the backlash?) but for now I'll request an edit the title if that will help. If it's not changed by morning, I'll edit it.

I'll add that the spinoff memes of the particular thread in question don't help the situation so restraint would be appreciated.
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Re: Octopus Overlords blocked

Post by Cylus Maxii »

Some companies use proxies with word scrubbers for content. Maybe they just tripped on your web traffic due to key words.

I don't have any OO block from work - I don't even get the "unknown site" warning with the option to click through at my peril. Maybe there are other OO lurkers in my corporate IT. My company just blocks URL based on categorites within a list (maybe its even WebSense). I didn't even have to submit an exception request for OO, though I have had to submit a number of IT vendor sites that were actually blocked.
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Re: Octopus Overlords blocked

Post by Smoove_B »

LawBeefaroni wrote:That seems like an overzealous IT and maybe HR department and I'm surprised a title alone would cause problems
I guess I was thinking the initial flag was put up because of the general visits (or time spent) on the site and when a human being then took a look to see what was so important they were horrified at EBG. But if there are crawlers or automated systems that would just flag the site because of topic headers? Good grief.
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Re: Octopus Overlords blocked

Post by Odin »

Smoove_B wrote:
Kelric wrote:Wow, that sucks.
Absolutely. I'm horrified that someone would think that of this site and bothered that you were pulled into a meeting over it. That's insane.
Insane, but not surprising. Given the topics that still keep popping to the front of the main EBG page, it wouldn't be hard for somebody (especially in our heavily PC culture) to take one look at OO and conclude that we're a bunch of bigots. Deeper examination would probably prove otherwise, but people like to jump to easy conclusions, and right now that's a goddamn easy conclusion to make. That it was actually necessary for a mod to remove the N-word from a post boggles my mind - it's certainly not something I ever anticipated happening here outside of a spammer or malcontent of some sort.

And thanks, ImLawBoy for locking the thread at last.
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Re: Octopus Overlords blocked

Post by GreenGoo »

Did IT or HR read the threads in question before calling a meeting? Because I think it's important to have an educated HR policy, not a knee jerk freak out one.

And if they did, what was their problem with it? That some people post racist ideas? It's not like the threads were calling for eugenics.

Well, good luck with that. You should probably have been working anyway. :twisted: :wub:
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Re: Octopus Overlords blocked

Post by Blackhawk »

It didn't help that we had several parody threads that looked decidedly racist unless you read them and had the context of what was already going on.
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Re: Octopus Overlords blocked

Post by hepcat »

Or that some folks were using those threads (and even threads having very little to do with race) as an opportunity to make racist jokes while throwing up their hands and yelling, "but it was just a joke!". I got disgusted by this crap a while ago. No matter how many well meaning folks you have piping up, there is always going to be those who view those threads as a way to spout actual racist sentiment. Once poisoned, it's difficult to view it as anything but so after that.
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Re: Octopus Overlords blocked

Post by Cylus Maxii »

My concern is not merely that OO will get blocked; I am worried that having a talk with HR and my manager would probably be a career limiting event. Once had, you are on a short list and should look for another job. I am worried for Truicy.
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Re: Octopus Overlords blocked

Post by Blackhawk »

Cylus Maxii wrote:Truicy.
Truancy, I believe. ;)
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Re: Octopus Overlords blocked

Post by Cylus Maxii »

Ah - that makes more sense.
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Re: Octopus Overlords blocked

Post by Grundbegriff »

My job long ago blocked this site because of widespread use of the "G" word.
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Re: Octopus Overlords blocked

Post by Grundbegriff »

tru1cy wrote:Hopkins doesn't use Websense
I thought you worked at Social Sec. :)
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Re: Octopus Overlords blocked

Post by Chesspieceface »

I certainly did not mean to make matters worse with my outstanding comment. I'd avoided the whole thread... but when it was all said and done I think I rephrased the original question as it was really intended. I'd also point out in defense of my own humor, the well known Chris Rock routine in which he decries the ignorance of a certain segment of the African American population as well. I harbor no ill sentiments; I just found it odd that it went that long without anyone really putting the rubber to the road, so to speak. I did not mean to offend, simply to crystallize.
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Re: Octopus Overlords blocked

Post by hepcat »

Simply saying "I'm sorry, that was wrong" would've been a better path to take than trying to convince folks your post was a cutting edge commentary on race.

P.S. I'm pretty sure EVERYONE in that thread read between the lines and came to your conclusion days earlier...and stated so ad nauseum.
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Re: Octopus Overlords blocked

Post by Exodor »

GreenGoo wrote: an educated HR policy,
Holy shit, thanks GG.

I needed a good laugh today.
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Octopus Overlords blocked

Post by tru1cy »

Thanks for the concern but i'm fine. I have a very good relationship with my manager

@Grund no I work for Hopkins and as you are probably aware with them opening a $1.1 bil new facility they are on edge.


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Re: Octopus Overlords blocked

Post by Chesspieceface »

hepcat wrote:Simply saying "I'm sorry, that was wrong" would've been a better path to take than trying to convince folks your post was a cutting edge commentary on race.
If I were sorry or believed I was wrong, then I'd agree that would be the better path. I'm not trying to convince of anything... as far as I can tell I made the most obvious comment of all, and the statement that should have begun and ended the discussion to begin with.

When do we start the profiling of Chinese-American convenience store owners in the California bay area?
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Re: Octopus Overlords blocked

Post by Rip »

Exodor wrote:
GreenGoo wrote: an educated HR policy,
Holy shit, thanks GG.

I needed a good laugh today.
Better put a smiley on that or god knows what will be your fate if your HR department ever happens here.

:mrgreen:
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Re: Octopus Overlords blocked

Post by hepcat »

Chesspieceface wrote:
hepcat wrote:Simply saying "I'm sorry, that was wrong" would've been a better path to take than trying to convince folks your post was a cutting edge commentary on race.
If I were sorry or believed I was wrong, then I'd agree that would be the better path. I'm not trying to convince of anything... as far as I can tell I made the most obvious comment of all, and the statement that should have begun and ended the discussion to begin with.

When do we start the profiling of Chinese-American convenience store owners in the California bay area?
Wow...you honestly believed you were being insightful? :shock: Amazing.
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Re: Octopus Overlords blocked

Post by Chesspieceface »

hepcat wrote:Wow...you honestly believed you were being insightful? :shock: Amazing.
That's not what I said and you know it. I'm sorry that you seem to have taken this and the thread personally. Aside from the web traffic blockage, I have no problem with people sharing and discussing their bigoted and not so bigoted ideas for free discussion. The unexpected consequences are unfortunate.
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Re: Octopus Overlords blocked

Post by hepcat »

Not taking it personally beyond the fear that at least one long standing member of the community was made to feel awkward by the rash of crap that was thrown up on OO over the last few weeks.

I was simply pointing out that what you said was not in any way, shape or form a meaningful discourse on race or the thread itself. It was simply a childish attempt at being shocking that (rightly) ended up in the thread being locked. Your attempts to justify your outburst as having any greater meaning are just silly.
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Re: Octopus Overlords blocked

Post by Isgrimnur »

Chesspieceface wrote:The unexpected consequences are unfortunate.
How these consequences were unexpected by anyone truly astounds me.
It's almost as if people are the problem.
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