Naughty Words in Domains

benny_c writes "I decided to make an online Christmas card for my friends, and the domain name I was after has the 'Fword' in it. While I am articulate enough to speak without dropping that bomb (most of the time), it is an integral part of the running joke behind the site. I was somewhat disturbed when I tried to search on nsi.com which returned the message 'The domain name requested was not accepted because it was inappropriate.'" The story continues, read on. (Caution: you may see four ascii characters in the range 97-122 which, when concatenated, offend you.)

register.com just said the site is unavailable, as is any other domain which happens to have the wrong string of four letters (even when surrounded by giberish ... try searching for something like ewqsdfuckdfd). I am sure that if I keep looking I will find another registrar who does want my business. I was wondering though whether anybody else has had potential domain names censored for something other than the 'Fbomb', and what else might be taboo amongst the registrars.'

The secret is to speak another language, or find a friend who does, and register your domain using a registrar based in a non-English-speaking country. I speak a little German so I tried it, and while I didn't actually spend the money to take the final steps, I was told by three separate registrars that "Die Domain fuck12065237.com ist noch frei!"

If anyone tries this, let us know how it works. If you find any other taboo words, in English or any other language, tell us the details!

Here's the list of accredited registrars, including many in non-English-speaking countries.

Comments

Censorship is a must in a civilized society.

[Anonymous Coward]

Folks, we can't allow foulmouthed domains to exist. They are obscene and thus illegal. Maybe if some of you so called geeks would pick up a Bible instead of staring at a screen all day you would realize this. There are inherently bad words and the "f word" is certainly one of them. The first ammendment only protects good speach not foulmouthed speech or pornography. Foulmouthedness is ruining our families and society. We must do everything we can to stop it from spreading to our children and punish them severely when they utter a bad word.

Re:Censorship is a must in a civilized society.

[mpe]

Maybe if some of you so called geeks would pick up a Bible instead of staring at a screen all day you would realize this.

Let' s see, just in Genesis we have no shortage of murder, rape, child abuse and genocide. Maybe some people need to actually read the text rather than just thump the book.

Re:Censorship is a must in a civilized society.

[mOdQuArK!]

Ah, but the mass destruction was performed through God's power, so that's okay.

Re:Censorship is a must in a civilized society.

[autocracy]

Your ignorance is a paramount example of what is needed to destroy a civilized society. Your opinions and lack of thought are of the most dangerous forms. Outlawing cuss words is just one more step in the direction of the total loss of freedom.

I'll cut you some slack now and say that ethics should take some effect in areas like this, but come off it. This is a part of a joke, and as was said - nobody's forcing you to look at it.

See if this sounds familiar - "First they came for the ..., but I didn't speak up because I wasn't a ..., then they came for me, but there was nobody left to speak up for me."

Re:Censorship is a must in a civilized society.

[unanimous cowered]

>They are obscene and thus illegal.

yes, Obscenity == illegal.
Unfortunately for you, profanity != obscenity.
IANAL, but last time I checked, the only thing that is considered illegal under the "obscene" thing is child pornography, and that because it depicts an illegal act.

>The first ammendment only protects good speach

Er, that's "speech" and "amendment", but in any case, you're full of crap. The first Amendment is designed precisely to protect speech that people don't like. If no one was offended, there would be no need to protect it, now would there?

firstly...

[Wakko Warner]

...why the hell were you registering through NSI? Every single registrar out there is better than NSI, whose customer service is, seriously, the worst in the business.

You'll have no trouble registering domain names with "dirty" words in them (including "fuck" and "shit") with other registrars, such as register.com and joker.com.

- A.P.

--
* CmdrTaco is an idiot.

Can't they do this?

[Alan]

I'm probably missing some huge point, or not clear on the concept (and I'm sure I'll be reminded of that if it is the case), but why can't they do this? If I run a site and I don't want to see swear words (personally I don't fucking care myself :) don't I have the right to filter out?

If NSI doesn't want to allow certain words to searched on, or domains to be registered, why can't they? They are a company just like everyone else, and just because everyone wants a *fuck*.com address, does that mean they have to let them? Hallmark doesn't have to use every greeting card idea sent to them, and a car dealership has the right to kick your ass off their lot if you're wandering around with a sign saying "fuck everyone". Ok, streching a bit I know.... :)

Anyway, just my thoughts... I don't agree with them, but I don't nesissarily think that they (the company) has no say in what they do.

Re:Sounds like a free speech issue to me

[J. J. Ramsey]

The ruling was that "indecent" expression is protected while "obscene" is not, and what was considered "obscene" by the Supreme Court was, if I remember right, the kind of stuff that would probably be vile enough to make the author of goatse.cx throw up, that is, pretty raw, hard core stuff. Curse words, like the F-word and such, would be considered "indecent" rather than "obscene," I believe.

Re:The Triumph of the Juvenile

[Amphigory]

Profanity, when used with thoughtfully and with moderation, can be an amazingly powerful thing. It is true that the vast majority of profanity use is heavy-handed and ineffectual, and is spouted for the sake of sensationalism; to suggest, however, that the very utterance of a profane word reduces an individual to idiocy smacks of intellectual eletism. To infer that profanity exists only in the realm "potty and shock humor" is akin to thinking that anybody with a classic New England drawl owns a summer house in the Hamptons.

Name me a counter-example. Seriously: show me one case where the use of vulgarity (profanity is when you use the Lord's name in vain, not just ordinary cussin') serves to advance a cause that matters where the use of "respectable" language could not work better. There aren't any. All profanity will do, however artfully you use it, is detract from your position among those who still care about it.

As for your complaints against my elitism... My point was not my "elite" status. My point was that Slashdot has changed. Could it be perhaps that you interpreted it this way because you are insecure about your own status? (If I had wanted to portrary myself as somehow elite, I would have mentioned my 200+ karma.)

I think the "Your Rights Online" section has served to seriously weaken Slashdot's potential for social change. It has tended to present a host of "causes" which are simply not important. DeCSS -- sure, critical free speech issue. "Geeks Rights" in the aftermath of Columbine -- definitely. I think Slashdot really helped to raise the flag there, and probably saved a lot of kids a lot of suffering.

Using the "f word" in a domain name for an inside joke because someone is too lame to go to an alternative registrar? Oh spare me.

Every time you raise a ruckus over an issue, you use some "capital." If you raise a ruckus over an issue that doesn't matter, you may not have this "capital" when the issue does matter. This is why organizations like the NAACP and ACLU have lost much of their ability to affect social change. Slashdot is rapidly becoming a cry-baby website, and when the issue really does matter -- when there is another Columbine -- nobody will listen. And that is a shame.

Or, to put it terms that brains limited to four letters might understand:

NEVER CRY WOLF!

Oops... That's right, 'never' has five letters. Just proves you can't say anything useful in four.

--

Re:The Triumph of the Juvenile

[Amphigory]

I disagree. Profanity detracts from your position among those who take an absolutist view similar to your own; I'd argue that for the vast majority of people, however, profanity is a part of their lexicon. As above, context and audience are everything.

My point is vulnerable to proof by counterexample. I ask again: please name me one way to use offensive language that has redeeming social importance.

Doubt you can.

--

Re:The Triumph of the Juvenile

[Amphigory]

I just can't tell if you're a troll or an idiot (make that a fucking idiot, for consistancy's sake).

Oh you say the sweetest things. What precisely makes you think I'm an idiot? Is this an appeal to ridicule? Just curious.

It's not the word, it's the use..and frankly, it's become rather commonplace in the English language at this point, saying that use of profanity indicates ignorance is alot like saying that use of French or Latin indicates ignorance, as you're too "stupid" to know the appropriate English equivalent.

Okay -- how 'bout "bad taste" then? Some people are still offended by these words (believe it or not, I'm not one of them) even though the Supreme Court has been plastering them on the walls for 50 years. Isn't it a simple lack of courtesy to use them in most cases?

Don't dare try to tell me that DS is courteous.

Besides, I submit that, if the drill Sargeant is as talented as you claim, he could insult you just fine without using a single word from the "7 you must not say." Why pick the low hanging fruit? Remember: I specified an example where more "appropriate" language could not serve just as well.

Likewise, your appeal to cursing as a means to aculturation fails, since there are many other means of aculturation, and it is perfectly feasible to develop a distinctive vocabulary that would acculturate just as readily without having to be intentionally offensive.

As for the whole "french or latin" thing... Spare me. Those both require time and effort to learn. To simply say "fucking" this and "shit" that takes about ten seconds to learn, and I'm sure my 2-year-old could do it -- and I've heard two year olds cuss like sailors.

So let's see... You call me an idiot as you respond with irrelevant examples defending a behavior that accomplishes nothing and could be done by a 2-year-old.

If you don't see the disconnect, then I have to wonder whether you are an idiot or a troll.

--

Re:The Triumph of the Juvenile

[Amphigory]

Okay, now we have descended to the only thing more Juvenile than gratuitous obscenities. "He-said/She-said". I'm out of this one.

--

The Triumph of the Juvenile

[Amphigory]

This story make sme think of how, in our culture, the juvenile and idiotic has triumphed over intelligence, vocabulary, maturity and good taste.

Most people get over potty and shock humor by the time they're twenty. Most people know it's a waste of time, and that a compelling urge to say "fuck fuck fuck fuck" is really an indicator of a limited imagination. Similarly, most people realize some time shortly after they first begin to support their own addictions instead of going to mommy and daddy for it that our rights are not nearly so important as our responsibilities.

So you can't register "I want to fuck your body.com". WHO CARES? If you don't like it, start your own registrar. If anyone cared about enabling this kind of juvenile nonsense, they would add your tld's to their cache.

Guess what: nobody cares.

I've been on Slashdot since pretty close to the beginning (take a look at my user number -- 4 digits, not 6). But I rarely bother to read anything but headlines anymore, and almost never bother to post. This article is a perfect example of why. By perpetuating the whines of emotional and intellectual infants for rights that they don't have to do things that don't matter, Slashdot has itself become nothing more than a forum for the tendentiousness of teenagers.

Kind of sad, ain't it?

The first person to say that "a little bit of censorship is like a little bit pregnant" (or its moral equivalent) gets a sugar coated pacifier and that stinky diaper changed. I've heard it before, and I'm not whelmed.

--

Re:The Triumph of the Juvenile

[American AC in Paris]

Name me a counter-example. Seriously: show me one case where the use of vulgarity (profanity is when you use the Lord's name in vain, not just ordinary cussin') serves to advance a cause that matters where the use of "respectable" language could not work better.

Actually, sacrilegious speech is but a subset of profanity; even "ordinary cussin'" falls in the realm of profanity. The phrase "I don't give a damn" is, indeed, a profane statement, as is swearing in the name of Allah; both are uttered as curses, and both are used simply to emphasize the speaker's conviction. Now, the severity of a profane statement varies greatly from word to word and amongst different audiences; at this point, however, one enters the realm of personal tastes and standards. Just as there are those who use "fuck" in every sentence without batting an eyelid, there do exist people (my great aunt included) who are scandalized by Rhett Butler's famous line of "I don't give a damn" in Gone With The Wind. This said, you'll forgive me if I do not consider your own standard to be definitive, or even representative of the community at large.

There aren't any. All profanity will do, however artfully you use it, is detract from your position among those who still care about it.

I disagree. Profanity detracts from your position among those who take an absolutist view similar to your own; I'd argue that for the vast majority of people, however, profanity is a part of their lexicon. As above, context and audience are everything.

As for your complaints against my elitism... My point was not my "elite" status. My point was that Slashdot has changed. Could it be perhaps that you interpreted it this way because you are insecure about your own status? (If I had wanted to portrary myself as somehow elite, I would have mentioned my 200+ karma.)

...and are you honestly the least bit surprised that Slashdot has changed as it shifted from 3,000 users to hundreds of thousands? You point to the Downfall Of Slashdot, link it directly to the influx of the "nouveau utilisateur", and proceed to lament the fact that it now caters to the tendentiousness of a whole bunch of other classes of user, too. (Don't think for a second that you're not fully and proudly airing your own tendency.) Spin it how you will, but in the end it boils down to elitism.

I think the "Your Rights Online" section has served to seriously weaken Slashdot's potential for social change. It has tended to present a host of "causes" which are simply not important. DeCSS -- sure, critical free speech issue. "Geeks Rights" in the aftermath of Columbine -- definitely. I think Slashdot really helped to raise the flag there, and probably saved a lot of kids a lot of suffering.

Using the "f word" in a domain name for an inside joke because someone is too lame to go to an alternative registrar? Oh spare me.

Since when has Slashdot been about evoking social change in and of itself? Yes, Slashdot has always played a central role in reporting major issues relating to the geek/nerd/techie community. It is not Slashdot's place, however, to set and push any given agenda (despite the fact that agendas do unfortunately sneak their way into news stories with alarming frequency; see some of my other posts for thoughts on this trend.) As for the issue at hand being unworthy of reporting, I must say that the event in and of itself is, in fact, a very silly thing, and does not merit a great deal of attention. Reading beyond the headline, however, it takes only seconds to grasp the broader picture: should it be the right of the registrar to determine the boundaries of taste (and thus act as the de facto censor) when giving out domain names? No matter how trivial the example, the underlying theme decidedly merits of discussion, and as such, a good many posts address just that. Just because the particular instance isn't the most earth shattering news to break on the front page doesn't mean that the underlying issue is equally trivial.

Every time you raise a ruckus over an issue, you use some "capital." If you raise a ruckus over an issue that doesn't matter, you may not have this "capital" when the issue does matter. This is why organizations like the NAACP and ACLU have lost much of their ability to affect social change. Slashdot is rapidly becoming a cry-baby website, and when the issue really does matter -- when there is another Columbine -- nobody will listen. And that is a shame.

Again, Slashdot is not a social activism site. It is a news reporting site. News is a fickle creature, and the world does not generate breaking stories on a daily basis; read through some of the fluff on any other major news site and try to tell me otherwise. To it's credit, Slashdot does an excellent job of keeping interesting, wide-ranging topics flowing through the site, with very little of the "ongoing story" demon that shackles itself to many major news providers (Elian Gonzalez, The Florida vote recounts, etc.) On the other hand, Slashdot has always had a problem with tainting it's source material in an attempt to appease it's readers, which is most evident in the unabashed and ongoing evisceration of All Things M$. Regardless of whether or not social commentary is warranted, it is not the place of Slashdot itself to make such commentary outside of the editorial articles (the community usually does a good enough job of that on their own, as well they should.)

If anything, it is this that is the bane of Slashdot's credibility. It is not Slashdot's place to dictate what we should or should not think about the news it reports; that is an exercise left to the reader. When I come to read Slashdot and see the editors themselves making snide remarks on poorly-proofread, factually inaccurate front page stories, that hurts it's credibility. I wholeheartedly believe that a move to make Slashdot an even more politically charged forum will only serve to push it back into the niche world, and whatever strength of reporting it has gained as a general technology/nerd news site will evaporate faster than you can say "closed source sucks". That is the issue Slashdot must contend with, not making themselves out to be even greater zealots than they already seem.

Or, to put it terms that brains limited to four letters might understand:

NEVER CRY WOLF!

Oops... That's right, 'never' has five letters. Just proves you can't say anything useful in four.

...and after going to such lengths to explain the importance of properly choosing one's speech to evoke respect and intelligence in the mind of the reader, you end with this snide quip. I continue to maintain that you are perfectly content to rest atop your ivory tower, taking the occasional shot at the masses below when the spirit so moves you.

Strangely enough, though, you found it necessary to respond to my post, even though my post contained the foulest of foul words used in a most shocking fashion. Surely, my banal idiocy doesn't merit this level of attention?

$ man reality

Re:The Triumph of the Juvenile

[American AC in Paris]

To think that the use of profanity is an automatic mark of idiocy and immaturity is, in my opinion, a rather idiotic and immature thought.

Profanity, when used with thoughtfully and with moderation, can be an amazingly powerful thing. It is true that the vast majority of profanity use is heavy-handed and ineffectual, and is spouted for the sake of sensationalism; to suggest, however, that the very utterance of a profane word reduces an individual to idiocy smacks of intellectual eletism. To infer that profanity exists only in the realm "potty and shock humor" is akin to thinking that anybody with a classic New England drawl owns a summer house in the Hamptons.

Language is what the speaker makes of it, and profanity is but another form of expression at the speaker's disposal. It is quite difficult to use properly (and all too often abused,) but can be used to formulate powerful, powerful statements in the proper circumstances. In this individual's case, the profanity is intended neither to offend nor sensationalize; it is merely a matter of coincidence that it is part of an inside joke. Suggesting that this cause is infantile and unworthy of notice simply because he wishes to register a profanity in his domain name is absurd.

Your making note your low Slashdot number is just about as impressive as people who point out that their ancestors were royalty, or were amongst the original pilgrims in America. What do you prove by lording your holy four-digit status over us six-digit chattle? Do you somehow think that one is incapable of insightful commentary if one's user account is higher than 9,999? Could we silly six-digiters not possibly grasp the breadth of knowledge you four-digiters are endowed with? Do you enjoy smacking of aristocratic eletism?

So Slashdot isn't the ivory tower it was back when it was just you and your 2,374 best friends. Poor you. May I suggest you take a page from your own book: if you don't like it anymore, start your own Slashdot. If Taco et al. really cared about keeping your mental playground free of us riff-raff, they'd have closed the doors ages ago.

Well? Go on. Scram, ya fucking dolt. You've got a website to build.

$ man reality

Use Gandi

[pridkett]

After a fit of stupidity on NSI's part this summer I decided to get back at them. Using Gandi.net I registered the domain name fucknsi.org. They kinda got taken aback when I was on the phone with them and said my email was i@want.to.skull.fucknsi.org. Plus Gandi is like 10 bucks for a year. Well, depending on the strength of the Euro I guess.

Austria and Argentina

[Pseudonymus Bosch]

Fucking is a real city in Austria. The domain has been taken to sell T-shirts, though.

And there is the Argentinian film Fuckland.
__

and more! :)

[Chakotay]

bullsh.it
damn.it

funny, actually :)

)O(
Never underestimate the power of stupidity

four-letter domain

[Chakotay]

This is a nice example that it is definitely allowed elsewhere: fuck.it.

)O(
Never underestimate the power of stupidity

It seems to have a different meaning in the US...

[Howie]

but I have wankyspanky.com, also as part of a silly private joke (Hi Clairey & Lex!).

I think wank is a lot ruder in britain than america though.

Re:Historical

[Zagadka]

On CityTV they bleep out "fuck" and "motherfucker" during the day, but after a certain time (I think around 8:30PM or so) they only bleep out the "mother" part of "motherfucker". I'd always thought it strange that the innocent word "mother" somehow made a swear word even worse somehow.

ObFuckDomain: fuckedcompany.com

Re:Can anyone explain the logic behind this?

[Zagadka]

There's a difference between getting offended when someone says something, stopping someone from saying it.

Of course, it isn't the word itself one should be offended by, but the intended meaning. If you use a word like "nigger" or "kike" actually intending to insult the people those derogatory terms refer to, then that would be something I'd get offended about. On the other hand if you used those terms for another reason (like quoting Mark Twain, or this discussion), then I wouldn't be offended at all. Either way, I wouldn't attempt to take away your right to say it.

Re:*sigh*

[Zagadka]

the U.S. is the nation that has become the most powerful nation with the highest standard of living (for its size)

When you say "for its size", I assume you mean population-wise. If that's the case, then the same could be said about China.

If you're actually referring to land-area, Canada has a higher standard of living that the US.

You are not authorized to view this page

[Barbarian]

This is what I get: (from a shaw @Home ip in the 24.67.119.0/255.255.255.0 netblock)

You are not authorized to view this page

You do not have permission to view this directory or page from the Internet address of your Web browser.

If you believe you should be able to view this directory or page, please contact the Web site administrator by using the e-mail address or phone number listed on the bullsh.it home page.
HTTP 403.6 - Forbidden: IP address rejected
Internet Information Services

Technical Information (for support personnel)

Background:
This error is caused when the server has a list of IP addresses that are not allowed to access the site, and the IP address you are using is in this list.

More information:
Microsoft Support

Bad words = BIG Juju. Bozo sez so.

[crovira]

The list of words, thoughts and concepts that we have had to be protected from spans the range from Carlin's famous Seven Words You Can't Say on Television to dodecahedron, the existence of which was thought by Helenic Greek philosophers to be too complex and powerful for mere mortals.

Some far-Eastern sects believe that saying the nine billion names of Rama will being about the end of the Universe.

Just saying the name of Jehova will bring death by lapidation (stoning) from some fundamentalist Jewish sects. ("Oy! Put down that rock!)

Just having the ability of giving birth to their sons condemns women to solitary confinement amongst the Taliban.

The litany of forbidden words would fill its own dictionary. Different words for different times and different places. The fun begins when they, those mystical, all-powerful illuminati,) set up mutually exclusive rules. Then you're damned if you do and damned if you don't.

The issue has always been about control. Thou shalt not is not for your good but for your good not! Its about: Who's in charge here!

Setting one fundamentalist against the other doesn't work either. They merely get together to oppress you more together.

The trick is to propose something that is so ridiculous that it is unenforcable:

disembowelment for cursing, in any of a hundred languages about any of a hundred concepts;
decapitation for thinking about dental floss;
genitorture and mutilation for humming off-key;
immolation for dragging elections through the courts long after anybody cares who robs them blind;
castration for failing to deliver campaing promises

You get the idea...

Don't use NSI

[Syberghost]

So don't use NSI.

I used DomainZero (when they were still free) to register fucknut.org, they didn't bat an eyelash.

-

Re:NameZero can't count

[TrentC]

Hmmm, I'm not sure I can trust a domain register if they can't even get their Terms of Service correct. "three (5) times", "twenty (30) page", and "three (5) times" confuses me. What are the trying to say?

It's obvious to me that NameZero (losers) decided to modify their TOS (retroactively screw over existing customers) to take into account real-world necessities of the usage of their service (we made up some numbers, they didn't work, so we made up some more numbers); in the process they neglected to fact-check the document before posting it (can't afford a proofreader).

Jay (= (karma whore looking for "Funny" points)

you moron

[semis]

why should idiots like you clog up the internet by buying domain names for christmas cards. I bet you irc with some rediculously long host like i.am.a.complete.fucking.idio.ot or post to alt.losers.i.have.no.life.so.i.like.to.waste.time. buying.domain.names.for.christmas.cards

I have no sympathy for you. get a life.

Re:EasySpace

[Skapare]

How the fuck do you know that shitface domain won't fucking get rejected later, such as when it goes through to the motherfucking central registry? (language included for the unoffended)

Exeptions made...

[Felinoid]

I rember how the word "fuck" was banned yet the domain name fuckedcompany.com was allowed.
I might add that this is the Internet and keepping the Internet domains clean of english curse words when web sites are known to contain graphic discriptions of thies curse words.

One often posted website contains a clear example of one curse... something I personally got called a lot when someone didn't get what they wanted. But the domain name is deceptive.. It is quite likely had the domain holder had a choice he would have selected a compleatly discriptive domain name.

Why should the f word be void from Internet domains when in some cases Usenet posts are composed of almost nothing but....

Aren't we being a bit prudish?

On radio and TV I understand the point.. broudcast.. etc. But gezz... Make bind filter the 7 words and then let people reg those domains who don't want kids accessing those web sites....
hay instead of credit card varification require adult sites use a 4 letter word that can then be cut off at bind...

My all time favourite

[seizer]

...is the free redirector service, www.isfuckingbrilliant.com. (I have http://andy.isfuckingbrilliant.com). They also have isfuckingshit.com, hadyourmom.com, etc etc. Check it out (blatant plug, and I don't even own it... terrible).

--Remove SPAM from my address to mail me

Factoid: Number of .com domains containing fuck...

[Der Wibbler]

..in the com tld (as of 20001114):

$ grep -c 'FUCK.*IN NS' com.zone
25026

That's right - there's currently over 25 thousand domains registered in the com tld containing those four letters in sequence...

I registered at networksolutions.com

[bleh-of-the-huns]

I registered tcpipbitch.net with NSI no problems, and bitch was one of them words they would not register in the past.

Re:Sounds like a free speech issue to me

[Surak]

Yes, it does. It says, "Congress shall make no law...yada yada" which roughly translated means: "Like I give a fuck about your goddamn motherfucking assfuckers who don't like it when I fucking swear."

BTW--NSI registered "likeigiveafuck.com" along with many others (hit the web site and see) so why are they now giving people a hard time?

Re:I remembered hearing something similar about AO

[Ratface]

The story you remember hearing was about the early days of AOL when they installed a filtering program over all their software. It's primary purpose was to stop people creating "rude" usernames and/or swearing in chat rooms.

It slipped up however when a guy who was trying to register a user account kept getting his application refused by the system. He eventually worked out that it was due to him entering Scunthorpe in his address.

When he contacted the support desk, they evntually came up with the solution that he should use a misspelled form for the name such as Sconthorpe! They couldn't correct the problem in the filters until the next major revision of their software because it was so deeply ingrained in the code! This led to some great jokes about AOL being the company that took the cunt out of Scunthorpe :-p

"Give the anarchist a cigarette"

Doesn't matter

[gregbaker]

I really don't see that this matters for most of us. I mean, if domains with "fuck" in them were allowed, don't you think they would all have been snapped up by porn sites?

Just a thought.

Greg

Re:Sounds like a free speech issue to me

[plunge]

Yup, And I believe the constitutional test for obscenity is still: "I'll know it when I see it." Sigh...

We have a bunch of dirty ones...

[nasalgoat]

My company does web-hosting for a number of porn sites, many of which have the word "fuck" in the domain name. The secret is to avoid NSI like the plague. We used to use Domain Wizards, but have since moved to being an OpenSRS partner.

Your not the only one trying...

[tred]

A while ago I came across a page describing someones attempts to register the domain fuck.com. The information may be a little dated, since it all took place during InterNICs monopoly over registration, but it is useful (and somewhat entertaining) nonetheless. The url is http://www.links.net/webpub/fuck.com.htm l.

Re:Sounds like a free speech issue to me

[Another MacHack]

Our supreme court also decided a while back that "obscenity" isn't protected by the 1st Ammendment for some reason.

I wonder if George Dubya's "Strict Constructionists" will revisit THAT one. Heh.

Same here

[jfunk]

I'm in the 24.222.88.0/21 netblock (Eastlink) and I get the same error.

I'm guessing the site blocked 24.0.0.0/8.

Who would block a class A?

Ah yes, someone running IIS. I get it now.

Re:Can anyone explain the logic behind this?

[gorilla]

Swear words are offensive because they break taboos. In those who have descended from the American Puritians and the British Victorians traditions, the taboos are about discussing sex & bodily functions. Other language groups have other swearwords, for example French swearwords are all to do with religion.

I find it particuarly interesting what has happened when broadcasters have tried to avoid swear words. Red Dwarf used 'smeg' as a replacement for 'fuck', and it is begining to enter the language, being used even where there isn't a Red Dwarf connection.

Re:Can anyone explain the logic behind this?

[MemRaven]

Dude, that's from an Anthrax song, and relates to the whole PMRC fiasco as you noted. However, it has nothing to do with federal statutes on obscenity, or even the NSI standards for domain names. For an example, go to www.death.com to see.

I've heard the same song, and I quite liked it. But the words of Anthrax do not an NSI policy make.

Piss-poor Javascript

[chazR]

So did I. (Netscape 4 on Linux, Flash plugin present).

So I read the HTML source. It's mostly Javascript that appears to be written by a non-idiot. Unfortunately, they overlooked some minor details, so the site won't work unless you run Windows or Mac on a 68k. The URL to try is fucking here.

Fuckwits with Flash can try this fucking url

I wonder who owns FuckNSI.com? That was rhetorical - I know who does now. - that's a cute weasel.

Or, less rhetorically, but rambling:
[chaz@phoebe chaz]$ whois fucknsi.com
[whois.internic.net]

Whois Server Version 1.3

Domain names in the .com, .net, and .org domains can now be registered
with many different competing registrars. Go to http://www.internic.net
for detailed information.

Domain Name: FUCKNSI.COM
Registrar: TUCOWS.COM, INC.
Whois Server: whois.opensrs.net
Referral URL: www.opensrs.org
Name Server: FRANK.BAZ.ORG
Name Server: SOM-NS-1.FSCK.COM
Updated Date: 20-sep-2000

>>> Last update of whois database: Thu, 23 Nov 2000 07:31:56 EST

The Registry database contains ONLY .COM, .NET, .ORG, .EDU domains and
Registrars.

So, now you know.

Re:Sounds like a free speech issue to me

[gonzocanuck]

Follow the link below to see the many ways Fuck can be a useful word

http://www.gonzo.org/fun/sound/fword.html

----

Comment removed

[account_deleted]

Comment removed based on user account deletion

Never had a problem...

[detritus.]

I have had great luck with 000domains.com. Haven't had a problem yet with registering a domain name with "explicit 4 letter words".


- Slash

Re:Sounds like a free speech issue to me

[dubl-u]

The constitution, alas, only tries to keep the government from interfering. Private citizens are, regrettably, allowed to be as dumb as they want.

If your queen ever lets you have a constitution, you should think about putting something like that in.

Re:Sounds like a free speech issue to me

[dubl-u]

Around these parts, when we talk about the Constit uti on, we generally are referring to both the original and the changes to it. Sort of the same way that when people say "Linux" they're not talking about the 1.0 release.

Personally, I think the constitution is precious precisely because we can change it, (although I am pleased that it's pretty hard to change). The whole point is that the government is not some static thing handed down from on high; it's something we all do. Allowing the constitution to be ammended is just a recognition that a) circumstances change, and b) nothing is perfect, even if it seems that way at the time.

But you're right about the 18th amendment; that's why we repealed it.

Gandi & Core

[Coward, Anonymous]

Gandi and most of the Core registrars will register a domain with fuck in it. Gandi is in Europe so they'll charge you with those silly Euros, but assuming you don't have some real shitty credit card that shouldn't be a problem if you're outside Europe, you should be able to find a Core registrar from your country of origin if that's the kind of thing you're into.

rot13.net

[Googol]

Solution is simple: someone needs to write a browser with a "ROT13" switch. Then "alternate" encoded domains can be surfed normally. You just throw the ROT13 switch and surf away in the alternative domain. Sites that care can register the alternate name as an alias and exist in both domains.

Sure, it fractures the internet into a commercial, acceptable domain and an "anything goes" domain.

=googol=

Re:rot13.net

[Deosyne]

Goddamn, I'm glad I took a second to actually think about that for a second, as I was about to blow it off. That is actually pretty fucking brilliant; if you can convince the developers of lynx, Mozilla and other browsers to implement this functionality, perhaps as a somewhat obscure switch in the preferences with a keyboard shortcut to make it convenient for those who would actually use it, then there would be a completely open list of domain names to choose from that wouldn't be flooded by commercial interests for quite a long while due to its obscure nature. Hopefully, by the time it does happen, we will have found a better method. Gonna have to get IPv6 off its ass to make it work, though. Ah well, a pipe dream perhaps, but so was the Internet at one point, so who knows? ;)

Deo


Terradot.org: Growing Awareness

Can anyone explain the logic behind this?

[UnknownSoldier]

So certain words are taboo. Big !@#$ing Deal! (censored so as not to offend anyone ;-)

I really don't understand why the BIG 7 taboo words all deal with sex, and other bodily functions.

I also really don't see the problem. If people are offended at these words, it is NOT like you're FORCING them to visit your site!

Maybe we need to grow up socially, and understand that words are just that: JUST WORDS! (Yes, they carry a conatation behind them, but if you don't like it, stop listening to them. :-)

Live, and let live. People wouldn't be so stressed out then.

Re:Can anyone explain the logic behind this?

[tagishsimon]

What are the seven taboo words? And should they be the subject of a slashdot poll? I think so.

Re:Can anyone explain the logic behind this?

[ColdGrits]

They are -

shit
piss
balls
wank
fuck
cunt
tits

(At least that WAS the case a few years ago - thanksfully the UK had less severe restrictions so one of our radio stations was able to tell us this :) )

--

concatenated?

[gad_zuki!]

Ah, its a Jamie post.

Re:I did this!

[Phrogman]

As part of a study on offensive words for a Linguistics class I circulated a questionaire in the Residences at the University of Victoria. It listed about 20 "offensive" words and asked the user to rate them on a 1 (least offensive) to 7 (most offensive) scale. The results were quite interesting, as was the reception, but I have lost the paper alas.

The FAQ isFuckingCool.com

[Eil]

A short demonstrative snippet:

Below are the answers to many Frequenly Asked Fucking Stupid Questions about isfuckingbrilliant services. If you've got any fucking stupid questions that are unanswered, you can mail them to support@isfuckingbrilliant.com

How do I get rid of that fucking stupid banner?
Don't be fucking stupid, we offer you a free service, all we ask is for that ONE banner to be displayed when someone enters your site, it's not awhole lot to ask for is it? In the near future we plan to have several banner options, such as delay and frames, this will give you more options if you do not like popup banners.

Hmm, not good...

[deefer]

A poor precedent to set.
This is the first step in censoring; the more that "the authorities" take upon themselves to regulate, the more they will assume to be their right to regulate. Mostly to protect themselves, I think; for example I can see the next logical step in this being "Oh, that's too similar to [large corporation]'s domain name".
The only rule domain registrars should actively enforce, is that the domain itself does not currently exist. That way, they don't have to encase the registration in x different rules and disclaimers to protect themselves from lawsuits.
Scary precedent.

Strong data typing is for those with weak minds.

Re:look what a whois has to say...

[forgey]

Or for the full reg info:

Registrant:
STATUS QUO ANTE (FUCK17-DOM)
United States District Court, District of
New Hampshire, 55 Pleasant Street
Concord, NH 03301

Domain Name: FUCK.COM

Administrative Contact, Technical Contact:
Network Solutions, Inc. (NSOL-NOC) noc@NETSOL.COM
Network Solutions, Inc.
505 Huntmar Park Drive
Herndon, VA 20170
US
703-742-4777
Billing Contact:
Accounts Payable (AP5173-ORG) ap@NETSOL.COM
Network Solutions, Inc.
505 Huntmar Park Drive
Herndon, VA 20170
US
703-742-0400

Record last updated on 04-Oct-2000.
Record expires on 24-Mar-2002.
Record created on 24-Mar-2000.
Database last updated on 23-Nov-2000 10:07:20 EST.

Re:It seems to have a different meaning in the US.

[laborit]

I don't get it?

None of those words are dirty! Or do you expect someone to be "offended" by nonsense like "feck","cknt", or "c%wboy neal"?

-----
Go ahead, blame me... I voted for Nader!

i found it available

[tootired]

https://www.dotster.com/registration/step_01/check domain.asp?DomainName=fuck12065237.com&x =45&y=23 dotster is my friend

"This is the way the world ends
Not with a bang but a whimper."

Historical

[Argy]

Network Solutions initially allowed all words, then banned George Carlin's "seven dirty words," alone or as substrings, with occasional slip-ups and odd exceptions. The seven words were piss, shit, fuck, cunt, motherfucker, cocksucker, and tits, preventing names like "scunthorpe.com" and "shitakemushrooms.com."

In late 1998 NSI started allowing "shit." In July 1999, other registrars were granted authority to register .coms, .nets and .orgs, and many of them took any name you wanted, and most still do. There was a piece in Slashdot about this at the time.

NSI and Register.com still refuse, perhaps to appease current and potential investors. (Register.com had IPO aspirations a while back) On the other hand, I think bulkregister.com, with no rules, has overtaken register.com as the #2 registrar, which can't be appealing to investors.

A lawsuit was filed by a person wanting to register obscene names in early 1998, so NSI registered them on behalf of the United States Attorney General to hold in escrow pending a decision. That's why fuck.com, for example, is registered by NSI to a US District Court. It's been a long legal process, and from what I gather, NSI fucked up and forgot to renew registration on at least some of them. As a result, NoNameCorp (who sucks up most good expiring domains) landed motherfucker.com when it expired in March.

I can try

[twitter]

Fuck is not a nice concept to throw around. My wife tells me that she was very disturbed to learn what the word means, and that most women are. It's a concept that only thoughtless people or rapists would deliver to a child. The more you throw it around, the more likely it is to land in the wrong place. Less importantly, it's just not a nice thing to think about when you sink you teeth into a big tuna po-boy.

There is a time and a place for everything. George Orwel's description of the Spanish civil war could have used the words shit, turd and crap at least once for variety and sharpness. He chose the words dung, and human excriment instead which worked well enough. After reading him, you will never look at trenches the same way again.

You would do yourself a favor to try not to think of such common, and usualy unpleasant things. If you can't do that, you might try to remove them from your speech so other people will not associate you with such stuff.

Re:I can try

[twitter]

I donno, ask a woman. It's just a perspecitve you may not have. Take it for what it's worth.

Fuck Censorship

[StandardDeviant]

Cohen vs. California, 403 US 15, 18 (1971) ... Protecting Non-spoken Free Speech since the 1971. :-)

Admittedly the internet isn't governed by US Supreme Court decisions, but NSI is...

--

Re:I did this!

[KahunaBurger]

What a coincidence. I'm just starting a remarkably similar survey for my statistics class.

"An investigation into the relative offensive nature of selected cuss words and racial slurs."

Will you be using the words in or out of context? I ask because it seems to me that the offensive/assaultive strenght of many words depend on how they are used. For instance, "my ass hurts" vs "you're an ass" or to be more extreme "I wanted him in my cunt fucking me" vs "Fuck you, you cunt".

Language is all about context, and while I do find some words pretty damn offensive without any context, most can be moderated or enhanced by the way they are used. After a few turns round westminster, for instance, it might take you a while to remember why the phrase "all my bitches" can be offesive. :)

-Kahuna Burger

Re:Sounds like a free speech issue to me

[Fester213]

The constitution only protects us from government censorship. Domain registrars are no longer an agent of the government.

-- Fester

A Poem

[Enonu]

The usage of the word fuck

Perhaps one of the most interesting words in the english language today is the word fuck. Out of all of the English words that begin with letter F, fuck is the only word that is referred to as the F-word. It's the one magical word, just by it's sound can describe pain, pleasure, hate and love. Fuck, as the most words in the English languages, is derived from German, the word fricken which means to strike. In English fuck fall into many grammatical categories.

As a transital verb for instance : "John fucked Shirley."
As an intransitive verb. "Shirley fucks."

It's meaning is not always sexual.

It can be an adjective such as "John's doing all the fucking work."
As part of an adverb : "Shirley talks too fucking much!"
As an adverb enchancing an adjective : "Shirley is fucking beautiful!"
As a noun : "I don't give a fuck!"
As part of a word : "Abso-fucking-lutely" or "in-fucking-credible"
And, as almost every word in a sentence : "Fuck the fucking fuckers!"

As you must realize there aren't too many words with the versatility of fuck. As in these examples describing situations such as:

Aggression - Fuck you!
Agreement - Fucking-ay right!
Amazement - Fucking shit!
Annoyance - Don't fuck with me.
Apathy - Who really gives a fuck, anyhow?
Benevolence - Don't do me any fucking favors.
Command - Go fuck yourself!
Confusion - What the fuck?
Denial - I didn't fucking do it.
Despair - Fucked again.
Difficulty - I don't understand this fucking question.
Directions - Fuck off.
Disbelief - Unfuckingbelievable!
Dismay - Oh, fuck it!
Displeasure - What the fuck is going on here?
Encouragement - Keep on fucking.
Etiquette - Pass the fucking salt!
Fraud - I got fucked.
Greetings - How the fuck are ya?
Hatred of chemistry - Thermofuckingdynamics.
Identification - Who the fuck are you?
Ignorance - He's such a fuck head.
Incompetence - He's a fuck up.
Insight - You're out of your fucking mind!
Laziness - He's a fuck off.
Lost - Where the fuck are we?
Panic - Let's get the fuck out of here.
Passive - Fuck me!
Perplexity - I fucking know all about it.
Philosophical - Who gives a fuck?
Pleasure - I couldn't be any fucking happier!
Question - You ain't fucking me?
Rebellion - Fuck the world!
Resignation - Oh, fuck it!
Retaliation - Up your fucking ass!
Suspicion - Who the fuck are you?
Trouble - I guess I'm really fucked now.
Ugliness - You're a dumb looking fuck.
Wisdom - Fuck that shit!
Wonder - How the fuck did you do that?

It can be used in an anatomical description - "He's a fucking asshole."
It can be used in business - "How did I wind up with this fucking job?"
It can be maternal - "Motherfucker."
It can be political - "Fuck Dan Quayle!"

It has also been used by many notable people throughout history:

"What the fuck was that?" - Mayor of Hiroshima
"Where did all these fucking Indians come from?" - General Custer
"Where the fuck is all this water coming from?" - Captain of the Titanic
"Thats not a real fucking gun." - John Lennon
"Who's gonna fucking find out?" - Richard Nixon
"Heads are going to fucking roll." - Anne Boleyn
"Let the fucking woman drive." - Commander of the "Challenger"
"What fucking map?" - Mark Thatcher
"Any fucking idiot could understand that." - Albert Einstein
"It does so fucking look like her!" - Picasso
"How the fuck did you work that out?" - Pythagoras
"You want what on the fucking ceiling?" - Michaelangelo
"Fuck a duck." - Walt Disney
"Why?- Because its fucking there!" - Edmund Hilary
"I don't suppose its gonna fucking rain?" - Joan of Arc
"Scattered fucking showers my ass." - Noah
"I need this parade like I need a fucking hole in my head." - John F. Kennedy

I'm sure you can think of many more examples. With all of these multipurpose applications how can anyone be offended when you use the word? So, use this unique flexible word more often in your daily speech. It will identify the quality of your character immediately.
Say it loudly and proudly : "FUCK YOU !!!"

So I looked and was offended.

[luckykaa]

They actually allowed someone to register Microsoft.com! How could they let anyone use a name so offensive on the Internet?

But seriously, who did f&%$edcompany.com register with? and f&%$ed.com? (Yes, I do have a problem with my u, c and k $eys. Its f&%$ing annoying)

Re:It seems to have a different meaning in the US.

[plover]

I've heard there are three football club names that can't pass through the "child surf-safe filters":

Arsenal

Scunthorpe

Manchester-fucking-United.

John

Good (cheap) Registrar

[cd_Csc]

Personally, I use Dotster as my registrar (US based). I just checked, and they don't appear to be censoring anything. Their regular price is $15/year, but if you're patient, they often have $10 specials.

On topic at last

[cheekymonkey_68]

One site I feel should be mentioned is mikehuntsonfire and also check out
sickfuckers.com

SickFuckers got registered so you're in with a chance here...

FYI MikeHunt is a cool underground site that in their own words "puts out the evilest books, videos & comix this side of hell!"

Oh and their index page is pretty funny because the opening link is "CLICK TO ENTER MIKE HUNT". I know pretty inane stuff...

I never thought this link would EVER be on topic....time to sit back and watch my kharma burn !!!

Re:Dump nsi

[imagineer_bob]

I agree! If the doamain is legal to sell, then perhaps they're violating their agreement as a domain agent. Of course, try getting our current crop of "let's clean up Hollywood" politicians excited about allowing FUCK in domain names. A little story: For about a year, I dropped out of my long career as a researcher and worked for a dot-com. They would meet for days on end about what dirty words should be filtered in chat rooms! They'd rather talk about that than actually making the products better. I finally left in disgust, and the CTO of the company who was a main force behind keeping chat clean was arrested for soliciting sex with what he thought was a 13-year-old girl on the Internet. --

Re:It seems to have a different meaning in the US.

[andyh1978]

Mind you, I can just imagine Great Aunt Hilda being stopped in the street by a MORI pollster, and asked to rank the following swearwords in order...

A prime suggestion for a decent Slashdot poll.

Most offensive swear word:

1. F*ck
2. Sh*t
3. C*nt
4. W*nk
5. C*wboy Neal

Re:(OT) Re:It seems to have a different meaning...

[andyh1978]

The word "c?nt" has something to do with a goddess.

This link has a dissertation on the etymology and history of 'cunt'.

Regarding the link to a goddess, it has this to say:

Barbara Walker cites the Indian 'kundas', "[descendants] of the Goddess Kunda [or 'Cunti']" (ibid.), and Terence Meaden (1992:33) suggests that legal suppression of 'cunt' is related to a desire to suppress the worship of such pagan idols and represents "a series of vicious witch hunts encouraged by an evil establishment wishing to suppress what amounted to apparent signs of Goddess beliefs".

Naughty Words in Domains

[aseidas]

It seems that eatmyass.com is appropriate but unavailable. They have suggested the following: myeatmyass.com e-eatmyass.com abouteatmyass.com eatmyassonline.com eatmyasscentral.com

Sounds like a free speech issue to me

[tagishsimon]

Fuck is such a useful word. Doesn't your constitution provide for dealing with people who are a bit anal about the fuck word?

Re:Sounds like a free speech issue to me

[Killer Napkin]

Not really. Besides the obvious fact that this isn't a government organization, but rather a private organization that is doing the censoring, one has to remember that not all speech is free in this country.

Basically, the Supreme Court has ruled that certain criteria can be applied to Free Speech. They've ruled that Free Speech and other first amendment rights are limited can be limited by time, place, and manner restrictions. I think the famous example is crying out that there is a fire inside of a crowded movie theatre.

Slander, libel, obscenities, and anything that creates a "clear and present danger" are not necessarily protected under the Consitution. Of course, it really depends on what the courts say is protected and what isn't. It changes all the time.

Re:It seems to have a different meaning in the US.

[dark_panda]

Since the asterik is usually used for a string of characters in a wildcard situation, it would probably be preferable to use a question mark, no? Otherwise, the poll options could be misconstrued as anything from "Fiddleback" to "Clerihewboy Neal."

J

Swear words are easy targets

[JCCyC]

Entities interested in stifling criticism will use any excuse to shut down a domain/website/whatever. Swear words are just too easy a target. If anyone is interested in venting his/her rage against one of such entities, I'll be happy to create a host definition under one of the domains I acquired recently:

isverybad[.com|.org|.net] or areverybad[.com|.org|.net]

You show me a page with meaningful content criticising entity X and I'll create entityx.isverybad.org or entitiesx.areverybad.net or whatever combination is preferred. For instance, http://softwarepatents.areverybad.org now points to the LPF. Let's see people shut down that.

Feel free to interpret my geographically-and-trigonometrically-spamproofed e-mail and discuss the subject with me.

I found one that doesn't censor you

[rabtech]

Registerfree.com doesn't censor domain names, and I've used them in the past. They offer cheap, no-frills registration. Go check them out.
-----

Offense is relative; you go only where you want.

[Gendou]

Attention to NSI. Not everyone is offended by what offends you. I know it's hard to accept, but everybody has their own relative point of view.

What does it say about people like this? Do they ignore the fact that if you decide you want to walk down a sidewalk to a strip club, the sidewalks don't throw a barracade up that says "your direction is inappropriate, please choose another". It's everyone person's right to choose what they want to expose themselves to.

This form of censorship is utterly redundant and excessive. IF you are offended by something, you are NOT going to go out searching for that thing on purpose. If someone's offended by the word "f*ck", they are not going to type it into a search engine. As for those of us who aren't offended, we don't care either way.

Besides, this kind of blockage at a search engine does nothing to keep you from all the naughty words, porn banners, and so on that will be thrown at your face once you start clicking links.

Why do people think they are going to make some sort of positive influence by trying to censor the Net? Arrogant, conceited, and utterly foolish. Stopping the ocean tides would yield better results.

Relativity is relative.

[Kibo]

It's not that NSI is personally offended. They are mearly selecting the type of customers they don't want, funny paying ones. That's cool they're free to go down that path, they can be the Nordstroms of domain naming. They can even have a little guy playing piano music on their website 24/7. It's stupid, but isn't that THEIR choice?

It's a big wide beautiful world we live in, and everyone should be allowed to be as silly and ignorant as they want to be. Sure, we who live in cities have to tolerate a little inconvienence, but those bible loving icon worshipers who want to save the interent for the children, they live in the midwest. I think it's pretty clear who got the short end of the stick.

The argument that any outlet of anything should offer you the full range of choices available is, even on its face, not very realistic. I personally think the world and its infobaun would be a fairly boring place if it were homogeneous. The differences are what make stuff interesting, stupid, worthy of ridicule, and the hottest wetest nastiest teenage porn you've never paid to see.

Why protect kids? Drink bud dry.

[Kibo]

I'm tired of everyone asking why are we saving the children? What are we protecting them from? How in the hell can we realisticly expect to shelter them from ideas so prevelent?

You're all missing the point! We need to shelter them from the "bad ideas" so when they read Catcher In the Rye, the impact will be preserved. I know it's a lot of work to shield little Suzzie until sophmore english, but from my own personal experience the effort is well worth it.

See, I have a learning disorder which makes it immpossible for me to understand new words solely from their spoken context. Consequently, when I was around five or so and began to hear objectionable language regularly in school, I was unable to integrate it. By the time I was in sophmore english I still was ignorant. I would read the internet often, so I knew what it was in a sence, but I'd always seen it as "bowl of fukk." We were reading Salinger in class one day, and I hit the pivitol passage. Well I was stunned, and confused. I remember it like it was directed by John Woo, with doves and unnecessary slow motion. I rasied my hand. The teacher came over; I pointed and asked my question. He bent down and whispered his reply. At this point I reflexivly shouted, "No shit? Well sonuvabitch!" I spent the remainder of the afternoon with the vice principal, but wow what an impact!

And the answers to the questions follow: We're saving the children from Sally Struthers, and with a creature of her size we need all the help we can get.