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Microsoft Patents the Censoring of Speech

Posted by Soulskill on from the %$!#-!%-!%!$-##%-$@#! dept.

theodp writes "On Tuesday, the USPTO awarded Microsoft a patent for the Automatic Censorship of Audio Data for Broadcast, an invention that addresses 'producing censored speech that has been altered so that undesired words or phrases are either unintelligible or inaudible.' The patent describes methods for muting offensive words and replacing them with less offensive versions, and 'a third alternative provides for overwriting the undesired word with a masking sound, i.e., "bleeping" the undesired word with a tone.' After all, there's nothing worse than being subjected to offensive speech when you're shooting someone in the head."

8 of 192 comments (clear)

  1. Useless by FluffyWithTeeth · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Trust me when I say you can come up with new curses faster than you can code them into an automatic censorship proram...

    Nevermind all the fantastic new accents this is going to promote. And if you disagree; well quck you.

    1. Re:Useless by 4e617474 · · Score: 5, Interesting

      Trust me when I say you can come up with new curses faster than you can code them into an automatic censorship proram...

      Pondering this make me feel a whole lot better about the whole enterprise. I'm all in favor of protecting budding young minds from the use of profanity as a substitute for creative expression... by teaching them that profanity is the inspiration for expressing yourself creatively. Also I like the thought of someone going to their manager and saying, "I need a ruling on 'defecating masonry'. Can we let that go?"

      --
      Finally modding someone offtopic when they rant about what "Begging the Question" means: priceless.
    2. Re:Useless by BrokenHalo · · Score: 5, Funny

      Pondering this make me feel a whole lot better about the whole enterprise.

      Good thinking. I often think the standard of cursing in this language tends to be woefully inadequate, consisting of the mindless and dull repetition of combinations of the same four-letter words. For once, Microsoft could be doing something positive to improve articulacy of profane expression. It might not be what they intend, but I won't lose any sleep over that. ;-)

    3. Re:Useless by nightfire-unique · · Score: 4, Insightful

      I'm all in favor of protecting budding young minds from the use of profanity as a substitute for creative expression...

      I know I speak for many of us here when I say:

      Fuck you.

      Keep your intellectual parenting persuits where they belong: in your home. Raise your own fucking kids, and let me raise mine without government interference. We'll let them both compete in 20 years and see who did a better job.

      The moment you get your way with bad language censorship, I get my way with religious censorship.

      --
      A government is a body of people notably ungoverned - AC
    4. Re:Useless by gyrogeerloose · · Score: 4, Funny

      "I need a ruling on 'defecating masonry'. Can we let that go?"

      "Copulate that excrement!"

      --
      This ain't rocket surgery.
  2. Oh come on..... by LibertineR · · Score: 4, Insightful
    Is the heading not a TAD over the top here?

    Broadcasters can be, and have been fined thousands of dollars PER EVENT, through violations of FCC rules. One slip of the tongue should not be the basis for fining a program out of existance.

    A tool to help in that regards DOES NOT equal sensorship, and the title is a ridiculous assertion that hurts credibility around here.

    Hate Microsoft if you want, but Christ, why be stupid about it?

    What is next? "Microsoft wants to eat your babies"?

    As supposedly logic-driven geeks, can we not do better?

    1. Re:Oh come on..... by 4e617474 · · Score: 5, Funny

      What is next? "Microsoft wants to eat your babies"?

      No, no, no. "Microsoft Sues Baby Eaters for Copyright Infringement". Pay attention.

      --
      Finally modding someone offtopic when they rant about what "Begging the Question" means: priceless.
  3. Re:How original by Kifoth · · Score: 5, Funny

    You don't have to use Microsoft products, just switch to ###########