If this is your first visit, be sure to
check out the FAQ by clicking the
link above. You may have to register
before you can post: click the register link above to proceed. To start viewing messages,
select the forum that you want to visit from the selection below.

Creating a profanity filter for user generated content

Hi guys!

I'm working on a Java project where i need to create a filter for filtering uploaded names.
The names are uploaded to the db from all over the world, so for-example, i don't want to blacklist a name like "Alassandra" which has "***" in it.

Would appreciate some guidance, help where to look at, or some algorithm tips for creating my type of filter?

Re: Creating a profanity filter for user generated content

The first thing is to decide on is the exact rules you want to enforce.

In the example you gave you clearly won't allow the 3 letter word but will allow it when it's part of another word but what if it is embedded in other characters such as 123xxx456 or xxx.com or *xxx* etc
BTW when writing this I used the actual word rather than xxx and this site allowed the first example but not the other two.

I'd start by searching for something like "banned word filter" "bad word lists" etc and see what is available.

Re: Creating a profanity filter for user generated content

Maybe i should just use regex for filtering

You are confusing implementation details with analysis and design details. How you are going to implement it in code is not relevant at this stage, you need to decide what you are trying to achieve first (Analysis). Then decide on how you will solve the problem (Design) and finally you translate the design to code (Implementation).

* The Perfect Platform for Game Developers: Android
Developing rich, high performance Android games from the ground up is a daunting task. Intel has provided Android developers with a number of tools that can be leveraged by Android game developers.

* The Best Reasons to Target Windows 8
Learn some of the best reasons why you should seriously consider bringing your Android mobile development expertise to bear on the Windows 8 platform.