I didn't mean something quite that simple, or as an absolute solution. I meant something slightly more advanced, but based on that idea.
From a robot point of view, what do you think is the difference
between the php archives and a porn site? On 11/28/06, Paul Novitski <paul@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
>Hi all. I am building a web app and as part of it advertisers can upload >their ad image and website URL to go with their ad. Is there a good way to >detect whether that site is a porn site via php? >If the sites home page contains the words sex, babes, and a few other >choice words, which I'll leave to your imagination, then chances are >it's a porn site. What chances are those, exactly? One in a blizzard? This is exactly why filtering realistically for "pornography" is virtually impossible -- we can't define the problem sufficiently to derive realistic solutions, and our inherently flawed solutions are weak. This listserve thread, containing as it does the words "sex" and "babes" and "porn," has now flagged the PHP list archives as a "porn" site -- for anyone silly enough to use a simple keyword match to identify "porn." Such a trap would also catch websites discussing the social & historical significance of "porn," sites that detail ways to identify "porn" which might include the FBI's, dictionaries and encyclopedias that explain "porn," vendors who try to use sexy keywords to attract visitors to their non-"porn" sites, websites on human sexuality, websites about safe sex, sites about scientific research in human sexual response, and on and on and on. Such a simplistic filter would overlook websites written by people smart enough to obfuscate the key words, say by imagizing them, misspelling them, or using metaphorical language. More to the point, though, "pornography" isn't one concrete thing out there in the world. It's nebulous, self-defined, ambiguous, ever-changing, and psychologically and culturally dependent. This is why anti-pornography laws are pissing into the wind (oops, did I just commit "porn"?) -- they want to legislate human desire by attempting to define one corner of creative expression, then discover that that's like trying to contain any aspect of the human spirit. You can only accomplish it partially and temporarily by brute force or intellectual repression or both. Better to challenge those aspects of our culture that breed men who take and take with no empathy for their victims. I don't think an automated solution (PHP or otherwise) is feasible. The best you can do is to create a club advertisers can ask to join but can remain in only if their ads meet your approval. There's no machine that can judge what's "porn" -- machines get turned on and disgusted by a whole different set of words and images than we do -- you know, like muddy screwdrivers and oily vises -- you're going to have to do it yourself. Look at each image and judge for yourself. At least you can rest assured that your own judgement is sound. Regards, Paul -- PHP General Mailing List (http://www.php.net/) To unsubscribe, visit: http://www.php.net/unsub.php
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