Mahalo Disallows Adult Terms - Bravo!
By Phil Butler on Feb 15, 2008 in Featured, search
Sometimes the most pleasant surprises come from people we think of as sharks, loudmouths or at least hard boiled. Jason Calacanis has taken a good deal of heat over some of his statements (including from me) of late. Calacanis is a high profile individual who’s latest project Mahalo, has seen both positive and negative reviews. I discovered just yesterday that Mahalo is perhaps the only such search engine that comes equipped with a query filter for either questionable or adult content. It would be nice if the rest of the search world would take a stand like this on issues where obscene content and children are thrown into the mix.
I never considered search as a prime candidate for any such filtering, and to be honest I never thought any engine would consider such a thing. I can’t tell you how delighted I was to discover on a fluke that a great number of questionable terms and even racial derogatory are essentially excluded from the search results at Mahalo. Conversely, searches for any term are readily apparent on Google, Yahoo, Microsoft Live and others . There are of course adult filters in place for many of these, but their effectiveness is questionable and not all exclusive either. At Mahalo, one simply cannot get query result for these terms, and I find this both fascinating and admirable.
I have been a supporter of the Parents Against Predators Act (PAPA) initiative for some time, so obviously protecting children from improper or adult content is of import to me. In my view, anything we can do to insulate our children from the dark side of the world is of paramount importance. Calacanis may be a hard nosed and even boisterous businessman, but even I must tip my hat to this rather extraordinary gesture on his part. Not even Wikipedia has any such filtering aspect, as there are whole pages there for sexually explicit terms and even racial pejoratives.
It would be great if the major search engines could address this issue in a similar fashion. I can think of several ways in which they might “cordon” off their search or beef up their adult content filtering systems. As in most industries, they appear to have done what is acceptable rather than what is necessary.
Calacanis and Mahalo have obviously taken that additional step in the “human search” innovation. Perhaps this is yet another great reason for humans to be part of the overall search equation? In all fairness to Calacanis, he may have many detractors but good deeds should never go unnoticed. Bravo Jason!
Net neutrality at it’s finest
Josh | Feb 15, 2008 | Reply
“Not even Wikipedia has any such filtering aspect, as there are whole pages there for sexually explicit terms and even racial pejoratives.”
Well, yeah, of course it does. And further more, I would be fine with my children reading the article shown as an example: it makes clear that the term is a racial slur and considered offensive, while providing information about the history and meanings of the word throughout the world. People need to decide how to behave, and how to treat others; Wikipedia can provide information, not instill morals and values.
David | Feb 15, 2008 | Reply
LOL Josh…yes I appreciate your view. I personally believe we are either for or against things. It is just my view tho.
Always,
Phil
Phil Butler | Feb 15, 2008 | Reply
Hi David,
I see your point, and obviously we cannot nor should we insulate our kids from everything. The terms I used as illustrations are (believe me) the softest of a whole range that I am sure on parent would want their kids exposed to. I do appreciate your contributions…really.
I did not think it appropriate to even use them on my site and was hesitant to use the racial slur.
Always,
Phil
Phil Butler | Feb 15, 2008 | Reply
Phil,
Mahalo for the great feedback! We love reading posts like this and are glad to provide a safe search experience.
Seam
sean percival | Feb 15, 2008 | Reply
But, I don’t want a filtered internet. I do like the option of having filters but I do not want one forced upon me.
there was an ISP a while back, Mayberry or something, that offerred filtered internet. Guess what, they failed.
I use a whitelist for my daughter’s computer and I use my own judgement for the sites I visit.
Ignoarance may be bliss but it is not a good way to live.
HMTKSteve | Feb 15, 2008 | Reply
I know where you are coming from Steve, but everyone is not as savvy nor as informed as you. I can do my own filters too. What of all the people that cannot for one reason or other?
I know anyone wanting vulgarity can find some without Google.
Thanks StevO
Always,
Phil
Phil Butler | Feb 15, 2008 | Reply
or…you could just monitor your child’s internet habits and gee…i dont know, be a real parent! Or just continue to complain about the use of “adult language and content in hollywood and the internet all the while expecting movie stars and the government to raise your kids for you. censorship is the lazy *** way of parenting! (i bet you this comment gets denied or censored)
axli | Apr 26, 2008 | Reply
I suppose you are a real parent, but aside your 15 years old attitude, what do you do when you lose a bet?
Phil Butler | May 1, 2008 | Reply