Should companies such as Yahoo censure or punish those whose opinon differs from their own by allowing readers to report them for violations regarding politically incorrect materials?  Is it better to allow free dialogue to resolve the issues, or to work on not offending others?
128382
This is a real hot potato - your right to free speech is crucial\nBut there is also a responsibility to ensure others aren't offended and minors aren't corrupted\n\nSo maybe the answer is to have a safe area and an open area - in the open area anything goes but access is restricted to over 16's and people who are easily offended won't look there either??
582008
Sorry, but I don't know why.  Yahoo takes off anything that anyone reports, and someone may have reported you for whatever was in your edited reply.  Some people at this site are report abuse happy, and appear to be offended by the slightest little things.  It's too bad that we don't have freedom of speech (rather of writing) what we believe.
373584
I already do!!!  I actually just contacted Yahoo about it, here was my comment to them...\n\n"Granted the newer features are good but I really feel that the way violations are handled should be fine tuned.  For example if someone is continually getting violated for posting hateful and hurtful remarks shouldn't they have their accounts taken away?  If the sole purpose for someone to go on YA is to make everyone else's expirience bitter, why should they be allowed to continue?\n\nI know everyone at Yahoo probably feels that it's too much man power and a waste of time to thoroughly scan every violation notice to every account, every question reported as well as every answer; but if your goal is to make this expirience better for everyone using it, revamping the way violations are dealt with is MUCH better than making messages sortable."\n\nLet's see if it actually helps...
60249
The reporting function works well, that is Yahoo's monitoring.  I do think they should delete not only the questions, but suspend the member if they continue.
427804
Yeah.  Here's a prime example:\n\n\nHello,\n\nThank you for writing to Yahoo! Answers.\n\nThank you for participating in Yahoo! Answers.  We will investigate \nreports of possible violations of the Yahoo! Terms of Service and the \nYahoo! Community Guidelines and will take appropriate action.\n\nYahoo! may, in appropriate circumstances and in its sole discretion, \nterminate, or take other action on, the accounts of users who appear to \nhave violated the Yahoo! Terms of Service or Yahoo! Community \nGuidelines.\n\nWe invite you to visit the Yahoo! Terms of Service and Yahoo! Community \nGuidelines. These documents can be found at:\n\n   http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/\n\n   http://answers.yahoo.com/info/community_guidelines.php\n\nThank you again for contacting Yahoo! Customer Care.\n\nRegards,\n\nChloe Mitchell\n\nYahoo! Customer Care\nhttp://www.yahoo.com/\n\n27675362\n\n\n\nOriginal Message Follows:\n-------------------------\n\nHuh?\nCan you identify either the "slur" or "epithet" that is is viloation?\n\nPeter Kemph\n\n\n----- Original Message ----\nFrom: Yahoo! Answers <answers-abuse@cc.yahoo-inc.com>\nTo: pk848484@yahoo.com\nSent: Thursday, November 2, 2006 11:48:07 AM\nSubject: Violation Notice Email\n\n\nHello PETER K (pk848484)\nYou have posted content to Yahoo! Answers in violation of our Community \nGuidelines. As a result, your content has been deleted.\nQuestion: What has caused religion to re-enter politics so vigorously?\nQuestion Details: I believe that human society is headed toward a \nculminating battle of good vs. evil. It's important to consider this as \na viable take on reality, and to consider which "side" one might want be\non. To take it a step further, I also believe that Isalm is a religion \ncreated by Satan unto himself (aka "Allah"). Whether it's politically \ncorrect or not, this may be truth. If it is, then it is imperative that \nour leaders be in tune with the Creator of our Universe; our existence \nas we know it may be more threatened than we realize.... At the risk of \nsounding like a Bible-thumper, please consider the claims of Christ; He \nis either telling the truth or the biggest liar that ever lived. You \ndecide....\nSource(s):\nExperience\nDeleted Answer: I believe that human society is headed toward a \nculminating battle of good vs. evil. It's important to consider this as \na viable take on reality, and to consider which "side" one might want be\non. To take it a step further, I also believe that Islam is a religion \ncreated by Satan unto himself (aka "Allah"). Whether it's politically \ncorrect or not, this may be truth. If it is, then it is imperative that \nour leaders be in tune with the Creator of our Universe; our existence \nas we know it may be more threatened than we realize.... At the risk of \nsounding like a Bible-thumper, please consider the claims of Christ; He \nis either telling the truth or the biggest liar that ever lived. You \ndecide....\nReason of Violation:Epithets & Slurs\nYahoo! Answers is a service provided to all of our Yahoo! users and we \nreserve the right to remove your content at any time for any reason. By \nposting content on Yahoo! Answers, you agree that you will not post any \ncontent that is in violation of our Community Guidelines, or the Yahoo! \nTerms of Service. You may read the Yahoo! Community Guidelines at: http://answers.yahoo.com/info/community_guidelines.php\nWe invite you to visit the Yahoo! Terms of Service at: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/\n\nIf you have feedback on this violation, please contact Customer Care.\nYahoo! Answers Team
518286
Would it make a difference? I got a violation notice for answering a question about Beatles albums, but you can find a million postings abour sex, violence, racism, and all sorts of offensive subjects that are OK with Yahoo! I just don't get it.
273789
Yahoo just wants this place to be popular. They care little about actual discussion or rights. It's just the whole nature of business in general... a business will do anything that will promote its product and it will avoid anything that will do nothing for it. \n\nRace discussions are generally highly subjective and the negative risks of such a discussion outweigh any positive gain for Yahoo. Thus, they ban it. Rights of individuals has nothing to do with it.
421683
That's why movies have a rating.  I still can't figure out why so many people in America--which supposedly values freedom of speech--try so hard to suppress what they hear.  Getting offended's fine; you have the freedom to voice that opinion.  But cencorship in any form whatsoever is just plain... well, if I typed it, Yahoo would edit it, wouldn't they?
595629
This is a forum board owned and operated by Yahoo.  You agreed to their TOS when you joined.  This is not a freedom of speech issue.\n\nTo what 'other' means...it's the friendly all-encompassing term to mean roughly "For whatever reason we want"  :)
251644
Should they be banned from having and/or expressing their opinions because they disagrees with yours?
532015
Read Michaels question about violations above yours. Seems to be a lot of it going on for no reason nowadays. About time Yahoo clamped down on the ones that make the unjust reports.\n\n\n***UPDATE*** Since answering this question I have just received another violation that went as follow.\nQuestion: In which country did Mommhamed let a six year old girl get pregnant?\nAnswer: I don't know.\nViolation: Not a question or answer.\n\nHows that for a load of shoemakers. Was gonna put cobblers but thought there might be another violation on the way.
524079
The site would be better with less censorship in the Political and Religion sections. There's an old saying "Never discuss religion or politics."  That is because they are explosive. Yahoo should just censor profanity, racism, and illegality. There would be a freer exchange of ideas. The censorship on Yahoo  now is much stricter than TV or radio. There is no need for that. Those who are offended can leave. Those who want a lively discourse can stay. I have actually learned a lot being on this site. But if it becomes watered-down and stale, it will be worthless. This site has made me angry, made me laugh, and has been good entertainment, and educational. I hope Yahoo does not increase its censorship even more.
250952
You are entitled to your opinion and it is censorship to remove any opinion even if it is racist, sexist, obscene or inflamatory.\n\nI personally find your opinion insulting, but I would gladly defend your right to both have and speak it.\n\nFreedom is having to tolerate a man screaming at the top of his lungs what you would spend a lifetime opposing at the top of yours.
362575
I'm sure that there are some people that post things they would never say in public comforted by the anonymity and getting satisfaction from offending people.  I think that more often though people posting offensive language do have these same views when they aren't online and among close friends and people of like minded viewpoints spout off the same slurs that they post.  I would even say that a lot of these people don't even think they are racist or biased, because its all being said with a wink and a laugh, but it is still being said.
118692
Not of speech.  I believe that the way to calm many problems is allowing people to talk them out.  I don't see how saying something that you believe is bad.  Even if it is repugnant to others or hurtful to some.  Everyone on this earth is entitled to feel however they want.  EVEN if they hate me...my religion...my family...my country...my God.  That doesn't mean I will agree with them or even dignify what they say with a response but I will not censor them as I would not want to be censored.
536487
It depends. If the question requires a particular kind of knowledge, I think it's okay. If I smell a certain racism, xenophobia or discrimination of that kind, I think that's wrong, and I usually report them.\n\nBTW, does it bother you so much, if the group addressed includes you? Or just when the questions are addressed to others?
179673
Basically, because the Internet encompasses so many different viewpoints, religions, opinions, and ideas, what Yahoo has created by allowing access to anyone, is a haven for the sane, insane, prejudiced, tolerant, Christians, non Christians, liberals, conservatives (you get the idea). When they disagree or annoy each other the abuse button gets clicked and the sheer number of reports makes it impossible to track and provide customer service for each one. \n\nLet us hope that they at least give consideration to reports before completely canceling an account.