Glenn
02-24-2006, 07:21 AM
No word on how they feel about black people.
Also, I think I know why Gutz changed his name now.
http://www.lacrossetribune.com/articles/2006/02/23/news/04yahoo.txt
Fountain City man fights Yahoo over e-mail restriction
By Darrell Ehrlick | Lee Newspapers
FOUNTAIN CITY, Wis. — What’s in a name? A whole lot, if you’re Ed Callahan of Fountain City.
Callahan recently tried to sign up for an e-mail account with Yahoo after his mother had trouble signing up for one. But they couldn’t get an account using their last names. At first, Callahan suspected it was because there was another Ed Callahan or another Linda Callahan got the name first. So he tried several combinations of letters and numbers around the name.
None worked.
Callahan discovered it was because his last name contained the word “Allah,” the Arabic word for God.
Callahan tried using other variations of Allah, and all were rejected. However, words such as “God,” “Jesus,” “Buddha” and “Satan” were accepted.
“This is just … well,” Callahan said, struggling to find words. “Well, it just smacks of discrimination.”
Both he and his mother tried contacting Yahoo but didn’t get a response. That’s when they took their case to the media. A newspaper in Massachusetts covered the story last week. A Yahoo representative didn’t dispute the Callahan’s story but told the Daily Hampshire Gazette she needed more time to formulate a response.
Yahoo defended its position in a written statement Wednesday, saying that it wasn’t trying to discriminate, rather protect users from hate-speech. “A small number of people registered for IDs using specific terms with the sole purpose of promoting hate and then used those IDs to post content that was harmful or threatening to others, thus violating Yahoo’s terms of service,” the statement said.
The company announced it had changed its policy to allow the word to be used. Ed Callahan promptly registered a new e-mail account: allahs_in_callahan@yahoo.com.
Callahan said he understands that certain addresses such as “administrator” or others that pretend to be official need to be blocked. But he doesn’t understand blocking the word “Allah.”
“I just picture a terrorist trying over and over again trying to get an account and being foiled every time just because they can’t include that word,” Callahan said.
On his Web site, www.edcallahan.com, he points out that Yahoo doesn’t prevent users from using other religious words that could be used for hate-speech. He suspects more sinister motives.
“The war on terror is becoming a war on Muslims,” Callahan said. “The word terrorist now means Muslims, and it shouldn’t.”
Yahoo representative Meagan Busath said Callahan’s concerns helped prompt officials to re-examine the company’s policy and make the change.
Also, I think I know why Gutz changed his name now.
http://www.lacrossetribune.com/articles/2006/02/23/news/04yahoo.txt
Fountain City man fights Yahoo over e-mail restriction
By Darrell Ehrlick | Lee Newspapers
FOUNTAIN CITY, Wis. — What’s in a name? A whole lot, if you’re Ed Callahan of Fountain City.
Callahan recently tried to sign up for an e-mail account with Yahoo after his mother had trouble signing up for one. But they couldn’t get an account using their last names. At first, Callahan suspected it was because there was another Ed Callahan or another Linda Callahan got the name first. So he tried several combinations of letters and numbers around the name.
None worked.
Callahan discovered it was because his last name contained the word “Allah,” the Arabic word for God.
Callahan tried using other variations of Allah, and all were rejected. However, words such as “God,” “Jesus,” “Buddha” and “Satan” were accepted.
“This is just … well,” Callahan said, struggling to find words. “Well, it just smacks of discrimination.”
Both he and his mother tried contacting Yahoo but didn’t get a response. That’s when they took their case to the media. A newspaper in Massachusetts covered the story last week. A Yahoo representative didn’t dispute the Callahan’s story but told the Daily Hampshire Gazette she needed more time to formulate a response.
Yahoo defended its position in a written statement Wednesday, saying that it wasn’t trying to discriminate, rather protect users from hate-speech. “A small number of people registered for IDs using specific terms with the sole purpose of promoting hate and then used those IDs to post content that was harmful or threatening to others, thus violating Yahoo’s terms of service,” the statement said.
The company announced it had changed its policy to allow the word to be used. Ed Callahan promptly registered a new e-mail account: allahs_in_callahan@yahoo.com.
Callahan said he understands that certain addresses such as “administrator” or others that pretend to be official need to be blocked. But he doesn’t understand blocking the word “Allah.”
“I just picture a terrorist trying over and over again trying to get an account and being foiled every time just because they can’t include that word,” Callahan said.
On his Web site, www.edcallahan.com, he points out that Yahoo doesn’t prevent users from using other religious words that could be used for hate-speech. He suspects more sinister motives.
“The war on terror is becoming a war on Muslims,” Callahan said. “The word terrorist now means Muslims, and it shouldn’t.”
Yahoo representative Meagan Busath said Callahan’s concerns helped prompt officials to re-examine the company’s policy and make the change.