Google's voice transcription software is censoring swear words

By Max Slater-Robins

Google's voice transcription software is censoring swear words on Google Docs, as discovered by Fusion, and for search terms that are dictated by Google Now.
Trying to dictate words such as "f--k" or "s--t" into Google Docs only yields asterisks, while other terms such as "god dammit," are allowed.

An analysis by linguist Gretchen McCulloch found that Google arbitrarily censors words such as "asshole" but not "ass."

Tests by Business Insider found that the censorship extends beyond Google Docs, with search terms dictated via Google Now also suffering.

Using Google Now to search for swearwords did not show helpful results.

Google's apps on both iPhone and Android could not search for swear words when dictated, only searching for the first letter of the word. This, in turn, did not produce relevant results.

Business Insider also discovered that Google also seems to be censoring text in private text messages, choosing instead to send "f***" or "s***."

Google Now evens censors the content of dictated texts.

It's unclear why Google has chosen to censor swear words, especially as typing them is still possible. By choosing what to show and what not to show, Google could also be taking on an element of responsibility for the content hosted, or delivered, via its services.

Business Insider has reached out to Google to clarify why the company is censoring certain words and will update the post when we hear back.