I WOULD LIKE TO TURN OFF THE PROFANITY FILTER ON THE MICROSOFT WORD VOICE DICTATION FEATURE

Anonymous
2020-02-16T04:49:28+00:00

I WOULD LIKE TO TURN OFF THE PROFANITY FILTER ON THE MICROSOFT WORD VOICE DICTATION FEATURE

How do I do this??? After hours of google and non-google searching, I can't find any solutions....

...

I understand we live in a puritanical society in the USA where some people find 'swear words' offensive ... but in modern English, in creative thinking and in any kind of free speech and free expression, this aspect of the language to say what things 'really are' is a *necessity*...

... and to censor our ability to use your limited technological voice dictation features without providing the necessary free ability to turn off this antiquated censorship feature or  (for adaptation and avoidance of censorship)is, shall we say..., living in the dark ages?

Is that what Microsoft represents??

Living in the dark ages????

Is Microsoft about to be replaced by a company that understands that we don't want to be censored?

Are we living in the equivalent of a Communist-controlled country now where the government decides what is OK for us to say in the privacy of our own homes??

****************

If trying to send people back to the dark ages, unable to express their ideas freely was NOT

the intention of this vagrant censorship by the Microsoft powers that be,...

... then please provide a way to turn off this VERY antiquated and outdated feature of censoring our ability to use our voices to express our opinions.... without them being obliterated by a series of nonsensical stars in a row ***************** such as f***, sh**, mother-f*******, as-******,  ... **** ....

********************

.... since many of us have had to  resort to making soundalike words which convey the same idea...

Microsoft, please stop censoring your users and join the rest of us in 2020 who still believe in free speech ....

To prove my point, I'm dictating this next paragraph on my Samsung Android phone using google voice dictation, while the censored part of this post above was created using the Microsoft Word voice dictation software) 

And as you'll see, at least Google voice dictation allows you to turn off the **** profanity sensors... So if I want to say words like ****, ****, ****, God damn, etc, Google believes that I'm enough of an adult to determine that I actually want to have those words show up in what I'm dictating.

(so much for that little experiment, as soon as I went to post this edited comment in Microsoft, the words that Google allowed me to freely dictate on my phone once again got censored in  this Microsoft post). 

How long do you think it will be before Google comes up with software to replace Microsoft Office? So you might want to rethink your strategy to censor free-thinking people or you may very well find yourself soon replaced by a company who still believes in free speech.

Sincerely, a free thinking (still) citizen.

ps. We'll see if the Microsoft Artificial intelligence (AI) robots allow this to get posted at all...

Microsoft 365 and Office | Word | For home | Windows

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Anonymous
2021-01-14T01:34:13+00:00

Great news after a bit of radio silence that within the settings of the new dictation floatie, a toggle to turn off the profanity filter is available in Insiders Fast for Desktop Word and will be rolling out in the next 1-2 months there as well as show up in the web and mobile versions of dictation very soon!

Check out more here at the Insiders post that came out on January 8th! Dictation in Word and Outlook just got better (office.com) 

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Anonymous
2023-01-20T09:30:48+00:00

That is exactly my point, MVPs get preference over consumer customers. No response to a 14 page thread is bad enough but no response to any customer about a broken function is just bad customer service in general.

I have met some good MVPs and I have met some bad ones, including one that walk all over and doxx other prospective candidates so they can get a leg up or even gain employment with Microsoft. So because of those negative personal experiences I've had with MVPs and Microsoft employees might I add, it's very hard for me to respect the MVP program at all.

I'm an Aussie and you may well know that profanity is part of our culture and playful banter. Microsoft a company that is based out of the USA where Freedom of Speech is the First Amendment which also extends to basic international human rights as part of freedom of expression.

Microsoft does a very good job at censoring objective feedback from the public that may paint any of their half-baked products in a negative light.

This feedback is from personal experience with my interactions with Microsoft and various volunteers and dismissing my experience in your words as "absolutely not true" is just an example of the narrative that Microsoft encourage as part of saving face rather than just helping consumers get the message through to fixing the issues that have been reported about their products.

Don't get me wrong I'm more than happy to advocate for the products they get right. However, it is 100% frustrating when regression bugs like this come back and it takes an unacceptable amount of time

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Jay Freedman 208.2K Reputation points Volunteer Moderator
2021-12-10T20:19:25+00:00

It's in the box that appears when you click the Dictate button in desktop Word or Word Online. Somewhere along the update trail, the "Profanity filter" option has changed to "Filter sensitive phrases", but the function is the same.

The desktop version's settings look like this:

Image

while Word Online's settings look like this:

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Suzanne S Barnhill 279.1K Reputation points MVP Volunteer Moderator
2021-01-14T13:55:00+00:00

Your original reply was posted, and Emily has responded to it.

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Suzanne S Barnhill 279.1K Reputation points MVP Volunteer Moderator
2023-01-20T12:59:13+00:00

This is a very long thread, with some insanely long posts, so I'm not going to try to reread all of it, but my recollection is that at some point there have been some posts from Microsoft employees in the thread. These include the post by Emily Tran that is marked as an answer.

I will escalate the thread again to perhaps get more traction, but if turning the filter off is not working for you, then I don't know what else to suggest.

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  1. Anonymous
    2023-01-18T17:14:25+00:00

    Can I have my money back now. You taking your powder flesh now give me mine let me have full use of my computer please or should I just get rid of everything what's the point you create something and we can't even utilise it now I have special needs and I cannot utilise the tools that I need because you put profound filters on it and it no longer wants to work properly the programming doesn't work and I can't fix it this man is correct nowthis little thing has become a joke you have now put it on your Corpus Miranda are you kidding me people cannot speak the whole truth and you are happy with that. I've had to go and sort Google to send my formation because Microsoft software will not work for me not because I swear I do swear but not since I've been trying to use this I can't get it working full stop it keeps on doing stupid things without using my words against me creating a search of you believe of nightmares. I was considered really good on the computer and now I can't get anything done I've been using the technology for over 15 years I was there one of the first phone calls created before windows on the internet yes I say the Internet because I was one of their Graham Heads place in Heathcote Australia what are the leaders of our time far far back in time 34 odd years ago feeling that was created to be shared but creating a place where the intelligence and the creativity of others could be shared what are you doing honestly what are you doing with that privilege you're taking that privilege away how dare you we stood by you through thick and thin buying your products thinking you would do the right thing what have you done you have ruined the freedom of our speech how would you like it if I stopped you from doing programming it's all those many years ago because you have me go and say are you couldn't do that I'm too smart you're wrong. If you can't see it start speaking to real people at the ground I hope disablement one of them is reading and writing it was gone once all that was created now what are you doing just taking two fingers in my eyes and telling me to **** off really really after all you have achieved you're going to back pedal so far I'm just discussed and betrayed honestly what would you do this all the disabled people on the planet I bought a computer from you guys expecting beautiful things all I've been able to do with it is yelling screaming at it because it won't work you destroy all the proper programming in it and he won't let us have the freedom to speak our own Minds however we feel it's my computer if you don't like what people are doing with computers don't sell them temperature programming in them quit elect somebody else take over because they will it's only a matter of time you will not change the world by changing the language we use everyday basis you will cut out the people that create the world like yourself to change it because you my friend I'm not alone you suffer from many ailments and there is many more to come in your age what happens when you lose your limbs you could still use a computer no not anymore you are betraying us why. Why have you betrayed your own kind somebody that suffers from high intelligence should no better then try to control. control is an illusion made up by people and you know this and you are making this allusion come true into reality to make what what are you getting out of this conning all these people that have disabled why I do not understand some of us has problems with reading and writing like myself and I have to use technology to do that now and you are the train my trust by opposing your religious beliefs or policies all over the world why would you do that are you so self indulgent that you must control the whole world now because people are could you want a pedestal for so long have you forgotten where you came from a worm the most simple thing in the world and you want to break it you're breaking the magic code of the internet I'm sure you know what it is sharing is caring heading all the information we have on this world is shared and we have grown so much because of it and your tools have given us those things to do it now you're taking them away you're not taking away something that is going to change the world yeah you are you're ruining peoples lives people are allowed to swear at people have feelings and anger do you not have them anymore lol I am hey giving you an attack why would I not you're attacking me you're saying I'm not good enough to use your product anymore I want my money back you are portraying the people that have given you all that money it's disgusting it's so disappointing and shameful your mother would not be proud of your actions your mother may not have sworn because that is the way she was brought up and she should not though men swear because we know how to control our anger and so forth if you don't believe in that why don't you shut down nuclear power stations turn that into nuclear waste that bombs people you want to change something change something real you said you'd be charitable things but never put them into action you made something incredible and now you're ruining it I'm sorry you've lost my business I want my money back you have lied to the people you have taken control over a computer which was not made by you. What gives you that right nothing I'm going to complain to the moon and back wherever I can this is wrong and if you can't see it go onto the street and start talking to real people not people that go to church they're not the people that change this world the people that try to control it I know you're doing it to that's a very bad Omen on the rest of the world and the way the world is going you should shame at this point as you don't. Let me remind you of something you die by the sword you live by. If you are going to create upheaval why would you pick the bottom of society pick to pick up Evil with not the smartest thing you've done I promise you you will lose everything you have if you keep it up 50% of the human race cannot read or write properly Andover 80% of them swear and that includes the women so please stop taking the voice of the downtrodden with you you can lose your business to this seriously only businesses will use you I know normal people want to use you so there won't be any products that you were associated with it's starting to happen everywhere you can't see it I use at blind look at your profit margins why do you think they're going down is it because you don't care have you lost your businessman talents do you think everyone's going to follow along with you because you think you read a lot my god man you got no idea what life about hiding accident at 15 being lucky enough to have The Miracle of Life given back to me after being hit by a car at 100 km an hour Waking Up 3 Weeks Later define I had anesia and I never got that all my memories back it's stop me from being able to read or right I spent 17 years trying to learn to read and write and could not get past a third grade level I had broken my back and was told I would never walk again through the accident and by a pure miracle of life I was able to train myself to do that over the next 8 years I had to struggle through my life as only a survivor would I've been given many miracles in this life so let me share one with you what you have to be taken away just as quickly as it was granted believe.it.or.not can you could be in the same shoes as me wishing you have not had an accident and have those tools available now and you're breaking that for all the people that have been lucky enough to do that yeah sure they can pick up Google and do it but you were the first now you're maybe the first to go because of your stupidity energy stupid you come on look at it from every angle a person should be able to have the choice to use their technology however they please regardless of you like it or not everything can be tracked in this day & age so you are not in control you are losing control do you understand what I mean you have lost control and your ego has taken over take back your ego learn to be a person again because you have lost the ability to be human because you are taking about the humanity of a Sol a ruining a beautiful product so this is you the Creator I'm posting it to I am wasting my time with anything else and we all know that the hundreds of emails sent to this page begging for help and you show a blind eye I'm so sorry for your loss the please do not take it out on all of us so lost as I have had in my life you could not even imagine even after speaking to me for a day you could not imagine you are lucky you are very fortunate please stop taking the small things that we have in society away from us through your technology I went from a $20,000 a year job to an 80000 dollar a new job now by changing your technology I will go back to $20,000 job or I may never work again who knows because I can no longer use to technology to work with anymore I know I've had another accident at work and the ability to walk like a normal human being has been taken away from me again it's like so many other privileges I should be allowed for they've been taken away like my children so we now suffering the privileges you have created in our society it's not ok what is wrong with you I told you what's wrong with me but I have faith in to side into the right thing I hope are you do not you need to stop being so controlling other people and their things they are not your things anymore and they never were the universe gave you and idea and you went with it congratulations how do idea was for the world for the universe to create something more and what are you doing you're putting a wall up not a bridge for everyone to go over a wall why

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