UPC Poison: Racists Codes
I woke up this morning to some disturbing news – there are people who are poisoning UPC/EAN databases with racist messages. We are working closely with GS1 to create standards for UPC/EAN product codes that will prevent malicious people from poisoning databases like Amazon and Google Base in the future, but today there is no good solution. We have talked about UPC SPAM before, we are now adding the phrase: UPC Poison. Why? One of our users (perhaps former user) scanned a package of candy with the following UPC: 014200535460. The description she saw on ShopSavvy was ‘sugar babies you nigger’. She was livid and sent us the following message:
“IT WAS A BOX OF SUGAR BABIES CANDY, BY TOOTSIE ROLL INDUSTRIES, INC. CHICSGO, IL 60629, WHEN I SCANNED WITH MY CELL PHONE BY USING THE SCAN BARCODE METHOD, THE RESULTS I GOT WAS “SUGAR BABIES YOU NIGGER”, AND NO IT DIDN’T GIVE ME A PRICE, IT GAVE ME THAT VERY RACIST MESSAGE. THIS WAS VERY DISTURBING TO ME, NOT THAT FACT THAT I AM A BLACK WOMAN, BUT THE FACT THAT THIS IS VERY RACIST, I DON’T KNOW WHO INPUTS YOUR INFORMATION ON SHOP SAVVY, OR WHAT, I NEED SOME ANSWERS, I THINK THE WORLD NEEDS TO KNOW ABOUT THIS, BECAUSE IN 2009, I WOULD HAVE NEVER THOUGHT ANYTHING LIKE THIS WOULD HAPPEN, I HAVE NEVER BEEN CALLED A NIGGER IN MY 45 YEARS OF LIVING, AND TO SEE SOMETHING LIKE THIS JUST TOOK ME BACK TO MY ANCESTORS AND WHAT THEY HAD TO ENDURE………..”
ShopSavvy is a lot like Google. Instead of entering search terms you enter a UPC and we search LOTS of retailers to see who has the item in question. We simply display what they show. Three different sources had this description: UPC Database, Open EAN/GTIN and UPCMachine. We contacted all three sources and they all agreed to remove the item from their systems. We also had a conversation internally to decide whether or not we should start filtering terms from our system. We looked at the specific term ‘nigger’ and while there are hundreds of legitimate items with the word in the title we have decided to filter any result with the word. This will require a little coding. In the meantime, the specific issue cited by our user has been resolved.
We kept the user in the loop throughout the day as everything unfolded. Sadly, we couldn’t win the heart and mind of our user through our action or the action from the database providers. When it was all said and done she emailed us, “the damage has been done, I may forward all emails to my local news and radio stations, so they can alert the public to this nonsense…..” I copied the folks at GS1 to help them understand how badly the industry needs a standard for UPC authority. They responded and I am confident that issues like this will soon be behind all of us. In the meantime, if you are the victim of UPC SPAM or Poison – accept our apology on behalf of every pervert and racist who has time to poison UPC/EAN databases.
What a poser. I think the woman is just trying to get some money out of this.
Apparently UPC Database – http://www.upcdatabase.com/item/014200535460 – has not addressed the problem yet. Sadly, this is an unfortunate by-product of “public (user supported) databases”.
I hope not. We will assume she was trying to help us remove the data.
Sadly, another Site – UPC Data – obtains Data from UPC Database. Thus, the problem goes beyond the Sites you mentioned above. Check out: http://upcdata.info/?code=024768328329
Ok, let’s be more forthright about where the “poisoned” information come from – the UPC database (http://www.upcdatabase.com/item/014200535460) where everybody (and i mean *everybody*) can publish information about UPC. When i googled the UPC yesterday, it was indeed saying “sugar babies you nigger”. Big deal – all you have to do is to click on “modify request” and provide the correct info – which i did (and suppose other people did as well) – and today it is corrected to “Sugar Babies”.
The UPCdatabase.com is free so you cannot really complain if you are using information from there… by the way did you obtain license for commercial use from the author? I think i remember you are supposed to, if used for commercial purposes.
We found the same poison from three different sources including upc database (for the record they didn’t deliver the bad result to us). We also find poison from Amazon and Google Base. We aren’t complaining about the sources – we are complaining about the guy who put the bad data in the various databases. We need a way to stop him.
To be honest, your tone makes me think you are with one of the databases like UPC Database. You are frustrated because GS1 is going to make your services obsolete. When manufacturers, working through the non-profit GS1, offer a complete record for each UPC there won’t be any reason for databases like yours to exist.
“When manufacturers, working through the non-profit GS1, offer a complete record for each UPC…” – sounds like a reference to 1SYNC, the Global Data Synchronization System (using Global Data Pools for GTIN Data). While this System is “in place”, and is currently “in use” by numerous Manufacturers and Retailers (for the purpose of Data Synchronization), there are no plans to make this Data available to the Public; nor does the “Item Attribute Starter Kit” – the Product Definition – include many of the Fields required by most E-Commerce Sites.
While I agree that the person or persons who have poisoned these FREE Data Sites need(s) to be “stopped”, I believe Public Web Sites should do more to “police” submissions.
Finally, with regard to FREE Data Sites “going away”, such will never happen – as long as there is a need for U.P.C. Data (valid or not, verified or not).
Remember, the U.P.C. System is “voluntary” in nature – there is no Governmental or Supply Chain mandate that a Product have a U.P.C. They (U.P.C.’s) are prevalent because Retailers and Distributors and Manufacturers use the U.P.C. as the sole Product Identifier.
That being the case, FREE and PAID FOR (U.P.C.) Data Sites will continue to exist.
Further evidence that NeoMedia’s patented indirect method is the most secure and reliable way to encode and route a barcode.
@amuse: no, i don’t work for any “databases like yours” so little do i care ranting for or against GS1
“to be honest,” it irked me that you didn’t point the source of the issue and since i assumed it was coming form UPCdatabase, which is open to entries and i thought it was silly to assume the information there could always be reliable. now if the *very* same description showed in different sources, i bet there is a common source (as DB, not as a user who typed it in all places). upcdata.info for example i see now to show only “nigger” as description – which is not the *same* “poison”.
there are ways to address the issue programmatically without filtering out “bad words” or imposing death penalty for bad info.
Mr. Andrews, in regards to your comment – “NeoMedia’s patented indirect method is the most secure and reliable way to encode and route a barcode” – per the Web Site, Neomedia processes 2D Barcodes, not 1D / Linear Codes (more commonly known as U.P.C.’s). Additionally, NeoMedia’s patents, the bulk of which were overturned last year, focused on “scanning” a Barcode, and linking that “scan” to a Web Page. None of which has any relationship whatsoever to this thread.
Mr. EnTerr, in regards to your comments – “i bet there is a common source (as DB, not as a user who typed it in all places). upcdata.info for example i see now to show only “nigger” as description – which is not the *same* “poison” – the “common source” IS upcdatabase.com
As a U.P.C. Data Provider, and as one who knows the Owners of both upcdatabase.com and upcdata.info, I can tell you that the vast majority of the upcdata.info Database comes from upcdatabase.com.
Additionally, there are several other Sites that also rely on upcdatabase.com.
The discrepancy you found is the result of upcdatabase.com removing offensive entries several days ago, and upcdata.info not “catching up”.
And yes, there are ways to “isolate” repulsive language. However, aside from morality and decency (which should be enough), what’s the impetus for a FREE Database site to do so?
Gregg London, you are wrong on so many levels it is hard to contain my laughter. But thanks for the chuckle tehe!
Please educate yourself and save yourself further embarrassment by reading this:
http://www.barkume.com/Site/IP_News/Entries/2009/2/25_CASE_STUDY_-_REEXAMINATION_OF_US_PATENT_NO._6%2C199%2C048.html
Toodles
@michael andrews – Really? Come on, take your penny stock argument to Yahoo Groups or something.
@Gregg – Thanks for your comments. The impetus is the same as ours – to provide users a positive experience. Both applications like ShopSavvy and the UPC database guys provide our services for free. If we can’t keep our data ‘positive’ and accurate we will cease to exist or at least cease to be meaningful. At the end of the day I think GS1 is going to solve the entire problem for all of us. Look for news in the next few weeks…
@Gregg London – you did not understand, i didn’t mean UPCdatabase to take care of wrong entries – rather the aggregators like ShopSavvy (which have financial “impetus” to do so) should.
@Michael Andrews – the issue here has nothing to do with NeoMedia and their proprietary-barcode-lookup-in-DB. if you think some proprietary patent is better, pls go and persuade all manufacturers in the world to stop using UPC/EAN and instead to print NM carp on products. Go, make my day. Till then, farewell.
I am just a person who came across this thread and I just have to say that, all of you sound like a bunch of “Babies” fighting over the word “nigger”. Jesse Jackson used it on a news cast thinking his mic was off but was not and everyone was so mad that JESSE JACKSON could say that trouble word. Let it go!!! Deal with it!!! @ the lady that saw this and had to write to SS making a big deal over it and also needed to bring in that it brought her back to her “Ancestors” days and that she has never been called a “nigger” in 45 years makes me wonder where she has lived and how much she got out? I would hope that our news media & everyone that she feels, needs to know about this has other bigger problems in life then a box of candy saying “nigger”!!! Maybe putting food on the table or trying to stay in your home or apartment without getting kicked out into the street would out rank the word “nigger” on a box of candy? Hummm??
Do all people that get called a name like ” Jew” and many others go crying about it? It ONLY bothers you “IF” you let it!!! GET OFF THE ANCESTORS BS WILL YA!!! YOU HAVE A PRETTY EXPENSIVE PHONE THERE TO DO ALL OF THAT FANCY STUFF, LIKE SCANNING BARCODES, ETC. I GUESS YOUR “ANCESTORS” MADE OUT PRETTY WELL HUH?
Life is about TODAY and it is WAY TO SHORT FOR THIS CRAP!!
Find the problem and fix it….. Simple!!!
Let us STOP walking on glass because we said a word that hurt someones feeling!! Do you think the MF who knocked down OUR Trade Towers cares what you called him? This World is messed up enough to be reading about the word “nigger” which is in the Bible & always seems to bother certain people, WHY is that……… Hummm?