There is a filter option, that being said, if you use a “bad” word can you still get reported and banned? Not calling somebody a name, just using a curse word in general.
Yes. Filter or not, you AGREED not to cuss.
No swear.
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The filter exists as a layer of protection for people who don’t want to see the language. It does not give you permission to break the rules you agreed to.
Yes, indeed. Banned permanently and forever? Not likely. But definitely silenced for increasing amounts of time, and if it’s bad enough, suspensions for increasing amounts of time are definitely possible.
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So what is the point in the filter? You can only see these words if you turn it off, i would think if you turn it off your opening your self up to seeing these words.
Not usually banned, but depends on the situation.
Having a filter doesn’t mean you can use any language you want in-game. It’s there to help those who don’t want to see profanity.
Inappropriate language comes in many forms though. Things to avoid would include politics, religion, sexuality etc.
But yes, if reported it tends to lead to a silence using the silence system.
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Yes. The mature language filter is in place to allow parents of minors and others who do not wish to see it, the ability to block it. It is not a license to use inappropriate language or subject matter.
If reported, our staff would review what was said and take actions accordingly. Though we don’t tend to “ban” for chat violations, unless you have a history of them, we silence the account instead.
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You would think wrong. Just because a cop wears a bullet proof vest, doesn’t mean you can shoo them
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Because people like to find colorful ways to bypass filters too. And as I mentioned, language reports don’t just include bad words 
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The filter is so that those who don’t want to see the words at all have them blocked. Personally I find the filter more offensive than the words. The filter, however, makes it easier to report language as the inappropriate words stand out.
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Like I said above, it’s a layer of protection for people who don’t want to see those words in chat.
I believe it’s default is off, and you have to turn it on. I could be wrong about that, but it’s not really important. Even filtered words show up as symbols. Children will ask their parents what it means, others can extrapolate what you are saying.
The biggest point is that by playing the game, you have agreed to not use swear words. If you don’t want to agree, that’s perfectly fine. You just can’t play this game.
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As I mentioned it is an extra layer of protection for parents of minors and others who simple don’t want to see that language.
Additionally, you can figure out a great deal simple by context, which is one of the reasons why our policies apply to both clear and masked language.
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Banned? I think it would have to be horribly bad to get a suspension or outright ban. Can you get silenced, as in not able to talk in parties, trade, bnet etc? Absolutely.
Filter or not, you agreed to abide by the language rules when you clicked I accept. The filter is there for an extra layer of protection for parents or those that flat out don’t want to see it, but it does not permit it.
Just as a point of reference a first time offence would be 24 hours, and it doubles each time. As of the last time I heard, there is no cooling off period either.
So, for example if you broke the rule and had a silence applied today, you would be hit with 24 hours. If you did no such thing again, but slipped up 13 months down the road, it would be a 48 hour penalty. Just wanted to give a heads up and some clarity to the answer.
Then I looked over to the right and saw 11 responses, and I realize this has already all most likely been addressed.
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It’s a pre-emptive thing. While swearing isn’t allowed, Blizzard isn’t dumb enough to expect 100% of people to follow that 100% of the time, thus the filter to protect people who don’t want to see that possibility.
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You do not get banned or even suspended any more for language! You get silenced and if it happens enough it could be years before you can talk again.
Just so you know, the SFAs here sometimes makes known what it was why you was silenced contrary to your “claims of innocence”. I wouldn’t poke that beehive.
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Like others have said, all he revealed is the Squelch. He also revealed to players that right-click>reporting actually does something. A lot more reporting of chat violations and name violations occurred because of this.
The Squelch was put in when right-click>reporting was added to the game, or shortly after. It meant that players could silence gold sellers before they did a lot of damage and gave Blizzard time to investigate and lock down the account (if it was compromised).
If you are Squelched, but did not actually break Blizzard’s Code of Conduct, the Squelch is removed and no black mark is made to your account. If they determine that the chat violates the Code of Conduct, they apply a Silence. There is no “automatic approval of the automatic squelch”.
The volume they look at is the number of posts you make in a period of time and what is posted. The volume of reports from other players just speeds up when someone is reviewing it. More reports means more of an issue and it gets seen faster.
For spam, volume of reports can help determine if the realm considers it spam. For Language violations, it only takes one report.
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Yeah, people might say “potty words” here and there.
Now, if you said racist stuff, that would probably elicit more action.
I noticed I have the filter on in Classic. I leave it on because it amuses me to see %^&#$#^&*(!