Twenty years ago, I started Urban Dictionary as a place for everyone to share their language. It was intended to subvert the authority of the traditional dictionary and to document our messy, weird, and unpredictable language as it evolved. Every day, regular people add thousands of definitions, making it a living cultural document. Since 1999, our community has written over 12 million definitions. I’m proud that Urban Dictionary has become a source of laughter and an irreplaceable reference made by and for the people.
But, over the years, online discourse has changed, and so have the words we’re receiving.
Like other online platforms we’ve been inundated by hate speech and abusive content targeting women, BIPOC, LGBTQIA+, and other vulnerable groups. Hate speech and abusive content online can cause real harm offline. It can also make people feel unsafe to speak up and share their language, silencing entire groups of people. This is not what we want our platform to be for.
Urban Dictionary plays an important role in defining language on the internet and popular culture. To do this right and to earn the role you’ve entrusted us with, we need to make sure our system measures up to our values. The site has always been a place for people to define the messier edges of language, but we can’t allow it to foster hate.
Words matter — it’s kind of our whole thing here — but actions matter more:
As we rethink the dictionary, we want to hear from you. Urban Dictionary is written by you, and we want you to be involved while we decide what is and isn’t acceptable on it. Please share your thoughts in this form. In a few weeks, we’ll share what we’ve learned from your feedback.
Thank you,
Aaron Peckham
Founder & CEO
The use of slang in court proceedings can be tricky, especially in criminal cases where an uncommon slang term used by a witness can make a difference in a case. New York Times tech reporter Leslie Kaufman and law professor Greg Lastowka talk about how judges and lawyers have turned to sites like Urban Dictionary to help define slang terms and the legal implications of the trend.
— Why Urban Dictionary Comes In Handy On The Witness Stand | Talk of the Nation
Slang has always been a challenge for the courts in cases that involve vulgar or insulting language. Conventional dictionaries lag the spoken word by design. That has lawyers and judges turning to a more fluid source of definitions: Urban Dictionary, a crowdsourced collection of slang words on the Internet.
— Urban Dictionary Finds a Place in the Courtroom - NYTimes.com
Since conventional dictionaries don’t always include the latest in slang terminology, lawyers and judges are looking to define language in court cases by turning to Urban Dictionary.
— Law and Order and Urban Dictionary - Jen Doll - The Atlantic Wire
The site’s been used in cases ranging from a sexual harrassment lawsuit in Tennessee to a financial restitution case in Wisconsin, and it’s a trend that some legal minds don’t see reversing any time soon.
— Courts are increasingly turning to Urban Dictionary to clarify modern slang language | The Verge