No Change Recommended

This word list captures terms the Inclusive Naming Initiative and its partner organizations evaluated but did not recommend any changes for.

Terms

Word List: Tier 0

Term: blackbox

Definition

N/A

  • whitebox

Usage Context

Recommendation

No change recommended. This term may be used without restriction. Blackbox refers to opacity, such as details that aren’t visible or are not the focus. This term is not based on a good/bad binary where white is represented as good or black is represented as bad and so does not promote racial bias.

  • None

Unsuitable Replacements

  • None

Rationale

N/A

Term Status

N/A

Supporting Content

Recommendation from the IBM Inclusive IT Language Initiative Words Matter working group

Word List: Tier 0

Term: Blackout

Definition

N/A

  • None

Usage Context

Recommendation

No change recommended. This term may be used without restriction. This term is not based on a good/bad binary where white is represented as good or black is represented as bad and so does not promote racial bias.

  • None

Unsuitable Replacements

  • None

Rationale

N/A

Term Status

N/A

Supporting Content

Recommendation from the IBM Inclusive IT Language Initiative Words Matter working group

Word List: Tier 0

Term: disable

Definition

N/A

  • disabled

Usage Context

Recommendation

Do not change. The terms ‘disable’ and ‘disabled’ are valid in the context of technology, such as disabling an application or a network component. In the context of talking about disabled people, however, follow the guidance around it from the AP Style Guide, the UK Government , the National Center for Disability and Journalism , or other sources. In most cases, the recommendation is to use the word ‘disabled’ to refer to disabled people rather than alternate terms. The National Center for Disability and Journalism recommends to specify the disability where relevant, instead of grouping all people under the general term.

  • Deactivate/activate

Unsuitable Replacements

  • None

Rationale

N/A

Term Status

N/A

Supporting Content

N/A

Word List: Tier 0

Term: fair hiring practice

Definition

N/A

  • None

Usage Context

Recommendation

No change recommended. This term is not biased because it’s easy to distinguish ‘fair’ in the sense of unbiased from ‘fair’ in the sense of a light-skinned person in context.

  • None

Unsuitable Replacements

  • None

Rationale

N/A

Term Status

N/A

Supporting Content

Recommendation from the IBM Inclusive IT Language Initiative Words Matter working group

Word List: Tier 0

Term: fellow

Definition

N/A

  • None

Usage Context

Recommendation

No change recommended. Fellow refers to the most senior rank or title one can achieve on a technical career in certain companies or a member of a learned or professional society, or a person who has been awarded a grant for studies, typically in the field of scientific research, or a person who has earned a fellowship. A Fellow can be of any gender. This term does not promote gender bias.

  • None

Unsuitable Replacements

  • None

Rationale

N/A

Term Status

N/A

Supporting Content

N/A

Word List: Tier 0

Term: master inventor

Definition

N/A

  • None

Usage Context

Recommendation

No change recommended. This term does not fall under the criteria for replacing the term ‘master’. It refers to a level of skill rather than a dominant/subordinate relationship.

  • None

Unsuitable Replacements

  • None

Rationale

N/A

Term Status

N/A

Supporting Content

Recommendation from the IBM Inclusive IT Language Initiative Words Matter working group

Word List: Tier 0

Term: mastermind

Definition

N/A

  • None

Usage Context

Recommendation

No change recommended. This term does not fall under the criteria for replacing the term ‘master’. It refers to a level of skill rather than a dominant/subordinate relationship.

  • None

Unsuitable Replacements

  • None

Rationale

N/A

Term Status

N/A

Supporting Content

Recommendation from the IBM Inclusive IT Language Initiative Words Matter working group

Word List: Tier 0

Term: parent child

Definition

N/A

  • None

Usage Context

Recommendation

No change recommended. Although the relationship of parent and child is one of dependency, it is appropriate. Parents do have legal rights over children until a certain age, so it is a natural dependency relationship. Children falling victim to adult power is neither the main nor the intended result of this relationship, so this term does not typically represent an abuse of power.

  • None

Unsuitable Replacements

  • None

Rationale

N/A

Term Status

N/A

Supporting Content

Recommendation from the IBM Inclusive IT Language Initiative Words Matter working group

Word List: Tier 0

Term: red team

Definition

N/A

  • None

Usage Context

Recommendation

No change recommended. This use of ‘red’ does not refer to Indigenous people and does not reinforce a negative stereotype.

  • None

Unsuitable Replacements

  • None

Rationale

N/A

Term Status

N/A

Supporting Content

Recommendation from the IBM Inclusive IT Language Initiative Words Matter working group

Word List: Tier 0

Term: white-label

Definition

From Wikipedia :

A white-label product is a product or service produced by one company (the producer) that other companies (the marketers) rebrand to make it appear as if they had made it. The name derives from the image of a white label on the packaging that can be filled in with the marketer’s trade dress. White label products are sold by retailers with their own trademark but the products themselves are manufactured by a third party.

  • white-label product
  • white-labeling

Usage Context

Recommendation

No change recommended. This term may be used without restriction.

  • None

Unsuitable Replacements

  • None

Rationale

In this context, white refers to the most common background color of package paper. A white-label product lacks the printing, hence is fully white. This term is not based on a good/bad binary where white is represented as good or black is represented as bad and so does not promote racial bias.

Term Status

Supporting Content

Word List: Tier 0

Term: whitebox

Definition

From Wikipedia :

White-box testing (also known as clear box testing, glass box testing, transparent box testing, and structural testing) is a method of software testing that tests internal structures or workings of an application, as opposed to its functionality (i.e. black-box testing).

  • blackbox

Usage Context

Recommendation

No change recommended. This term may be used without restriction.

  • None

Unsuitable Replacements

  • None

Rationale

White box refers to transparency, i.e., internal details are visible to the tester. This term is not based on a good/bad binary where white is represented as good or black is represented as bad and so does not promote racial bias.

Term Status

N/A

Supporting Content

© 2023 The Inclusive Naming Initiative authors and collaborating organizations