Now IT crowd at Financial Conduct Authority is blacklisting terms like, er, blacklist
- Words ‘master’, ‘slave’, ‘black hat’ and ‘blacklist’ are banned by regulator
- Many are often used in IT world, leaving 4000 employees confused
- The move was branded ‘Orwellian’ by critics last night for allegedly hampering work
- Sociology professor accused the FCA of trying to ‘redesign the way we think’
They go very pc in the IT department of the Financial Conduct Authority.
The regulator has urged staff to abandon terms such as ‘master’, ‘slave’, ‘black hat’ and ‘blacklist’, which are commonly used in the IT world, even though it accepts none of them. both are racist.
The guidelines, obtained by The Mail on Sunday under freedom of information laws, were labeled “Orwellian” by critics last night, who said such attempts to master the language set a dangerous precedent.
The Financial Conduct Authority has urged staff to ditch terms commonly used in the IT world, even though it accepts that none of them are racist.
‘Master’ and ‘slave’ are used to describe a situation where one device or process (the master) controls another device or process (the slave). The earliest use is believed to date from 1904. But the FCA, which oversees the behavior of some 58,000 companies in the UK financial sector, has included them on a list of “pejorative” words. It wants employees to use the terms “primary” and “secondary.”
The guide states: ‘Recent events worldwide have exposed the prevalence of racism in society and gained strong support for the Black Lives Matter movement. Such racism can manifest itself in many forms, from overtly socially unacceptable to more subtle micro-inequalities.
“It may be small changes in the big picture, but to use an expression, ‘every little bit helps’. By making these changes, we are demonstrating our determination to tackle inequalities in all their forms, no matter how small.”
The terms “black hat”, a computer hacker who acts with criminal or malicious intent, and “white hat”, an ethical hacker who seeks to expose existing security flaws, also appear in the list, as does “black list ‘, a list of addresses and applications that will be denied. Professor Frank Furedi, professor emeritus of sociology at Kent University, accused the FCA of trying to “change the way we think.”
He added: ‘To many, eliminating the word master seems harmless, perhaps a little silly. However, this project poses a major threat to a free society.
Semantic engineering aims to change public language to transform prevailing cultural attitudes and norms.
Professor Frank Furedi, professor emeritus of sociology at Kent University, said: ‘As Orwell reminded us, those who master our language determine the way we think.’ Pictured: George Orwell
“It provides its practitioners with control over language and serves as a source of cultural power.
“As Orwell reminded us, those who master our language determine the way we think.”
A spokesperson for the FCA, which employs 4,000 people, said: “We have worked hard to ensure that the language we use both internally and externally reflects the cross-section of society that reads our communications.
“As we outlined when we announced the new guideline, other organizations are also making changes to avoid using words that could be perceived as offensive.
“Language is constantly evolving and we will continue to ensure that all our communication is inclusive.”