NO TO RACISM :-Twitter is going to drop the terms "master", "slave" and "blacklist"

Twitter is going to drop the terms "master", "slave" and "blacklist" in favour of more inclusive language.

image credit Google

The terms are frequently utilized in programming codes which originated decades ago.

US bank JPMorgan has also announced an identical move as more companies address racism following the killing of George Floyd by police in Minneapolis.

Replacing the terms could cost millions and take months, consistent with experts.

Quaker Oats acknowledges 'racial stereotype'

Microsoft's GitHub drops master-slave jargon

Why firms are speaking out about George Floyd

In programming speak, "master" refers to the most version of code that controls the "slaves," or replicas. "Blacklist" is employed to explain items that are automatically denied, typically forbidden websites.

On Thursday, Twitter's engineering division tweeted out a group of words that it wants "to move faraway from using in favour of more inclusive language". The list includes replacing of "whitelist" with "allowlist" and  the words like "master/slave" with "leader/follower".

Inclusive language plays a critical role in fostering an environment where everyone belongs. At Twitter, the language we have been using in our code does not reflect our values as a company or represent the people we serve. We want to change that. #WordsMatter https://t.co/JVO8968B7K

— Twitter Engineering (@TwitterEng) July 2, 2020

A month ago , Twitter founder Jack Dorsey donated $3m (£2.4m) to former NFL player Colin Kaepernick's Know Your Rights Camp to "advance the liberation and well-being" of minority communities.

image credit Google

JPMorgan said it's also dropping the outdated coding terms because the Black Lives Matter movement ripples through the company world. It said the terms had appeared in a number of its technology policies and programming codes.

Last month, GitHub, the world's one of the biggest site for software developers, said it had been performing on changing the term 'master' from its coding language. The firm, owned by Microsoft, is employed by 50 million developers to store and update its coding projects.

Google's Chromium browser project and Android OS have both encouraged developers to avoid using the terms "blacklist" and "whitelist".

Global brands also are looking carefully at their product logos and names to avoid racial stereotyping. In recent weeks, variety of well-known brands have said they're going to be changing or reviewing their branding including Quaker Oats which is renaming its Aunt Jemima line of syrups and foods.

At an equivalent time, social media platforms also are struggling to tackle hate posts, with Facebook facing a widespread ad boycott from the Stop Hate for Profit campaign. Ford, Adidas, Coca Cola, Unilever and Starbucks have all added their weight to the campaign, aimed toward removing hateful content on social networks.

News source BBC