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2 changes: 1 addition & 1 deletion content/faqs.md
Original file line number Diff line number Diff line change
Expand Up @@ -38,7 +38,7 @@ Newspeak involved multiple changes but the most essential were:

Everything in the conscious language initiative is *the exact opposite* of that.

For example, "Denylist" is both more precise and more accurate than "blacklist";
For example, "waived failures" is both more precise and more accurate than "whitelist";

"Primary" is both more precise and more accurate than "master" in projects that have made the switch.

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8 changes: 5 additions & 3 deletions content/word-lists/tier-1/whitelist.md
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Expand Up @@ -15,14 +15,16 @@ definition: "Lists which permit or deny a set of nouns, or select enabled featur
use_context: "N/A"
recommendation: "Adopt immediately"
recommended_replacements:
- allowedNouns/deniedNouns (or other verbs)
- allowlist/denylist
- allowedNouns/deniedNouns
unsuitable_replacements:
- N/A
rationale: |
The underlying assumption of the whitelist/blacklist metaphor is that white = good and black = bad. Because colors in and of themselves have no predetermined meaning, any meaning we assign to them is cultural: for example, the color red in many Southeast Asian countries is lucky, and is often associated with events like marriages, whereas the color white carries the same connotations in many European countries. In the case of whitelist/blacklist, the terms originate in the publishing industry – one dominated by the USA and England, two countries which participated in slavery and which grapple with their racist legacies to this day.
The underlying assumption of the whitelist/blacklist metaphor is that white = good and black = bad. Because colors in and of themselves have no predetermined meaning, any meaning we assign to them is cultural: for example, the color red in many Southeast Asian countries is lucky, and is often associated with events like marriages, whereas the color white carries the same connotations in many European countries.

From a technical communication perspective, using whitelist/blacklist as a naming convention applies metaphor (and, in turn, unintended meaning) when it isn’t needed. More directly descriptive words like allowlist/denylist enhances understanding. Allowlist/denylist, or simply using allowed/denied as an entity prefix has the added benefit of being easily translatable to other human languages.
From a technical communication perspective, using whitelist/blacklist as a naming convention applies metaphor (and, in turn, unintended meaning) when it isn’t needed. A suitable verb or adjective enhances understanding by replacing the metaphor with a direct description.

In English, "whitelist" and "blacklist" can be used as either verbs or nouns. As a verb, commonly used words such as "allow" or "deny" can be used directly. Depending on the context, other verbs such as "skip", "ignore", "block", "waive", "disable" can be used instead. As a noun, words such as "allowlist" and "denylist" are in use and are more descriptive than whitelist/blacklist, but they may be difficult to translate to other human languages. Consider prefixed forms instead, such as "allowedRecipients" as a replacement for "recipientWhitelist"; in descriptive text (as opposed to code) you may want to prepend "list of", as in "list of allowed recipients".


status: |
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