Now IT crowd put terms like black list on the, er, black list

THEY’RE going 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 ‘black list’ which are commonly used in the IT world – even though it accepts none of them are racist.

The guidance, obtained by The Mail on Sunday under freedom of information laws, was last night branded ‘Orwellian’ by critics who said such efforts to control language sets a dangerous precedent.

‘Master’ and ‘slave’ are used to describe a situation whereby a device or process (the master) controls another device or process (the slave). Their earliest use is believed to date back to 1904. But the FCA, which oversees the conduct of around 58,000 firms in the UK financial sector, has included them on a list of ‘pejorative’ words. It wants employees to use the terms ‘primary’ and ‘secondary’.

Its guide states: ‘Recent events globally have highlighted the prevalence of racism throughout society and garnered much support for the Black Lives Matter movement. Such racism can manifest itself in many forms, from the overt socially unacceptable to subtler micro-inequalities.

‘These may be small changes in the grand scheme of things but, to borrow a phrase, “every little helps”. In making these changes, we show our determination to address inequalities in all their forms, no matter how small.’

The terms ‘black hat’, a computer hacker operating with criminal or malicious intent, and ‘white hat’, an ethical hacker who is out to expose existing security flaws, also appear in the list, as does ‘black list’, a list of addresses and applications that are denied. Professor Frank Furedi, the emeritus professor of sociology at Kent University, accused the FCA of trying to ‘re-engineer the way we think’.

He added: ‘To many, eliminating the word master seems harmless, maybe a bit silly. However, this project represents a great threat to a free society.

‘Semantic engineering aims to change public language to transform prevailing cultural attitudes and norms.

‘It offers its practitioners control over language and serves as a source of cultural power.

‘As Orwell reminded us, those who control our language control the way we think.’

A spokesperson for the FCA, which employs 4,000 staff, said: ‘We have worked hard to ensure that the language we use both internally and externally is mindful of the cross-section of society who read our communications.

‘As we outlined when we announced the new guidance, other organisations are also making changes to avoid using wording that can be perceived as offensive.

‘Language is constantly evolving and we will continue to ensure that all our communications are inclusive.’