Google Defines Policy for More Inclusive Language

The Google Open Source Programs Office (OSPO) has created a policy for new Google-run projects to remove exclusionary language.

According to the blog post, the terms “slave,” “whitelist,” and “blacklist” will be replaced with more inclusive alternatives, such as “replica,” “allowlist,” and “blocklist.” The policy applies now to new projects dating from October 2020, and the Google OSPO intends to enforce the changes on more complex, established projects beginning in 2021. 

For more guidance and information on Google’s policy, you can check out the Google Developer Documentation Style Guide, which contains a section on writing inclusive documentation.