Feature Request: Change Master Password term to something more inclusive
It would be wonderful if 1Password could take this moment to make it a goal to shift away from problematic terminology and towards more inclusive, less racially tinged phrasing, especially with the Master Password phrase that's front and center every time you open the app. I'm sure folks who create such great software could come up with a different term that didn't have the same baggage and connotations.
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Comments
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@jeffkramer funny time to be making this suggestion.
If it's as "racially tinged" as you say, why not bring this up months/years ago? The answer I suspect is because nobody (yourself included) had given it a second thought. That's very different from racism which is overt, directed, intentional, discriminatory and hurtful.
I abhor this 'jumping on the bandwagon' of political correctness as much as I detest racism but I can honestly say that, in the context of a password manager, I've never given it a second thought.
The term "master password" is very much different from "master" and "slave" which, arguably construed, had historical racial connotations. Used in the context of a master password it has a clear and unambiguous meaning - it's the main password.
People across the world including in countries where the population is predominantly black (and even those which had slavery) use the term without a second thought.
Indian people, a huge contributor to the technology world, laughed at suggestions they should changethe term. They don't understand the outcry; it makes no difference to the grand scheme of things.
Changing the term introduces confusion, deviates from the industry standard, is labour intensive and a pointless exercise.
Instead of suggesting minor changes which make no difference to the world we live in, I'd suggest you look at volunteering your time with campaigning organisations who can better achieve your goals.
I'm a user and 1Password may have their own take on the matter. That said, I and a great many other pragmatic users would be very disappointed if AgileBits change the term for the sake of cowing to a handful of people who would rather blame "problematic terminology" instead of trying to advocate for real change.
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Related:
"GitHub is working on replacing the term "master" on its service with a neutral term like "main" to avoid any unnecessary references to slavery, its CEO said on Friday."
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@rodaj4, I don't buy the "why not bring it up years ago" argument as an indication that something isn't a problem. Sensitivity and awareness of concerns are things that do change. And sometimes that change is driven by public events.
But as for the issue that @jeffkramer raises, I don't have an answer. What I do know is that just because someone with my background and history might see some term as innocent doesn't mean that it is innocent. And so I, for one, will need to listen. I haven't been part of any internal discussion on this at this point, but I am confident we all will make a genuine and sincere effort to better understand.
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