JPMorgan Chase cuts the words ‘master,’ ‘slave,’ and ‘blacklist’ from internal code

America’s reckoning on race relations is now impacting bank programming language. JPMorgan Chase is eliminating the terms ‘master,’ ‘slave,’ and ‘blacklist,’ from its technology policies, standards and control procedures, as well its programming code. The move is part of a broader effort to address racism within the company and follows similar moves from Twitter and GitHub.

Why should we care?
The terms “master” and “slave” are used in some programming languages to describe one part of a device or process that controls another. JPMorgan Chase’s actions speak to the degree to which the financial industry’s tools and infrastructure (including AI algorithms) are seen as enablers for systemic discrimination. JPMorgan Chase is the first U.S. financial company to eliminate racially charged language from its code amid recent protests following the death of George Floyd. Removing the terms will cost millions of dollars and months of work, but it’s seen as an important investment in building an accepting environment for employees and customers. Here's to others following the call for change, recognizing the need for an inclusive technology framework.