Microsoft’s Inclusiveness Checker language tool, in its Office Word software, has sparked debate about the tech giant’s role in regulating word choice and language management. It flags terms and expressions with the aim of suggesting “inclusive alternatives”, which critics say is a form of censorship.
Since its introduction five years ago, the Inclusiveness Checker has become part of Microsoft Word and other programs such as PowerPoint and Outlook.
The tool is designed to detect words with possible gender, age or cultural nuances in meaning, and then suggests alternatives that are considered more inclusive.
Users can choose to disable the feature, but when it is enabled, it will suggest, for example, “parental leave” instead of “maternity leave” and “postal worker” instead of “postman”.
The feature has been heavily criticized by free speech activists who see it as an interference with linguistic freedom. Toby Young, head of the UK-based Free Speech Union, warns that the feature is reminiscent of a dystopian future similar to that in George Orwell’s novel 1984.
– It’s as though there’s a censor in your computer scolding you for departing from politically correct orthodoxy, says Young.
In another worrying sign that Big Tech’s algorithms are slowly being weaponised for political purposes, Microsoft is updating its ‘inclusivity’ tool to “censor” the term “maternity leave” because it “may not be inclusive of all genders”.https://t.co/rDWqr5mYqs
— The Free Speech Union (@SpeechUnion) October 24, 2024
Musk: “Microsoft now scolds you”
Technology entrepreneur Elon Musk has also expressed opposition to the tool. Musk states that he was recently flagged by the feature when he typed the word “insane“, and questions whether Microsoft is now trying to dictate users’ language choices.
– Microsoft Word now scolds you if you use words that aren’t “inclusive”, he comments.
The checker is currently only available to customers who subscribe to the Windows maker’s $7 a month Microsoft 365 subscription plan.
The Inclusiveness Checker is part of a broader trend of tech companies introducing “inclusive language” features, which critics say pose a risk to both freedom of expression in general and self-determination in personal writing.
