{{short description|Practice of allowing people or entities, generally}} {{More citations needed|date=July 2020}} A '''whitelist''' or '''allowlist''' is a list or register of entities that are being provided a particular privilege, service, mobility, access or recognition. Entities on the list will be accepted, approved and/or recognized. Whitelisting is the reverse of blacklisting, the practice of identifying entities that are denied, unrecognized, or ostracized.{{cn|date=July 2024}}
==Email whitelists== Spam filters often include the ability to "whitelist" certain sender IP addresses, email addresses or domain names to protect their email from being rejected or sent to a junk mail folder. These can be manually maintained by the user<ref>e.g. Kindle users control the whitelist for email access. Besides Amazon itself, only e-mail addresses whitelisted by the device's registered owner can send content ("personal documents") to that device.</ref> or system administrator - but can also refer to externally maintained whitelist services.<ref>{{Cite web |title=IP and domain reputation |url=https://www.spamhaus.org/resource-hub/ip-domain-reputation/ |website=Spamhaus Project}}</ref>
===Non-commercial whitelists=== Non-commercial whitelists are operated by various non-profit organizations, ISPs, and others interested in blocking spam. Rather than paying fees, the sender must pass a series of tests; for example, their email server must not be an open relay and have a static IP address. The operator of the whitelist may remove a server from the list if complaints are received.{{cn|date=July 2024}}<ref>{{Cite web |title=Spamhaus' Blocklists |url=https://www.spamhaus.org/blocklists/}}</ref>
===Commercial whitelists=== Commercial whitelists are a system by which an Internet service provider allows someone to bypass spam filters when sending email messages to its subscribers, in return for a pre-paid fee, either an annual or a per-message fee. A sender can then be more confident that their messages have reached recipients without being blocked, or having links or images stripped out of them, by spam filters. The purpose of commercial whitelists is to allow companies to reliably reach their customers by email.{{cn|date=July 2024}}
== Advertising whitelist == Many websites rely on ads as a source of revenue, but the use of ad blockers is increasingly common.{{cn|date=July 2024}} Websites that detect an adblocker in use often ask for it to be disabled - or their site to be "added to the whitelist"<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.forbes.com/adblock/instructions/#18c6e42f2739|title=Adblock Instructions|website=Forbes|access-date=2017-12-09}}</ref> - a standard feature of most adblockers.{{cn|date=July 2024}}
==Network whitelists== {{see also|Internet filter}}
===LAN whitelists=== A use for whitelists is in local area network (LAN) security. Many network admins set up MAC address whitelists, or a MAC address filter, to control who is allowed on their networks. This is used when encryption is not a practical solution or in tandem with encryption. However, it's sometimes ineffective because a MAC address can be faked.{{cn|date=July 2024}}
===IP whitelist=== Firewalls can usually be configured to only allow data-traffic from/to certain (ranges of) IP-addresses.{{cn|date=July 2024}}
===Application whitelists=== One approach in combating viruses and malware is to whitelist software which is considered safe to run, blocking all others.<ref>John Harrison, ''Enhancing Network Security By Preventing User-Initiated Malware Execution'', Proceedings of the International Conference on Information Technology: Coding and Computing (ITCC'05) (Wireless Ad Hoc/Sensor Networks and Network Security Track), Volume II - Volume 02; pages 597-602; IEEE Computer Society Washington, DC, USA 2005.</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=SANS Institute: Reading Room - Analyst Papers |url=http://www.sans.org/reading_room/analysts_program/McAfee_09_App_Whitelisting.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120302194448/http://www.sans.org/reading_room/analysts_program/McAfee_09_App_Whitelisting.pdf |archive-date=2012-03-02 |access-date=27 August 2018 |website=www.sans.org}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.darkreading.com/document.asp?doc_id=160433|title=Dark Reading - Security - Protect The Business - Enable Access|work=Dark Reading|access-date=2008-10-02|archive-date=2019-12-12|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191212161105/http://www.darkreading.com/document.asp?doc_id=160433|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.eweek.com/c/a/Security/Application-Whitelisting-Gains-Traction/|title=Application Whitelisting Gains Traction|work=eweek.com|date=25 September 2008}}</ref> This is particularly attractive in a corporate environment, where there are typically already restrictions on what software is approved.{{cn|date=July 2024}}
Leading providers of application whitelisting technology include Bit9, Velox, McAfee, Lumension, ThreatLocker, Airlock Digital and SMAC.<ref>{{Cite web|url = http://security-architect.blogspot.com/2014/02/lessons-learned-from-target-attack.html|title = Lessons Learned from Target Breach|date = February 8, 2014|access-date = July 18, 2014|website = Security-Architect Blog|publisher = Dan Blum|last = Blum|first = Dan}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web | url = http://news.cnet.com/8301-10789_3-9994679-57.html | title = Will you be ditching your antivirus app anytime soon? | last = Vamosi | first = Robert | publisher = CNET | date = 2008-07-21 | access-date = 2010-03-22 | archive-date = 2012-10-24 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20121024134536/http://news.cnet.com/8301-10789_3-9994679-57.html | url-status = dead }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web | url = https://smac.iqp.tech/ | title = SMAC - application whitelist platform | last = Korobov | first = EVGENIY | publisher = iqp | date = 2020-07-27 | access-date = 2020-07-27 | archive-date = 2020-07-27 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20200727113741/https://smac.iqp.tech/ | url-status = dead }}</ref>
On Microsoft Windows, recent versions include AppLocker, which allows administrators to control which executable files are denied or allowed to execute. With AppLocker, administrators are able to create rules based on file names, publishers or file location that will allow certain files to execute. Rules can apply to individuals or groups. Policies are used to group users into different enforcement levels. For example, some users can be added to a report-only policy that will allow administrators to understand the impact before moving that user to a higher enforcement level.{{cn|date=July 2024}}
Linux systems typically have AppArmor and SE Linux features available which can be used to effectively block all applications which are not explicitly whitelisted, and commercial products are also available.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Cooprider |first1=Nathan |title=Live Whitelisting! |url=https://www.threatstack.com/blog/whitelisting-is-dead-long-live-whitelisting |publisher=Threat Stack |access-date=20 December 2018|date=2016-02-03 }}</ref>
On HP-UX introduced a feature called "HP-UX Whitelisting" on 11iv3 version.<ref>{{cite web |title=HP-UX Whitelisting |url=https://h20392.www2.hpe.com/portal/swdepot/displayProductInfo.do?productNumber=WhiteListInf |publisher=HP |access-date=20 December 2018 |archive-date=21 December 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181221041811/https://h20392.www2.hpe.com/portal/swdepot/displayProductInfo.do?productNumber=WhiteListInf |url-status=dead }}</ref>
== Controversy regarding name == In 2018, a journal commentary on a report on predatory publishing<ref name=":02">Houghton, F., & Houghton, S. (2018). [https://jmla.pitt.edu/ojs/jmla/article/view/490/744 "'Blacklists' and 'whitelists': a salutary warning concerning the prevalence of racist language in discussions of predatory publishing."]</ref> was released making claims that "white" and "black" are racially charged terms that need to be avoided in instances such as "whitelist" and "blacklist".
The premise of the journal is that "black" and "white" have negative and positive connotations respectively.<ref name=":02" /> It states that since "blacklisting" was first referred to during "the time of mass enslavement and forced deportation of Africans to work in European-held colonies in the Americas," the word is therefore related to race. There is no mention of "whitelist" and its origin or relation to race.
This issue is most widely disputed in computing industries where "whitelist" and "blacklist" are prevalent (e.g. IP whitelisting<ref>{{Cite web|title=IP Whitelisting - Documentation|url=https://help.gooddata.com/doc/en/building-on-gooddata-platform/gooddata-architecture/ip-whitelisting#:~:text=IP%20whitelisting%20is%20a%20security,users%20can%20access%20your%20domains.|access-date=2020-10-14|website=help.gooddata.com|language=en|archive-date=2020-09-30|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200930073331/https://help.gooddata.com/doc/en/building-on-gooddata-platform/gooddata-architecture/ip-whitelisting#:~:text=IP%20whitelisting%20is%20a%20security,users%20can%20access%20your%20domains.|url-status=dead}}</ref>). Despite the commentary nature of the journal, some companies and individuals in others have taken to replacing "whitelist" and "blacklist" with new alternatives such as "allow list" and "deny list".<ref name=":12">{{Cite web|last=Cimpanu|first=Catalin|title=GitHub to replace "master" with alternative term to avoid slavery references|url=https://www.zdnet.com/article/github-to-replace-master-with-alternative-term-to-avoid-slavery-references/|access-date=2020-10-14|website=ZDNet|language=en}}</ref> Those adopting this change consider using the "whitelist"/"blacklist" names as a code smell.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Code Smell 223 - Racial Naming |url=https://maximilianocontieri.com/code-smell-223-racial-naming |access-date=2023-09-03 |website=Maximiliano Contieri - Software Design |date=3 September 2023 |language=en}}</ref>
Those that oppose these changes question its attribution to race, citing the same etymology quote that the 2018 journal uses.<ref name=":12" /><ref>{{Cite web|title=blacklist {{!}} Origin and meaning of blacklist by Online Etymology Dictionary|url=https://www.etymonline.com/word/blacklist|access-date=2020-10-14|website=etymonline.com|language=en}}</ref> According to the remark, the term "blacklist" evolved from the term "black book" about a century ago. The term "black book" does not appear to have any etymology or sources that support racial associations, instead originating in the 1400s as a reference to "a list of people who had committed crimes or fallen out of favor with leaders", and popularized by King Henry VIII's literal use of a black book.<ref>{{Cite web|title=What is Little Black Book?|url=https://writingexplained.org/idiom-dictionary/little-black-book|access-date=2020-10-17|website=Writing Explained|language=en-US}}</ref> Others also note the prevalence of positive and negative connotations to "white" and "black" in the Bible, predating attributions to skin tone and slavery.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Grammarian|first=Angry|title=Is 'master bedroom' a racist term? As language evolves, consider history and usage. {{!}} The Angry Grammarian|url=https://www.inquirer.com/opinion/master-bedroom-racist-words-blacklist-whitelist-20200722.html|access-date=2020-10-14|website=inquirer.com|date=22 July 2020 |language=en-US}}</ref> It wasn't until the 1960s Black Power movement that "Black" became a widespread word to refer to one's race as a person of color in America<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Martin|first=Ben L.|date=1991|title=From Negro to Black to African American: The Power of Names and Naming|url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/2152175|journal=Political Science Quarterly|volume=106|issue=1|pages=83–107|doi=10.2307/2152175|jstor=2152175|issn=0032-3195}}</ref> (alternate to African-American) lending itself to the argument that the negative connotation behind "black" and "blacklist" both predate attribution to race.
==See also== {{Wiktionary|whitelist|allowlist|white list|whitelisting}} *Blacklisting *Blacklist (computing) *Blackballing *Closed platform *DNSWL, whitelisting based on DNS *Opt-in
==References== {{Reflist}}
Category:Antivirus software Category:Blacklisting Category:Databases Category:Malware Category:Social privilege Category:Social status Category:Spamming Category:Linguistic controversies