TechnologyAugust 17, 2026

allowlist

AL-low-list

Definition

A list of entities, such as identities or processes, that are explicitly permitted or authorized to access a system or perform specific actions.

Etymology

The term is a modern compound formed from the verb 'allow' (from Old French 'alouer') and the noun 'list'. It gained prominence in computing as a more inclusive and descriptive alternative to the traditional industry term 'whitelist'.

In the news

The article uses the term to describe identifying agent behaviors that are approved, noting that flagging paths that fall outside this list helps turn an unmanageable population of identities into something reviewable.

Managing AI Agent Identity and Access at Scale | Kovrr

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