This isn't a matter of anyone being "offended," though. No one finds the word "hacker" offensive, they just might have a completely different definition of it d

This isn't a matter of anyone being "offended," though. No one finds the word "hacker" offensive, they just might have a completely different definition of it depending on what their experiences are. You might as well use a word that's unambiguous. Likewise, editing a paper to remove grammatical errors is also not "self-censorship." It's improving the clarity of your message.