diff --git a/daemon/remote.c b/daemon/remote.c
index d917786de5230caa9f3143892dce562b60f19792..3b8ccd99d5f25902ac5ddb72a3972459148aac92 100644
--- a/daemon/remote.c
+++ b/daemon/remote.c
@@ -2038,7 +2038,7 @@ remoteDispatchAuthList(virNetServerPtr server ATTRIBUTE_UNUSED,
      * some piece of polkit isn't present/running
      */
     if (auth == VIR_NET_SERVER_SERVICE_AUTH_POLKIT) {
-        if (virNetServerClientGetLocalIdentity(client, &callerUid, &callerGid, &callerPid) < 0) {
+        if (virNetServerClientGetUNIXIdentity(client, &callerUid, &callerGid, &callerPid) < 0) {
             /* Don't do anything on error - it'll be validated at next
              * phase of auth anyway */
             virResetLastError();
@@ -2494,7 +2494,7 @@ remoteDispatchAuthPolkit(virNetServerPtr server ATTRIBUTE_UNUSED,
         goto authfail;
     }
 
-    if (virNetServerClientGetLocalIdentity(client, &callerUid, &callerGid, &callerPid) < 0) {
+    if (virNetServerClientGetUNIXIdentity(client, &callerUid, &callerGid, &callerPid) < 0) {
         goto authfail;
     }
 
@@ -2592,7 +2592,7 @@ remoteDispatchAuthPolkit(virNetServerPtr server,
         goto authfail;
     }
 
-    if (virNetServerClientGetLocalIdentity(client, &callerUid, &callerGid, &callerPid) < 0) {
+    if (virNetServerClientGetUNIXIdentity(client, &callerUid, &callerGid, &callerPid) < 0) {
         VIR_ERROR(_("cannot get peer socket identity"));
         goto authfail;
     }
diff --git a/src/libvirt_private.syms b/src/libvirt_private.syms
index 8301c78800f68ff98fbfd1f7f4d6060a406fb8fc..a0530b13ff7f81a0534339ef18d6d1ee498cbb49 100644
--- a/src/libvirt_private.syms
+++ b/src/libvirt_private.syms
@@ -1291,10 +1291,10 @@ virNetServerClientDelayedClose;
 virNetServerClientFree;
 virNetServerClientGetAuth;
 virNetServerClientGetFD;
-virNetServerClientGetLocalIdentity;
 virNetServerClientGetPrivateData;
 virNetServerClientGetReadonly;
 virNetServerClientGetTLSKeySize;
+virNetServerClientGetUNIXIdentity;
 virNetServerClientHasTLSSession;
 virNetServerClientImmediateClose;
 virNetServerClientIsSecure;
diff --git a/src/rpc/virnetserverclient.c b/src/rpc/virnetserverclient.c
index ed08e408b7141ac4abcf0f4c95368b063427e523..67600fd00af2f323f7a1054ab944deb90b0a1293 100644
--- a/src/rpc/virnetserverclient.c
+++ b/src/rpc/virnetserverclient.c
@@ -447,13 +447,13 @@ int virNetServerClientGetFD(virNetServerClientPtr client)
     return fd;
 }
 
-int virNetServerClientGetLocalIdentity(virNetServerClientPtr client,
-                                       uid_t *uid, gid_t *gid, pid_t *pid)
+int virNetServerClientGetUNIXIdentity(virNetServerClientPtr client,
+                                      uid_t *uid, gid_t *gid, pid_t *pid)
 {
     int ret = -1;
     virNetServerClientLock(client);
     if (client->sock)
-        ret = virNetSocketGetLocalIdentity(client->sock, uid, gid, pid);
+        ret = virNetSocketGetUNIXIdentity(client->sock, uid, gid, pid);
     virNetServerClientUnlock(client);
     return ret;
 }
diff --git a/src/rpc/virnetserverclient.h b/src/rpc/virnetserverclient.h
index 2dd01c5fb969df2c728a6e15a9f9d578fd875a25..154a16095873bf8d0c329b6ce27d2bfadce3d992 100644
--- a/src/rpc/virnetserverclient.h
+++ b/src/rpc/virnetserverclient.h
@@ -70,8 +70,8 @@ int virNetServerClientSetIdentity(virNetServerClientPtr client,
                                   const char *identity);
 const char *virNetServerClientGetIdentity(virNetServerClientPtr client);
 
-int virNetServerClientGetLocalIdentity(virNetServerClientPtr client,
-                                       uid_t *uid, gid_t *gid, pid_t *pid);
+int virNetServerClientGetUNIXIdentity(virNetServerClientPtr client,
+                                      uid_t *uid, gid_t *gid, pid_t *pid);
 
 void virNetServerClientRef(virNetServerClientPtr client);
 
diff --git a/src/rpc/virnetsocket.c b/src/rpc/virnetsocket.c
index 8178ac3c8667bad89871992273aa90fc52abebbe..67d33b7fc07a0444d562d3e1c7fa5098644a23bc 100644
--- a/src/rpc/virnetsocket.c
+++ b/src/rpc/virnetsocket.c
@@ -824,10 +824,10 @@ int virNetSocketGetPort(virNetSocketPtr sock)
 
 
 #ifdef SO_PEERCRED
-int virNetSocketGetLocalIdentity(virNetSocketPtr sock,
-                                 uid_t *uid,
-                                 gid_t *gid,
-                                 pid_t *pid)
+int virNetSocketGetUNIXIdentity(virNetSocketPtr sock,
+                                uid_t *uid,
+                                gid_t *gid,
+                                pid_t *pid)
 {
     struct ucred cr;
     socklen_t cr_len = sizeof (cr);
@@ -848,10 +848,10 @@ int virNetSocketGetLocalIdentity(virNetSocketPtr sock,
     return 0;
 }
 #else
-int virNetSocketGetLocalIdentity(virNetSocketPtr sock ATTRIBUTE_UNUSED,
-                                 uid_t *uid ATTRIBUTE_UNUSED,
-                                 gid_t *gid ATTRIBUTE_UNUSED,
-                                 pid_t *pid ATTRIBUTE_UNUSED)
+int virNetSocketGetUNIXIdentity(virNetSocketPtr sock ATTRIBUTE_UNUSED,
+                                uid_t *uid ATTRIBUTE_UNUSED,
+                                gid_t *gid ATTRIBUTE_UNUSED,
+                                pid_t *pid ATTRIBUTE_UNUSED)
 {
     /* XXX Many more OS support UNIX socket credentials we could port to. See dbus ....*/
     virReportSystemError(ENOSYS, "%s",
diff --git a/src/rpc/virnetsocket.h b/src/rpc/virnetsocket.h
index c2a040f56e43fefa5488342dba0f9f4ef459b052..5ba7c8f4786fb6bc494c27852fcdb8c15fac6744 100644
--- a/src/rpc/virnetsocket.h
+++ b/src/rpc/virnetsocket.h
@@ -86,10 +86,10 @@ bool virNetSocketHasPassFD(virNetSocketPtr sock);
 
 int virNetSocketGetPort(virNetSocketPtr sock);
 
-int virNetSocketGetLocalIdentity(virNetSocketPtr sock,
-                                 uid_t *uid,
-                                 gid_t *gid,
-                                 pid_t *pid);
+int virNetSocketGetUNIXIdentity(virNetSocketPtr sock,
+                                uid_t *uid,
+                                gid_t *gid,
+                                pid_t *pid);
 
 int virNetSocketSetBlocking(virNetSocketPtr sock,
                             bool blocking);