Tech Saves The World, Again

Things to note

Fujitsu has a “moral obligation” to compensate people adversely affected by its bug-ridden Horizon software, according to the company’s European boss, Paul Patterson. For those unaware, the UK Post Office used the Horizon accounting software for its outsourced post offices from 1999 to 2015. Bugs made it look like the sub-postmasters/mistresses running the post offices were stealing money. The UK is a bit weird, and the Post Office had prosecution powers, which it used to send a bunch of people to jail, or just threaten them so they’d settle/plea bargain.

It ruined a lot of people’s lives. The more you dig into it, the angrier you’ll get. A bunch of people in the Post Office and Fujitsu knew it was buggy software and not rampant fraud since nearly the beginning, but they covered it up and monstered people anyway. As far as I’m aware none of those people have gone to jail or otherwise suffered adverse consequences. There is a compensation scheme, though, and it’s paid out quite a bit.

Compare and contrast to Australia’s Robodebt saga, where there’s been no compensation at all. Also no one in charge of the thing has gone to jail or been fired, as far as I’m aware.