PS, I would be remiss if I didn't call out the Horizon...

Siderea, Sibylla Bostoniensis's posts Post Back to profile

PS, I would be remiss if I didn't call out the Horizon Scandal, currently unfolding in the UK, as an example of how power relations X software breed bugs that then become social oppression and justice.

For those of you who hadn't heard, it's recently come to light that the UK postal system [pro|per]secuted some 700 of their own postmasters for theft and fraud which it has turned out to be entirely because of bugs in the accounting software the post office rolled out.

"More than 700 former Post Office staff were wrongly prosecuted for theft and false accounting in what has been described as "the most widespread miscarriage of justice in UK history"." (SkyNews)

"Some ended up in jail, others became bankrupt trying to repay money they did not owe, and a few even took their own lives before their names could be cleared." (SkyNews)

8/8

Like 30 May 2023 at 23:33 | Open on universeodon.com

2 comments

sarky

@siderea I think it really speaks to the truth of what you're saying that this scandal was first reported in parts of the uk press in 2009, but the post office was able to keep lying and covering it up for 20 years before it was really taken seriously

31 May 2023 at 12:22 | Open on strangeobject.space

Captain Janegay 🫖

@siderea Horizon is a great example of the power imbalance situation you described earlier, too.

The customer support people for Horizon knew about the bugs for years but had no power to get the developers to investigate.

The postmasters (who are effectively franchisees) knew that the accounts Horizon produced were incorrect, but the system design meant that if they pushed for an investigation they would have to cease trading for weeks, which their business wouldn't survive.

31 May 2023 at 14:46 | Open on mastodon.coffee