Correctly Operating Computer Systems

[Hymie]

This DM article interested me (not just because the Post Office was involved), but that the Law Commission agreed to a change in the law to a presumption of correctly operating computer systems.

I can only assume that no-one working in the Law Commission had ever used any Microsoft software.

Had I been involved in an internal e-mail chain, it would have included the statement that my PC had crashed again today (loosing/corrupting data) – that e-mail must have got lost due to an error in a correctly operating computer system.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-10252679/Post-Office-lobbied-law-change-make-easier-hound-staff-scandal-letter-reveals.html

[tomus42]

This post office thing is disgraceful. They knew they had faulty software, but rather than admit it, they chose to accuse innocent people of theft and see them go to prison.

The people responsible both in IT and management need to be prosecuted themselves.

[Gromit]

Basically the Post Office, BT and the Inland Revenue, lobbied to get the law changed to make it easier to prosecute its customers and employees.
And the Government (Labour at the time) and presumably the Lords, dutifully complied.
In the case of the Post Office, the law change enabled them to maliciously prosecute 700 postmasters.

[emmie]

disgraceful which ever way one looks at it.

[1ozzy]

//computer says no//
Hmm, heard that before today.

[emmie]

some went to prison and were barred from ever working in the industry again. I call that a total miscarriage of justice and they should prosecute those involved.

[CrapAtCryptics]

I worked in our local store / post office for a couple of years and encountered these "errors" admittedly not at the level others have encountered. I put together an Excel spreadsheet that we completed before we went online to submit the daily cash up and had very few issues thereafter.

[Peter Pedant]

//I call that a total miscarriage of justice and they should prosecute those involved.//

yeah bits and pieces - like above
we did an excel spread sheet and it was OK after that
DOESN'T really indicate soft ware malfunction

altho ..... our post office is busy enough to make keeping two sets of books an absolute nightmare -

[Peter Pedant]

post office is not accepting that their software is completely crap and is defending any appeal.

and therefore the onus ( burden of proof ) is still on the convicted party - which is kinda - "we know it can be totally crap at intervals but these are sparse and it is not true to say it is crap every time you use it"