One of the most disastrous conceits of modern times is the assumption that computers are somehow infallible. This foolish assumption is usually made by people who, like monkeys banging a gun on a nut to crack it, don’t really understand the tools they are using. Just as the gun eventually misfires, misplaced faith in computer infallibility has wrought some of the greatest disasters of modern policymaking, from the delusion that computer models are crystal balls for predicting the future course of the global climate, or a pandemic.
In the latter case, we know for a fact now that the computer models were disastrously wrong. Learning the same lesson regarding climate models will take decades yet.
But, misplaced confidence in computers, once again wedded to the overweening conceit of the meritoriousness of the bureaucratic class, is behind a current scandal in Britain. It’s been described as the worst miscarriage of justice in British history, and it’s claimed reputations, careers – and lives.
Its genesis was in 1999. Under the aegis of the Blair government, two disastrous decisions were made – and hundreds of innocent people paid a terrible price.
On the one hand, the government owned Post Office Ltd corporation replaced paper-based accounting with a computerised system called Horizon. At the same time, ‘progressive’ law ‘reformers’ forced a change in British law, to the effect that “in the absence of evidence to the contrary, the courts will presume that mechanical instruments were in order at the material time”. In other words, it was automatically deemed that computer evidence was infallible and reliable.
As hundreds of British subpostmasters – the private citizens granted a franchise licence to run a post office – soon found, that law was a colossal ass.
Government bureaucrats are even worse.
Staff began noticing unexplained losses in their weekly sales reports calculated by the new software.
Post Office Ltd has investigation and prosecution powers in the UK, and does not require police involvement.
Instead of investigating complaints about the automated system, the company blamed franchise operators for missing money and forced them to personally repay tens of thousands of dollars.
Over the next 15 years, hundreds of subpostmasters were wrongly prosecuted by these self-appointed judge/juries/executioners for theft or fraud. More than 200 were jailed, many more were left destitute – and at least four committed suicide.
To make matters worse, the bureaucracy lied through its teeth. Subpostmasters hounded and prosecuted were told that they were lone rogues – no other post offices had experienced computer issues.
One such victim was Ugandan immigrant, Vipin Patel.
He bought his own post office branch for $765,000 in 2002, and within nine years was charged with stealing more than $145,000 due to cash shortfalls calculated by the Horizon system.
Mr Patel was given an 18-week suspended sentence after he pleaded guilty to avoid possible jail time.
His contract with the Post Office was terminated.
It took nearly a decade for the truth to even begin to come out – no thanks to the Post Office bosses.
In 2009, British publication Computer Weekly first reported claims that multiple subpostmasters had been wrongly prosecuted.
“The Post Office said to us straight away, there’s nothing wrong with the computers,” Computer Weekly journalist Karl Flinders said […]
An ongoing inquiry into the Horizon scandal has revealed Post Office Ltd lied to branch operators, journalists, politicians and independent experts to cover up problems with the Horizon system.
Non-disclosure agreements were used to silence some victims, while lengthy and costly court cases left others bankrupt.
“They were like the mafia,” Mr Flinders said. “They threatened people.”
Eventually, the tables were turned. Post Office Ltd was finally strong-armed into admitting that their shiny computer system was busted. In 2015, more than 500 subpostmasters banded together and sued the corporation. Post Office Ltd settled the case, after the bugs, errors and defects in the system were proven in court.
The High Court success had a domino effect, and by 2021, more than 40 wrongful convictions were overturned, including [Janet Skinner]’s.
Yet, there are still more than 600 subpostmasters waiting to have their names cleared. The Post Office is still using the Horizon system.
More is yet to come, though.
The company’s current CEO, Nick Read, has blamed a lack of curiosity within the Post Office for the “absolutely extraordinary number” of prosecutions during the scandal, and said it’s “possible” cash taken from subpostmasters went into executive staff pay packets […]
Earlier this month former Post Office CEO Paula Vennels bowed to public pressure and returned the CBE awarded to her in 2018.
ABC Australia
How very noble of her.
