Dr Junaid Ali warns that IT scandals will become more common in the future
Is your business vulnerable to killer computers? As the public inquiry into the UK Post Office Horizon IT scandal reaches its climax this week, a new book reveals how these technologies fail most people think It is occurring far more frequently than ever before, and warns it will become more common in the future. The group warns that companies large and small often have toxic cultures that prevent them from effectively responding to such crises.
The book, written by British software engineer and computer scientist Dr Junaid Ali, makes a series of claims about problems in other well-known organizations that mirror what happened at the Post Office. A common theme is that companies place too much trust in the infallibility of their IT systems, and when problems arise they choose to cover them up rather than admit and address failures, Dr. Ali said. insists.
“This is a serious problem that needs to be addressed more urgently,” said Dr. Ali, whose books include: How to protect yourself from killer computers' was released today. “Often we treat these failures as natural disasters, but initial IT problems are compounded by corporate fraud and cover-ups.”
Dr Ali's book comes as Britain continues to reel from revelations about the Post Office scandal. In this scandal, hundreds of postal workers were wrongly convicted of fraud and theft due to a computer error. For years, the Postal Service has maintained that the Horizon IT system was not to blame, with many postmasters and postmistresses going to prison. However, an investigation into the scandal revealed that not only were many of the incidents caused by IT problems, but that Postal Service insiders were also aware of the possibility. Alan Bates, a former postmaster general who was one of the leading campaigners for justice during the scandal, will begin giving evidence at the public inquiry tomorrow.
Dr Ali's book contains new allegations about the Post Office scandal, but also details of IT failures at organizations such as the BBC, major hospitals and a number of airlines. Dr. Ali suggests that often an organization's response to failure is to try to keep it a secret, often with disastrous consequences. “The lesson of this book is clear,” he says. “They form a fundamental part of the integrity of computer systems, and scandals like this occur when humans try to hide or ignore problems.”
Dr. Ali points to a study conducted by Engprax, a software auditing firm where he is currently the CEO. A recent survey found that 53% of software engineers encounter a failure or bug in their IT and report it to their organization's senior leadership. He said 75% of these engineers faced hostile reactions or retaliatory actions in such cases, without their warnings being taken seriously or addressed.
“As a result, potentially devastating disturbances go unaddressed and their effects become increasingly worse over time,” Dr. Ali says. “What begins as an innocent mistake or, at worst, an isolated oversight, can quickly snowball into a truly devastating scandal.”
For organizations to avoid this knock-on effect, Dr. Ali argues, they need to embrace an open culture. Whistleblowers should be actively encouraged and supported in raising concerns, rather than being attacked.
“People in the software engineering industry know this is a problem, but they can't deal with it alone,” he warns. “Leadership from the top of the organization is essential. People need to feel safe when raising issues. That is only possible if the organization is open and honest when IT issues arise. Masu.”
This is a timely warning to businesses and other organizations of all shapes and sizes. The risk of IT failure continues to increase as reliance on technology increases and the use of tools such as artificial intelligence, whose underlying processes are often poorly understood, increases. Leaders who fail to explicitly address such failures leave their organizations vulnerable to existential risks.
