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Comment on Ask HN: What's behind all the UK IT failures this month?

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Politicisation of technology.

It's a layer 8 problem. Human political expectations of technology are outpacing the engineering reality. Over the past two decades overselling of "utopias" mixed with professional management arrogance and ignoring engineers, experts and what people actually want.

That, plus a mixture of crony contracts and bad project management.

We've ended up with over-complex systems that we don't have the human capacity or money to maintain and secure.

A telling remark by a Labour politician to the question "What is the greatest concern about a 'cashless economy' was "Making sure people are not left behind".

In other words, we're forcing this on people whether they want it or not, and whether it works or not. The idea that there might be "risks" or necessary safeguards was simply not conceivable.

That's what happened with the Post Office Horizon system and it's what's happening with other new systems pushed out "for our own good"

That's not a remark against technology or modernisation, it's a criticism of bloody-minded recklessness and anti-democratic hubris.

Good technology requires care. We talk about it a lot here [0].

[0] https://cybershow.uk

Politicisation of technology. > It's a layer 8 problem. Human political expectations of technology are outpacing the engineering reality. Over the past two decades overselling of "utopias" mixed with professional management arrogance and ignoring engineers, experts and what people actually want.
That, plus a mixture of crony contracts and bad project management.
We've ended up with over-complex systems that we don't have the human capacity or money to maintain and secure.

That is a LOT of VERY sweeping statements to a pretty specific question it seems of payment processors, can you give some examples of what you're talking about ?

can you give some examples of what you're talking about ?

PLease see the podcast linked above where we have spent many hours researching, analysing, writing and presenting on specific cases. In episodes to come we're working on joining the dots, finding common factors in these cases. Enjoy, and please give feedback if you feel able.

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