Microsoft, Proprietary Junk, and Windows TCO
-
Computer Weekly ☛ Post Office Horizon scandal explained: Everything you need to know
The Post Office was determined to keep a lid on the Horizon problems. To do this, it instructed staff in its call centre, which was the first contact point for subpostmasters having problems, to tell callers they were the only ones experiencing problems.
It went further than this by using its legal teams and deep pockets to defend itself against accusations, in court if necessary. It bragged about stopping subpostmasters from “jumping on the Horizon bashing bandwagon” when it silenced them. It also lied to journalists, politicians and anybody else who questioned the robustness of the Horizon system.
-
[Old] Computer Weekly ☛ Post Office tried to convince independent IT witness that he was wrong about Horizon
In his report conclusion he wrote: “So, I say that the technology installed at Cleveleys was clearly defective in elements of its hardware, software or interfaces, and that the majority of the errors in the fault logs could not be the making of Ms Wolstenholme.”
-
The Guardian UK ☛ Post Office under criminal investigation for potential fraud over Horizon scandal
Between 1999 and 2015, more than 700 post office branch managers were wrongly handed criminal convictions after faulty Horizon accounting software made it appear as though money was missing from their outlets.
Under the terms of their contracts, operators were liable for the financial losses and the Post Office demanded they repay the money or face closure, prosecution or a civil claim.
Hundreds were jailed or left bankrupted and at least four people took their own lives.
-
The United Kingdom Criminal Cases Review Commission ☛ The CCRC and Post Office/ Horizon cases
The IT system used in both independent and Crown Post Offices was known as Horizon, developed and operated by Fujitsu Ltd on behalf of Post Office Ltd.
-
The Guardian UK ☛ Ed Davey accuses Post Office bosses of misleading him over Horizon IT scandal
Sir Ed Davey, who was postal affairs minister between 2010 and 2012 when the software issues started coming to light, said he regretted not doing more to help victims who were wrongly accused of stealing but claimed that executives had blocked him from meeting campaigners.
Speaking to Times Radio, he said: “I feel that I was deeply misled by Post Office executives … they didn’t come clean. There were definitely attempts to stop me meeting [campaigners].
-
[Old] Computer Weekly ☛ Controversial Fujitsu contract with Post Office extended again
The Fujitsu contract and the core Horizon software is central to hundreds of subpostmasters being prosecuted for financial crimes, such as theft and false accounting. A High Court case in 2019 proved the Horizon system contained errors that could have caused unexplained losses.
More than 900 subpostmasters were prosecuted for crimes including theft and false accounting, based on evidence from the flawed Horizon system.
-
The Verge ☛ Apple revives old fight with Hey after rejecting new calendar app
The new year was supposed to begin with a brand spanking new calendar app. But roughly 72 hours after the premium email service Hey announced its latest feature — an integrated calendar — co-founder David Heinemeier Hansson received some unwelcome news from Apple: it was rejecting a standalone iOS app for Hey Calendar, because non-paying users couldn’t do anything when they opened the app up.
-
Windows TCO
-
[Old] Law Society Gazette ☛ Horizon scandal inquiry hit by new Post Office disclosure failures
The latest problem was caused by the transfer of data from a Microsoft Exchange server which has prevented the Post Office from being able to locate relevant emails.
-
[Repeat] Security Week ☛ Merck Settles NotPetya Insurance Claim, Leaving Cyberwar Definition Unresolved
NotPetya was attributed to Russia as part of an effort to attack Ukraine. For most people, this was an act of cyberwar against Ukraine. Its effect spread around the globe, causing billions of dollars of further damage in what, on the surface, appears to be collateral damage emanating from an act of cyberwar.
-
Tom's Hardware ☛ Accessory manufacturer resurrects Microsoft's peripherals — licensing deal allows Incase to make Microsoft-branded keyboards, mice, and other accessories [Ed: That's not Microsoft at all, it is just a label, and thus it is meaningless; the real news is, Microsoft is perishing, just like Nokia, which licensed the name at the end]
Parent Company Onward Brands which owns an accessory brand 'Incase' signed an exclusive deal to manufacture Microsoft-designed peripherals including keyboards, mice, headsets and speakers.
-
Attorney General James Reaches Agreement with Hudson Valley Health Care Provider to Invest $1.2 Million to Protect Patient Data
New York Attorney General Letitia James today announced an agreement with a Hudson Valley-area health care provider, Refuah Health Center, Inc. (Refuah), for failing to safeguard the personal and private health information of its patients. The Office of the Attorney General (OAG) found that Refuah failed to maintain appropriate controls to protect and limit access to sensitive data, including by failing to encrypt patient information and using multi-factor authentication. As a result of Refuah’s poor data security, the health care provider experienced a ransomware attack that compromised the personal and private information of approximately 250,000 New Yorkers. Today’s agreement requires Refuah to invest $1.2 million to strengthen its cybersecurity and pay $450,000 in penalties and costs.
-
CBC ☛ Personal, pregnancy details of Midwives of Windsor patients breached
A data breach involving email has exposed the personal and pregnancy information of an unknown number of clients of the Midwives of Windsor, CBC News has learned.
The breach was reported to Ontario’s Information and Privacy Commissioner months before it was disclosed to clients of the practice.
-