Stories
Slash Boxes
Comments

SoylentNews is people

posted by cmn32480 on Monday December 19 2016, @04:56AM   Printer-friendly
from the flipping-a-coin-might-have-been-more-accurate dept.

A Michigan government agency wrongly accused individuals in at least 20,000 cases of fraudulently seeking unemployment payments, according to a review by the state.

The review released this week found that an automated system had erroneously accused claimants in 93% of cases – a rate that stunned even lawyers suing the state over the computer system and faulty fraud claims.

"It's literally balancing the books on the backs of Michigan's poorest and jobless," attorney David Blanchard, who is pursuing a class action in federal court on behalf of several claimants, told the Guardian on Friday.

The Michigan unemployment insurance agency (UIA) reviewed 22,427 cases in which an automated computer system determined a claimant had committed insurance fraud, after federal officials, including the Michigan congressman Sander Levin, raised concerns with the system.

When we give up human judgment in favor of software, code becomes law and programmers our unelected legislators.


Original Submission

 
This discussion has been archived. No new comments can be posted.
Display Options Threshold/Breakthrough Mark All as Read Mark All as Unread
The Fine Print: The following comments are owned by whoever posted them. We are not responsible for them in any way.
  • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday December 19 2016, @06:29AM

    by Anonymous Coward on Monday December 19 2016, @06:29AM (#442970)

    But but but but but but, nerds have been saying forever that we should replace all the lawyers with computers.

    Wait, does this mean that Judge Joseph "I AM THE LAW" Dredd was not supposed to be a role model? Now I don't know what to believe!

  • (Score: 1, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Monday December 19 2016, @12:45PM

    by Anonymous Coward on Monday December 19 2016, @12:45PM (#443099)

    But but but but but but, nerds have been saying forever that we should replace all the lawyers with computers.

    Someone has been suggesting that all lawyers be replaced with something else ever since lawyers were conjured from the depths of Hell.