Imagine the following scenario: Neuromancer: Hackers have broken in and are wreaking havoc with every keystroke. Now, remember this Friday? That science fiction scenario? Suddenly it's not so fictional anymore. A botched software update has thrown real life into chaos. Planes are grounded, emergency lines are jammed, and check-in counters are overwhelmed with long, snaking lines of frustrated travelers.
The Microsoft outage has caused chaos in India's aviation industry, with passengers facing endless queues, flight delays and clocks ticking as major airlines like Vistara, IndiGo, SpiceJet and Akasaka Airlines struggle to cope with the outage. Up to 90% of flights have been reported disrupted at airports like Delhi and Bangalore, but the response has been reactive and not proactive.
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This isn't a Mr. Robot twist, where vigilantes manipulate the digital world for justice or chaos. This is our reality, where glitches are compromising our infrastructure. When standing in crowded terminals or calling for urgent help is no use, the cyberpunk dystopian future is already knocking on our door.
Who will pay if the software fails?
Think about the cost of such a power outage: Airlines would cancel thousands of flights, hospitals would delay life-saving treatment, and emergency responders would be overwhelmed. Sure, the immediate costs would be huge. But what about the long term? Loss of trust, outraged customers, and shaken investor confidence could make these costs even more astronomical. Are we talking millions, or even billions, of dollars here?
Why aren't Microsoft and CrowdStrike held to the same rigorous standards as companies in more traditional industries? In the auto industry, a single defective brake pad can trigger a nationwide recall. So why is the tech industry immune from liability when its mistakes can close hospitals, cancel flights and leave people stranded at check-in counters? It's just ridiculous.
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When digital infrastructure collapses, the impact is accepted as part of the modern condition. So where are the backup plans? Our entire digital lives depend on a few lines of code with no strong fail-safes in sight. Why don't we have a robust Plan B when Plan A has failed so spectacularly? Shouldn't there be mandatory, ironclad redundancy in the technology our lives depend on?
Once again, technical failures will happen, and who will be affected? Users who are overly dependent on platforms like Microsoft. They will blame CrowdStrike, but that's not the point. Apple and Linux users avoided the crisis. Why don't we spread the risk? It's time to move away from dependency on single systems.
When our technology systems fail dismally, we need more than apologies. As in other areas critical to public safety and welfare, the time has come for rigorous regulation to hold tech giants like Microsoft and their partners accountable.
Our reliance on these platforms is too critical to allow for “single system dependency.” Let's promote a diversity of technology solutions to protect our digital and physical lives.
(Pankaj Mishra has been a journalist for over two decades and is the co-founder of FactorDaily.)
Disclaimer: These are the personal opinions of the author.
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