Jusletter IT

To err is human. This is perhaps one thing we can be sure about. And we can make mistakes in the widest variety of situations. Of course, we are quick to apologize, too: we have been taught it is good manners. Yet we readily invoke “human error” as an excuse even when we have made a mistake under rather unique circumstances. In such cases, the legal significance of the error should not be obscured by profuse apologies. Where IT and information systems are concerned, there is generally little or no tolerance for mistakes. And human error should have no real place in explaining why an information system fails, nor should it be possible for an error-prone human to use an important system incorrectly. Errare humanum est, perseverare autem diabolicum.