UK consumers demand tougher regulations on faulty software

Research conducted by Harness has revealed that a significant proportion of UK consumers perceive software companies delivering faulty code as similarly unacceptable to supermarkets selling contaminated food.

According to the study, 66% of respondents view "bad" code causing IT outages in this light. This sentiment stems from the extensive disruptions caused by a software update from CrowdStrike in July 2024, which led to substantial operational failures across various sectors.

The survey, which included 2,000 UK consumers and was performed by Opinium Research, found that nearly half (44%) of participants had been affected by IT outages at some point. A particularly notable incident was the CrowdStrike outage in July, which impacted 26% of those surveyed. Among the challenges faced during these outages were an inability to access websites or apps (34%), being unable to pay for goods or services using digital methods (25%), and disruptions to online banking (25%). Additionally, 24% experienced cancelled or delayed trains or flights, while 21% reported their workplace being affected to the extent that they could not work. Delayed package deliveries (17%) and postponed hospital or GP appointments (12%) were also noted.

As a consequence of these disruptions, consumer confidence appears to have been significantly shaken. The research indicated that 41% of consumers are now less trusting of companies that suffer IT outages. Behavioural changes have followed for 34% of respondents, who are now keeping cash on hand (19%), preserving more physical documents (15%), and diversifying their dealings across multiple companies to mitigate risks (11%).

The survey highlights a growing call for regulatory measures. Approximately 74% of consumers believe there should be regulations to hold software companies accountable for poor-quality updates leading to IT disruptions. Some consumers go further, advocating for compensations for affected companies (52%), governmental fines for the responsible firms (37%), and even trading suspensions (18%).

Jyoti Bansal, founder and CEO of Harness, emphasised the critical nature of software reliability. "As software has come to play such a central role in our daily lives, the industry needs to recognise the importance of being able to deliver innovation without causing mass disruption. That means getting the basics right every time and becoming more rigorous when applying modern software delivery practices." He noted that strategies such as canary deployments, where updates are initially rolled out to a limited number of devices, could help in identifying and addressing issues early, thus reducing the potential for widespread disruption.

In response to the July fiasco, Bansal called for a broader dialogue on implementing controls to mitigate risk and protect society from technological failures. Reflecting on parallels with other regulated industries, he suggested, "Just as they do for the banking and healthcare industries, or in cybersecurity, regulators should consider mandating minimum standards for the quality and resilience of the software that is ubiquitous across the globe." He further encouraged software providers to adopt modern delivery mechanisms aimed at consistently improving code quality and ensuring more stable release cycles.

The Harness research underscores a critical need for the software industry to reassess its approach to quality control and delivery practices. With a majority of consumers advocating for stringent regulations and accountability, it is apparent that the impact of IT outages on daily life has become a pressing concern that demands an effective response.