Fujitsu, a Japanese multinational company specializing in software and technology services, has issued an apology in response to the IT scandal that unfolded within the UK Post Office. The company is currently facing allegations that its IT staff, tasked with serving the Post Offices in the United Kingdom, had unauthorized access to manipulate databases, raising serious privacy concerns among the British public.
Investigations into the Post Office IT scandal have revealed that the Fujitsu Software Support Centre (SSC) had privileged access to servers storing user information from August 2002 until 2023. The lack of IT service audits during this period allowed the access to persist, resulting in potential financial fraud, data errors leading to service disruptions, and overall violations of data protection regulations. Consequently, this issue has become a prominent and widely discussed topic across the UK.
John Simpkins, a spokesperson for SSC, acknowledged that the software giant indeed had unrestricted access to the systems as part of a technology contract. However, he refuted claims that the staff committed financial fraud, manipulated transactions on Horizon POS machines, or engaged in data theft for illicit purposes.
The Business and Trade Committee’s selected MPs are set to question Paul Patterson, Chief of Fujitsu European Division, on Thursday. The aim is to determine whether Post Office branch managers could face prosecution for alleged data theft and manipulation of account software.
For those unfamiliar with the background, Fujitsu has been providing digitalization and IT services to Post Offices across the UK since 1996, securing a Horizon contract from the government in 1999. Prior to Fujitsu, the British company ICL was responsible for delivering related services to the government organization.
Further updates on this unfolding situation will be provided shortly.
