The Software Error that KILLED 6 People

This is the story of how a computer code error killed 6 people...

I'm Visual Venture and I make Internet Culture Documentaries. My mission is to spread awareness about the Dark Realities of Internet Culture.

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The content in this video is for informational purposes only, based on believed reliable sources. They may not be current or fully accurate. Viewers should do their own research and not solely rely on this information. We're not liable for any inaccuracies or omissions.

I do not condone, endorse, or encourage any of the behaviors or activities shown. I urge everyone to always act responsibly and within the bounds of the law.

[VisualVenture]

wuttup visual denture here. i think this is the most visually appealing video we've ever created :D.

[taddi]

Refusing to believe that a machine can malfunction is the first red flag...

[puzzpuzz-rg]

Continuing to use the machine while knowing there's something wrong with it is diabolical

[kizunadragon]

as a computer programmer and IT guy. I can say the first red flag was there was no safety redundancy. We love redundancies because we know one system can fail.

[hylan]

good summary! One thing I'd like to mention is that the THERAC-25 was prone to throwing error messages (because that's what can happen if you have one guy writing all your code). These error messages were so prevalent that hospital staff would override them frequently, causing the events listed in the video. I would recommend watching Kyle Hill's video on this same topic. He dives deeper into the topic and provides more details

[searchanddiscover]

Therac 25. Even has a spooky tech name straight out of a dystopian or sci-fi horror.

[kilometers]

RIP to the victims losing their lives over a malfunctioning device :(

[WobblesandBean]

Oh no. I remember this. This was when my last shred of respect for humanity left me. The fact that AECL worked so hard to keep this thing operational, knowing it had ended the lives of cancer patients...let alone the nurses and doctors who refused to believe the patients.

[The-radio-demon]

Why does this sound like the plot of an indie horror game? Also, this is horrendous, I hope all those patients rest in peace

[jamiechill]

As a software engineer, stories like this terrify me but also make me glad I work on an internal website that's only used by a couple hundred people

[Sprinkles_nd]

Something else happened with a radiotherapy machine in Brazil when someone took the radioactive material from an abandoned hospital's machine and it caused a huge radioactive accident.

[saif_thecreator]

It's absolutely diabolical to ignore all the complains despite getting casualties as proof.

[SIMULATAN]

what my teachers tell me will happen when i forget a semicolon:

[solitivity]

I heard about this years back and the unfortunate thing, if I am recalling correctly, there were almost certainly *more than 6 'casualties'* throughout the 2+ year span of time it went unresolved.

[ThatSquid]

It’s sad to believe that doctors would believe a machine than a human

[FURYBrenton]

Why does the machine even have the capability of producing fatal doses or radiation? Why isn’t it limited to safe levels.

[annabodhi]

I did a presentation on this in grad school for human factors psychology class, over 25 years ago, lol. Time flies. Thank you for the video.

[keannabueno]

I hate the fact that the hospital choose to believe a MACHINE than their patient

[twosiblings]

Ohmigosh you’re so close to 1 million! I am so glad you’re getting the attention you absolutely deserve!! The editing, the script, everything is so well done. I love all your videos so much, I watch all of them repeatedly. Keep up the great work and I know you’ll get 1 million by the end of this year or very soon!! :)

[Mrvanleeuwen]

I found this channel like about a month ago and I’ve been watching a lot of your videos ever since. Thank you for making this informative and fun to watch content.