UK: Automated benefit system fails for people in need | Human Rights Watch

UK: Automated Benefits System for Failing People in Need

(London) - The UK government's rigid insistence on automating Universal Credit threatens the rights of people most at risk of poverty, Human Rights Watch sai…

(London) - The UK government's strong insistence on the automation of universal credit threatens the rights of those most at risk of poverty, Human Rights Watch said in a report released today. A major overhaul of the government's calculation of social security benefits is urgently needed to restore people's rights to a decent standard of living, especially in the face of severe income losses and other economic shocks caused by the Covid-19 pandemic.
The 70-page report "Automated Distress: How the Tech-Driven Overhaul of the UK Benefits System Worsens Poverty" describes how a poorly designed algorithm is causing people to starve, run into debt and suffer psychological distress. Human Rights Watch has also found that the government does not address the socio-economic inequalities that prevent people from applying for and managing their benefits online.

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