Weird Bug in Global Database Auto-Changes People’s Nationality Law Every Time They Travel Through an Airport
A technical analyst flagged a bizarre system glitch this week after discovering that a database error is automatically rewriting the nationality law for certain passengers every time their passport is scanned at an international terminal. The bug, traced to a flawed algorithm in a widely-used border control software, appears to randomly swap legal citizenship definitions between countries, causing travelers to legally become “stateless” or gain dual—conflicting—nationalities for several minutes. Officials are scrambling to patch the issue before airlines start issuing tickets based on the glitched data.