WASHINGTON, 19 February 2007 — Americans turn their clocks forward three weeks early this year, raising the specter of glitches for global business, travel and other functions in a scenario raising comparisons to the “Y2K” bug.
Daylight saving time begins the night of March 11-12 for the first time, instead of the first weekend of April, as has been customary.
The change was mandated by the Energy Policy Act of 2005, and is aimed at reducing needs for lighting and other energy costs. The clock change will be the second Sunday in March instead of the first Sunday in April, and end on the first Sunday in November instead of the last Sunday of October.
For some, the early shift may be a mere inconvenience of manually resetting clocks, older computers or video cassette recorders. But it also poses problems for global airline schedules and a host of computerized functions that require software updates.
Cash withdrawals or credit card payments might be recorded at the wrong time. Stock trades might not be executed at the right time, and airline flight schedules may be affected if foreign carriers fail to update their systems. Some analysts say the technology updates are reminiscent of those required for the “Year 2000 bug,” which required updates or replacement of older computer systems. But unlike the Y2K situation, which garnered widespread attention, many businesses are ill-prepared, say analysts.
“I should have thought of this earlier,” said Deborah Hale, a specialist at the SANS Internet Storm Center, a computer research group.
Hale said some people are verifying their computers, but questioned whether a host of other devices like cell phones, fax machines and computer routers would receive attention.
“How many of them have the code imbedded to change to DST on the first Sunday of April and the last Sunday in October? This is just the tip of the iceberg.”
