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Precaution ban

Four states in the US have passed laws barring lawsuits against state governments for problems related to the year 2000 bug. These states fear an onslaught of litigations over who is responsible for the Y2K problem.

Computers that have not been programmed will confuse the year 2000 with the year 1900, causing confusion in the stock markets among other places. Moreover, much of what the US government does, from operating fire alarms to mailing tax refunds, is computerised. The state of Nevada became the first state to ban suits in April. Florida, Georgia and Virginia have followed suit. A similar legislation is on the anvil in New York, California and Illinois.

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