Computers use dates in their calculations.
Unfortunately, this almost guarantees that these computer programs will misinterpret all dates occurring after December 31, 1999. And, of course, then there are the problems with all of the government computers that control everything from the Social Security checks to our nuclear missiles. Left unchecked, this could cause unpredictable results. The software and hardware of systems spanning all industries could be potentially affected. Global financial institutions, air traffic systems, defense networks and life support equipment are just some of the areas this glitch could disrupt.