__/ [ nessuno@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx ] on Saturday 26 August 2006 08:07 \__
> Quote:
> -------------
> Plagued by hardware defects, security vulnerabilities, and rapidly
> diminishing credibility, voting machine manufacturer Diebold has been
> dealt yet another setback as Alaskan state elections are hampered by
> problems with the company's products. Assorted issues with voting
> machines in seven precincts forced some election officials to manually
> count and upload votes....
>
> Despite a growing body of evidence of fraudulent behavior and
> defective products, Diebold continues to claim that its machines are
> secure and reliable when properly configured. Alaska's Division of
> Elections Director Whitney Brewster has stated that the current
> problems are not a result of fraudulence or tampering, and has
> attributed the machine failures to technological problems exclusively.
> Brewster feels that the vote counts are still accurate, but this latest
> voting machine meltdown serves as yet another glaring reminder of the
> risks that voting machine technology pose to the most time-honored
> tradition of American democracy, voting.
> -------------
> End quote
>
> Diebold machines run Windows. Besides the question of the reliability
> of Windows, there is the issue of using closed source software in
> voting machines which in any case cannot produce a paper record.
Reliability aside, too many people can hijack these boxes, even when
'properly' protected (severe flaw emerge all the time). I am reminded of the
following:
http://news.com.com/University+server+in+hackers+hands+for+a+year/2100-7349_3-6074739.html
University server in hackers' hands for a year
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