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Diebold Patch May Be Evidence of '02 Election Tampering

An anonymous reader writes "Stephen Spoonamore, founder of IT security firm Cybrinth and former advisor to John McCain, claims he has new evidence of election tampering by Diebold in the 2002 Georgia gubernatorial and senate races. A whistleblower gave Spoonamore a patch that was applied to Diebold machines in person by the Diebold CEO. Spoonamore confirmed that the patch did not correct the clock problem it supposedly addressed, but contained two parallel programs. Without access to the hardware, he could not learn more. He reported his findings to the Justice Department, which has not acted."

24 of 526 comments (clear)

  1. "Contained two parallel programs" by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    Were the Diebold voting machines Euclidean or non-Euclidean? Without this key bit of information, we can't know if these programs intersected or not.

  2. No actors in the DOJ. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Funny

    > He reported his findings to the Justice Department, which has not acted.

    Bush co already patched the justice dept.
    No worries.

  3. Obstruction of Justice Dept. by twitter · · Score: 3, Funny

    If the patch is not suspicious enough, inaction by the Justice Department is damning.

    --

    Friends don't help friends install M$ junk.

    1. Re:Obstruction of Justice Dept. by Sparky+McGruff · · Score: 5, Funny

      That's impossible. The bush administration would never use manipulate the Justice Department for political purposes.

  4. Re:and by Sponge+Bath · · Score: 4, Funny

    Once was America, now the Uber-Banana Republic.

    Now is when we sing the UBR anthem...
    [hand on crotch] "Yes, we have no bananas. We have no bananas today."

  5. Re:Why not open source voting code? by Phantom+of+the+Opera · · Score: 4, Funny

    Why doesn't Diebold allow for open source code?

    * They are afraid of scrutiny. They might have errors and some might turn out to be embarrassing.

    * Competition might ensue.

    * Hide any funny business.

    * Have to follow someone else's rules

    * Have to spend effort/expense making code available.

    * Code files too big as they were written with PowerPoint (tm)

  6. Yes but they didn't answer the big question....... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

    Who is going to be the next President? I can't wait until November I wish Diebold would just tell us now.

  7. Re:Its domestic terroism of course! GITMO? by davidsyes · · Score: 1, Funny

    If the CEO dies there, without breaking, will he DIE BOLD?

    --
    Previously: "Linux... Toward the Sunrise..." Now: "Linux... Toward the-- No, now, part of Every Sunrise"
  8. Re:Of two minds... by lordofwhee · · Score: 2, Funny

    Intellectually, I hate this. Our oligarchy* requires free and fair elections.

    But in terms of news-as-entertainment, this is the stuff the best thrillers are made of.

    (*: used in place of "democracy" for maximum correctness)

    Fixed that mistake for ya.

  9. Just in case you don't know. by gnutoo · · Score: 0, Funny

    Yes, I'm sure you are kidding but those charges are related:

  10. Re:Metagovernment by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Funny

    Geekocracy?! Talk about rule by the unwashed. :D

  11. WTF??? by dkeisling · · Score: 3, Funny

    FTA: "he identified two parallel programs, both having the full software code and even the same audio instructions for the deaf." And I thought Braille on a drive up ATM was pointless.

  12. Re:Of two minds... by maxume · · Score: 4, Funny

    You're so cynical that it makes you cool.

    --
    Nerd rage is the funniest rage.
  13. Re:"Up against the wall, MF" by y5 · · Score: 4, Funny

    I wonder how many people have stopped to think through the implications of this charge. If it's proven to be true, it could very well mean Diebold's CEO is guilty of treason. In a time of war (which President Bush has repeatedly said is the case), that's a death penalty offense. While I don't favour the death penalty, I think you have to take a very serious look at it for somebody who hasn't just killed people, but who has attempted to kill democracy in an entire nation. This particular incident may have been restricted to one state, but Diebold has been very active in attempting to get its machines and methods protected from legal supervision at the federal level.

    So what you're saying is, not only are liberals going to actively pursue the death penalty, but they're going to have to admit that we're at war to get there?

    I don't know if I see that happening.. But I'm heading to the grocery store for some popcorn, just in case.

    (yes, you can mod me down now)

  14. Re:"Up against the wall, MF" by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

    Yes, its been a popular liberal theory that all of the armed forces are just on vacation.

  15. Re:"Facts" wrong by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

    My original point remains: confusing the CEO of Diebold (a $2.4 billion company) with the President of then Global Elections (a $XX million company) is kinda like calling Jesse Ventura the President of the U.S.

  16. Re:Anybody surprised? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

    Why don't you just come out and say that you hate Republicans for some irrational reason (perhaps you were molested as a child by Republicans)?

    Well, duh.

  17. I know they were rigged by sycodon · · Score: 3, Funny

    Because I wrote the patch and I gave it to him and I personally watched him install it.

    What? You don't believe me?

    Guess I should have posted anonymously.

    --
    When Fascism comes to America, it will call itself Anti-Fascism, and tell you to give up your guns.
  18. Re:Manipulating elections another way by PopeRatzo · · Score: 2, Funny

    The pictures from Abu Ghirab showed naked men in black hoods, not tinfoil hats.

    --
    You are welcome on my lawn.
  19. Re:Suspicious... by stinerman · · Score: 3, Funny

    Heck, I'm the CEO of my company

    Is that so? Seeing the blue dot next to your name makes me want to ask...

    Are you hiring?
    Consider this a joke if you aren't hiring, otherwise I'm serious.

  20. Re:Manipulating elections another way by oodaloop · · Score: 2, Funny

    These people don't want to fight so much as they want to win. Driving the Americans out of Iraq will bring more converts than a losing war (in their eyes). Driving us out will prove that all you have to do is hold on and the Americans wil give up. Just keep killing a few soldiers and we'll lose our taste for war. They've said as much. I work in Iraq as an intelligence analyst and have been tracking AQI as well as JAM. They want the same thing: for the U.S. to leave so they can take over the country.

    --
    Tic-Tac-Toe, Global Thermonuclear War, and relationships all have the same winning move.
  21. Re:Manipulating elections another way by SupremoMan · · Score: 2, Funny

    Nuclear program would not be a deterrent towards invading Pakistan, they simply don't have the oil :(

  22. Cheques and balances after British Banks took over by MickLinux · · Score: 1, Funny

    Just a note here for our British friends -- our founding fathers initiated a system of checks and balances -- that is, a check is kindof like a body-block in football. Balance is kindof like keeping one's balance in gymnastiques.

    As any Larouche party member can tell you, it wasn't until the British banques took over that the U.S. Quonstitution was said to have a system of Cheques (that is, payments made from the British Banque controlled Federal reserve) and Balances (that is, the amount of money left in the account, which is ... ahem ... quite embarrassing).

    More to answer your pointe, our foundinge fatherse never trusted the common populace to run the Countrie. That is whye neither women, nor slaves, nor men without lande could vote. That is also whye they chose a republique, instead of a Democracie. It is but a naturalle extensione of the systeme, that a Companie that supplies hackable equipment to ye Britishe Banques should also be usefulle in properlie controlling ye Electionse, now that just any Tom, Dick, and Harry can vote.

    --
    Correct Horse Battery Staple: 72 bits of entropy. Enter "Correct H" into google. When it generates the phrase, that's
  23. Re:Manipulating elections another way by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

    Finally, Someone admitting to being an intelligence failure.