DIEBOLD MEDIA MONITORING POST (1) 7/26 collective conciounsness in action

[althecat]

DIEBOLD MEDIA MONITORING POST (1) ... DU - the eyes, ears and soul of a nation...

You, DU, are my (and Bev's too I reckon) eyes and ears. It is 10pm here in Wellington NZ, and only early breakfast there. We do not have Viacom here. Just CNN and BBC World. And they are running repeats...

Lets keep on marking everything that moves in the media on this, Net, TV, Radio, Papers etc and post reports and links here... This resource is unvaluable. Unless anyone strenously objects I would like this to replaces BEV's fine thread

Diebold story: List of media outlets covering this:
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=104&topic_id=77529&mesg_id=77529&page=

Which is now too long... though it contains heaps of extremely acute observation. Patrick's Post No. 13 is particularly so.

For more of what I think about all this and my own contribution to the monitoring effort + my suggestions on how we can rock this world a bit harder today. Or at least the online part of it anyways...

see the SCOOOP DIEBOLD UBERPOSTS...


1) Ratings and Rantings from the South Pacific
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=104&topic_id=82913&mesg_id=82913&page=
AND
& 2) Bev Is Everywhere MAN!!!
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=104&topic_id=82919&mesg_id=82919&page=
(That is assuming DU Admin doesn't shut it down... )

SO GOOD MORNING DU

ROCK ON!

And when THIS POST GETS TO 100+ CAN SOMEONE POST A NEW POST IN THIS SERIES...

i.e. DIEBOLD MEDIA MONITORING POST (2)

For now I will shut up...

Good evening
Alastair
Scoop
New Zealand

[althecat]

1. Just Found Bev Harris's Rundown On The Media Battle

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=104&topic_id=82455&mesg_id=82455&page=2

I should have read this first really...

It can be very hard to keep up with a collective consciousness

[althecat]

2. Scooped You...

"Technological hysteria" these people are panicking folks...

GO THE WASHINGTON POST! The race is off...

Voting Machine Study Divides Md. Officials, Experts

By Brigid Schulte
Washington Post Staff Writer
Saturday, July 26, 2003; Page B01

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A48092-2003Jul25.html

For some in Maryland, the report yesterday by Johns Hopkins University computer security experts that electronic voting machines could easily be hacked into set off alarm bells. But for others, including the state officials who recently signed a $55.6 million agreement to put the units in every voting precinct by March, the report is one more example of "technological hysteria."

"The study should be setting off alarm bells," said Del. William A. Bronrott (D-Montgomery). "We need to be 100 percent sure that there is no chance that our machines can be tampered with."

"Even if was completely impossible that would ever happen, the reality that it could happen should be enough to concern us," said Cheryl C. Kagan, a former delegate who opposed using electronic voting machines. "If the system can't be used with confidence, it shouldn't be used at all."

[althecat]

3. It Was Not A Fluke...

Mind you it is a good line..

"On Thursday, researchers with Johns Hopkins' Information Security Institute released their analysis of a Diebold Election Systems Inc. software code that they obtained in a fluke from an Internet site. "

It has a certain ring to it.

[althecat]

4. Old Grey Lady Has Gone Back To Sleep... Big Ups to JOHN SCHWARTZ

http://query.nytimes.com/search/query?query=diebold&date=past30days

Must have been that long Friday lunch...

Is it just me that thinks the NYTimes webite has going downhill lately. Overnight millions of blogged and indexed links become a money trap.

And it is really good the way the WashPost site tells you where the story appeared. The NYT scoop by Schwartz was in the front section which in newspaper status terms is what really matters...

- Not sure about the rules on this but since the NYT will soon be trying to charge you to view it... here is the story that let in the sunlight.

GO THE NEW YORK TIMES....

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=104&topic_id=82935&mesg_id=82935&page=

And John Schwartz in particular and everybody else who worked on this story...

Computer Voting Is Open to Easy Fraud, Experts Say
By JOHN SCHWARTZ


he software that runs many high-tech voting machines contains serious flaws that would allow voters to cast extra votes and permit poll workers to alter ballots without being detected, computer security researchers said yesterday.

"We found some stunning, stunning flaws," said Aviel D. Rubin, technical director of the Information Security Institute at Johns Hopkins University, who led a team that examined the software from Diebold Election Systems, which has about 33,000 voting machines operating in the United States.

The systems, in which voters are given computer-chip-bearing smart cards to operate the machines, could be tricked by anyone with $100 worth of computer equipment, said Adam Stubblefield, a co-author of the paper.

"With what we found, practically anyone in the country — from a teenager on up — could produce these smart cards that could allow someone to vote as many times as they like," Mr. Stubblefield said.

EDITED BY ADMIN: COPYRIGHT

[Stephanie]

15. You're our hero, Al!

Thanks for your efforts toward saving American Democracy!

The DU rules re: posting articles is to follow fair use, which means generally we post no more than about four paragraphs plus the link so people can read more if they wish. So you may want to edit, to protect DU.

[althecat]

17. Can't edit too late...

Perhaps admin can catch it... I have a view that in some circumstances Fair Use gets bigger... like if the story is completely seminal to a public debate and the ownner of the copyright wants to charge to $3 to view the story.

That's not fair use of the story by the NYT... its extortion. It is much fairer that it is here at DU. That said I will follow the rules and apologise to whomever is inclined to be pissed at me about this...

[Stephanie]

18. You make an excellent point! LOL!

However, we have enemies who would use any excuse to shut us down.

Don't worry, mods will fix it.

xoxox

[althecat]

22. A Goody From Canada -

http://www.globetechnology.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20030725.gtjackjuly25/BNStory/Technology/

Voter confidence?

By JACK KAPICA
Globe and Mail Update

The U.S. presidential election is still more than a year away, but it is already headed for a scandal even worse than what voters got in 2000.

And it all has to do with technology, which is supposed to end problems like those Florida voters had when confronted by the "butterfly ballots" used in obsolete mechanical voting machines. The situation created enough doubt about the outcome that the election had to be decided by the U.S. Supreme Court, which ruled in favour of George W. Bush, perhaps the only U.S. president ever elected by judicial process.

The vote-counting problems were so embarrassing that many electoral jurisdictions started seriously investigating computerized voting terminals, and quite a few have already ordered a number of these machines for all sorts of use, from local municipal elections to the big one in November, 2004.

Then the inevitable happened.

The source code for the software used in one voting machine was discovered on the Internet, on an unprotected FTP site belonging to Ohio-based Diebold Election Systems Inc. The software, when compiled and run in tests, showed that it appears to be the code used in the company's AccuVote-TS touch-screen terminals.

Bev Harris, a journalist and social activist, promptly detailed its faults in a book called Black Box Voting.

And those faults are horrifying.

GO JACK KAPICA and the Globe and Mail

ROCK THE WORLD...

[althecat]

5. Kick It Real Good..... Scoop Updates Front Page & Links To DU Threads

I have done some fancy things with our front page.. I think that counts as a hit...

http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/#usa
&
http://scoop.co.nz/mason/features/?s=usacoup
(Same as above... just bigger...)

"Some people, in comments widely circulated on the Internet, contend that the company's software has been designed to allow voter fraud." - New York Times, first section: 25th July 2003

"Rubin was able to get the computer code through a fluke. The code was initially posted on a public Internet site and downloaded by concerned activists this year. Rubin and two doctoral students began analyzing the code this summer." - Washington Post : B1 : 25th July 2003

"On Thursday, researchers with Johns Hopkins' Information Security Institute released their analysis of a Diebold Election Systems Inc. software code that they obtained in a fluke from an Internet site." - Washington Post : B1 : 26th July 2003


LATEST SCOOP ON ELECTRONIC VOTING
Voting Machines Blasted by Scientists - By Bev Harris
THE DIEBOLD STORY RACE BEGINS
"IT WAS NOT A FLUKE" - SCOOP EDITOR
The writer and publisher report.
How The Story Was Broken - See Inside A Scoop
In Discussion Format at DemocraticUnderground.Com
"Hopkins Heros and how the media blitz went down..." - Bev Harris
"The Scoop/Diebold UBERPOST: Ratings and Rantings from the South Pacific...." - Scoop Editor Alastair Thompson
-->> Live News - From The Underground <<--
Latest DU Media Monitoring Thread - Live Story Discussion

ARCHIVED LINKS....
US: VOTING MACHINE STUDY DEVIDES MARYLAND - WPOST
US: VOTING SYSTEM'S SECURITY CHALLENGED - WPOST
NZ: SERIOUSLY BAD - RUSSELL BROWN'S HARD NEWS
AUS: RESEARCHERS CRITICAL OF SYSTEMS - THE AGE
US: DEFECTS DETECTED IN VOTING MACHINES - BALT. SUN
US: VOTING MACHINE FAILS INSPECTION - CNET
US: COMPUTER VOTING SYSTEMS VULNERABLE - AP
US: E-VOTING FLAWS RISK BALLOT FRAUD - MSNBC
US: REVELATIONS "TIP OF THE ICEBERG" - NEW YORK TIMES
US: HIGH TECH VOTES CAN BE HACKED - REUTERS

....

If anyone has grave concerns about bringing too many new faces into this discussion board speak up - I can change things to suit the mood.

[alfredo]

6. more media outlets

UK's geek blog has the story. http://www.theregister.co.uk/content/6/31986.html

Mention of the smart card exploit is on the crawler on CNN's Headline News.

It is happening, now to convince the states to take action folks.

It is now in our hands, get to work.

[althecat]

11. The Register article is tres tres importante

The Register article is a kicker. These guys are in my book one of the best techzines on the web.

Why this article is significant.

1. Its front and center
http://www.theregister.co.uk

2. They crossed swords with Bev last time round and got a bit burnt. Made the mistake of calling her a Bunny.

See...
http://www.theregister.co.uk/content/archive/29262.html

For bev's reply. It is very funny.

...And ...

3. They did not run this story first time round.... out of the blocks. Like their main competitor the Inquirer did.

http://www.theinquirer.net/?article=10676

[DoYouEverWonder]

7. I guess everyone's sleeping late today

Here's a well deserved kick for all your hard work.

Thanks

PBWY
DYEW

[althecat]

8. Got another one.. Rep. Marcy Kaptur (D., Toledo)

Got another one.. This one looks good...Rep. Marcy Kaptur (D., Toledo)

http://www.toledoblade.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20030726/NEWS05/107260115

Input sought on voting system Kaptur asks key critic to attend forum

By FRITZ WENZEL
BLADE POLITICAL WRITER


U.S. Rep. Marcy Kaptur (D., Toledo) has invited an author of a study criticizing the software security measures in electronic voting machines manufactured by Diebold Elections Systems, Inc., to take part in a forum on election reform she plans to host in Toledo on Aug. 9.

"She is very interested in our report," said Avi Rubin, technical director of the Information Security Institute at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore.

He said he spoke to Miss Kaptur and U.S. Rep. Dennis Kucinich (D., Cleveland) on Thursday, and both told him they want him "to help them understand the issues and to help them draft legislation to make sure these systems are secure."

Mr. Rubin and three other researchers found flaws in an old source code once used by Diebold that they contend could leave the company’s voting systems open to fraud. Diebold since has changed its code, company spokesman Mike Jacobson said.

[NashVegas]

10. A O Way to Go Ohio

I posted it in LBN, as well.

[DEMActivist]

9. Go Alastair!!!!

Without you those scientists would have never gotten their hands on the code for the review!!!!

It was your courage that put Bev's work and those files out there and made it available to the scientists.

My hero!!!!! :loveya:

[althecat]

12. ** Blushs...***

From what i see around here... you seem to deserve a fair bit of the credit too...

[madfloridian]

13. Florida has no one to call for investigation.

Even the Democrats in the legislature are mostly Republican in nature. That is how they got elected. I don't know of anyone who would buck Jeb and request hearings.

Most certainly not our Glenda Hood, the new Secretary of State with no legislative oversight at all. She is too busy closing libraries and telling everyone how great the voting systems are here.

Sorry, but that just hit me hard this morning. Most states have someone, we have no one.

[ShaneGR]

14. The one thing that bothers me

I'm from Ohio. I actually live about 25 minutes away from Diebold.

I really don't know much about Diebold other than they sell voting machines. I think the human side of this potential scandal is intriguing and overlooked. If for example Diebold acted in coordination with Republican operatives to rig past or future elections, the question is why? Who are the players involved here? Who is the CEO? Who is on the board there? What about the tech staff? Could they be manipulated into this or were they just too ignorant of American elections to understand?

The human side. If this story is to make the front pages of American newspapers there needs to be more reporting on the people who run Diebold and their investors. If the human side doesn't come out, this will just be a story about stupid programmers.

[althecat]

16. Good points... Sgr2

Everything is there for this to be on the front pages tomorrow. The problem is not so much lack of information, but just that is real hard for the media to accept such a diabolical proposition. They need to cogitate....

As for the people who run diebold. That is where this all started arguably. They are Republicans...

There is heaps on people who make the machiens... and lots more besides here...

http://scoop.co.nz/mason/features/?s=usacoup

See...

Thom Hartmann
http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/HL0303/S00080.htm

Bev Harris
http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/WO0211/S00005.htm
http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/HL0301/S00166.htm
http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/HL0210/S00044.htm

Michael C. Ruppert
http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/HL0211/S00047.htm

Faun Otter
http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/HL0211/S00081.htm

[Eloriel]

19. Urgently needed

One thing that has become abundantly clear from my reading of many of these wonderful press clips is that we need to do a major expose of that "rigorous Certification process" at national and state levels that they're trying to hide behind.

Or perhaps I should refer to it as Certification scam.

Hope Bev has that in the pipeline. As she knows above all, certification is such a joke that it is its own scandal.

Eloriel
Another grateful fan, Alastair!!

[althecat]

20. We have one of these already... bev has already written it...

Also at
http://scoop.co.nz/mason/features/?s=usacoup#usa

The Georgia/Diebold Voting Machines Interviews
http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/HL0302/S00111.htm

These are all about certification. Bev will have another link too I expect.

[Eloriel]

30. Let me clarify -- and I guess my point is really for Bev

It's one thing to have it all buried in various places, it's another thing for Bev to pull it together as a story and do one of her magic fax blasts. ;-)

I've just spent what felt like multiple hours reading the interviews, some of which I've seen before, and no reporter is going to go through that without some impetus like a story that makes them curious to see what was actually said. Today's journalists seem to be a particularly lazy lot.

Inasmuch as one of their chief rebuttals at the moment, as you well know, is to hide behind these "rigorous" and "extensive" certifications processes that don't seem to actually exist. We know of no proof or validation that ANYone, anywhere has done a line-by-line examination of the code -- til now (Bev's researchers and the Johns Hopkins/Rice team). IOW, certification is a joke. The states don't seem to be doing it, and there's no indication it's done by those famous "labs" either.

And if Diebold and the State of Georgia and others are going to hide behind certification, it's time to yank out the scandal THAT is. IMO.

Eloriel

[althecat]

21. Voting system among county finalists blasted in study - cincypost

Voting system among county finalists blasted in study

http://www.cincypost.com/2003/07/26/vote072603.html

From staff and wire reports

An electronic voting system the Hamilton County Board of Elections is considering as a replacement to punch-card ballots is susceptible to fraud, computer security experts warned in a study released Thursday.
The Johns Hopkins University study found "significant security flaws" with the system designed by Diebold Election Systems. The study said the system was vulnerable to unscrupulous voters and to "insiders such as poll workers, software developers and even janitors," who could cast multiple votes without a trace.

Diebold, founded in Cincinnati and now based in North Canton, Ohio, is one of four vendors demonstrating voting machines to the Hamilton County Board of Elections this month and next as the board decides on an electronic voting system. Federal mandates call for punch-card systems to be replaced before the 2004 presidential election.

The board will look at the Diebold AccuVote TS system, the same system criticized in the report, Aug 7. Director of Elections Julie A. Stautberg said she learned of the Johns Hopkins study Friday morning, but that she believed the board would want to see the system despite the negative publicity.

[althecat]

23. Palast is serialising Jim Crow in Cyberspace over at workingforchange.com

http://www.workingforchange.com/article.cfm?itemid=15352

Palast is serialising Jim Crow in Cyberspace over at workingforchange.com

In case you didn't already know, this is absolute dynamite, and required reading on this issue..

""The guts for Michael Moore's opening screed on how Bush 'stole' the 2000 election," writes the Village Voice, "came from investigative reporter Greg Palast, whose own book, The Best Democracy Money Can Buy, has fast become a cult fave among progressives." Now, WorkingForChange brings you an exclusive serialization from Palast's New York Times bestseller. Over the next two weeks, you can get your daily dose of Palast's opening chapter, "Jim Crow in Cyberspace" -- which we will interrupt only to bring you BBC reporter Palast's latest comments -- on Liberia, on Iraq and on the economic wars at home.

This series is part of the WorkingForChange campaign, in cooperation with Martin Luther King III of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, to prevent the theft of the presidential election of 2004. With each excerpt we are including links to sign onto the WorkingForChange/King petition. "

[althecat]

29. Part II of the Jim Crow serial is here...

http://www.workingforchange.com/article.cfm?ItemID=15356

[althecat]

24. Chalk These Two To KC - OpedNews.Com and New Scientist

http://www.opednews.com/Kall_computervoting2.htm

The Techno-Voting Nightmare; Digital Vote Corruption-- First California-- then the 2004 Elections.
by Rob Kall, OpEdNews.COM
Imagine that a rogue programmer gets access to a few networks of computers in the California special gubernatorial election. The programmer manipulates the software to count wrong, making sure that Darrell Issa or whoever is running on the Republican ticket gets 10% more votes than the voters really gave him. This software "fix" will do it's work then delete itself. The program can be made to randomize the bogus numbers so they are a little different percentage at each voting location.

snip

http://www.opednews.com/Kall_computervoting2.htm


And

http://www.newscientist.com/news/news.jsp?id=ns99993987

E-voting system flaws 'risk election fraud'


16:44 25 July 03

NewScientist.com news service

Software flaws in a leading US electronic voting system could be used to subvert the outcome of an election, claim researchers from Johns Hopkins University and Rice University in the US.

The researchers went through every line of code used to control a voting machine made by Diebold Election Systems of Ohio, US. They reported finding serious bugs that could allow one person to cast many electronic votes.

"Common voters, without any insider privileges, can cast unlimited votes without being detected by any mechanisms within the voting system," the researchers say in their paper.

However, Diebold says the research overlooks the "total system of software, hardware, services and poll worker training" used. The company also says that code analysed has since been updated.

http://www.newscientist.com/news/news.jsp?id=ns99993987

Good spotting KC...

[althecat]

25. Status report... More referrer logs and traffic stats...

CMON DU... where is everybody.... Media reports.. what is on the TV, radio where you are... anything.

On Scoop's "A Very American Coup Page" WhatReallyHappened.Com Rocks... but Yahoo has not come to the party yet.


2082: http://www.whatreallyhappened.com/
371:
319: http://www.whatreallyhappened.com
319: http://whatreallyhappened.com/
111: http://www.whatreallyhappened.com/index.html
39: http://whatreallyhappened.com
26: http://whatreallyhappened.com/index.html
4: http://news.messages.yahoo.com/bbs?action=m&board=37172369&tid=nmtechvotingdc&sid=37172369&mid=37
4: http://www.whatreallyhappened.com./
2: http://WhatReallyHappened.com/
1: http://globalplatforms.com/cgi-bin/wmail/wmail-read.pl?action=readmessage&firstmessage=1&sessionid=kevin-session

Bev's blast is doing much better..

"Electronic Voting Machines Blasted by Scientists, Hacked by Author"

Is doing much better..

1006:
454: http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/
337: http://www.whatreallyhappened.com/
190: http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/index.html
75: http://www.propagandamatrix.com/
75: http://www.informationclearinghouse.info
70: http://www.whatreallyhappened.com
63: http://publicaddress.net/default,hardnews.sm
49: http://whatreallyhappened.com/
35: http://informationclearinghouse.info/
34: http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/headlines.htm
25: http://www.whatreallyhappened.com/index.html
23: http://informationclearinghouse.literati.org/
17: http://www.propagandamatrix.com
13: http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=104&topic_id=72695&mesg_id=72695&page=
13: http://www.jhuisi.jhu.edu/
12: http://www.propagandamatrix.com/thepropagandamatrix
12: http://www.propagandamatrix.com/thepropagandamatrix.html
12: http://www.democrats.com/
12: http://www.cassiopaea.org/cass/signs.htm
12: http://www.hourofthetime.com/
10: http://finance.messages.yahoo.com/bbs?.mm=FN&action=m&board=4687614&tid=dbd&sid=4687614&mid=6568
10: http://www.smirkingchimp.com/viewtopic.php?topic=26444&forum=9
9: http://story.news.yahoo.com/fc?cid=34&tmpl=fc&in=US&cat=US_Elections
9: http://www.jpfo.org/unpopularspeech.htm
9: http://publicaddress.net/default,hardnews.sm#post562
8: http://whatreallyhappened.com
8: http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=104&topic_id=76468&mesg_id=76468&page=
8: http://www.publicaddress.net/default,hardnews.sm
7: http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=104&topic_id=72695&mesg_id=72695&page=2
7: http://propagandamatrix.com/
7: http://bigdaikon.lunarpages.com/BBS/board.cgi?board_id=1&message_id=7069&thread_ct=2&prev_id=7068&next_id=7070&max_id=7069&session=
6: http://forums.craigslist.org/?act=Q&ID=7635971
6: http://informationclearinghouse.info/index.html
4: http://www.publicaddress.net/hardnews
4: http://democrats.com/
4: http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=104&topic_id=71703&mesg_id=71703&page=
3: http://www.libertyforum.org/showflat.php?Cat=&Board=news_politics&Number=774334&Forum=All_Forums&Words=Jassy&Match=Username&Searchpage=0&Limit=25&Old=allposts&Main=774334
3: http://207.44.245.159/
3: http://www.libertyforum.org/showflat.php?Cat=&Board=news_politics&Number=774334
3: http://www.libertyforum.org/showflat.php?Cat=&Board=news_computers&Number=774845
3: http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=104&topic_id=71703&mesg_id=73063&page=
3: http://www.independent-media.tv/item.cfm?fmedia_id=1650&fcategory_desc=Under
3: http://dc.indymedia.org/front.php3?article_id=77771&group=webcast

[althecat]

26. How to get Yahoo to work better on the diebold story.... REQUEST FOR HELP

How to get Yahoo to work better on the diebold story.... REQUEST FOR HELP

Please help get Yahoo to work better on the diebold story....From http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=104&topic_id=82935&mesg_id=82935&page=">The Scoop/DIEBOLD UBERPOST

GO TO...
http://add.yahoo.com/fast/help/news/cgi_fullcoverage.

CUT AND PASTE THE REST OF THIS Message into the box and submit... or write your own message.

....SNIP....

Dear Yahoo Editors,

RE: http://scoop.co.nz/mason/features/?s=usacoup

Scoop media broke Bev Harris's scoop story on US elections that us currently featuring in the features section of the

YAHOO! US Elections Full Coverage page

Scoop is THE SOURCE FOR breaking news on this issue and has been following it since November 2002.

I think the....

A Very American Coup - Scoop Feature Page link
http://scoop.co.nz/mason/features/?s=usacoup

Should be included in the related sites section of the page.

... SNIP...

[newsguyatl]

27. althecat

you're doin a KICK ASS job with keeping up with where and how this is getting coverage, etc.

on my end, i'm trying my best to get this story (and bev) national exposure next week... stay tuned...

alhecat -- please continue to keep this updated... i will need to reference it in the coming days...

thanks again

[althecat]

28. I will need to get some sleep... but hopefully the DU crew will update...

At present it is the top rating technolody story in Google news by a country mile... it should be on this page for some time

Google News Sci-Tech

[DUreader]

31. kick n/t

[althecat]

32. kick n/t (what does the N/t stand for.)

[BevHarris]

33. New MSNBC story is up

http://www.msnbc.com/news/750150.asp?0si=-&cp1=1

[althecat]

36. Enough of Joe Scarborough Already..

But COSMIC LOG DEFINITELY ROCKS MY WORLD...


"On the other side of the debate, some users said the campaign against e-voting amounted to a “witch hunt.” Jamie McCorkill, who said he had “worked for a major voting systems company (not Diebold),” took aim at the researchers from Johns Hopkins University and Rice University who were behind this week’s report.
“This is not the first time Rice University and a handful of radicals has tried to screw up our voting process,” he wrote. “They need to back off, re-evaluate and do studies that will ensure our right to vote in secrecy instead on trying to undermine our rights.”

[althecat]

34. Rust never sleeps and YAHOO IS STILL KING

http://search.news.yahoo.com/search/news/?c=&p=diebold

Don't you love technology..

Lots of new links here... especially in the second section... lets post the best of em...

Haven't checked above for what has been caught already...

[althecat]

35. HERE COMES THE BEEB!

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/3095705.stm

[althecat]

37. The BEEB Nails it...

This week's major security alert from Microsoft has highlighted, yet again, the problems we seem to have in writing computer programs that are safe and do only what they are supposed to do.

Now we want some Brit papers to weigh in... and not with wire garbage. You are paid to think. Think!!!

The guardian in particular were given special warning on this story from me personally and so far have done nothing. The editor of the Guardian Weekly used to be the features editor at the Dominion where I worked.

Patrick Ensor... I think it would be rather cool if he got a mailbag full of email from DU.. I will see if I can get his email address.

Or is that not allowed Eloriel? Bev? It also might be undiplomatic... but if everybody was really really nice.... what harm could it do.

I have been getting myself a little offside with some of the rules around here... hence the request for guidance.

[althecat]

38. Another place for DUers to Make A Mark

I posted the following into the spot where it says...

Click here to tell us what you would like Bill Thompson to write about.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/3095705.stm#map

*************

Dear Bill

Anyways... E-VOTING.... E-VOTING... E-VOTING

Fantastic story Bill... I wonder if we are related? My Thompson heritage goes back to Northern Ireland County Antrim...

Anyways... E-VOTING.... E-VOTING... E-VOTING

I have just linked you on this thread.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=104&topic_id=82935&mesg_id=82935&page=

And if you can get a link for us on a highly ranked BBC page we would dearly appreciate some traffic directed to.

http://www.scoop.co.nz/
and
http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/#usa

The scoop front page...


(and/or)

A Very American Coup
http://scoop.co.nz/mason/features/?s=usacoup#usa

These are static links which carry the latest in the hoopla.

Regards
Alastair Thompson
Editor
Scoop News
New Zealand

[althecat]

39. Wired Use The Beatles Approach - High-Tech Vote Fraud? Oh, Yeah

http://www.wired.com/news/politics/0,1283,59774,00.html
wired...

High-Tech Vote Fraud? Oh, Yeah

Software flaws in a high-tech voting system could allow vandals to tamper with election results in several U.S. states, computer security researchers said on Thursday.

Interest in electronic voting systems has grown since the 2000 presidential election, when problems with primitive punch-card systems in Florida led to a bruising, weeks-long recount battle ultimately settled by the Supreme Court.

But researchers at Johns Hopkins University and Rice University said they had uncovered bugs in a Diebold Inc. voting system that could allow voters and poll workers to cast multiple ballots, switch others' votes, or shut down an election early.

"It's unfortunate to find flaws in a system as potentially important as this one," said Tadayoshi Kohno, a graduate student at the John Hopkins Information Security Institute.

http://www.wired.com/news/politics/0,1283,59774,00.html

[althecat]

41. so so... but nicely written and no lies from diebold...

....which makes a bit of a change.

"The researchers found the software on a Diebold Internet site in January and said they believe it was at the heart of an electronic touch-screen voting system used last year in Maryland, Georgia, Kansas and California. "

This is just plain wrong..

The researchers say here...

http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/HL0307/S00196.htm#5


We only inspected unencrypted source code that we believe was used in Diebold’s AccuVote-TS voting terminal - Die03 - (the “AVTSCE” tree in the CVS archive). We have not independently verified the current or past use of the code by Diebold or that the code we analyzed is actually Diebold code, although as explained further in Section 6.1, the copyright notices and code legacy information in the code itself are consistent with publicly available systems offered by Diebold and a company it acquired in 2001, Global Election Systems.

the footnote reads...

- Die03 - Diebold Election Systems. AVTSCE/ source tree, 2003. Available in http://users.actrix.co.nz/dolly/Vol2/cvs.tar.

I know for a fact that this was not available in January.

If I've said it once i've said it a hundred times... Hopkins' Heros rock. BUT THIS WAS NOT A FLUKE!!!!

And Eloriel you have a point about the attention span of modern journalists. I encourage everybody, read the report. It is fandamtastic... and skip bits you don't understand.

[Kellanved]

40. German Media

C't: leading German (many argue worldwide) Computer Magazine:
http://www.heise.de/newsticker/result.xhtml?url=/newsticker/data/ola-25.07.03-001/default.shtml&words=Diebold

Telepolis: Respected magazine about Internet-culture:
http://www.heise.de/tp/deutsch/inhalt/te/15301/1.html
http://www.heise.de/tp/deutsch/inhalt/co/15193/1.html

Spiegel; most respected weekly in Germany:
http://www.spiegel.de/netzwelt/technologie/0,1518,258563,00.html

[althecat]

42. Can you translate us some good bits

I for one would be interested.. what to the headlines mean would be a good start.

[Kellanved]

44. certainly

if you want a full text translation PM me tomorrow - I might need a few days to find the time, as I have to finish a paper. It won't be a problem though.



the c'T link:
US-Wahlcomputer sind höchst unsicher
---
US voting-computers are most unsecure.
...
The Article in itself is somewhat technical and foucusses about the system using a smartcard in a way, that is not even considered secure for phonecards / is known to be broken.



the 1st Telepolis link

US-Wahlcomputer mit vielen Manipulationsmöglichkeiten
---
US voting-computers with many possible ways of manipulation.

The 1st paragraph is about the 2000 Elections and that the source was available from a ftp server.

In the 2nd paragraph Harris is mentioned. Her findings about possible manipulations and the Georgia patch are listed, along with a short rundown about the "Help America Vote Act".

Then comes a whole section about the possible attacks and the machines not being up to the legal requirements for voting-machines.
"Far below minimum requirements".

Finally comes the statement from Diebold and the call to watch code that protects a democracy.



The 2nd Telepolis Link, a story from 11/7:
"Das Problem mit den elektronischen Wahlsystemen und der amerikanischen Demokratie "
---
"The Problem with electonic voting systems and the American Democracy."

The first two sections are about older security issues with voting machines and related probes.
The 3rd section is about Bev and her initial findings (insecure machines/ MacCarthy's ES&S role etc.) and legal action against her report.



The Spiegel Article :
"Clever mogeln mit der Smartcard"
---
"Cheat cleverly with a smartcard"

It doesn't mention Bev.
It is about the problems with voting machines in the 2000 Elections and the Diebold cooperation.
The source on a public server is mentioned and the vulnerability of the system.
That the "phone card scam" would work is mentioned as well. (FYI German hackers produced Phone-Cards, that recharge themselves, enabling the user to phone for free)

[althecat]

43. Network World Fusion - University researchers criticize EVM security

http://www.nwfusion.com/news/2003/0725diebold.html

University researchers criticize electronic voting machines as security risk

By Ellen Messmer
Network World Fusion, 07/25/03

Computer-science researchers from Johns Hopkins University and Rice University are heaping criticism on electronic voting machines built by Diebold Election Systems, based on software code for the machine said to have been posted publicly to the Internet by an activist.

Avi Rubin, technical director of the Information Security Institute at John Hopkins, along with computer science doctoral students Adam Stubblefield and Toshi Kohno, say their research of the code from the Internet shows a voter could find it very easy to trick the Diebold Election Systems into accepting more than one ballot per voter.

[althecat]

45. RETIRING THIS THREAD...

This task continues here

Here...

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=104&topic_id=85758&mesg_id=85758&page=

The old one was getting a bit long... and had far too many posts from me in it. Not to mention the UK stories will hopefully be swinging in now...