BBV: on All Things Considered

[Kelvin Mace]

They are suggesting that the whole security problem can be solved with tape, as in Scotch tape. I kid you not, they say putting "security" tape on the cases of BBV machines so no one can tamper with them.

Oh, puhleez!

David Allen
Publisher, CEO, Janitor
Plan Nine Publishing
http://www.plan9.org

[Andy_Stephenson]

1. Better stock up now...

as I am sure there will be a run on the stuff after election officials are informed of this major development :)

[GOPisEvil]

2. Hey Andy...got any good question suggestions?

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=106&topic_id=5112

We have a BBV forum here tonight? Got any dirt on Intercivic?

[Andy_Stephenson]

16. No...but I wish I did...

too bad about Austin's decision however. Buh Bye Democratic enclave.

[myrna minx]

3. Soooo....Red Green will be running our elections?

:shrug: Gawd, that is crazy.

[JohnOneillsMemory]

7. LOL-thanks. Great signature quote BTW, gonn save it. n/t aok

[Stephanie]

4. On the other hand, it was great how the hackers opened up the machines

They described how they could hack individual machines, intercept uploads, etc. Just great! And that doesn't even touch on what an insider could do.

I don't think any listener would be reassured by that answer about tape. It was a pretty damning experiment.

[dweller]

5. I caught the tail end of the program

basically they had a 'red team' attempt to hack/break in, etc to test the security.
One guy picked the lock on the side of one machine, allowing access to the jack inside, where he plugged in a portable, rolled up keyboard (that he snuck in up his sleeve-i kid you not) and within minutes had access to the program to change whatever he wanted. Another intercepted the upload of votes via modem, claimed he could change votes, etc.

this is very disturbing info, the machine makers were saying 'eevvverrrything could be corrected in time'. yeah right...

want to tell Senator Corzine what you think of it?

http://action.dscc.org/campaign/diebold1

A DU'er posted this site the other day, i've joined and have seen some pretty good posts there by Dem. Senators in the last few days:
http://www.fromtheroots.org/

The Corzine contact is under the 'take action' link on the FromtheRoots homepage.

I urge you all to check out this site and join. Let them hear what you think, they want IDEAS!!!

peace,
dp

[Jeebo]

6. It's not good enough...

It was all about outside hackers. I'm far more concerned about willful, deliberate election fraud inside the companies that make the machines and write the software that drives them. Why doesn't anybody ever bring that up? I want to see somebody get in their face and tell them, "Listen, FORGET already about outside hackers! My objection to these $#%@%#^% machines is that I DON'T TRUST DIEBOLD AND SEQUOIA AND ES&S TO COUNT MY VOTE FAIRLY, ACCURATELY AND HONESTLY! In other words, I DON'T TRUST YOU A**HOLES NOT TO CHEAT!"

Why doesn't anybody ever TELL these people that?

Ron

P.S. -- In the Feb. 3 primary here in Missouri, I'm going to vote on a paper ballot, but it's unsure right now as to whether they're going to have electronic paperless touchscreen machines in place in November. HOWEVER, when I walk into that voting booth in November and there's one of those accursed electronic Trojan Horses, can I refuse to use it? Can I walk up to a poll worker and say, "Listen, I refuse to vote on that #%$@Q# thing. I don't TRUST it or the companies that make it and write its software to count my vote fairly, honestly and accurately. Therefore, I DEMAND a paper ballot. GIVE ME A PAPER BALLOT, please, to cast my vote on." Can I say that and get a paper ballot?

[JohnOneillsMemory]

9. Yes. Ask for an absentee ballot to mail in before the election. n/t

[JohnOneillsMemory]

8. Anyone remember the demo in CA where the test vote elected bin Laden?

I remember that happening late last year in Santa Barbara or Santa Cruz, dang-I can't remember where. The demo for the town council illustrated the software perils of BBV by showing that the test vote results had elected Osama bin Laden as mayor.

Please, someone find this. It's the best way to outrage TV Nation.

[catzies]

12. Initial google search inconclusive

I'm inclined to think it was Santa Cruz over Santa Barbara.

Will post when found.

[Jeebo]

10. Oh, and I forgot to say...

In my earlier post I forgot to mention the CEO at Diebold, Ohioan Wally O'Dell, who has publicly stated that he is "committed to delivering Ohio's electoral votes to President George W. Bush." Now what is that, if not a good reason to be suspicious of Diebold's impartiality and integrity, when it comes to us TRUSTING them to count our votes accurately and honestly? And they want to be able to prevent public scrutiny of the software that drives their Trojan Horse machines because they claim a "proprietary" interest in them? This is another thing I wish somebody would get in their face and tell them: "YOU A**HOLES DO NOT HAVE ANY KIND OF A 'PROPRIETARY' CLAIM ON OUR VOTES! And if you're going to try to make that claim, YOU DO NOT HAVE ANY BUSINESS BEING ANY PART OF OUR ELECTIONS PROCESS!"

WHY doesn't anybody ever tell them that?

I realize I'm preaching to the choir here, I realize that all my fellow DUers already know all about Wally O'Dell, but I'm just saying that this is what we all should start saying to THEM.

Ron

[dweller]

11. Jeebo

clik the link i posted above. Say it there.
peace,
dp

[enough]

13. Speaking as a non-BBV-expert listener,

I thought the story was actually pretty good. They had many many ways of getting into or otherwise messing up the system. So many ways, and so obvious, that it started to seem ridiculous.

After hearing all that, the election officials who said that everything was going to be fine, sounded utterly pathetic and idiotic. They had nothing to say but "What Me Worry."

The effect was to make a non-expert listener sit up and take notice. Both about all the ways the system could go wrong, and about how Pollyanna the officials are about it.

There was the one glaring problem: it all depends on the election officials being honest. None of the "security" was set up to protect against corruption WITHIN the election system. This stuck out like a sore thumb in the story, though it wasn't mentioned.

The obvious minimum reaction to all this is -- PAPER TRAIL.

Definitely a good time to write NPR and raise their consciousness another notch.

[Stephanie]

14. Airing again right now

http://www.wnyc.org for live stream

[Stephanie]

15. "with some luck, expertise, and malicious intent, easy to cause trouble"

Now they are hacking into the server.

"I could put a virus or backdoor into the machine. I control that machine completely now."

Reporter: That could mean pressing the name of one name on the screen might result in vote for someone else.

Voting machine company: We'll put tapes over the locks to indicate somebody tampered with it. Servers are in secure locations and passwords are safe. If we catch anybody trying any mischief we will prosecute. Security concerns have already been addressed, as we did in Maryland. EV better record of accuracy than anyone else.

Examiner: It gets harder and harder to secure systems as more people see it and understand it. Need paper receipts.

Reporter: Everyone agrees no way to make them completely foolproof. Even with paper you can have lost ballots and "smeared ink."

Smeared ink?