DIEBOLD Execs "Angling For Ways To Dump E-Voting Subsidiary"

[kpete]

Diebold Weighs Strategy for Voting Unit
Mar 4, 3:29 PM (ET)
By M.R. KROPKO


CLEVELAND (AP) - Diebold Inc. (DBD) saw great potential in the modernization of elections equipment. Now, analysts say, executives may be angling for ways to dump its e-voting subsidiary that's widely seen as tarnishing the company's reputation.

Though Diebold Election Systems - the company's smallest business segment - has shown growth and profit, it's faced persistent criticism over the reliability and security of its touch-screen voting machines. About 150,000 of its touch-screen or optical scan systems were used in 34 states in last November's election.

The criticism is particularly jarring for a nearly 150-year-old company whose primary focus has long been safes and automated teller machines.

"This is a company that has built relationships with banks every day of every year. It pains them greatly to see their brand tarnished by a marginal operating unit," said Gil Luria, an investment analyst who monitors Diebold for Wedbush Morgan Securities Inc.

more at:
http://apnews.excite.com/article/20070304/D8NLIOJO0.html

[TechBear_Seattle]

1. Those criticisms are Diebold's own damned fault

Extremely shoddy programming using off-the-shelf software of proven fallability and well-known weaknesses, contractual demands that kept the shoddy programming under wraps as "proprietary information" despite published flaws, harassing whistleblowers through pointless lawsuits, obstinant refusal to any kind of verification system... Diebold is directly responsible for the criticisms. They could have done a lot to make people comfortable with electronic voting but they prefered to slit their own throat with every step.

[driver8]

2. Their work is done...

the boy king was installed.

Diebold is no longer needed.

[corkhead]

3. We need to get George Soros to buy it, then maybe we will get bipartisan support for election reform