-Caveat Lector- ----- Original Message ----- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Date: Fri, 31 Oct 2003 16:15:16 EST To: [EMAIL PROTECTED], [EMAIL PROTECTED],[EMAIL PROTECTED], [EMAIL PROTECTED],[EMAIL PROTECTED], [EMAIL PROTECTED],[EMAIL PROTECTED], [EMAIL PROTECTED],[EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: [Political_Sanity_Main] MIT snared in dispute over voting machines
> <A HREF="http://www.boston.com/business/globe/articles/2003/10/30/mit_snared_in _dispute_over_voting_machines/">Click here: Boston.com / Business / MIT snared in dispute over voting > machines</A> > > <A HREF="http://www.boston.com/business/globe/articles/2003/10/30/mit_snared_in _dispute_over_voting_machines/"> > http://www.boston.com/business/globe/articles/2003/10/30/mit_snared_in_dispu te_over_voting_machines/</A> > > MIT snared in dispute over voting machines > > > Firm: Students posted stolen Diebold files > > By Hiawatha Bray, Globe Staff, 10/30/2003 > > Two students have embroiled the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in a > nationwide controversy about the reliability of a company's high-tech voting > machines. > > Diebold Inc., of North Canton, Ohio, on Tuesday sent letters to MIT demanding > that the school cut off Internet access to data files posted by C. Scott > Ananian, a graduate student in computer science, and sophomore mathematics student > David Meyer. The files, thousands of pages of Diebold internal documents, > were stolen in March when someone broke into the Diebold computer network. They > have been widely distributed on the Internet by political activists, who say > the documents reveal serious flaws in Diebold's line of computerized voting > machines. > > Diebold says the documents are copyrighted and can't be shared. The company > has been warning Internet providers and colleges to remove the files from their > computers, or possibly face legal action. > > A spokesman for MIT said school officials are looking into the matter "and > will issue soon an appropriate and legal response." > > Meyer said he had already heard from the school, which warned him to take > down the Diebold material. "They said if I didn't remove it, they'd suspend my > MIT [Internet] account," he said. > > Ananian said he has heard nothing from MIT, but decided to take the files > down until the school tells him it's safe to post them again. "I would like to > hear from them that they are not going to sell me down the river," he said. > > Ananian distributed the files throughout the Internet using a file- swapping > program called BitTorrent. This software breaks the document into many parts, > then distributes the parts over hundreds of computers. Ananian said that using > BitTorrent may provide him some legal cover, because he's no longer hosting > the full set of Diebold files on his own website. Meanwhile, students at other > colleges have begun offering copies of the files. > > Publishing the documents online has become a crusade for many Internet > activists, who say Diebold is trying to conceal the truth about its voting machines. > > "There's a lot of stuff here that's important to be known," Ananian said. The > documents include internal e-mail messages that suggest Diebold workers were > aware of serious problems with the voting machines, even as they were being > used in elections. > > Meyer said that even if the documents were stolen, they contain information > the public needs. Diebold "should not be allowed to hide behind copyright law," > he said. > > About 33,000 Diebold machines are in use in the United States. Some experts > have said the machines are inherently untrustworthy. In July, computer > scientists at Johns Hopkins and Rice universities who analyzed Diebold's voting > software said they found major security problems. > > "Voters can trivially cast multiple ballots with no built-in traceability, > administrative functions can be performed by regular voters, and the threats > posed by insiders such as poll workers, software developers, and even janitors, > is even greater," their report said. "There appears to have been little quality > control in the process." > > Spokesman Michael Jacobsen declined to talk about the dispute over Diebold > products. But he said nobody is entitled to distribute Diebold files without > permission. "As a company, we don't tolerate hacking of our website, or the > circulation of stolen material on the Internet." > > Jacobsen also warned that the leaked materials may have been altered, and > that readers can't be certain a particular document came from Diebold. > > Hiawatha Bray can be reached at [EMAIL PROTECTED] > > � Copyright 2003 Globe Newspaper Company. > > > > > > > [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] > > > ------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Sponsor ---------------------~--> > Buy Ink Cartridges or Refill Kits for your HP, Epson, Canon or Lexmark > Printer at MyInks.com. Free s/h on orders $50 or more to the US & Canada. > http://www.c1tracking.com/l.asp?cid=5511 > http://us.click.yahoo.com/mOAaAA/3exGAA/qnsNAA/H0NplB/TM > ---------------------------------------------------------------------~-> > > ============================= > > FAIR USE NOTICE: This site distributes information for educational purposes only, to advance understanding of issues. This constitutes "fair use" under Section 107 of the US Copyright Law. > > ===================== > > Support Free Media http://www.mikehersh.com/supportus.shtml > > MikeHersh.com http://www.mikehersh.com > > Talk Truth To Power http://www.bushoccupation.com > > Demand 9/11 Investigation http://www.bushoccupation.com/welcolumn.html > ----- End forwarded message ----- www.ctrl.org DECLARATION & DISCLAIMER ========== CTRL is a discussion & informational exchange list. Proselytizing propagandic screeds are unwelcomed. Substance—not soap-boxing—please! 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