Do Something Now

The US Dept. Homeland Security warned against Diebold's GEM Central Tabulator machines back in 2004:

A vulnerability exists due to an undocumented backdoor account, which could [allow] a local or remote authenticated malicious user [to] modify votes.

Last week a Diebold insider acknowledged that the company's "upper management" - as well as "top government officials" - were keenly aware of the "undocumented backdoor". He/she says Diebold's technicians, including at least one of its lead programmers, knew about the security flaw and that the company instructed them to keep quiet about it.

"Diebold threatened violators with immediate dismissal," the insider, who we'll call DIEB-THROAT, explained recently to The BRAD BLOG via email. "In 2005, after one newly hired member of Diebold's technical staff pointed out the security flaw, he was criticized and isolated."

In phone interviews, DIEB-THROAT confirmed that the matters were well known within the company, but that a "culture of fear" had been developed to assure that employees, including technicians, vendors and programmers kept those issues to themselves...

"Diebold's upper management was aware of access to the voter file defect before the 2004 election - but did nothing to correct it," the source explained... "I believe that top Government officials had an understanding with top Diebold officials to look the other way," the source explained, "because Diebold was their ace in the hole."

Now Brad Friedman, author of the Brad Blog, asks "Will you listen this time before it's too late?"

Your Electoral System in America -- theoretically the world's greatest democracy -- has been sold to the Corporate Interests of the very good friends of the Neo-Republican Party in America. It's gone. It's been sold. Your Republican and Democratic elected leaders watched it happen. Gave their approval. And you let them do it. And now...your democracy is no longer in your hands. That is, unless you do something now about it.