Logic follows that a safe is only as secure as the confidentiality of its combination.
As long as the safe's combination is only known by a few, the safe is still functional.
If the combination is given to everyone, the safe is no longer a "safe" and is therefore rendered invalid and useless.
A new safe must be found.
Recently i wrote a post called "How to stop voting machines (for reals)". You don't have to read it, as i am going to restate most of it again but hopefully in a more coherent way. (here it is anyway...)
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=364&topic_id=2460446&mesg_id=2460446It was based on this article that was posted on the DU homepage about a democratic legislator that received discs in the mail anonymously that could be used to hack into a Diebold machine. Suddenly ABC was reporting that the elections might be skewed. That's all it took for this article... one politician receiving a disc. (this is important to remember)
http://www.abcnews.go.com/WNT/Technology/story?id=2596705&page=1A week ago i was reading Harper's Index and I came across this statistic: "Minutes it took a Princeton researcher to hack into a Diebold voting machine in September: 1"
Now, what occured to me was that the reason voting box hacking has been successful is that only the people doing the hacking have the combination. In other words, a thief never wants his methods to be discovered, as then they can be blocked. This administration doesn't want people to have the combination to the safe --not because people would use it to do "bad" things-- but because it will render their system of corruption useless.
Solution: Give everyone the combination.
If everyone has access to the combination, whether or not it is ever used to hack anything, it renders the system obsolete. I repeat, no hacking will ever have to be done. Case in point: the attention given to just one ex democratic legislator who received the discs with the combination.
Let's say EVERY politician, on both sides of the line was sent discs with the combination... and then every voter... stacks available at polling stations. Imagine the possibilities -- imagine the outcome. How could any result from any machine ever be considered accurate? How could a government in their right mind continue to use this system? And how could a people support said government?
FAQs (well not yet, but im assuming...):
•Isn't that information already on the internet?
Yes, in different locations you can see videos of people doing it. And there are what looks like several techniques. However, there are direct ways... codes... that can be used as well. Get the codes. It must also be noted that even though it is on the internet, people are still brutally unaware. It is our job to distribute the information.
Our only technique in fighting voting machines has been to point at the problem and scream about it. Letters to politicians, protests, etc. To no virtually no effect. We need to take a page out of Karl's playbook: to solve a problem, just create a bigger problem.
Imagine this information being spread around like Paris Hilton's sex video, and there you have it.
•So how do you plan on getting the codes?
How does anyone get a CD before it is released... it's out there. With a simple google search i found the researcher at Princeton who hacked the machines in September. His name is Edward Felten. I encourage you to watch his demo, and read his paper and perhaps even write him an email.
http://itpolicy.princeton.edu/voting/Again, it's out there. And i know we have some pretty ingenious people here at DU who know how to get things...
•Is this illegal?
Honestly I have no idea. But i can't imagine getting arrested for more noble a cause. We are not trying to subvert democracy, we are trying to save it. And as we know, lives are on the line here. Not allowing people the information on voter box hacking is like withholding the evidence of how cigarettes can kill you. They still want you to smoke... They still want you to vote... they know full well that both are bad for your health.
To keep in mind: The reason there is hardly any talk, and even less action, against voting machines is that they continue to work just fine for half the population. We can kick and scream all we like, but until it could possibly effect everyone, nothing will be done.... When you are on the freeway, and an accident happens blocking traffic in the left two lanes, the right two lanes continue to flow --usually with the thought, "sucks to be them".
But if there is a chance that one of the cars in that accident might explode... no one tries to pass.
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