Diebold Going After Whistle Blower Who Revealed Their Use Of Uncertified Voting

from the that-doesn't-make-you-look-good dept

As you may be aware, the company Diebold doesn't have the best reputation when it comes to the trustworthiness and reliability of their e-voting machines. What's odd, is that rather than making efforts to improve the machines or be more open about what's in them, the company continues to attack its critics. One of the big stories concerning Diebold that broke in early 2004 was that the company knowingly used uncertified machines in certain elections. Of course, rather than apologizing and admitting they screwed up and putting in place a lot of procedures and public oversight to make sure this never happened again... the company sued the person who blew the whistle on them. Slashdot points out that the individual has now been arraigned on felony charges, to which he pleaded not guilty. What's interesting here, from a legal standpoint, is that he's not really protected by whistle-blowing laws, since the guy worked for a law firm working with Diebold and not for Diebold itself -- so Diebold certainly has some right to be upset that someone at its law firm leaked the info. However, from a PR standpoint, it looks really bad, as it (once again) makes Diebold look like covering up what they did wrong is a lot more important than fixing the many problems they have.
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  1. identicon
    anonymous Coward, 27 Feb 2006 @ 12:46pm

    No Subject Given

    If an attorney can't leak info about a client without getting caught, he deserves to be removed from the bar for incompetence, not arrested.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  2. identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 27 Feb 2006 @ 1:31pm

    Re: No Subject Given

    its sad that this guy does something to benefit the american people, and he's going to jail or wont be able to practice law.. just shows that the values are twisted in society.. but whats new, right?

    link to this | view in thread ]

  3. identicon
    DJ, 27 Feb 2006 @ 1:43pm

    Re: No Subject Given

    In the US, the rights of the accused have ALWAYS outweighed the "public interest". There's nothing "twisted" about that. A lawyer who divulges privileged information about his client should get disbarred at a minimum as it undermines our judicial system. His “excuse” for that action notwithstanding.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  4. identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 27 Feb 2006 @ 1:55pm

    Re: No Subject Given

    FYI, the guy wasn't a lawyer, he was a word processor, whatever that means.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  5. identicon
    Jobe, 27 Feb 2006 @ 2:09pm

    No Subject Given

    Will be a pretty sad situation if he gets prosecuted, when he did an invaluable service to the public.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  6. identicon
    emichan, 27 Feb 2006 @ 2:23pm

    No Subject Given

    The fact is this guy IS a whistle blower, and deserves every protection we can give him. The information that he leaked belonged in the hands of the public. This company is messing with one of our most basic rights - voting. What sort of government is it when we're no longer ruled by the people, but by faulty voting machines?

    link to this | view in thread ]

  7. identicon
    Professor HighBrow, 27 Feb 2006 @ 8:34pm

    Re: No Subject Given

    n the US, the rights of the accused have ALWAYS outweighed the "public interest". There's nothing "twisted" about that. A lawyer who divulges privileged information about his client should get disbarred at a minimum as it undermines our judicial system. His “excuse” for that action notwithstanding.

    That's the lamest excuse possible in this case. It might make sense in business law, but when it comes to a manufacturer of VOTING MACHINES the rules ought to change a little, don't you think?

    "The Rights of the Accused ave Always Outweighed the Public Interest?"
    Now that's just Bull, sraight on the rocks, no chaser.

    --Prof. HighBrow

    link to this | view in thread ]

  8. icon
    TechNoFear (profile), 28 Feb 2006 @ 12:46am

    Re: No Subject Given

    Why is it that Americans are not up in arms about the voting irregularities?

    Is it only obvious to non Americans that your voting system has been corrupted?

    Why has no one insisted that Diebold remove (or at least change) the default crypto key hard coded into all the voting machines in the US? The key has been available on google for over two years now.

    The kicker for me was multiple results (in Colarado) all having the margin of 818181 (hahaha in leet)...

    I suppose the US has the best government money can buy....

    Look at blackboxvoting.org

    link to this | view in thread ]

  9. identicon
    typical, 1 Oct 2006 @ 5:22pm

    wuss

    It always makes a company look FAR .. as in infinitely far worse to sue an indivisual in matters like this than to stand up to their faults.. There are no words in any laguage that can express just how obscene it causes the reputation of companies to become when they do something at pathetic as this.. Its as if they are saying.. Yea??? We screwed up F.Y. all.. now do something about if you think you can. We're lowly corporate minded people but you better not say we are or we'll sue you!!" Yea.. keep that WOO, I'm gonna tell my mommy on you!! kind of attitude. It suits you well.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  10. identicon
    TechNoFear Moron, 1 Oct 2006 @ 5:37pm

    Re: Re: No Subject Given

    i'm not American. I am only visiting here atm. But I must say that TechNoFear is a moron.. Every American knows that the voting method is screwy. You saying "Americans" in your comment is pathetic.. The "common" American civilians did not build these machines nor do they have any say so or even influence over the usage of them or the current voting methods.. You can not stereo-type Americans for something they they have no control over.. Its as bad as blaming any civilian that is NOT a government angent OF that governmental department for something they didnt do and cant control --- as it is blaming an etire race for a crime that one person did.. You can not blame all latina.. all white.. all blacks all asian "ect" for something that just one single person did.. That would you a fillthy racist.. What you did is no different.. In my book you are a vulgar filthy excuse of a human being and are no better than a racist. Where ever you are from I certainly hope you get blamed for something "And punished for it" that someone ELSE did.. Only then can someone like you see the light of this matter.. Maybe then you can put blame where it is due.. The American government and even more specific.. The exact department that "could" fix this issue but apparently will not. Untill the you are considered a patheitc racist TechNoFear..

    link to this | view in thread ]


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