Schwarzenegger Hacking Claims Crumbling Like A Bunch Of Girlie Men

from the now-what-was-the-initial-leak-about-again? dept

When news that a tape of California governor Arnold Schwarzenegger had been secretly leaked, we were suspicious of the argument that somehow hacking was involved; it seemed much more likely that the governor's office was trying to obfuscate the issue. When it was revealed that Schwarzenegger's gubernatorial opponent, Phil Angelides, was behind the leak, the Angelides campaign said that the file was available on a public server, and that no hacking was involved. Now, a California radio DJ is corroborating this, saying that the site's been public for some time. So maybe there is a scandal after all: the governor's office has poor security practices -- though that's been obvious from the beginning.
Hide this

Thank you for reading this Techdirt post. With so many things competing for everyone’s attention these days, we really appreciate you giving us your time. We work hard every day to put quality content out there for our community.

Techdirt is one of the few remaining truly independent media outlets. We do not have a giant corporation behind us, and we rely heavily on our community to support us, in an age when advertisers are increasingly uninterested in sponsoring small, independent sites — especially a site like ours that is unwilling to pull punches in its reporting and analysis.

While other websites have resorted to paywalls, registration requirements, and increasingly annoying/intrusive advertising, we have always kept Techdirt open and available to anyone. But in order to continue doing so, we need your support. We offer a variety of ways for our readers to support us, from direct donations to special subscriptions and cool merchandise — and every little bit helps. Thank you.

–The Techdirt Team


Reader Comments

Subscribe: RSS

View by: Time | Thread


  • identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 14 Sep 2006 @ 11:44am

    I predict that the same people that claim that using open wi-fi is "stealing" are going to claim that accessing an open server is "stealing". They'll use bad analogies like "If I leave my car open with the keys in it, is it OK for your to steal it?".

    link to this | view in chronology ]

    • identicon
      Anonymous Coward, 14 Sep 2006 @ 12:34pm

      Re:

      No, but if you're dumb enough to post your diary on a wall in the park, it's not illegal to point it out to everyone.

      link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Sanguine Dream, 14 Sep 2006 @ 11:50am

    Oh dear...

    So in about 1 year Congress will tack a bill on to Welfare reform that will allow law enforcement to snoop around people's PC to look for "hacking related programs and information" without following what is now proper procedure.

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Matt Bennett, 14 Sep 2006 @ 12:08pm

    It's more like "the open invitation" priciple, wherein police don't need reasonable suspicion to look in your house if the door was unlocked. It's de facto permission to come in.

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • icon
    Ron (profile), 14 Sep 2006 @ 12:21pm

    Governator

    Hacking or not, open server or not, defacto permission to enter or not, the issue STILL is: the governator was caught making racist remarks ... AGAIN!

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 14 Sep 2006 @ 12:30pm

    Racist Remarks?

    Come on, he wasn't being offensive or discriminatory about certain races, he was basically just offering a joke in a private conversation. Seriously, who doesn't make jokes once in a while? It's not like he was slandering them or anything. Also, note that the subject of the joke herself came out and said it was actually an inside joke between herself and the governator.

    Lighten up people, just because he's the Governor doesn't mean he's not entitled to make jokes in private.

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    ERSWeb, 14 Sep 2006 @ 12:33pm

    Smooth move numbnuts...

    Public? Seems like it was sitting out in the open on a .gov site. Seems pretty public to me.

    Anyway, I have to ask myself why on earth you'd upload something as incriminating as this to a public webserver. Was the IT guy smoking crack or something? I know folks like to hang their dirty laundry out on public blogs and YouTube or what not, but your the govenor for god sakes! Don't you have people who's sole purpose in life is to scrub all the media releases of embarassing items? Arnold, I think you need to terminate them!

    link to this | view in chronology ]

    • identicon
      Anonymous Coward, 15 Sep 2006 @ 11:00am

      Re: Smooth move numbnuts...


      Anyway, I have to ask myself why on earth you'd upload something as incriminating as this to a public webserver. Was the IT guy smoking crack or something?


      You'd be suprised at how unskilled many of the IT people who get hired by the State of California are. Unfortunately, this sort of thing doesn't suprise me.

      link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Swoosh, 14 Sep 2006 @ 1:01pm

    Ok

    I just listen to the tape, where are the ethnic remarks?

    He said she is hot becasue she has black and latino blood.

    Big deal, LOL

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Ron, 14 Sep 2006 @ 1:01pm

    Open Invitation

    I checked with a police friend of mine regarding the police being able to just walk into a house if the door was unlocked. His comment is: "No, to my knowledge, whether a door is locked or unlocked, the police need legal permission, a search warrant or an exigent circumstance to enter a house under any circumstance. There is no 'open invitation'" (California)

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 14 Sep 2006 @ 1:14pm

    isnt leaving your car unlocked or leaving your front door open illegal or at least finable in the US?

    on the other hand isnt a public serverlike a park? (every one welcome?)

    link to this | view in chronology ]

    • identicon
      Frank, 14 Sep 2006 @ 8:48pm

      Illegal to leave house unlocked? No.

      isnt leaving your car unlocked or leaving your front door open illegal or at least finable in the US?

      No. Depending on which state you live in, it may be illegal to leave your keys in the car (California comes to mind), but that is up to the state. I know of no states that make it illegal to leave your house unlocked -- and just because my house is unlocked, you don't have the right to wander in.

      link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Arnold Exposed, 14 Sep 2006 @ 1:16pm

    He's against the constitution

    Why would anyone want to support someone who wants to openly change the constitution?
    http://www.arnoldexposed.com/
    And before you start attacking me or the website, please do your research and respond with intelligent arguments.

    link to this | view in chronology ]

    • identicon
      Sanguine Dream, 14 Sep 2006 @ 1:28pm

      Re: He's against the constitution


      And before you start attacking me or the website, please do your research and respond with intelligent arguments.


      Chill. Saying something like that is borderline flamebait.

      link to this | view in chronology ]

    • identicon
      YourAFuckingMoron, 14 Sep 2006 @ 1:42pm

      Re: He's against the constitution

      You are a pathetic inbred piece of anti-anything the internet wants to show you shit!
      When it it was being discussed that Arnold couldn't run for President because he is not American born, it made news. For a week or two. There is no current story. There is no push to change the constitution. The latest article about on USA Today, which is touted on this bogus piece of shit website's homepage, is from 2004, you fucking imbecile.
      Do us all a favor and jump in front of a train.
      You DIPSHIT

      link to this | view in chronology ]

      • identicon
        No Splat Please, 14 Sep 2006 @ 2:09pm

        Re: Re: He's against the constitution

        Do us all a favor and jump in front of a train.

        Uh, can we get him/her to do something other than jumping in front of a train? It really screws up my commute and besides, a lot of smart peeps ride the train...

        link to this | view in chronology ]

    • identicon
      Anonymous Coward, 14 Sep 2006 @ 2:37pm

      Re: He's against the constitution

      You are ridiculous. And yes, that is ad hominem.

      link to this | view in chronology ]

    • identicon
      Whatanidoit, 14 Sep 2006 @ 3:08pm

      Re: He's against the constitution

      You are a moron. The governor has been open and honest about his past. The web page is a load of steaming crap, and is only there to scare paranoid idiots into voting for someone else. It takes quotes and situations and not only uses them out of context but in blatantly false ways. Get your head out of your ass and state you don't like him because he approved a bill you didn't agree with or you don't agree with the things he's actually doing as a governor. Otherwise, go stand in front of an oncomming train like was suggested earlier. I'm will to wait in my commute.

      link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    mroonie, 14 Sep 2006 @ 1:17pm

    C'mon Ahhh-nold!

    You're the terminator! Shouldn't you be all about security and protection? You're lucky the comments you made weren't exceptionally vulgar or else there could have been some major detriments to your reputation. Nevertheless, as harmless and lighthearted as you may have been, you really should be more careful about your personals....

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • icon
    mmrtnt (profile), 14 Sep 2006 @ 1:42pm

    Analogy, Shmanalogy


    ...Crumbling Like A Bunch Of Girlie Men

    I think I would have used wilting or folding or wimping

    Crumbling suggests visions of gingerbread men.

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Mantari Damacy, 14 Sep 2006 @ 1:49pm

    Don't you get it? IT WAS PUBLISHED!

    The Governer's office PUBLISHED the information and made it publicly available over the Internet. Going to the first part of a URL isn't hacking. If I see a website at http://www.cbs.com/primetime/bigbrother7/ and I go to http://www.cbs.com/primetime ... that isn't a hack. That's smart surfing!

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 14 Sep 2006 @ 2:19pm

    Re: Open Invitation

    In California at least there is no such thing as Open Invitation. Even if the front door is open a police officer cannot come in. If however, the door was open and a police officer standing in a public place could see illegal activity, then they could enter the house to arrest the people. Other than that an owner or authorized user's consent, or of course a search warrent is required for police to enter.

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Arnold Exposed, 14 Sep 2006 @ 3:27pm

    He's against the constitution

    Wow!! LOL, ok everyone just chill out!! All I'm trying to say is shouldn't you be a little concerned with someone who wants to change your constitution? No need to be nasty. I guess everyone who wants me to jump in front of a train also worship the group Bush walks on. After all he's pretty much rewriting the constitution with the Patriot Acts I and II.

    link to this | view in chronology ]

    • identicon
      Wake Up, 14 Sep 2006 @ 4:08pm

      Re: He's against the constitution

      The Constitution has been changed many times...they are called Ammendments. Who cares if AH-nold wants to see some changes in the government....most people do!

      link to this | view in chronology ]

    • identicon
      Anonymous Coward, 14 Sep 2006 @ 4:15pm

      Re: He's against the constitution

      Phil Angelides...Schwarzenegger
      Higher Taxes...Surplus without raising taxes
      More taxes...More schools without raising taxes
      Even MORE taxes...Extending the subway in LA without raising taxes


      Lets see, I like that Schwarzenegger is open, I like that he's rich, I like that he tells everything how it is, I like that he's a very very very public figure, I like that he's not afraid to be contriversal...

      Angelides is a joke, California is doomed and I'm moving out if Angelides gets elected.

      link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 14 Sep 2006 @ 3:28pm

    Something Doesn't Add up though...

    If it was publicly available... why would it be "secretly leaked", and the source be listed as "anonymous"?

    link to this | view in chronology ]

    • identicon
      Anonymous Coward, 14 Sep 2006 @ 5:17pm

      Re: Something Doesn't Add up though...

      I agree. It doesn't add up because it was "leaked" to the LA Times so the say.

      O.K. then, why leak it if it was on the Gov's public web site ? Why not just go to the site yourself LA Times ? The site was hacked !

      link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Conan Newton, 14 Sep 2006 @ 4:32pm

    yeah the

    never would have had any traction at all if the traditional media had anything beyond the basic comprehension of how the internet and websurfing worked.

    nice post.

    Also to anonymous coward right now, you sound like an utter tool, I can't wait until Governor Phil is elected and you leave the state so that there's one less idiot.

    toodles.

    -C.

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Zarlat, 14 Sep 2006 @ 4:38pm

    Enough of this PC Crap. Arnold is not a racist

    Many of us are sick and tired of this racist boogy man crap. The real racists are the race baiting activists with no life. Calling people racists makes these activists feel like they are somebody. It makes them feel strong and powerful to accuse people of racism and sexism and all the other isms they dream up. Well the day of PC is over so all the good and holy activists can now go back and crawl into the holes they came out of. We don't need you to live a good life.

    link to this | view in chronology ]


Follow Techdirt
Essential Reading
Techdirt Deals
Report this ad  |  Hide Techdirt ads
Techdirt Insider Discord

The latest chatter on the Techdirt Insider Discord channel...

Loading...
Recent Stories

This site, like most other sites on the web, uses cookies. For more information, see our privacy policy. Got it
Close

Email This

This feature is only available to registered users. Register or sign in to use it.