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from the a-few-votes-here,-a-few-votes-there... dept.
DEF CON After the debacle of the 2000 presidential election count, the US invested heavily in electronic voting systems – but not, it seems, the security to protect them.
This year at the DEF CON hacking conference in Las Vegas, 30 computer-powered ballot boxes used in American elections were set up in a simulated national White House race – and hackers got to work physically breaking the gear open to find out what was hidden inside.
In less than 90 minutes, the first cracks in the systems' defenses started appearing, revealing an embarrassing low level of security. Then one was hacked wirelessly.
"Without question, our voting systems are weak and susceptible. Thanks to the contributions of the hacker community today, we've uncovered even more about exactly how," said Jake Braun, who sold DEF CON founder Jeff Moss on the idea earlier this year.
"The scary thing is we also know that our foreign adversaries – including Russia, North Korea, Iran – possess the capabilities to hack them too, in the process undermining principles of democracy and threatening our national security."
As long as mission-critical systems like cable TV are secure, civilization will be safe.
(Score: 2) by kaszz on Sunday July 30 2017, @10:58PM (4 children)
Media presented it as a A/B choice. But that is not the reality:
Republican: Donald Trump
Democrat: Hillary Clinton
Libertarian: Gary Johnson
Green Party: Jill Stein
Independents: Evan McMullin
Constitution Party: Darrell Castle
Within the larger parties numerous candidates withdrew.
So there IS choice. But people don't get aware of it because media present it otherwise. And the constitution also worsen it by winner-takes-it-all rules. Whack media and the playing field becomes more even.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday July 31 2017, @01:05AM
Clarification: winner-take-all is not in the US Constitution. The electoral college does encourage it, but the constitution does not even require voting (appointment by state government used to be common when thr US was young).
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday July 31 2017, @06:34AM
There were 31 candidates on ballots, and 206 qualified write-in candidates. [thegreenpapers.com]
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday July 31 2017, @03:31PM (1 child)
The trouble is that first past the post voting penalizes those that vote for the 'right' candidate by taking a vote from the 'better' candidate that won't push them past the 'worse' candidate. The so-called spoiler effect.
The answer is to offer something like instant run-off voting, but since that penalizes the two parties in power, how to you institute it?
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday July 31 2017, @03:58PM