[LINK] Is that bell tolling for Diebold's election business?

[Karl Auer]

On Wed, 2007-03-07 at 06:53 +0900, Bernard Robertson-Dunn wrote:
> Negative publicity about the voting machines - such as the HBO
> documentary Hacking Democracy - has cast a shadow over the 150-year
> old company, analysts say. Until its move into e-voting, the firm was
> better known for its safes and automated teller machines.

... and their appalling response to justifiable criticism has *rightly*
cast doubt on the safety and security of ALL their products, including
their safes and automated telling machines.

> Gil Luria, an investment analyst who monitors Diebold for Wedbush
> Morgan Securities told reporters for the Associated Press: "This is a
> company that has built relationships with banks every day of every
> year. It pains them greatly to see their brand tarnished by a marginal
> operating unit."

As if that unit was somehow independent and not something they had
anything to do with. They chose the people, then failed to control those
people or, apparently, make any effort to educate them about the correct
response to technical criticism.

> Kimball Brace, president of Election Data Services, notes that in
> Diebold's shoes, he'd be wondering about the benefits of staying in
> the market, but added that in such an uncertain market, finding a
> buyer might prove tricky.

The best thing Diebold could do - for themselves and for their country -
would be to deep-six the whole sorry affair. Cut their losses and just
go. Their designs - software and hardware - are deeply and fatally
flawed, and have no legitimate future in the US or any other country.

Regards, K.

-- 
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Karl Auer (kauer at biplane.com.au)                   +61-2-64957160 (h)
http://www.biplane.com.au/~kauer/                  +61-428-957160 (mob)