[Voterescue] Sequoia Voting Systems Threatens Princeton ComputerScientists

[Amanda Moore]

The Sequoia group is shaking in their boots. Obviously there is a reason 
other than a "property issue" We all know this. Does anyone know the NJ 
people? Will they continue? Do they need moral support? Are they heavily 
guarded? These people have a lot to lose when the truth comes out if we can 
prove conspiracy to alter a presidential election, they go to jail. They 
will be looking for a fall guy. The fall guy should be protected. He will be 
easier to approach if immunity is offered. They will know this as well.
Comments?
Amanda


>
Sent: Tuesday, March 18, 2008 2:50 AM
Subject: [Voterescue] Sequoia Voting Systems Threatens Princeton 
ComputerScientists


> http://www.bradblog.com/?p=5814
>
> BLOGGED BY Brad Friedman ON 3/17/2008 6:36PM
>
> EXCLUSIVE: Sequoia Voting Systems Threatens Princeton Computer
> Scientists with Legal Action if they Carry Out NJ Commissioned
> Analysis of the Company's Touch-Screen Voting Machines
>
> VP Edwin Smith Warns Scientists, in Email Obtained by The BRAD BLOG,
> of Plans to Take 'Appropriate Steps to Protect Against Publication of
> Software, Its Behavior or Reports Regarding Same'
>
> ALSO: Company Website of One of Nation's Largest Voting Machine
> Vendors Refers to 'Democrat' [sic] Party in Explanation for Recent
> Primary Election Failure...
> -- Brad Friedman
>
> Sequoia Voting Systems has sent a legal threat to Princeton
> University computer science professors Ed Felten and Andrew Appel
> warning them of legal action should they proceed with an analysis of
> New Jersey's touch-screen voting machines as unanimously recommended
> last week by an association representing election clerks across the
> state.
>
> In a terse email sent last Friday, obtained today by The BRAD BLOG,
> Sequoia's Edwin Smith, Vice-President of Compliance/Quality/
> Certification, warns the university academics that the company has
> "retained counsel to stop any infringement of our intellectual
> properties, including any non-compliant analysis."
>
> "We will also take appropriate steps to protect against any
> publication of Sequoia software, its behavior, reports regarding same
> or any other infringement of our intellectual property," Smith
> threatens.
>
> The email from Smith to Felten and Appel is posted in full at the end
> of this article. Felten has confirmed its authenticity late this
> afternoon.
>
> The call by state election officials for the independent study of
> Sequoia's AVC Advantage touch-screen machines comes in the wake of a
> recent finding that the systems mistallied voter turnout totals
> across at least six different counties in New Jersey's February 5th
> Presidential Primary Election. During a post-election canvass, it was
> found that the number of voters for each party, as reported by the
> internal printouts on the electronic voting machines, failed to match
> totals on the internal memory cards inside the same systems in a
> number of instances across the state.
>
> Sequoia's explanation for the problem, essentially blaming voters and
> poll workers for pushing a complicated series of buttons, was found
> lacking by the state election clerks.
>
> The discovery of mistallies followed on previous embarrassment for
> Sequoia and New Jersey when several machines failed to boot up at all
> on the morning of the Super Tuesday Election, causing a 45-minute
> delay before NJ's Governor John Corzine before he was finally able to
> cast a vote at his polling place in Hoboken.
>
> Sequoia has good reason to be concerned about what may come of an
> analysis by professors Felten and/or Appel. Both of them have
> previously detailed major voting machine security flaws, and the
> ability to easily hack into such systems made by both Sequoia and
> Diebold Election Systems...
>
> Hacking "Advantage" Goes to Computer Scientists
>
> Sequoia's AVC Advantage system --- previously described on the
> company's website as "tamperproof" --- is not likely to withstand
> independent scrutiny by skilled computer scientists such as Felten or
> Appel. Though it wouldn't be the first time the company's products,
> or those by the other voting machine companies, failed miserable when
> they were finally allowed to be probed by independent parties.
>
>
> continues
>
> http://www.bradblog.com/?p=5814
>
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