Sequoia Voting Systems Threatens Princeton

[latkinson6]

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

latest blog on hackable vote machines.

 

[lastnymleft]

Sequoia won. The independent analysis of the voting machine and its software has been shut down. Another nail in the coffin of the Republic.

http://www.bradblog.com/?p=5820

 

[IPSecure]

Ohio seizes voting machines in criminal investigation.

http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/pos...oting-machines-in-criminal-investigation.html

 

[Banana]

Sequoia won. The independent analysis of the voting machine and its software has been shut down. Another nail in the coffin of the Republic.

http://www.bradblog.com/?p=5820

What I do not understand is this: Exactly what trade secrets are they claiming for protection?

The purpose of this device is to record a voter's vote. Therefore the minimum function is to be able to create a entry in a database indicating ballot identity (maybe by using SSN, ballot number, or whatever), positions and selections. It must then be able to tally up all the votes.

Basically, I can program the whole thing, heck, I could even use 386s with QuickBASIC to do this!

So exactly what is in the machine that requires the protection of a trade secret? Friendly user-interface? That's a copyright issue. Source code itself? Not strictly necessary to do an independent test. Custom hardware? Not strictly necessary to do an independent test.

I'm sorry, but just... *what* trade secret?

This is bullshit. Longhorn style.