Diebold is furiously trying to keep internal info about problems with their electronic voting machiens out tof the public eye, including send DMCA cease and desist letters to universities whose students are linking to those memos with their web pages. Of course, at the same time, Diebold says the memos are not real, which begs the question: if they aren't legit, how are they a DMCA violation? for it to be a violation, the docs have to be copyrighted material, which fakes couldn't be...as others have pointed out, if the memos are fake, Dielbold should be pursuing libel cases, not DMCA copyright infringement.
The point is, we're getting ready for multiple elections, including a Presidential one in November 2004, and the company run by a Republican activist who has promised his state to G.W. Bush in 2004, and he doesn't want any of the security, accuracy, or auditing problems bared to public scrutiny.
Check out this site for more info.
BTW, this is a key illustration of what is wrong witht he DMCA. it allows a corporation to keep knowledge of its misfeasance from the public without even getting a court order. Under the DMCA all that is required is a cease and desist letter, and it is up to the target to prove that they are not in violation. So much for innocent until proven guilty.
Posted by Chris at October 29, 2003 11:37 AM