A Publication of the Electronic Frontier Foundation ISSN 1062-9424
The 2004 presidential election might not be flawed like the last one was; it might be even worse. Communities across America are purchasing electronic voting (e-voting) machines, but the technology has serious security problems that need to be addressed. Most of the machines use "black box" software that hasn't been publicly reviewed for security. Almost none provide voter-verifiable paper ballots to detect fraud. And despite the efforts of one voting technology company to silence its critics, the public has become increasingly aware of the problems with e-voting. The bill has momentum with 62 sponsors, but we need your help. Send your representative a letter supporting the Voter Confidence and Increased Accessibility Act of 2003 (HR 2239), which would require openly reviewed software and voter-verifiable paper audit trails for all new e-voting machines.
San Jose, CA - A federal district court judge last week set an accelerated schedule for consideration of a request to halt legal harassment of Internet publishers. The lawsuit, brought by a nonprofit Internet Service Provider (ISP) and two Swarthmore college students, seeks to bar electronic voting machine manufacturer Diebold Systems, Inc., from issuing further legal threats against ISPs.
Diebold has been issuing cease-and-desist letters to ISPs that host websites that either publish or link to a corporate email archive indicating flaws in the company's voting machines. The archive includes email messages written by Diebold employees discussing how to resolve, or in some cases, obfuscate these problems.
EFF and the Center for Internet and Society Cyberlaw Clinic at Stanford Law School are providing legal representation in this important case to prevent abusive copyright claims from silencing public debate about voting, the very foundation of our democratic process.
"We are pleased that the court has recognized the urgency of our case against Diebold with an expedited schedule," said EFF Staff Attorney Wendy Seltzer. "Diebold must not be permitted to use unfounded copyright claims to stifle public debate over the accuracy of electronic voting machines."
Judge Jeremy Fogel of the federal district court in San Jose, California will hear Online Policy Group v. Diebold, Inc. (Case Number C-03-04913 JF) on November 17, 2003.
Washington, DC - Claiming that it is an "anti-piracy mechanism," the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) last week issued an order mandating that consumer devices capable of receiving broadcast digital television (DTV) signals must implement content control technologies demanded by the entertainment industry. The "broadcast flag" mandate will go into effect by July 1, 2005.
"The FCC today has taken a step that will shape the future of television," said EFF Senior Intellectual Property Attorney Fred von Lohmann. "Sadly, this represents a step in the wrong direction, a step that will undermine innovation, fair use, and competition."
"The broadcast flag rule forces manufacturers to remove useful recording features from television products you can buy today," said EFF Staff Technologist Seth Schoen. "The FCC has decided that the way to get Americans to adopt digital TV is to make it cost more and do less."
Deep Links features noteworthy news items from around the Internet.
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