I like the idea of this: Using ordinary folk to monitor elections, via SMS from their cellphone. And it seems to have worked. Nigeria used a system called FrontlineSMS, developed by UK-based kiwanja.net to keep track of all of the texts. Some 54 trained associates recruited volunteers to invite as many people as possible via… Read More »
If you’re wondering why Sanjaya Malakar has done surprisingly well in American Idol, here’s one possible answer: dialers. Dialers are pieces of software usually stealthily installed on a victim’s computer to automatically dial expensive premium telephone numbers. The victim only finds out when they receive their phone bill. In this case, the dialer, openly available… Read More »
It used to be called Loose Bits, but I prefer Loose Change. For now. It’s the same thing: tidbits I found that might be of interest: First off, NeatReceipts, which sells a small scanner and special software to scan in your receipts while you’re on the road, has announced a new version of its software,… Read More »
An interesting essay by security guru Bruce Schneier (via the brianstorms weblog) on the economics of fixing an election. Put simply: How much is it worth a party to fix an election, and so how much would they be willing to spend on doing it? Put another way, how much should the folk designing an… Read More »
Further to earlier postings about security fears for a new Internet voting system for overseas Americans, AP is quoting an anonymous official as saying the Pentagon has scrapped the plan. CNET attributes the same story to a spokesperson for the Pentagon. AP quoted the official as saying Deputy Defense Secretary Paul Wolfowitz made the decision to… Read More »