Roy Mark

10 Ways to Unfairly Influence an Election

In spite of the mounting evidence that has emerged since 2006 demonstrating that voter fraud committed at the polling place is extremely rare, there are still of plenty of ways to unfairly influence an election. Common Cause and the New Century Foundation list 10 of the most common ways. Most involve the use of low […]

The Pitfalls and Vulnerabilities of Electronic Voting

Almost all registered U.S. voters will cast their ballots on one of three types of electronic voting machines: Direct Recording Electronic, DRE with Voter-Verified Paper Trail, and Precinct Counter Optical Scan machines. Each has its vulnerabilities, according to the Brennan Center Task Force on Voting System Security. Click here to read about electronic voting machine […]

Electronic Voting Failures in 2008

Electronic voting machines were supposed to be the answer to the hanging chads and human error that threatened to undo the democratic process. But eight years and billions of dollars after the infamous Florida recount, electronic voting is proving to be just as unreliable. The 2008 primary elections offered five prime examples of electronic voting […]

Court Reshapes Patent Reform Debate

In a ruling with huge implications for the technology sector, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit said Oct. 30 pure software or business method patents that are neither tied to a specific machine nor change something into a different state are not patentable. In a 9-3 decision, the court upheld a 1997 […]

Motorola: No Quick Fixes

The slumping U.S. economy is dramatically changing the game plan at Motorola’s cell phone division, which is already dangerously gushing red ink. Although Motorola’s home and network mobility division and its enterprise mobility unit pulled decent numbers in the third quarter, cell phone sales posted an operating loss of $840 million to drag Motorola into […]

Tech CEO Council Blog Goes Green

With the aim of promoting technology’s role in energy efficiency, the Technology CEO Council launched a new blog Oct. 29 called Behind the Green. According to the blog, the project hopes to create a dialogue among policymakers, media, and organizations and companies engaged in green technology. Bruce Mehlman, executive director of the organization, said the […]

Texas Governor Suspends IBM Data Center Project for Data Loss, Cost Overruns

Claiming IBM is not delivering on an $863 million contract, Texas Gov. Rick Perry on Oct. 28 suspended state data transfers to IBM data management systems. IBM has already been fined $900,000 for failing to complete timely backups under the contract. Perry’s actions come after a Dallas Morning News story reported that a July server […]

Verizon Wireless Ponders Femtocells

Verizon Wireless plans to enter the femtocell market next year, joining Sprint Nextel and T-Mobile as U.S. carriers that hope to use the technology to boost cell phone coverage and capacity in homes and offices. A modem-size femtocell device is currently under review at the Federal Communications Commission. Femtocell devices are micro cell towers used […]

GAO Seeks Suspension of High-Tech Export Program

The United States should suspend an export program to China involving semiconductors and materials because the Department of Commerce is unable to ensure that the goods shipped are going to Validated End Users, according to a report by the Government Accountability Office. The report-roundly rejected by the Department of Commerce-found that the VEU program is […]

Researchers Show PASS Card RFID Vulnerabilities

Researchers at the University of Washington and EMC’s RSA Laboratories claim new RFID-enabled border-crossing documents are easily cloned and are vulnerable to being disabled. The researchers also showed that the cards could be scanned from as far away as 150 feet. Produced jointly by the Department of Homeland Security and the Department of State, the […]