March 6th, 2007
Diebold considering dumping eVoting unit
This report on Ars Technica concludes that Diebold is considering dumping its eVoting unit because of the negative publicity that the company has suffered from all the controversy surround it's eVoting appliances. If it were just the company's poorly designed systems, that would be bad enough, but Diebold has consistently taken a defensive posture, even reportedly lying, when problems are pointed out.
The problem for Diebold is that eVoting isn't their main line of business. They make a successful line of ATMs that accounts for over 60% of their profits. The controversy surrounding their eVoting systems is threatening their core business. Diebold's problems are an indication that the lack of confidence in eVoting system is taking its toll.
Phil Windley is an Associate Professor of Computer Science at Brigham Young University. See his full profile and disclosure of his industry affiliations.
