FRAMINGHAM (12/08/2003) - In a move hailed as a victory for free speech advocates, Diebold Election Systems Inc. said last week that it wouldn't follow up on its threats to sue those who published information that indicated flaws in the company's electronic voting machines. Diebold declined to give specific reasons for dropping the legal threats. The dispute between Diebold and various voter rights activists arose after a hacker broke into a Diebold Web server in March and was able to access information concerning issues with Diebold election equipment. The documents indicated flaws in the touch-screen voting machines and irregularities with certifying the machines for actual elections were leaked to the press in August. Diebold used the controversial Digital Millennium Copyright Act of 1998 to pressure universities and ISPs to take down the copies of its internal information.
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