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From what I was reading, many of the people responsible for reporting the results hadn't even downloaded the app until the night of, or if they had, hadn't ever

From what I was reading, many of the people responsible for reporting the results hadn't even downloaded the app until the night of, or if they had, hadn't ever logged into it on their phones. Ridiculous.

pkilgore 7y ago
Or, maybe, a lesson technologists should internalize when we advocate technical solutions to real world problems. Apple moved a reply button on the iPhone email app -- and I know someone that for weeks just thought it was broken and would text responses to emails entirely out of context. This person had a Ph.D.
- pixl97 7y ago
  For each problem a technical solution solves, 2 harder to solve problems are created.
- tr33house 7y ago
  > This person had a Ph.D. So sad but funny
- deleted 7y ago
  [deleted]
- elyobo 7y ago
  It was apparently a common confusion. https://daringfireball.net/2019/10/mails_message_action_toolbar_in_ios_13 https://daringfireball.net/2019/10/mails_message_action_tool...
  - machello13 7y ago
    To be fair, the button was still there and still had the same icon. It's bad design for other reasons, but I'm not sure how you could think it was completely broken just because it moved a couple dozen pixels to the right.
rwbhn 7y ago
From story in the Guardian [1] "State party officials had said they would not be sending the new mobile app to precinct chairs for downloading until just before the caucuses to narrow the window for any interference." Brilliant plan. [1] https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2020/feb/03/smartphone-app-at-center-of-iowa-debacle-causes-delays-in-results https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2020/feb/03/smartphone-a...
- hbbio 7y ago
  A fun instance of security through obscurity. They might already be hacked as well.
- rwbhn 7y ago
  It gets worse! From updated story at same url (so annoying!) "Workers were reportedly expected to download a file to their Android phones, enable a setting that allows for the installation of apps from untrusted sources, and then bypass prompts warning that doing so could cause a security breach." I know nothing about the app itself, but clearly the process around deploying it was a fiasco. We really need competent people running elections.
  - krn 7y ago
    In other words, the Android app was delivered as an .apk file and not available on Google Play. That sounds like "security through obscurity". What about iOS devices then?
  - snowwrestler 7y ago
    Pretty sure this is just the standard process for "side-loading" apps onto Android phones. (By the way, the ability to do this is sometimes cited here on HN as a strength of the Android system vs. iOS.) The primary sin here by the party and app developers seems to be far too much belief in the power of obscurity. A well-coded app with a good authentication scheme could have been distributed through app stores weeks in advance and it would not have made any difference to the security--but would have made a huge difference in testing and user on-boarding.
jordache 7y ago
wait, so did they side load the freakin' app?

pkilgore 7y ago

Or, maybe, a lesson technologists should internalize when we advocate technical solutions to real world problems. Apple moved a reply button on the iPhone email app -- and I know someone that for weeks just thought it was broken and would text responses to emails entirely out of context. This person had a Ph.D.

pixl97 7y ago
For each problem a technical solution solves, 2 harder to solve problems are created.
tr33house 7y ago
> This person had a Ph.D. So sad but funny
deleted 7y ago
[deleted]
elyobo 7y ago
It was apparently a common confusion. https://daringfireball.net/2019/10/mails_message_action_toolbar_in_ios_13 https://daringfireball.net/2019/10/mails_message_action_tool...
- machello13 7y ago
  To be fair, the button was still there and still had the same icon. It's bad design for other reasons, but I'm not sure how you could think it was completely broken just because it moved a couple dozen pixels to the right.

rwbhn 7y ago

From story in the Guardian [1] "State party officials had said they would not be sending the new mobile app to precinct chairs for downloading until just before the caucuses to narrow the window for any interference." Brilliant plan. [1] https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2020/feb/03/smartphone-app-at-center-of-iowa-debacle-causes-delays-in-results https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2020/feb/03/smartphone-a...

hbbio 7y ago
A fun instance of security through obscurity. They might already be hacked as well.
rwbhn 7y ago
It gets worse! From updated story at same url (so annoying!) "Workers were reportedly expected to download a file to their Android phones, enable a setting that allows for the installation of apps from untrusted sources, and then bypass prompts warning that doing so could cause a security breach." I know nothing about the app itself, but clearly the process around deploying it was a fiasco. We really need competent people running elections.
- krn 7y ago
  In other words, the Android app was delivered as an .apk file and not available on Google Play. That sounds like "security through obscurity". What about iOS devices then?
- snowwrestler 7y ago
  Pretty sure this is just the standard process for "side-loading" apps onto Android phones. (By the way, the ability to do this is sometimes cited here on HN as a strength of the Android system vs. iOS.) The primary sin here by the party and app developers seems to be far too much belief in the power of obscurity. A well-coded app with a good authentication scheme could have been distributed through app stores weeks in advance and it would not have made any difference to the security--but would have made a huge difference in testing and user on-boarding.

jordache 7y ago

wait, so did they side load the freakin' app?