Windy City Media Group Frontpage News

THE VOICE OF CHICAGO'S GAY, LESBIAN, BI, TRANS AND QUEER COMMUNITY SINCE 1985

home search facebook twitter join
Gay News Sponsor Windy City Times 2023-12-13
DOWNLOAD ISSUE
Donate

Sponsor
Sponsor
Sponsor

  WINDY CITY TIMES

Anti-Gay Hacker Targets DuPage Election Web Site
by Amy Wooten
2006-11-01

This article shared 2441 times since Wed Nov 1, 2006
facebook twitter google +1 reddit email


The DuPage County Election Commission Web site was hacked into on Thurs., Oct. 26, with the offender leaving anti-gay and racist statements among the criteria for registering.

On the Voter Information page of the government Web site, a hacker changed the Who Can Register section to read, 'You may not be a homosexual' among a list of other qualifications to register to vote, such as age and U.S. citizenship. Michael Funtera, a Roosevelt University employee who discovered the statement that morning when registering to vote, then brought it to the attention of other colleagues before calling the suburban election commission to inform them of the reference.

According to DuPage County Election Commission executive director Bob Saar, the perpetrator was able to hack into the site a second time, this time putting criteria with racist undertones that told voters they could not register if 'their grandfather hadn't voted.'

'Obviously we're in full investigatory mode here,' Saar told Windy City Times. 'It's troubling to have this happen to us.'

'It's pretty disgusting to what extent people are willing to go to be disruptive,' Saar added.

The Web site was taken down and corrected. Although it is now up and running, the site is frozen until a full investigation has been completed in order to avoid further attacks. That means even employees will not be able to make updates to the site to further inform voters as Election Day draws closer.

The hack was limited to a subsection of the site that has static information, and didn't impact any databases, such as voter information, personal info or the voting systems. Those three components are separate and safe from hackers. The hacker was successful only in severely disrupting the commission a mere two weeks before Election Day.

The election commission, Saar added, is following the facts, and will 'prosecute to the fullest extent of the law' for tampering with a government site and purposely angering and attempting to misinform voters.

'It's meant to disrupt less than two weeks from the election,' Saar said. 'It's meant to misinform voters. It's also meant to incite and anger people.'

The agency is currently speaking with attorneys, and has already met with the DuPage State's Attorney's Office. It is also working with law enforcement agencies at every level and collaborating with the county's IT department to pinpoint exactly what went wrong.

Funtera's colleague at Roosevelt University, Brian Walker, spoke with Saar after learning what had occurred to make sure the agency was pursuing all leads.

'In this day and age, to have something like that happen is very disturbing,' Walker said. 'It's a disgrace to have this on a government Web site.'


This article shared 2441 times since Wed Nov 1, 2006
facebook twitter google +1 reddit email

Out and Aging
Presented By

  ARTICLES YOU MIGHT LIKE

Gay News

Coalition of LGBTQ+ advocates, health care providers release Project RAINBOW report 2024-02-12
--From a press release - SACRAMENTO, Calif. — A coalition of more than two dozen LGBTQ+ advocate organizations and health care providers are releasing a new report aimed at addressing the challenges and discrimination that ...


Gay News

Chicago firefighter receives over $500,000 settlement in City discrimination lawsuit 2024-01-20
- James Mundo, a Chicago firefighter who identifies as a gay man, settled a discrimination lawsuit against the City of Chicago for $515,000 last month. Mundo sued the city alleging it failed to take adequate measures to ...


Gay News

New HRC data: LGBTQ+ youth still lack critical support and acceptance 2023-08-10
- From a press release: WASHINGTON—The Human Rights Campaign (HRC), the nation's largest lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ+) civil rights organization, released a report in partnership with the ...


Gay News

Iraq banning media from saying 'homosexuality' 2023-08-10
- Iraq's official media regulator has ordered all media and social-media companies operating in the country not to use the term "homosexuality" and to say "sexual deviance" instead, NBC News reported. The Iraqi Communications and Media Commission ...


Gay News

Okla. anti-trans order narrows gender definitions 2023-08-04
- In yet another attack on transgender people, Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt has directed state agencies to use narrow definitions of "female" and "male," according to NBC News. Stitt signed the executive order surrounded by women from ...


Gay News

Future seems "gloomy" after recent Supreme Court term 2023-07-18
- The only thing worse than a bad ruling at the U.S. Supreme Court is a bad ruling that sets up the prospect that the worst is yet to come. Former Solicitor General Donald Verrelli worried about ...


Gay News

Biden administration moves to ensure equal treatment of LGBTQ+ people in federal programs, NCLR responds 2023-07-11
--From a press release - WASHINGTON, DC — The National Center for Lesbian Rights (NCLR) applauds the Biden Administration for taking steps to eradicate harmful discrimination in federally-funded social service programs. The U.S. Department of ...


Gay News

Baseball team cuts player who defends anti-LGBTQ+ post 2023-07-05
- Last month, the Toronto Blue Jays cut pitcher Anthony Bass after he said he didn't think an anti-LGBTQ+ social media post he shared last month was hateful, NBC News noted. The move happened hours before Bass ...


Gay News

Supreme Court rules in favor of anti-gay Colorado web designer, LGBTQ+ groups respond 2023-06-30
- On June 30, the U.S. Supreme Court—which has a conservative majority—ruled in favor of Lorie Smith, an evangelical Christian web designer from Colorado who refuses to work on same-sex weddings, ...


Gay News

NATIONAL Title IX, anti-drag law, Sarah McBride, march, Wellness in Action 2023-06-30
- The Human Rights Campaign (HRC) recognized the 51st anniversary of Title IX—the groundbreaking 1972 law passed to protect individuals from discrimination in education on the basis of their sex. In a statement, HRC President Kelley Robinson ...


Gay News

Trans former bus driver alleges discrimination, wrongful termination in court filing against CTA, union 2023-06-24
- Russia Brown, a former Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) bus driver whose legal wrangling years ago resulted in the agency adding gender-affirming surgery to its health insurance plan, is in the process of suing both the CTA ...


Gay News

'Our dignity is unassailable': Community readies for June 25 Pride Parade 2023-06-23
- Despite increasing discrimination against LGBTQ+ people throughout the country, thousands of people are expected to gather for Chicago's annual Pride Parade June 25. The 52nd annual parade kicks off at noon near Montrose Avenue and Broadway. ...


Gay News

NATIONAL School news, Larry Kramer, trans veteran, Steamworks battle 2023-06-23
- In a late-night vote, the Virginia Beach School Board narrowly approved a resolution that opposes discrimination and harassment of LGBTQ+ youth and adults in the school division, WVEC reported. The vote came after board members spent ...


Gay News

Equality Act reintroduced in Congress 2023-06-22
- On June 21—and, fittingly, during Pride Month—four Democratic lawmakers reintroduced the Equality Act in Congress. According to ABC News, several lawmakers—including U.S. Rep. Mark Takano as well as U.S. Sens. ...


Gay News

U.S. soccer win over Mexico marred by anti-gay chanting 2023-06-16
- On June 15 in Las Vegas, Christian Pulisic scored a brace (two goals) as the United States men's soccer team dominated Mexico 3-0 in a game ESPN called "chaotic." Among other things, the Concacaf Nations League ...


 


Copyright © 2024 Windy City Media Group. All rights reserved.
Reprint by permission only. PDFs for back issues are downloadable from
our online archives.

Return postage must accompany all manuscripts, drawings, and
photographs submitted if they are to be returned, and no
responsibility may be assumed for unsolicited materials.

All rights to letters, art and photos sent to Nightspots
(Chicago GLBT Nightlife News) and Windy City Times (a Chicago
Gay and Lesbian News and Feature Publication) will be treated
as unconditionally assigned for publication purposes and as such,
subject to editing and comment. The opinions expressed by the
columnists, cartoonists, letter writers, and commentators are
their own and do not necessarily reflect the position of Nightspots
(Chicago GLBT Nightlife News) and Windy City Times (a Chicago Gay,
Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender News and Feature Publication).

The appearance of a name, image or photo of a person or group in
Nightspots (Chicago GLBT Nightlife News) and Windy City Times
(a Chicago Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender News and Feature
Publication) does not indicate the sexual orientation of such
individuals or groups. While we encourage readers to support the
advertisers who make this newspaper possible, Nightspots (Chicago
GLBT Nightlife News) and Windy City Times (a Chicago Gay, Lesbian
News and Feature Publication) cannot accept responsibility for
any advertising claims or promotions.

 
 

TRENDINGBREAKINGPHOTOS







Sponsor


 



Donate


About WCMG      Contact Us      Online Front  Page      Windy City  Times      Nightspots
Identity      BLACKlines      En La Vida      Archives      Advanced Search     
Windy City Queercast      Queercast Archives     
Press  Releases      Join WCMG  Email List      Email Blast      Blogs     
Upcoming Events      Todays Events      Ongoing Events      Bar Guide      Community Groups      In Memoriam     
Privacy Policy     

Windy City Media Group publishes Windy City Times,
The Bi-Weekly Voice of the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Trans Community.
5315 N. Clark St. #192, Chicago, IL 60640-2113 • PH (773) 871-7610 • FAX (773) 871-7609.