A nonprofit devoted to election reform says a video released by hacktivist collective Anonymous days prior to the election corroborates claims from a mysterious hacktivist group that it is behind the Election Day failures of the Romney campaign’s Project ORCA.
The left-wing Velvet Revolution, which works to investigate and prove instances of electronic election tampering, offered IT specialists a $1 million reward for proof of instances of electronic election tampering during the 2012 cycle. The Velvet Revolution is particularly suspicious of Republicans.
Following the election, Velvet Revolution says they received a letter from a hacktivist group — referring to itself as “we protectors of democracy” — that claimed it was responsible for the program’s technical failures, and that it had found a system in place to electronically rig the election in three states. The letter did not offer any proof of its allegations.
“Regarding the Protectors letter, we posted the reward asking for info about electronic manipulation of the vote and then right after the election we received ‘The Protector’ letter at our POBox,” said Kevin Reese, an attorney for Velvet Revolution and a board member, in a press statement.
“We posted it not because we are vouching for it but because it is news, and it seems to corroborate the Anonymous video that came out two weeks before the election warning Rove not manipulate the election,” Reese said.
A YouTube video posted on Oct. 22 from Anonymous warned Republican strategist Karl Rove that his Internet traffic was being monitored for the slightest hint of Election Day foul play.
Despite Internet speculation that the video offered proof that Anonymous was responsible for ORCA’s failures, the event lacked the group’s trademark fanfare and accompanying statements claiming responsibility. The letter from the “protectors” also does not claim any affiliation with the infamous hacktivists.
“And, Rove’s bizarre performance on election night also fits nicely with what the letter claimed,” Reese said, referring to Rove’s on-air meltdown over Fox News’ decision to call the election in favor of President Barack Obama.
“All we know about the letter we posted, so I don’t have any more to add,” Reese said.