February 25, 2023

Forget about the stories about the Israeli judicial reforms. Its critics are exaggerating, but now we have another exaggeration about Israel floating up to the top of the news.

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Some Israelis – supposedly affiliated with a firm called Team Jorge – have been caught rigging elections.

My first reaction to that was to remember that line in Casablanca where Captain Renault tells Rick, “I’m shocked, shocked to find that gambling is going on in here,” just as a waiter comes up to the captain, and says, “Your winnings, sir.”

This “groundbreaking” exposé from the Guardian, in Britain uncovered an Israeli firm hacking elections.

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Three journalists – Gur Megiddo of TheMarker, Frédéric Métézeau of Radio France, and Omer Benjakob of Haaretz – had been on the tails of Jorge for more than six months, posing as consultants working on behalf of a businessman who wanted to delay an election in a large and unstable country in Africa. — The Guardian

I have no doubt that something was going on. But the fact that it was exposed leads me to believe that the firm was not that competent, or it would not have been exposed.

When it comes to hacking, it is a signature of teenage hackers to brag about their exploits.

The student from Montreal’s West Island … was caught because he boasted about his hacking in Internet chat groups. – The Globe and Mail

Bragging! And this firm made the same mistake.

According to the video, the firm’s director says that the team engaged in …