Yep, that sealed the deal for me. That tool is basically "god mode" for a SQL server. They can change anything and everything with that tool....with no traces of the changes.

As an example:

'member when Spez edited comments on TD? The issue wasn't really that he edited comments...the issue was he did it via direct database edits. Keep in mind, this site is a fork of the same code that Reddit uses. Notice how you get the little "edited" pencil/tag on your comment. That's because the code running the site makes an additional "edit" entry in the database.

When you just go into the DB and change shit (like Spez did, or with tools like SQL Server Studio) you are changing the raw data and not adding any record of edit/changes. There could be real reasons to change a vote (adjudication) but then those changes would go through a tool that would log and track the changes, reasons for changing and the user who signed off on them.

There is absolutely ZERO reason for that software to be on anything that is not in a development or test environment. I use the tool all the time for Schema edits or find/replace operations. Never used it in production. I cannot think of any reason why any honest software developer would leave that utility on in a production environment.

IN ADDITION... If I was to run a election, part of that would be a piece of test software that scans for things like SQL Studio, misconfigured parameters, bad user accounts...you get the idea. This software being present proves that either:

• There was no security audit on the machines
• software was added after security audit

I think it is likely that there was an audit and software was added in post audit to get around. Likely thought the internet, or a bad on site actor(s). "Hey BLM dude, plug this USB into the machine cause Orange Man Bad"