‘The security steps that were taken made it difficult for an even technologically apt person to log in…’
(Claire Russel, Liberty Headlines) The Democratic National Committee was “intimately involved” in the production and use of the failed Shadow app that led to catastrophic caucus failures, according to Yahoo News.
The report followed multiple complaints leveled at the Iowa Democratic Party by the DNC—complaints the state affiliate found frustrating given the role DNC Chairman Tom Perez played throughout the entire process.
Multiple documents showed that Perez had an agreement with Shadow, the software company that developed the app used by the Iowa Democratic Party, Yahoo News reported.
One contract stipulates that Shadow “agrees to work with DNC Services Corporation/Democratic National Committee (‘DNC’) on an on-going basis as [Shadow] develops the software.” And another states that Shadow must provide the DNC “continual access” to the software’s design and operation.
The DNC’s involvement made the app worse, according to one source.
“[The DNC] had a lot of thoughts and feelings on how this app was supposed to function and I think there was advice that was given that led to the difficulties you saw on caucus night with people being able to log in,” the source explained. “The security steps that were taken made it difficult for an even technologically apt person to log in.”
The DNC, however, claims they “only provided security assistance.”
As soon as the app malfunctioned on the night of the primary, the DNC tried to distance itself from Shadow and deflect blame onto the Iowa Democratic Party. Perez called for a recanvass and openly criticized the state party’s leaders on Twitter, leading party state chairman Troy Price to submit his resignation.
But as Yahoo News explained, the DNC’s connections to Shadow “demonstrated that the DNC should have had the opportunity to foresee some of the problems.”