Explaining the Conspiracy Theories About ‘Computers’ Stealing the Election for Joe Biden

Rounding up our fact checks from the last week.

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Joe Biden has been declared the winner of the 2020 election, but Donald Trump has not conceded and his campaign is contesting the election results in the battleground states that he would need to flip to change the outcome.

Throughout Election Day and in the days that followed, The Dispatch Fact tracked and reported on a variety of false claims regarding the election: voters falsely claiming that poll workers gave them Sharpies to fill out their ballots in order to scuttle their votes; people asserting that Michigan “magically” found more than 138,000 votes that were all for Biden; others claiming that video depicted poll workers filling out empty ballots. 

The most prevalent claims now, though, are centered around technology and the idea that Democrats are using computers and software to change Trump votes to Biden votes, or just eliminate Trump votes.

Members of the campaign legal team, high-profile Trump supporters, and even the president himself have elevated these claims, which are better described as conspiracy theories.

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  1. Joan Wertz

    You write “ no such machine exists”.... well, others think it does. How does this very confident assertion check any facts?
    Ok, so you can’t prove a negative. But recognize your authoritative tone is misplaced. And, “ Dennis Montgomery has a colorful history of fraudulent claims”. Citations? Examples? Your assertion without references does not equate to a “fact check”.

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  2. Jon

    Here’s a simpler response without doing an entire article debunking conspiracies. Trump clobbered Biden on non mail in ballot voting. If there was any systemic election fraud- that’s an if- that went against Trump, wouldn’t it have had to be at that end. Not some rediculous skynet theory where we have 50 states and like 1500 counties each with their own networks.

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    1. Jon

      The mail in end that is

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    Ms. SSM

    Good work. It’s useful for those who want more information on all these claims.

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    Kevin Durant?

    Here is the letter Amy Klobuchar and Elizabeth Warren wrote to Dominion and the companies with a stake in Dominion because they were paranoid it would corrupt our elections

    https://www.warren.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/H.I.G.%20McCarthy,%20&%20Staple%20Street%20letters.pdf

    I didn’t read the fact check but I’m willing to bet this wasn’t in there

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      JohnF

      Did you read the letter?

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        Kevin Durant?

        I put it in my reading machine but my reading machine is owned by private equity so it didn’t work and Mitt Romney put my Diebold machine back in chains so I couldn’t use that

        Staple Street LLC is stealing my democracy!!!!!!!

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        1. Anonymous

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            Kevin Durant?

            “However, voting machines are reportedly falling apart across the country, as vendors neglect to innovate and improve important voting systems, putting our elections at avoidable and increased risk.”
            ——————————
            Without evidence herp herp herp

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    Jim Cobb

    You write, "Joe Biden has been declared the winner of the 2020 election." Fact check: there has been no official declaration that Biden has won the national election. I'm not sure there have been any official declarations by the several states. Don't be sloppy. I agree Biden won, and if Trump had any grace he would concede. I agree the transition should proceed (without anyone raising claims of Logan Act violations). Finally, I agree that the conspiracy theories you debunk are disgusting — thanks for shining a light. But please avoid pomposity when you say the winner has already been declared.

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    1. Jackson

      I guess where I get a little grumpy about this that pretty much all Trump-supporters I'm aware of (I almost said conservative, but I'm realizing more and more that those two terms do not necessarily refer to the same people) were happy to go along with the calls by the media in 2016. And while I can't speak for all lefties, only myself and the folks I know, I don't recall any of them insisting that we can only really know the result when it's officially certified as opposed to when the media calls it. We were all REALLY unhappy, but none of us were arguing from an electoral sense that he hadn't actually won.

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        Jim Cobb

        So what do you make of Hillary’s claim Trump was illegitimately elected? What do you make of polls (which we know are an iffy thing) showing 63% of Democrats believing Russia hacked the count. What do you make of Biden’s suggestion to use the laughable Logan Act against Flynn? You’re allowed to be annoyed; I’m annoyed. But I ask for plain speaking; fact checkers should avoid pomposity.

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        1. Jackson

          That's why I said I can only speak for me and my friends (a lot of whom a very, very far left in the Portland area). I don't like a lot of things Hillary has said about the 2016 election, and don't agree with the sentiment among some that Trump's election was illegitimate. A lot of people on the left have said a lot of dumb partisan things I don't agree with or defend over the last four years. What I'm saying is, in the many, many conversations I had with friends who were devastated by Trump's election 2016 (and I'm one of them), I never actually heard any of them argue in any serious way that the election was somehow stolen, and if I had I would have pushed back. It was all about how to protect people we thought were at risk from some of the policies he promoted during the campaign, and what could be done to keep them from being implemented. And a lot of complaining about the electoral college.

          What do you make of the first half of my comment?

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            Jim Cobb

            The first half of your comment is spot on. The Venn diagram of Trump supporters and conservatives is as you describe — overlapping circles, not identical circles.

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    2. Aiminion

      I appreciate you making this point. I, too, am troubled when news organizations use the passive voice when they report election results. Saying "Joe Biden has been declared the winner..." begs the question: *who* declared it? It's much better when they make it clear that it is one or more news organizations who are projecting victories based on reported counts and their own analyses. A good example of how they should phrase it is in today's Morning Dispatch: "NBC News on Friday projected its final two uncalled states—Georgia and North Carolina—for Joe Biden and Donald Trump, respectively." I'm not saying they should pretend like we have no idea yet who will be the next president; but they also shouldn't pretend that the results are official before any state has certified them.

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      1. Anonymous

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        1. Aiminion

          If you go to Pennsylvania's election page, all they currently show is "Unofficial Returns". So the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania certainly has not yet declared Biden to have won that state's electoral votes. I imagine you will find that to be the case in most states, at least over the next few days before they start to certify their elections. I don't think anything is lost by acknowledging that Biden has not yet officially been certified as the winner in many or most of the state elections, though he is expected to be very soon based on the reported totals. Why jump the gun?

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          1. Anonymous

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  6. Fatigued Testudine

    Ah, yes, these are now all "conspiracy theories." Times sure have changed for years ago the Democrat Speaker of the House had the Democrat Position on allegations: Tom Foley stated: ""Even though there is no evidence, the seriousness of the charge is what matters. The seriousness of the charge mandates that we investigate this." Obviously things have changed with Trump being the one making the allegation. We have already seen 4 years of Democrats, the MSM and now the Dispatch changing their tune when Trump is involved. Perhaps a serious look at a serious charge should be made before dismissing it as a "conspiracy theory." Of course if it is true- then it was in fact a conspiracy, but not just a "theory." How about equal treatment under the law--oh, right, Democrats are above the law. Disturbing.

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    1. Aiminion

      I will grant you that the term "conspiracy theory" is overused. Much like the term "fake news", it is often just a fancy way of calling "bulls**t". It would be preferable for journalists to use clear language such as "we can find no substance whatsoever to these claims".

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      1. Anonymous

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        1. Aiminion

          I just don't think it's necessary to use a loaded term like "conspiracy theory". It's a shorthand way to discredit someone - better suited for propaganda than for journalism. Make the case that the allegations are outlandish, and let readers form their own judgments about the people who are making them.

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          1. Anonymous

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    2. Anonymous

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      1. Fatigued Testudine

        This morning Maria Bartiromo interviewed Sidney Powell who disagrees with your assessment that they have "all been checked out and discredited". You seem most eager to squash any opposition viewpoint. That is sad, for all we have heard for the last four years is Trump supporters should listen to other viewpoints, now you are unwilling to do so.

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          JohnF

          Umm, Sidney Powell is a lawyer for the Trump Campaign. I don't care what he says on FOX. I do care what he says in court. Will he be appearing in front of an actual judge within the next few days?

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          1. Judith Howell

            No sir, he won't. But the many witnesses they have to voter fraud will be, and a judge will rules on these allegations.

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        2. Anonymous

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          1. Judith Howell

            Oh boy, that's rich. You all have been having a four year hissy fit over Clinton losing in 2016. And you want us to stop whining? That's laughable.

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        3. Anonymous

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            Nancy L. Rogers

            She was Gen. Flynn's defense counsel, and she wrote a book called "License to Lie".

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    3. Anonymous

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      1. Fatigued Testudine

        Send Tom Foley a note to his gravesite. He said it, and it was ridiculous. That is why it is also ridiculous today, when the tables are turned. But it is a perfect example of the Democrat, MSM and a large portion of Dispatch commenters double standard when dealing with Trump and many, many Republicans and Conservatives.

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        1. Steve Powell

          Is this the same Tom Foley who retired in 1995? If we are going to play the Whataboutism game, can't we have someone a little bit more recent? Your problem is that most of the followers on the Dispatch are probably conservative and are willing to call a spade a spade when Democrats made transgressions. The difference is with many who support "The Dispatch" agenda is they are not willing to excuse unacceptable behavior because the Democrats might have done it in the past.

          A claim of bloody murder is okay today because my rival got away with it in the past does not change the fact that murder is murder. Unless of course you believe in Sohrab Ahmari. Then bloody murder is justified because the Dem's do it, so why not us.

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    Angie

    Yikes, some people just will never believe actual facts or that some sources are not good ones...sigh

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    Murrayprof

    I vaguely recall some wild claims by dems against Diebold machines in Ohio(?) and the connection W. and the repubs in the early 2000s.

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    1. Anonymous

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        Murrayprof

        Merely pointing out it's just the same crap different decade. Blame the infernal machine when all else fails.

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  9. Judith Howell

    How about you look a little deeper into Smartmatic, the software used by Dominion, especially in the battle ground states. And that the Chairman of the Board of Smartmatic is now on the transition team for Biden. And that Smartmatic has specific ties to Venezuela and has been central to some serious voter fraud allegations around the world.

    Following the 2004 Venezuelan recall election, Smartmatic acquired Sequoia Voting Systems, one of the leading US companies in automated voting products[99][100] from the British company De La Rue in 2005.[90] Following this acquisition, U.S. Representative Carolyn B. Maloney requested an investigation to determine whether the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS) had followed correct processes to green-light sale of Sequoia to Smartmatic, which was described as having "possible ties to the Venezuelan government".[101] The request was made after a March 2006 following issues in Chicago and Cook County, where a percentage of the machines involved were manufactured by Sequoia, and Sequoia provided technical assistance, some by a number of Venezuelan nationals flown in for the event.[102] According to Sequoia, the tabulation problems were due to human error, as a post-election check identified only three mechanical problems in 1,000 machines checked[102] while election officials blamed poor training.[103] Other issues were suspected to be related to software errors linked to the voting system's central computer.[104]

    Following the request, Smartmatic and Sequoia submitted a request to be reviewed by the CFIUS while also denying links to the Venezuelan government.[105] The company disclosed that it was owned by Antonio Mugica (78.8%), Alfredo Anzola (3.87%), Roger Pinate (8.47%), Jorge Massa Dustou (5.97%) and employees (2.89%).[106] Smartmatic subsequently sold Sequoia and later withdrew from Cook County in December 2006.[107]

    The Wall Street Journal wrote that "Smartmatic scrapped a simple corporate structure" of being based in Boca Raton "for a far more complex arrangement" of being located in multiple locations following the Sequoia incident.[107] Though Smartmatic has made differing statements saying that they were either American or Dutch based, the United States Department of State stated that its Venezuelan owners "remain hidden behind a web of holding companies in the Netherlands and Barbados".[9][3] The New York Times states that "the role of the young Venezuelan engineers who founded Smartmatic has become less visible" and that its organization is "an elaborate web of offshore companies and foreign trusts",[104] while BBC News states that though Smartmatic says the company was founded in the United States, "its roots are firmly anchored in (Venezuela)".[3] Multiple sources simply state that Smartmatic is a Venezuelan company.[108] Smartmatic maintains that the holding companies in multiple countries are used for "tax efficiency".[109]

    C'mon folks, do your homework.

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    1. Aiminion

      For the sake of argument, let's stipulate that every allegation in your post is true. What does that tell us about the 2020 election?

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      Stephanie

      This is really tiresome. More conspiracy theories. Some company remotely related to Dominion about 14 years ago. You have not proven anything. Trump lost fair and square.

      Why didn’t all this “research” about Dominion get surfaced in 2016? Why didn’t The Democrats use it to beat Trump then?

      The longer this goes on, the stupider Trump and his supporters (those who buy into this silliness) look.

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      JohnF

      I did my homework. I learned that:
      Smartmatic software is not used in any of the Battleground states.
      Smartmatic software is not used in Dominion Voting Machines.
      Smartmatic sold Sequoia systems in 2007.
      https://www.smartmatic.com/smartmatic-factchecked/
      Since their product is 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐢𝐧 𝐮𝐬𝐞 in any of the States that are in dispute, it's kind of irrelevant where the company originated or what their Board Members do in their spare time.
      I also learned that Joe Biden won the election because he received thousands of votes more than Donald Trump did in key states. More than 10,000 more votes in Nevada, Arizona, and Georgia, more than 20,000 votes in Wisconsin, more than 50,000 votes in Pennsylvania, and more than 150,000 votes in Michigan. To date, the Trump campaign has not provided any evidence in an actual courtroom that would change that.

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      merseyyank

      Judith, the homework doesn't need done here. If there is proof of widespread election fraud, take it to the courts! I'll make my judgement at that time.

      Second, if you want to provide undeniable factual information, I wouldn't be copy and pasting my information from Wikipedia. This comes from the Wikipedia site itself.

      "Wikipedia is written collaboratively by largely anonymous volunteers who write without pay. Anyone with internet access can write and make changes to Wikipedia articles, except in limited cases where editing is restricted to prevent disruption or vandalism."

      https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:About#:~:text=Wikipedia%20is%20written%20collaboratively%20by,to%20prevent%20disruption%20or%20vandalism.

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      Elpis

      I look forward to Th Dispatch Fact Check's reply. I'm confident that this is a mix of drivel with just enough fact sprinkled in to make it sound credible. But I'm willing to listen. Dispatch, do your thing, please.

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      Angie

      Those accusations have been debunked...there is even a piece on it

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      Robert Knudson

      What evidence do you have that any of this is pertinent to the outcome of the 2020 US Presidential election?
      To be specific, do you have evidence that Smartmatic supply their competitor Dominion with their current software?
      Do you have evidence that Smartmatic supply election systems to jurisdictions outside LA County in CA?

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      Rick Henderson

      Most (if not all) states have replaced their election software and hardware several times since 2004. No state has its votes tabulated through a central server. They’re all done at either the precinct or voting site. And every county performs a canvass and/or audit, in public view, to randomly check the accuracy of the machines. Nice try, but this conspiracy is easy to blow up.

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      1. Judith Howell

        Rick, every single battleground state where Trump was leading in the late evening on election day was using Dominion voting machines with Smartmatic software. Every single one of those states stopped counting in the early morning hours. I'm not making it up and if you do even one iota of research, you will find that to be true. No one is disputing it, actually. And anyone with any knowledge of ethics in government, knows that the Chairman of the Board of Smartmatic should NOT be acting, either for payment or on a voluntary basis, on Biden's transition team. This too can be researched and easily found to be true. I'm not doing your research for you, because whatever I post you will pooh-pooh away. So satisfy yourself and look into it. What harm will it do?

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        1. Jackson

          Well, if what you're saying is true, it should be pretty obvious when Georgia does its hand recount wouldn't you say?

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          1. Judith Howell

            No, the paper ballots have to be compared with the electronic voting machine. In Michigan the screen shot of the votes were deleted and only the paper ballot is available. Nothing about an election should be deleted until the state has certified the results of that election.

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          JohnF

          "every single battleground state where Trump was leading in the late evening on election day was using Dominion voting machines with Smartmatic software."
          The company itself disputes that statement. I am inclined to believe them because it would be very bad for their reputation if their refutation of your allegation was easily disproved.
          If you have a credible source that proves that their software is in use in these battleground states, please share it.

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        3. PM

          Humans go to bed eventually which is why counting stops in the early morning hours.

          https://www.smartmatic.com/us/media/article/smartmatic-s-response-to-misinformation/

          https://www.smartmatic.com/us/smartmatic-fact-checked/

          I recall this nonsense coming from the Democrats when they've lost elections. And now we have it from Republicans.

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          1. Fatigued Testudine

            They are supposed to have a relief team on deck to take over.

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          2. PM

            While I'm here, if you're talking about Neffenger who had a distinguished military career, it seems possible that he'll join the Biden administration. If that happens, then yes, he should step down from the Smartmatic board.

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          Angie

          I suspect your sources are not being honest with you

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          Rick Henderson

          “No one is disputing it” ... OK, then. I suggest you review The Dispatch podcast with Sarah and Steve and Ben Ginsberg (who actually has participated in litigating voter fraud cases) and then get back to us.

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          1. Joe1776

            They did not dispute anything Judith said. Judith is just offering some additional facts.

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      Dan

      Source please?

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    10. Eric B

      Well, that looks worthy of review.

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    11. Stevenmarks

      Q?

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      1. Judith Howell

        Not sure what Q is, but I invite you to do a bit of research of your own and see if what I posted is true. You will find that if you look up who is the Chairman of the Board of Smartmatic (on their own website) you will see the name of that person. Then look on the internet to verify he is actually on Biden's transition team. He is. Smartmatic software was used in every battle ground state during this 2020 election...easily verified. I posted the very credible media links to investigations and questions about Smartmatic, going back all the way into the early 2000's. They have direct links to owners in Venezuela and Cuba, verified by our very own State Dept. Now I'll leave it to your judgement to decide whether or not it's strange or even ethical to have Smartmatic's Board Chairman on Biden's transition team.

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        1. Anonymous

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          1. Judith Howell

            I really don't have to document anything, sir. I'm not the one doing the investigation. I am not an attorney, nor am I taking any case to court. So save your rude comments for someone else. There are Smartmatic employees who have come forward and signed affidavits under oath that this went on, and that will be presented to a court of law. This was widespread voting fraud and we cannot have this in our country. Honestly I could care less if it changes the election results, but it does need to be fully investigated and litigated. The fact that people are trying to thwart this just reinforces my doubts about the process. The governors who used this company have gotten kick backs and I find it shocking that our states would use a company with connects to Venezuela and Cuba. This is not rumor, it's fact. And you know as well as I do, that if I presented any facts to you, you will say "this has been debunked", and dismiss it. It's what people like you do every time. So I will not be wasting my time trying to prove anything to you. It will all come out in the wash, in the end.

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  10. Scott Mc

    Sigh...you do good work, unfortunately it seems needed too often. I love confirmation bias. I seem to remember some comment like who's watch did this happen under? A few years back. It's all food for media gods and the starving...I will go back to watching grass grow.

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