Who Sabotaged the Florence/UNA Walking Tours?

 

For several days, we've been hearing about an act of sabotage against Florence/UNA sponsored walking tours. If you've never taken such a self-conducted tour, the concept is simple. A quick response (QR) bar code is placed on various buildings or landmarks; those taking the tours simply wave their smart phones across the codes to view a description. Ingenious, yes?

Now someone has, for lack of a better word, hacked the software to change the descriptions of these buildings and monuments. It probably wasn't difficult to get into the program since a member of law enforcement has told us the perpetrator had the password.

From our informant:

Subject: the connection between MSNHA and UNA $$$$$

Take a virtual walking tour and you may see things in Florence that will leave you scratching your heads.

https://msnha.oncell.com/en/index.html

If someone visits the UNA campus and scans the QR code at Bibb Graves they will immediately be reading about George Floyd's death. 

One tour is for an anti-death penalty organization based in Montgomery/Auburn. I thought the Muscle Shoals National Heritage Area only covered northern Alabama?

Someone asked the MSNHA why changes have been made to the walking tours to include political unrest.

They were told that no changes have been made since the website was created in late 2018. Anyone can see updates have been made as recent as three months ago. https://msnha.oncell.com/en/tours-175977.html

The main question concerns crime: Was one committed? If so, it was probably a misdemeanor. We're not even sure if the perp will lose his public sector job. 

Should citizens of Florence and Lauderdale County be concerned by this so-called good crime? Let's consider the added tour topic supporting the abolition of the death penalty. If you've read our blog for long, you know that Shoalanda herself supports an almost total ban on the death penalty; however, this is a personal opinion and we do not support the use of tax dollars to lobby for this ban. We have to ask what kind of sociopath thinks his opinion is so important that he's entitled to steal from taxpayers to promote it?

Obviously other changes were made in the tour text. How much we don't know. It may not cost much to restore the original words, but what is to prevent other acts of sabotage by this employee? 

We all need to think about who's running our city and vote accordingly on October 6th!

Re-elect Mayor Steve Holt