- The CEO of MyPillow created the devices to detect and identify WiFi networks in polling places
- But Kentucky officials say they could violate state law and have banned their use
- Lindell has been banned from X for spreading false claims about 2020 election fraud
Election conspiracy theorist Mike Lindell has banned his $500 Wi-Fi monitoring equipment from polling places in Kentucky.
MyPillow’s CEO said he developed the products, which detect and identify Wi-Fi networks, to make elections more secure.
The 2020 election denier claims that the presence of Wi-Fi in voting booths could indicate votes are being tampered with through internet-connected machines.
He said he linked the devices to send information about online routers to a centralized “command center” that notes the location and sends the information back to the user.
But officials in the state warned that the devices could lead to illegal voter identification and that their use at polling places is likely illegal.
Mike Lindell has banned his $500 Wi-Fi monitoring equipment from polling places in Kentucky.
MyPillow CEO says the devices can detect and identify Wi-Fi networks and are designed to make elections more secure
They have now voted unanimously to ban the devices, fearing they could be small enough to sneak into voting booths.
“These devices appear to be nothing more sophisticated or dangerous than a simple cell phone, which can also detect a Wi-Fi signal,” Michon Lindstrom, communications director for Secretary of State Michael Adams, said in a statement to the U.S. Secretary of State . Cincinnati researcher.
‘The presence of Wi-Fi in a building does not mean that voice scanners are connected to the internet; State law prohibits that and we do not certify ballot scanners for use if they have any connectivity capability.”
Kentucky’s law means voting machines are not built with a modem, meaning they cannot connect to the internet. However, because many polling stations are located in churches, schools and other public areas, Wi-Fi is available.
At a meeting of his Election Bureau Crime Summit, Lindell debuted one of his devices strapped to a drone, explaining that it would catch “them” in “every lie they’ve ever told.”
He told the crowd, “When this device flew into this building, it just grabbed all your cell phones, everyone that was in this room, every device that’s on the Internet right now.”
Kentucky officials have since said that using Wi-Fi monitoring devices in voting booths is likely a felony punishable by one to five years in prison.
Lindell, a prominent supporter of Donald Trump, has been banned from social media platform X for spreading false claims of voter fraud during the 2020 election.
Kentucky officials voted unanimously to ban the devices, fearing they could lead to illegal voter identification
Lindell claims that the presence of Wi-Fi in polling stations could be evidence that votes are being tampered with
He is currently pursuing a lawsuit against two voting machine companies, Dominion and Smartmatic, who claim he defamed them by claiming their machines were involved.
Lindell made his fortune selling bedding to the likes of Walmart and Bed Bath and Beyond, but lost an estimated $100 million when they pulled his products from the shelves following his claims.
Earlier this month he admitted he was ‘broke’ when lawyers in the defamation cases revealed he had not paid fees since July.
MyPillow was making $110 million a year in gross revenue prior to the election controversy, but now only makes about $5 million — a staggering 95 percent drop.
The businessman said he was forced to auction production equipment and sublet unused industrial space after distributors tore up distribution agreements.