San Diego roadside sign hacked with profane message about Trump

Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump loves to see his name in lights, with his moniker commanding attention atop buildings and casinos.

He probably won’t be as happy that his five-letter surname was accompanied by a four-letter profanity on an illuminated roadside sign in San Diego. (Warning: Link displays the profanity.)

A Caltrans contractor’s roadside alert sign at the Adams Avenue onramp at Interstate 15 in the Kensington neighborhood was hacked sometime early Thursday to display a profane message about the GOP nominee.

The mobile sign, which is usually used to deliver warnings and instructions to motorists, was commandeered by an unknown person to show a profanity followed by the business tycoon’s name, then 2016, and then “KKK.”

Trump has been endorsed by David Duke, the former Louisiana state legislator and Ku Klux Klan grand wizard and current U.S. Senate candidate

Caltrans said the sign belonged to a contractor, and that most such devices are usually locked and password-protected in order to prevent people from tampering with them. The inappropriate message was brought to the agency’s attention at around 6 a.m. Thursday and was taken down within an hour, the agency said.

“People who break into electronic signs endanger the public safety by distracting motorists and interfering with important messaging,” Caltrans spokeswoman Cathryne Bruce-Johnson said.

It’s unclear what message, if any, was displayed before the sign was hacked. It’s also unclear exactly how the device was infiltrated or if there is any sort of law enforcement investigation into the matter.

Stewart writes for the San Diego Union-Tribune.

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