Former Union Minister Rajeev Chandrasekhar on Sunday schooled X proprietor Elon Musk on the Digital Voting Machine (EVM) and its chance of getting hacked. This got here in as a response to Musk issuing a press release to get rid of digital voting machines. He mentioned that the chance of being hacked by people or AI, whereas small, continues to be too excessive. Chandrasekhar in response mentioned that this was an enormous sweeping generalisation assertion that implied nobody can construct safe digital {hardware}.
The previous Union Minister tweeted, “Elon Musk’s view could apply to the US and different locations, the place they use common compute platforms to construct Web-connected Voting machines. However Indian EVMs are customized, safe and remoted from any community or media – No connectivity, no Bluetooth, wifi, Web. ie there isn’t a manner in. Manufacturing unit-programmed controllers that can not be reprogrammed. Digital voting machines might be architected and constructed proper as India has carried out. We’d be completely satisfied to run a tutorial Elon.”
It is a enormous sweeping generalization assertion that means nobody can construct safe digital {hardware}. Mistaken. @elonmusk ‘s view could apply to US n different locations – the place they use common compute platforms to construct Web related Voting machines.
However Indian EVMs are customized… https://t.co/GiaCqU1n7O
— Rajeev Chandrasekhar 🇮🇳 (@RajeevRC_X) June 16, 2024
Musk didn’t settle for defeat and mentioned, “Something might be hacked.”
Chandrasekhar replied by saying, “Technically ur proper – something is feasible E.g. with quantum compute, I can decrypt any stage of encryption, with lab-level tech and loads of assets, I can hack any digital {hardware}/system together with flight controls of a glass cockpit of a jet and so on. However that is a unique kind of dialog from EVMs being safe and dependable vis-a-vis paper voting. And we are able to conform to disagree.”
Technically ur proper – something is feasible E.g..wth quantum compute, i can decrypt any stage of encryption, with lab stage tech n loads of assets, i can hack any digital {hardware}/system incldng flight controls of a glass cockpit of a jet and so on and so on. However thats a unique kind…
— Rajeev Chandrasekhar 🇮🇳 (@RajeevRC_X) June 16, 2024
Opposition’s Response
The nationwide president of Indian Youth Congress, Srinivas has a suggestion for Musk. He tweeted, “Pricey Elon, Kindly chorus from difficult the Modi authorities or the ECI, “” 🙂 Thanks on your understanding.”
Pricey Elon,
Kindly chorus from difficult the Modi authorities or the ECI, “” 🙂
Thanks on your understanding.
— Srinivas BV (@srinivasiyc) June 16, 2024
Rahul Gandhi didn’t lag behind both. Whereas replying to Musk’s first tweet, Gandhi wrote, “EVMs in India are a “black field,” and no person is allowed to scrutinise them. Critical considerations are being raised about transparency in our electoral course of. Democracy finally ends up turning into a sham and vulnerable to fraud when establishments lack accountability.”
EVMs in India are a “black field,” and no person is allowed to scrutinize them.
Critical considerations are being raised about transparency in our electoral course of.
Democracy finally ends up turning into a sham and vulnerable to fraud when establishments lack accountability. pic.twitter.com/7sdTWJXOAb
— Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) June 16, 2024
Can EVMs Be Hacked?
The controversy of EVMs being hacked throughout polls to favour a specific social gathering has been happening for a very long time now. Totally different social gathering members have completely different views of this, nonetheless, there have been confirmations that EVMs might be manipulated.
One in all India’s foremost digital voting machine (EVM) specialists, and a former CEO of Tulip Software program and a former advisor to the Obama administration in the USA, Madhav Deshpande, earlier this 12 months advised The Wire that EVMs can’t be hacked, as a result of they aren’t related to Wi-Fi, Bluetooth or the Web, they are often simply manipulated. He mentioned two methods during which the voting might be manipulated. The primary manner is to do with the VVPAT machine and the way in which the current configuration of the three voting machines locations the VVPAT between the poll unit and the management unit.
The second manner voting might be manipulated is thru the management unit. As a result of any management unit can work with any poll unit, it’s theoretically potential to alter the management unit after the voting has occurred or to pre-load it with manufactured votes.