New Delhi: In an interview that will undoubtedly arouse the hackles of the Election Commission whilst potentially disturbing politicians of all political parties, one of India’s foremost electronic voting machine (EVM) experts has said that while EVMs cannot be hacked, because they are not connected to Wi-Fi, Bluetooth or the Internet, they can be easily manipulated. Madhav Deshpande, a former CEO of Tulip Software and a former consultant to the Obama administration in the United States, has also said that the remedy to guard against this manipulation is simple, straightforward and inexpensive. In other words, Deshpande has both identified the problem and provided the solution.In a 37-minute interview to Karan Thapar, Madhav Deshpande began by explaining that EVMs, which comprise three separate units, i.e. the ballot unit, the control unit and the voter-verified paper audit trail (VVPAT) machine, are “under-designed”, by which he meant that they are relying on an old technology which has considerably advanced since it was first used for EVMs but those advances have not been incorporated.As a result, there are holes and gaps in the system which, in turn, permit tampering to happen.In the interview, Deshpande goes on to discuss two ways in which the voting can be manipulated.The first is to do with the VVPAT machine and the way the present configuration of the three voting machines places the VVPAT between the ballot unit and the control unit.I will leave you to see the interview to understand and follow Deshpande’s argument as well as to hear and understand his remedy.The second way voting can be manipulated is through the control unit. Because any control unit can work with any ballot unit, it is theoretically possible to change the control unit after the voting has happened or to pre-load it with manufactured votes.Again, the solution is simple and straightforward. It requires effective pairing through a serial cable. And, once again, I will leave you to see the interview to find out further details about this potential problem as well as the remedy Deshpande suggests.The third point Deshpande makes is the need for geolocation tracking with a GPS attachment to ensure that EVMs do not go astray or can be traced and recovered if they fall into wrong hands.To ensure the geolocation tracking does not lead to the EVM becoming hackable, Deshpande says it must not be electronically connected to the EVMs, but simply attached. Again, I will leave you to hear the interview to find out greater details of Deshpande’s suggestion.This is a very important interview because, for the first time, an EVM expert has shown how EVMs can be manipulated – but not hacked – and how we can easily and simply guard against this manipulation.Now that we “know” EVMs can be manipulated, if action is not taken to immediately remedy and rectify this fear, concern that manipulation is happening could proliferate. It is, therefore, incumbent on the Election Commission to act as soon as possible.With elections just over two months away, this is a very important interview which you should see for yourself. I have deliberately not paraphrased what Deshpande has said but only given you the broad main points. You should see and hear this interview for yourself. Deshpande has spoken simply, clearly and without technical jargon so you should have no problem following him.
