Let us get to know our
"made in India" EVMs. Firstly, they are not made in India! Oh, yes, little
no-things, puny parts of "lesser" consequence are of course either
sub-contracted to smaller units by two Public Sector Units, BEL and ECIL; or
made by them. But the "brains" of EVMs - Micro Controllers - are manufactured
by Microchip of U.S.A. and Renesas of Japan. Secondly, 3 "Junior Programmers"
in Indian EVM Manufacturing Companies have written EVM Software or "Source
Code' that drives these machines. So, our democracy is safe in the hands of
these lowly paid, incorruptible junior governmental officials! And, pray, do
they or anybody else - now - know where their "hand-made" software code
is?
The "Source Code" of Indian
EVMs is in foreign hands! The foreign multinationals, to whom microcontroller "making"
has been outsourced, after copying this secret software into microchips, return
them to India - "masked" and "burnt". These "burnt-in" programs cannot be
"read-back" by anyone - not even by their Original Programmers or by Parent
Manufacturers of Indian EVMs. Thus, after these foreign-returned "brains" of
EVMs come back to India, then - except for god and hackers - no one knows The
Source Code of EVMs!
However, this
micro-controlled design of EVMs, using aforesaid "foreign" embedded software
under microcontrollers, is an electronically enabled program. It has "read
only" memory. It is used only for storage of Voter and Voting Data. But a
hacker, after cracking Source Code of EVMs, can read and write "memory" from
external electronic interface; manipulating data at will. Somebody, thousands
of miles away, can cast unlimited number of votes in favour of his client.
Remember, NASA was hacked into 13 times. Compared to it, EVMs are a piece of
cake, with its almost "primitive" make and methodology.
Also, since these voting
machines are stored in state-controlled "strong'-rooms; they are repaired and
thus handled by a good many people; it's a child's play to tinker with them. It
takes just 2 minutes to attach cheap ($24 worth) undetectable electronic device
to memory chips inside EVMs. Then, sitting cosily elsewhere, hackers can write
vote data as per their choice and choosing. LED display - a small circuit
inside EVMs used during counting - can be easily changed by a look-alike fake
one, containing a hidden chip that substitutes fraudulent votes. Entire EVM can
be replaced by fake but identical looking machines, with none being the wiser.
Anybody having access to them for less than 3 minutes can replace
microcontrollers (in which EVM software is coded) with fake "generic"
micro-controllers. Or, exchange "mother-boards" (Cards containing
microcontrollers) of EVMs with "managed" ones.
Also, EVMs contain two
EEPROMs inside their "Control Unit"; in which Voting Data is stored. Totally
insecure, these EEPROMs can be easily manipulated by "external" source -- requiring no physical access to the
voting machines at all. In fact, Cyber "Attackers" can send coded
signals of radio or by secret combination of key presses; then, hijack entire
lot of votes. Even the Numbers in Vote-Count, already "counted', can be altered
to suit the hacker's liking! By "Return Oriented Programming", needing no Source Code; a
malicious take-over of EVMs can be staged; making an electronic voting machine
"turn against itself" - stealing votes from itself!
Cases after cases have been
filed in different states against tampering of EVMs, by different political
parties against each other; with State or Election Commission of India as a
party. The latest was a hearing on 22nd January, 2013 in Supreme
Court. Therein, Senior Counsel appearing on behalf of Election Commission
submitted that VVPAT (Voter Verifiable
Paper Audit Trail) fitted EVMs have been field-tested in 180 election
centres and that these will be first
used in By-Elections. Yet, when Jagmeet Brar (Member, Congress Working
Committee and Ex-Member Parliament) made written application to Election
Commission to deploy these "tested" VVPAT fitted EVMs in 188 booths in February
Moga by-election in Punjab; his request was disdainfully brushed aside.
Election Commission reiterated that EVMs were safe, sound and secure.
CIA Cyber Expert, after
studying EVMs in 36 nations, appearing before U.S. Election Assistance
Commission in February 2009, submitted that Hugo Chavez fixed 2004 Election
Recount. A la Modi in Gujarat in India, so has been done 3 times, in Venezuela
too. What EVM System has been used there? You guessed it -- verily the same if
not identical as was then, as is at present, this very moment, in use in India!
In 2010, a Committee on The
Use of EVMs constituted by Election Commission of Pakistan forbade EVM use
without VVPAT. It also concluded that in a 20-Year-Estimation, EVM Usage shall
cost twice as much as simple Paper Ballot would. Apprehensions were also cast
on "overloading" of EVMs - for, it had happened in U.S.A.; leading to loss of
thousands of votes.
(Note: You can view every article as one long page if you sign up as an Advocate Member, or higher).
