FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 11, 2008
/*Contact: David Dill
650-725-3642
dill@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx*
/
/**/
*Computer Scientists Issue Warning about Internet Voting *
A group of computer scientists and technology professionals has issued a
statement warning that Internet voting is an idea whose time has not
come. Organized by David Dill, Professor of Computer Science at
Stanford University and founder of VerifiedVoting.org, the statement
cautions that elections conducted via the Internet cannot be verifiably
accurate until "serious, potentially insurmountable technical
challenges" are overcome. [The statement can be viewed here:
http://verifiedvoting.org/article.php?id=5867 ] Internet voting was used
in a pilot in this year's primaries and pilots may occur in two states
this November.
"Study after study by computer scientists has concluded that safe
internet voting is a very hard technical problem, but politicians assume
it's easy," said Dill. "In this statement, we're saying 'This is going
to be a disaster unless we think it through first.'"
Malicious software could change, fabricate, or delete votes cast over
the Internet, as well as deceive or disenfranchise voters, the
technologists warn.
"Voting is a different problem from online commerce" said Dill. "If I
use a credit card over the internet, my name is on the order and I'll
get a statement at the end of the month with a list of charges. But a
secret ballot over the internet can't have the voter's name on it, by
definition. Verifying that votes are cast and counted as intended over
the internet, without compromising ballot secrecy, is an extremely
tricky technical problem that e-commerce doesn't face."