Researchers at the University of Birmingham have developed a technique to allow people to cast their election vote online – even if their home computers are suspected of being infected with viruses.
Taking inspiration from the security devices issued by some banks, the security and privacy research group at Birmingham, led by Professor Mark Ryan, has developed a system that allows people to vote by employing independent hardware devices in conjunction with their PCs.
The new technique offers a fresh contribution to the debate surrounding e-voting and could be ready for use in time for the 2020 or 2025 General Election.
Professor Ryan said: ‘This system works by employing a credit card-sized device similar to those used in online banking. It is called Du-Vote, and we have been developing it over the past two years. From the voter’s perspective, it’s straightforward: you receive a code on the device and type it back into the computer.
‘The main advantage of this system is that it splits the security between the independent security device and a voter’s computer or mobile device. A computer is a hugely powerful, all-purpose machine running billions of lines of code that no one really understands, whereas the independent security device has a much, much smaller code base and is not susceptible to viruses.’
Online voting carries a strong security requirement because of the possibility of undetectable interference in an election by foreign governments, criminal gangs, or petty fraudsters. Malware affects an estimated 20% to 40% of PCs globally, and specific election-targeting malware could be developed to attempt to alter votes cast or compromise ballot secrecy.
Gurchetan Grewal, who is part of the project team and recently completed a PhD in online voting at Birmingham, said: ‘This is currently the only piece of work that addresses a core problem of e-voting – namely, that someone may have viruses or other malware on their computer. For example, the system in Estonia, where they have already introduced online voting, does not deal with this potentially undetectable source of vote manipulation or breach of voter privacy.’
The system being developed at Birmingham aims to bypass and detect malware by using a separate security device. But the system achieves even greater security than those used by banks by allowing for the possibility that the security devices themselves have been manufactured under the influence of a hostile adversary.
Read more: Online voting a step closer thanks to breakthrough in security technology
The Latest on: Online voting
[google_news title=”” keyword=”Online voting” num_posts=”10″ blurb_length=”0″ show_thumb=”left”]
via Google News
The Latest on: Online voting
- Joe Biden’s re-election campaign won’t stop using TikTok, despite US divestment-or-ban billon April 25, 2024 at 5:53 am
US President Joe Biden has signed a bill that could ban TikTok from US app stores. His campaign plans to stay on the app anyway to reach crucial younger voters.
- Lok Sabha elections 2024 phase 2: How to check and download voting slip onlineon April 25, 2024 at 4:23 am
According to the Election Commission of India, voting for the second phase of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections will begin at 7 am and end at 5 pm. An additional hour has been allotted as a buffer period ...
- Inside Google’s Plans to Combat Misinformation Ahead of the E.U. Electionson April 25, 2024 at 3:30 am
So begins a short animated video about a practice known as decontextualization and how it can be used to misinform people online. The video identifies signs to watch out for, including surprising or ...
- Lok Sabha elections 2024 Phase 2: How to check and download your voting slip onlineon April 25, 2024 at 3:28 am
As per the Election Commission of India, the voting for the second phase of the Lok Sabha elections 2024 will commence at 7 am and conclude at 5 pm with an extra hour being provided as a buffer period ...
- Texas school districts violated a law intended to add transparency to local electionson April 25, 2024 at 3:00 am
The Texas Tribune and ProPublica analyzed 35 Texas school districts that held trustee elections last fall and found none that posted all of the required campaign finance records.
- Lok Sabha Elections 2024: India sieves online deluge to stamp out disinformationon April 25, 2024 at 1:35 am
Since the last general elections in 2019, the number of internet users in India has swelled 43 per cent to about 820 million, fed by growing use of smartphones and Facebook, WhatsApp and X.
- India sieves online deluge to stamp out disinformation in world's biggest electionon April 24, 2024 at 9:13 pm
Indian forest service official Surya Sen usually manages a city zoo, but during the world's largest general elections, he has a very different task - rooting out online misinformation to prevent any ...
- What to know about early voting in Tom Green Countyon April 24, 2024 at 5:38 pm
Early voting opened Monday in Tom Green County, here's everything to know about this election. Early voting is at the main branch voting location at the Edd B. and Frances Frink Keyes Building, 113 W.
- Online Voter Registration Deadline Fridayon April 24, 2024 at 4:16 pm
Friday, April 26 is the deadline to pre-register to vote using the online voter registration system ahead of the May 21 primary election. Following the Friday deadline, eligible voters may register in ...
- 2024 Presidential Primary Election: online voter registration deadline is Fridayon April 22, 2024 at 11:56 am
After Friday, primary election voters can only register to vote or update their voter registration in person at an early voting site or on Election Day.
via Bing News