EVMs can be HACKED using mobile OTP? | a genuine question for Dhruv Rathee | Abhi and Niyu

Summary

The video script discusses the possibility of Electronic Voting Machine (EVM) tampering in elections, debunking myths and false news about it. It highlights various election fraud cases, the security features of EVMs, and the impracticality of hacking them. The script also touches on the Election Commission of India's challenge to political parties to demonstrate EVM hacking, which was unaccepted, and emphasizes the need for educated leaders to understand the technology to avoid baseless allegations.

Takeaways

• 🗳️ The script discusses the possibility of Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) being hacked and the skepticism around it after election results.
• 📱 It mentions a claim that EVMs can be unlocked via phone calls, which is dismissed as fake news.
• 🔒 The script highlights that no one has been able to hack an EVM in the past 10 years, suggesting a high level of security.
• 🎥 A live demonstration in 2017 by the Aam Aadmi Party showed a prototype machine that could be hacked, but it was not an actual EVM.
• 🤔 The Election Commission of India challenged political parties to prove that EVMs could be hacked, but no party accepted the challenge.
• 👮‍♂️ There were instances of fraud and attempts to manipulate votes, but these were attributed to human error, not machine faults.
• 🛡️ The script explains the EVM's design, which includes a Control Unit and a Ballot Unit, making it different from a regular computer and not easily hackable.
• 🏗️ The Supreme Court of India has stated that EVMs cannot be hacked and cannot be tampered with, based on a 450-page document.
• 🏭 The machines are manufactured by Bharat Electronics Limited and Electronic Corporation of India, with multiple checks to prevent tampering.
• 🗳️ The EVMs do not have features like Bluetooth or Wi-Fi, making remote hacking impossible.
• 📊 The script emphasizes the complexity and scale of manipulating an entire election, which would require bribing millions of polling staff across diverse locations.

Q & A

What is the claim about EVMs being hackable after election results?

The claim is that if someone had monitored the election process closely, they might have concluded that the EVMs were hacked, especially since this is the first election in the last 10 years where no one has claimed an EVM hack.

What was the news about unlocking EVMs through a phone?

The news claimed that EVMs could be unlocked via a phone call, which was later debunked as fake news.

What did the Election Commission of India do in response to the EVM hacking claims?

The Election Commission of India registered a PIL in the Supreme Court stating that EVMs cannot be hacked and cannot be tempered with, and provided a 450-page document as evidence.

What was the significance of the 2017 Delhi Assembly election regarding EVM hacking?

During the 2017 Delhi Assembly election, the Aam Aadmi Party demonstrated in a live test that EVMs could be hacked, using a prototype machine to predict and match the results.

How did the Election Commission respond to the challenge of proving that EVMs cannot be hacked?

The Election Commission organized an open challenge, inviting all political parties to demonstrate how an EVM could be hacked, promising to make improvements based on their findings.

What are the components of an EVM and what is their purpose?

An EVM consists of a Control Unit (CO) and a Ballot Unit (BU), along with a VVPAT which stands for Voter-Verified Paper Audit Trail. The Control Unit records the votes, the Ballot Unit displays the candidates, and the VVPAT provides a paper trail for verification.

How does the VVPAT system work in the context of the voting process?

After a voter casts their vote on the EVM, the VVPAT prints a slip indicating the candidate selected. This slip is shown for 7 seconds and a beep sound indicates that the vote has been cast, allowing for verification.

What are the technical safeguards in place to prevent EVM tampering?

EVMs have a one-time programmable chip that prevents reprogramming, and they are not connected to the internet or any external devices, making remote hacking impossible.

Why were EVMs introduced in the Indian election process?

EVMs were introduced to reduce human interference, which was causing complications such as booth capturing and vote manipulation, as well as to streamline the vote counting process and reduce disputes.

How has the Supreme Court of India addressed the issue of EVM tampering?

The Supreme Court of India has asked for a law to be made that allows voting through electronic methods, in addition to paper ballots, and has supported the use of EVMs.

What is the process of securing EVMs after voting is completed?

After voting, EVMs are secured in a strong room with video recording of the process to ensure the integrity of the machines until the vote count takes place.