CPU to COMELEC, "
Smartmatic-TIM has proven nothing yet"
Contact:
Rick Bahague
Tel. No.: 02.413.4196
Mobile:
+63917.884.0096
Email: secre...@cp-union.com
Url: http://www.cp-union.com
"Smartmatic-TIM
has proven nothing yet," reacted Mr. Rick Bahague, national
coordinator of the Computer Professionals' Union (CPU) with regards
to the proud winning bidder of the COMELEC's Automated Elections
System (AES), Smartmatic International and Total Information
Management Corp. (Smartmatic-TIM). "At this point, they are
already the best tool of potential Garcis for fraud and cheating on
the 2010 elections."
"The bidding process was just a
test of hardware functions," explains Mr. Bahague. AES has
hardware, software and other needs in order to be implemented. CPU
has dared COMELEC to require the winning bidder to reveal their AES's
source code to the public.
The source code is the set of
instructions written by a programmer which will be translated into a
computer-executable form that instructs the AES as it counts,
consolidates, and transmits data. The AES source code can be modified
to favor a particular candidate, totally hidden from pollwatchers.
Cheating can be mathematically consistent unlike the usual
dagdag-bawas scheme.
In 2007, the State of California did a
thorough review of similar AES systems. The review revealed erroneous
programming and serious security vulnerabilities on all systems
tested. "COMELEC should gather computer and security experts to
review SMARTMATIC-TIM's AES," reiterates Mr. Bahague.
"99.99%
accuracy of the test machine does not mean that the 2010 election
will be accurate and that errors and frauds will be eliminated by
SMARTMATIC-TIM," adds Mr. Bahague. COMELEC has required bidders'
test machines to pass the high accuracy rate set by the Special Bids
and Awards Committee (SBAC). "They were 99.99% accurate in a
very controlled environment. Once machines are deployed, they'll find
it very difficult to have such accuracy."
"The
people wants an election with secret voting and transparent
canvassing. But now we are forced to accept whatever the result from
this AES." warns Mr. Bahague. "The real danger now is that
whoever currently holds political power controls the technology, and
thus will control the elections."
CPU has compiled resources on AES at
http://wiki.cp-union.com
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