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Australian Electoral Commission Refuses To Release Vote Counting Source Code

Posted by Soulskill on from the you-can-trust-us dept.

angry tapir writes: The Australian Electoral Commission has been fighting a freedom of information request to reveal the source code of the software it uses to calculate votes in elections for Australia's upper house of parliament. Not only has the AEC refused an FOI request (PDF) for the source code, but it has also refused an order from the Senate directing that the source code be produced. Apparently releasing the code could "leave the voting system open to hacking or manipulation."

1 of 112 comments (clear)

  1. Security by obscurity by chromaexcursion · · Score: -1, Troll

    A system that few know is far more secure than an open one.
    Quit trying to find fault with those who legitimately desire security over openness. Not every close system is suspect.
    The stupidest mickey mouse cypher will thwart some of the best hackers, if they don't know the algorithm.
    For those that say the count must be open. How can a secret ballot be open? At some point you have NO control. You HAVE to trust someone. If you don't, go home.
    Rigging elections is ancient, been done for thousands of years. Computers are just the new toy on the block.
    It comes down to if the people that run the system want to game it they can. Actually it's easier to mess with paper ballots. Messing with software leaves a trail.