The security problems with voting from home platforms in public elections are almost insurmountable in the short term. Even if voter authentication and encryption were perfect> , we still have to worry about the following problems, for which there are no easy solutions:
1) Widespread virus infection of computers used for voting: The virus code could be silent until you vote; then it could prevent you from voting, or change your vote, and erase itself. Could be launched from anywhere in the world, even out of reach of U.S. law, e.g. Iraq.
2) Remote control attack: Sysadmins can use remote control software to spy on votes, or block them, or change them.
3) Automated peer-to-peer or centralized Internet vote selling / buying schemes: Think "votester". Again, can be launched or coordinated from anywhere.
4) Denial of service attack: Can disenfranchise voters in last hours of election.
5) Spoofing attack: Please click here to vote
for the Green Party.
6) On-screen electioneering: Suppose your ISP presents political ads in your browser window right when you connect to a voting site.
7) Digital divide: Not all voters have equal access to the Internet.
8) Platform divide: All platforms that voters are likely to have must be supported equally. Not just PCs, but Macs (and Palms,...). Not just Windows & MacOS, but Linux(!). Not just MSIE, but other browsers. Etc.
These are among the reasons (there are several others!) why the California Secretary of State's study recommended not diving into home voting any time soon--at least until these problems are solved. Other national studies, e.g. the National Science Foundation study and the Caltech-M.I.T. study, concurred.
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The security problems with voting from home platforms in public elections are almost insurmountable in the short term. Even if voter authentication and encryption were perfect> , we still have to worry about the following problems, for which there are no easy solutions: 1) Widespread virus infection of computers used for voting: The virus code could be silent until you vote; then it could prevent you from voting, or change your vote, and erase itself. Could be launched from anywhere in the world, even out of reach of U.S. law, e.g. Iraq. 2) Remote control attack: Sysadmins can use remote control software to spy on votes, or block them, or change them. 3) Automated peer-to-peer or centralized Internet vote selling / buying schemes: Think "votester". Again, can be launched or coordinated from anywhere. 4) Denial of service attack: Can disenfranchise voters in last hours of election. 5) Spoofing attack: Please click here to vote for the Green Party. 6) On-screen electioneering: Suppose your ISP presents political ads in your browser window right when you connect to a voting site. 7) Digital divide: Not all voters have equal access to the Internet. 8) Platform divide: All platforms that voters are likely to have must be supported equally. Not just PCs, but Macs (and Palms, ...). Not just Windows & MacOS, but Linux(!). Not just MSIE, but other browsers. Etc.
These are among the reasons (there are several others!) why the California Secretary of State's study recommended not diving into home voting any time soon--at least until these problems are solved. Other national studies, e.g. the National Science Foundation study and the Caltech-M.I.T. study, concurred.