Pilot test of Internet voting begins

The Commission on Elections (Comelec) is set to start the 20-day pilot testing of its P23.5-million Internet voting project in Singapore today. The pilot test will run until Aug. 8.

Comelec Chairman Benjamin Abalos, Commissioner Florentino Tuason and spokesman James Jimenez flew yesterday to Singapore to supervise the implementation of the project.

As part of the pilot testing, the Comelec is conducting a mock election by using the names of national heroes and fictitious groups as candidates for senators and party-list, respectively.

Tuason, head of the Overseas Absentee Voting Committee, said the Comelec has tapped the technology of Scytl Consortium, a Spain-based company, to implement the project.

He noted that through the pilot testing, the Comelec intends to find out if the Scytl technology is “secured, less costly, user-friendly and accurate” and acceptable to Filipinos abroad.

Scytl technology contains security features that guard the sanctity of ballots and accelerates voting, canvassing and transmitting procedures. It is already being used in Australia, United States, Spain, Finland and Switzerland.

Around 6,000 Filipino computer experts based in Singapore have expressed interest in attempting to hack the Scytl system.

The International Foundation for Election System, a non-profit organization funded by the United States Agency for International Development, has also granted Comelec’s request to send “auditors” that will try to penetrate the technology.

“With Internet voting, voters need not troop to voting centers in consulates and embassies but they can cast their votes anywhere where there is Internet access,” Tuason maintained.

Under the project, registered voters in Singapore will cast their votes by logging on to the Internet. The list of candidates will appear on the computer and voters can mark the candidates they want to vote for.

The Comelec might recommend the implementation of Internet voting for overseas absentee voters in the 2010 national elections if the pilot testing succeeds.

Pinoys no hackers

Meanwhile, Commissioner Tuason issued a clarification yesterday to say Filipino IT professionals in Singapore are not hackers.

Tuason’s statement was in reaction to news reports quoting him as challenging hackers “to penetrate the system.”

“Along that line, it would appear that the challenge is thrown at Filipino IT professionals residing in Singapore. The unfortunate result is the association of a ‘hacker’ with a Filipino IT professional. Such association is utterly without basis,” the statement said.

The commissioner said that to insinuate otherwise would be “taking matters out of context.”

In the invitation for hackers to test the system, the Comelec said it only wants to ensure that the system is fool-proof so that the sanctity of the ballot will be protected.

“All stakeholders in general, not only IT professionals, and regardless of where they are based, are welcome to test the Internet voting system... to prove that indeed the security features work,” the statement read.