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The problem with EVMs-THE HINDU--2nd Sept.2010

The problem with EVMs

SUBRAMANIAN SWAMY

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UNDER THE SCANNER: Can EVMs be tampered with? - PHOTO: RITU RAJ KONWAR

Electronic voting machines (EVMs) were supposed to be the cure for the malady of booth-capturing in elections in India, but in the present form of use they have only worsened the problems. Moreover, EVMs also do not meet the legal requirements set out in the Information Technology Act, 2000.

EVMs, as they are being used by the Election Commission of India (ECI), create worries about the very legitimacy of the choice of governments through elections based on them, and raise questions about whether the ECI has become partisan in its defence of EVMs.

The duties of the ECI as set out in Article 324 of the Constitution include ensuring that elections conducted by it are free and fair, and reflect the will of the voters.

To be considered free and fair, the international standards an election has to meet are:

individuals have to be accurately identified as eligible voters who have not already voted;

voters are allowed only one anonymous ballot each, which they can mark in privacy;

the ballot box is secure, observed and, during the election, only able to have votes added to it by voters: votes cannot be removed;

when the election ends, the ballot box is opened and counted in the presence of observers from all competing parties. The counting process cannot reveal how individual voters cast their ballots;

if the results are in doubt, the ballots can be checked and counted again by different people;

as far as the individual voter is concerned, he must be assured that the candidate he casts his vote for, actually gets that vote.

Over the last few centuries, the system of paper ballots was developed that could meet all these six requirements. But the pattern of use of EVMs in the last few general elections in India does not meet the fifth and sixth requirements set out here.

In correspondence with the ECI, I suggested that it incorporate in EVMs the safeguard of a “paper backup” or “paper trail” as is done in some countries. This will easily and in an inexpensive manner meet the last two requirements mentioned above.

As suggested and developed by many experts, this “paper trail” procedure is meant to supplement the procedure of voting, as follows:

“Once approved, the voter views the ballot and makes the desired selections … If the voter confirms that the choices displayed are correct, the machine records the vote on some storage medium.

“The EVM then prints out a readable receipt, much like in automated teller machines (ATM), which is confirmed by the voter, who then deposits it in a ballot box on the way out of the booth, and which poll workers are monitoring.

“If the election is later disputed, officials can optically scan these paper ballots or hand-count them.”

If the EVM is linked to the Unique Identity system being developed, and the EVM can check voters' biometric details before allowing them to vote, that will eliminate bogus voting as well.

But the ECI reacted as if I had violated its electoral chastity. It demanded that I go to the Commission's premises and demonstrate that EVMs can be rigged — although I had not made such an accusation but had only wanted the machine to be safeguarded.

The demonstration

On September 3, 2009, I went to Nirvachan Bhavan along with Vemuru Hari Prasad, a software specialist from Hyderabad, to demonstrate that EVMs can indeed be tampered with. (Dr. Prasad has since been arrested.)

The proceedings at Nirvachan Bhavan were videotaped by the ECI, in the presence of officials of the Electronics Corporation of India Limited (ECIL) and Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL), which manufacture EVMs. But the ECI has refused to provide me a copy of the recording made.

Dr. Hari Prasad was given an EVM and asked to give a demonstration. He efficiently went about seeking to prove that it could be tampered with. When he was in the final stage of his work, suddenly the ECIL and BEL representatives began to protest, and claimed that he was violating the companies' ‘intellectual property rights'.

I have obtained documents from the World Intellectual Property Organisation, with its headquarters in Paris, to show that ECIL and BEL had applied for a patent for the EVM in 2002. But in 2006 they withdrew their applications when it became clear that the applications would be rejected. The two outfits do not hold an international patent.

The ECI aborted the meeting despite our protests — all recorded on tape. Now, much like Richard Nixon, it does not want to part with the tapes. No further meetings have been scheduled; only Dr. Hari Prasad was called to the Commission to wear him down. His recent arrest in Mumbai was a desperate act motivated by the ECI to terrorise him, on the charge of theft of an EVM. It was much like the Manipur government issuing an arrest warrant in 1978 against Indira Gandhi for stealing chickens from the State.

It thus became necessary for me to file a writ petition before the Delhi High Court. When such an obvious safeguard as the paper trail is easily and relatively cheaply available, the ECI refuses to even consider it. Hence it is unreasonable and smacks of mala fide. The next hearing of my writ petition is scheduled for November 24. The ECI will then have to explain the patent fiasco and why it lied about it in public.

Doubts about e-elections

There is worldwide acceptance of the need for a paper trail in conjunction with EVMs. Electronic voting was introduced in many countries. But serious doubts were soon raised about the security, accuracy, reliability and verifiability of electronic elections. In October 2006, the Netherlands banned the use of EVMs. In 2009, the Republic of Ireland declared a moratorium on their use. Italy has followed suit. In March 2009, the Supreme Court of Germany ruled that voting through EVMs was unconstitutional, holding that transparency is a constitutional right but efficiency is not a constitutionally protected value.

The official stand of the ECI is that EVMs are 100 per cent reliable and tamper-proof, that the functioning chips have their instructions indelibly burnt into them at the time of manufacture; that these chips are then “mother-sealed” into the EVM; and that this can never be altered. This claim is presented as an immaculate premise, a mantra requiring no proof thereof.

The field of hacking is continually developing, and ECIL's and BEL's advisers belong to an era of soldering two wires together (the “diode and triode era”). They are in no position to counter the averment of international scholars that no electronic machine has been devised that cannot be rigged or hacked.

The ECI must cut its losses and agree to a paper receipt. If it cannot arrange that, we should return to ballot papers. Ballot papers are riggable at a ‘retail' level; but with EVMs, an entire election can be stolen with a chip.

( Dr. Subramanian Swamy is a former Union Minister for Law and Justice.)

There is worldwide acceptance of the need for a paper trail in conjunction with the use of EVMs. Why is the Election Commission of India refusing to adopt it?

Cataract risk for unprotected interventional cardiology personnel---THE HINDU--2nd Sept.2010

Ultrasensitive: The eye lens is one of the most radiosensitive tissues. — Photo: RAMESH SUSARLA

There is an urgent need to educate the personnel in radiation protection to reduce the likelihood of cataract


Now it is official. In two separate studies, researchers supported by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) recently concluded that interventional cardiologists and associated workers who have not used radiation protection accessories have significantly elevated incidence of radiation associated eye lens changes; and that there is urgent need to educate them in radiation protection to reduce the likelihood of cataract.

Published studies

Radiation Research (June 28, 2010) and Catheterization and Cardiovascular Interventions (June 14, 2010) two peer reviewed journals have published these studies.

There are three main forms of cataract according to its anatomic location: nuclear, cortical and posterior sub capsular (PSC). Among the three forms of age-related cataract, PSC is the least common but this form is most commonly associated with exposure to ionizing radiation. Researchers in both studies demonstrated a dose-dependent, increased risk of posterior lens opacities for interventional cardiologists and nurses when they did not use radiation protection accessories.

Larger cohort needed

Though a larger cohort is needed to confirm the findings, the results suggest that radiation protection measures for eyes must be in place.

In both studies, two independent specialists each trained in the recognition and evaluation of characteristic, radiation-induced lens changes, examined the eyes of each participant after full dilation.

The study published in Radiation Research showed that the interventional cardiologists have 3.2 times more risk than for unexposed controls. For nurses and technicians, the relative risk was 1.7 times more.

The study groups consisted of 116 exposed individuals (interventional cardiologists: 58 and associated workers :) and 93 similarly aged non-exposed individuals.

The paper published in Catheterization and Cardiovascular Interventions showed that the relative risk for interventional cardiologists was 5.7 and for nurses and paramedical staff, it was five, compared to unexposed controls. This group contained 67 physicians and nurses and 22 age and sex matched health care professionals not working in interventional medicine.

“The lens of the eye is one of the most radiosensitive tissues in the body and exposure of the lens to ionizing radiation can cause cataract” the researchers wrote in Radiation Research.

“Ionizing radiation exposure to eye lens results in characteristic progressive changes leading to opacification or clinical cataract. While initial, early stages of such opacification may not cause visual disability, the severity of such changes increases progressively with dose until vision is impaired and cataract extraction surgery is required,” the researchers warned.

“Because of its location along the visual axis of the lens, relatively minor PSC can have a great impact on vision,” the researchers cautioned.

Cataract sets in early, if the dose is larger. Cumulative x-ray doses to the lenses of interventional cardiologists and staff can be very high. They often remain close to the patients for several hours a day during cardiac interventional procedures. Patients scatter x-rays.

Combining doses

The researchers evaluated eye lens dose of each participant by combining doses measured from several catheterization laboratories with the subject's reported annual workload (number and kind of procedures carried out).

In 2007, the International Commission of Radiological Protection (ICRP), in its latest recommendation, reiterated the suggestion from recent studies that the lens of the eye may be more radiosensitive than previously considered.

Surveys during various IAEA training courses in which cardiologists from 56 countries attended indicated that only 33-77 per cent interventional cardiologists used dose measuring badges routinely. They did not use protective accessories universally.

An AERB workshop on “Radiation safety in interventional radiology including cath lab” in April 2009 highlighted the need for formal training in this important area. Taking into account its potential to deliver high radiation doses, the Atomic Energy (Radiation Protection) Rules 2004 prescribed that all such equipment must have a “license”, the highest form of regulatory documentation and control.

Interventional cardiologists must receive appropriate training and accreditation to use radiation equipment optimally without undue risk. AERB and the relevant professional associations must take the lead in achieving this objective.

Let us learn from the experience of advanced countries which acted promptly when patients suffered skin injuries. The new findings on cataract must speed up a comprehensive programme of training.

The training material is freely available at: http://

rpop.iaea.org/RPOP/

RPoP/Content/Additional

Resources/Training/

1_TrainingMaterial

/Cardio

logy.htm

K.S. PARTHASARATHY

Raja Ramanna Fellow, Department of Atomic Energy

( ksparth@yahoo.co.uk)

Sukhmani sadana Fox Channel-History Rocks

Verdict on the trial of Kasab

The verdict in the case of kasab is truly welcome for all the Indians. When i was checking the tweets in twitter.com, i found many people, saying kasab got what he deserved and the verdict should teach a lesson to all those, who run and who get trained in the terrorist camps, across the border. But, will it serve as an eye opener? As a matter of fact, all these guys are hard-core terrorists, who do not fear death... The only lesson they can learn is that they can be pretty safe in this country for a couple of years or even more, after commiting such a heinous crime... I came to know that a lot of tax-payers' money, amounting to crores, was spent in protecting kasab. At such a situation,is it not logical for us, to wonder, "Is it for this, that we pay taxes for?" Also, i came to know that a number of security guards were employed to protect the terrorist... In my view, every person, who joins the armed forces and the like, wants to sacrifice his life, protecting his country and not protecting a terrorist, who attacked his country...
Now, what is the future course?
Kasab will obviously appeal in the high court and then the supreme court... Then, he would seek the pardon of the president... I came to know that, there are about 309 applications pending in the office of Hon'ble President, seeking clemency... When can they be disposed off?? When would kasab's turn come? What happened to Afzal Guru, who was awarded the death sentence, in the parliament attack case, which occured longback? I hope, Kasab would die his natural death, before we can hang him to death...
Everybody, might be laughing at us, seeing our judicial system. In the name of fair trial, the govt. itself provided a lawyer to defend a person, who attacked the same country. And now, the lawyer is determined to save his terrorist client from death... At one time, he says that his client was brainwashed by the jihadists and that he was innocent... It is shame on our part, that we are trying to protect a person, who killed many of our people... By acting in such a way, what example are we going to set to the whole world? That it took 17 months for us, to get convinced, that the guy, who has been caught red-handed in action, was indeed a terrorist... Is this what we are going to convey the whole world.....?!
IT SHOULD ALWAYS BE REMEMBERED THAT JUSTICE DELAYED IS JUSTICE DENIED

At Annavaram