Mit Cybersecurity Experts Do Not Trust Blockchain-based Voting Systems
In the current situation, with many demands of the internet-based voting system, various groups are going against this progressive set of using a blockchain-based voting system. The groups are no ordinary people. They are a “group of researchers” working on this process. So, what’s stopping them from accepting the new voting system? Let’s begin; the Massachusetts-Institute-of-Technology, department of computer science and artificial intelligence, has been working on the blockchain voting system’s pros and cons. After quite a long research, they found that the idea might be a progressive one but is not safe. There will be millions of chances when the data could be hacked, and there can be a compromised result. That is exactly why a section of people do not agree to get the voting system online.
The prominent researchers Neha Narula, Ronald N. Rivest, Michael Spector, Sunoo park, concluded that the online voting system is risky in comparison to the old voting system. According, to researchers, walk-in’s very safe because there is a lesser chance of tampering in the votes. There will also be a lack of audit, even if there will be a contested race. As this is a very new system and has not been implemented yet, no one is sure about the assumptions. Hence, the researchers admit that the system might be a faulty one, but no one has proof of the fact, and hence, these are all assumptions only.
Like in every internet-based transactions or authorized working of organizations and companies, they have a fault a damaged cotton option, but, for a vote, there will be no damage control. Once the system is hacked, there will be a national emergency and chaos. Hence, to avoid frauds and emergencies, the group of researchers does not agree to move their voting system online.
If the hackers hack the blockchain, the election authorities will not be able to declare the results properly, and that will bring chaos all over the country, and that is bound to affect the world economy, one way or another.
After research and Markus debates, the authorities have concluded that, yes, blockchain voting can cause serious hazards to the country’s ruling system, although they are ready to try out the “new process” for online voting but slowly. Small developments in the blockchain system will eventually provide a clear picture of what will happen if the entire system changes. Researcher Michael sector, who is from a different MIT team, released a new report which states there are various vulnerabilities in the blockchain system.