Comelec warned vs hackers interfering automated polls

A computer expert on Sunday urged the Commission on Elections (Comelec) to adopt cyber-security measures to prevent hackers from manipulating the 2010 automated elections. “We raised the concern of hacking because the system to be used by consortium of Smartmatic may be susceptible to hacking of internal data system and we believe that it is better if we use closed loop network which is not open to outside influences," said Dante Mara at the Balitaan sa Tinapayan news forum in Sampaloc, Manila. Mara said the system is prone to hacking since Smartmatic-TIM consortium would be using worldwide network - or the Internet - which he said is open to any interference from around the world. An additional P7.2 billion should be allotted for cyber-security, according to Mara. “This is also for the future of the government. In fact the system to be used should be owned by the government to avoid outside influences," he said. In a related development, Comelec chairman Jose Melo rejected the idea of partial automation next year, saying he is confident that the Supreme Court would not rule for it. The group Concerned Citizens Movement (CCM) led by UP Professor Harry Roque had asked the high court to junk the P7.2 billion contract entered by the Comelec and the Smartmatic-TIM joint venture due to alleged irregularities. Melo said that while it is full “speculation" that the Supreme Court may rule on partial automation on CCM's motion for nullification, he stressed that partial automation would be impossible to be conducted. “Right now our preparation is for full automation and I doubt if we would still have time to prepare for partial automation," he said. He added that the law also mandates the full automation of next year's national elections. - GMANews.TV