Nathan

Philippines

With the introduction of the automated system of counting in our elections next year, there have been raised eyebrows. Yes, it will lead us to a faster and more hands-off counting of votes, which therefore implies that there will be less chances of cheating. However, it’s not all true. Somehow, there have already been controversies surrounding this issue.

Lets define source code first: it is the human readable form of the instructions being done by the computer to perform certain tasks. So for every program, we have a source code that developers write. It contains the logic behind the system, i.e. how the system will perform under which circumstance. So basically, the computer just follows the instructions to the letter. Given that, if the source code is compromised, then the whole system is compromised.

Here are some advantages of source code review:

• Transparency and accountability, to be able to ensure that agencies and companies tasked to evaluate the system are clean and honest, and
• Better evaluation and allows improvement of the system before deployment.

While here are some disadvantages:

• Review does not ensure reliability, as reviews may be done haphazardly, esp. when there is only short notice, and
• Prone to malicious attack by those with bad intent.

So given these arguments pro or against, I am still for the source code review. I believe that many eyes are better than one. Can we just rely on a single unit or review body for the integrity of the system? For me, not in this case. Even if there are those who plan on sabotaging the system, I believe that those who are tasked to safeguard the integrity of the system will still prevail, especially now that we are in a predicament where we can no longer have a huge mistake in our elections. Agree? Agree.

Some will argue that opening the code to the public is a waste of time. I beg to disagree. There are a lot of open source software around and some of them are even better than commercial software. It would be a good chance for us to scrutinize the faults of the system, and properly address them. But what can we do now, as it seems that we can no longer review the code. It seems that we just have to rely on a “certification” that a certain company has done the review in a proper manner. We don’t even know if the system really fits the Philippine scenario.

There are many ways on how to have a proper solution or maybe a compromise on the issue. But I guess, the more pressing issue now is time. Let us be vigilant as the elections draw near.

The following are good reads for more information on source code, reviews, and their relation to the elections (and where I got some of the information I wrote here):

• Public Counting and Code Review by Dr. P. Manalastas
• The Death of Election 2010 Source Code Review (Sep 23 09) by Dr. P. Manalastas
• Written Testimony of D. Wagner, PHD before the Committee on House Administration, Elections Committee

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