At 9:40 PM -0200 11/10/00, Augusto Jun Devegili wrote:
----- Original Message ----- From: "Tim May" <tcmay@got.net>
The problems with these protocols are obvious to all who have looked at these things over the years:
* most voters, at least 99% of them, will not understand or trust or bother with the protocols
[Augusto] Well... how many people don't understand SSL and still use it for home banking?
1. It's built-in and they barely notice it. 2. Many folks don't think about wiretapping for online transactions, or sniffers. They would likely do limited amounts of home banking even without SSL. High rollers don't move large amounts of money around with MyHomePiggyBank and QuickenMe. 3. In particular, there are many people who don't do any online banking at all. Which is fine, as this is their choice and they have ample alternatives. But such is not the case with voting, where we cannot disenfranchise large blocs of people who distrust online voting. 4. The basic concept of point-to-point crypto, such as with PGP or SSL or whatever, is well-understood. It's the concept of an envelope. Such is not the case with the notoriously complex blinding protocols. People will bog down the first time the explanation is attempted.
...
[Augusto] One can still maintain public sites for casting votes, using the same "MyVote" system and identifying themselves with smartcards.
And people will of course fear that the link between their smartcards and all of the interactions on the local terminal will be made. The point is that they don't have their own PC, their own local processor, to do all the necessary computations and local storage.
[Augusto] I would like to see this happening after the scientific/academic community approves a secure protocol and its implementation architecture.
You're welcome to "see it happen." Leave me out of out, though. --Tim May -- ---------:---------:---------:---------:---------:---------:---------:---- Timothy C. May | Crypto Anarchy: encryption, digital money, ComSec 3DES: 831-728-0152 | anonymous networks, digital pseudonyms, zero W.A.S.T.E.: Corralitos, CA | knowledge, reputations, information markets, "Cyphernomicon" | black markets, collapse of governments.