CDR: Re: A secure voting protocol

Tim May tcmay at got.net
Fri Nov 10 16:23:59 PST 2000


At 9:40 PM -0200 11/10/00, Augusto Jun Devegili wrote:
>----- Original Message -----
>From: "Tim May" <tcmay at 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.





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