Elon Musk suggests eliminating EVMs; BJP leader opposes; Rahul Gandhi calls Indian EVMs as ‘black box’

News Network
June 16, 2024

EVMdebate.jpg

Tech mogul Elon Musk has sent a storm across social media after he tweeted that electronic voting machines should be replaced by paper ballots since he believes such devices are prone to getting hacked.

"We should eliminate electronic voting machines. The risk of being hacked by humans or AI, while small, is still too high," said the Tesla CEO as he retweeted Independent POTUS candidate Robert F. Keddy, who in a post talked about voting irregularities in voting machines in Puerto Rico.

"Luckily, there was a paper trail so the problem was identified and vote tallies corrected. What happens in jurisdictions where there is no paper trail?," Kennedy said.

"US citizens need to know that every one of their votes were counted, and that their elections cannot be hacked. We need to return to paper ballots to avoid electronic interference with elections," he further added.

Soon after Musk's post, BJP leader and former IT Minister of State Rajeev Chandrashekhar took to X and said, "This is a huge sweeping generalization statement that implies no one can build secure digital hardware. Wrong."

He further added, "@elonmusk's view may apply to US n other places - where they use regular compute platforms to build Internet connected Voting machines.(sic)"

Chandrasekhar continued, "But Indian EVMs are custom designed, secure and isolated from any network or media - No connectivity, no bluetooth, wifi, Internet. ie there is no way in. Factory programmed controllers that cannot be reprogrammed.(sic)"

He even went on to say, "Electronic voting machines can be architected and built right as India has done. We wud be happy to run a tutorial Elon. (sic)"

Soon after, Congress MP Rahul Gandhi posted an image of a news article that says an individual had access to a mobile phone with which an EVM can be unlocked.

Rahul said in his post, "EVMs in India are a "black box," and nobody is allowed to scrutinize them. Serious concerns are being raised about transparency in our electoral process. Democracy ends up becoming a sham and prone to fraud when institutions lack accountability."

The news report by Mid-Day reveals that the accused in question, Mangesh Pandilkar, is a relative of Mumbai North West MP Ravindra Waikar, who belongs to the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena.

The article cites police officials as saying that the phone can be used to generate a one-time password (OTP) to unlock an EVM machine, and was used on June 4 inside the NESCO Centre. The phone in question has been sent for forensic tests.

Comments

Add new comment

  • Coastaldigest.com reserves the right to delete or block any comments.
  • Coastaldigset.com is not responsible for its readers’ comments.
  • Comments that are abusive, incendiary or irrelevant are strictly prohibited.
  • Please use a genuine email ID and provide your name to avoid reject.
News Network
October 13,2024

babasiddique.jpg

The shocking assassination of politician Baba Siddique right outside his son Zeeshan's office in Mumbai has sparked nationwide outrage and concern. Mumbai, a city with a dark history of gangland violence, has witnessed yet another brutal incident, reviving memories of an era dominated by fear and crime.

Mumbai’s Dark History of Gangster Violence

In the late '80s and '90s, Mumbai was infamous for its notorious underworld figures such as Dawood Ibrahim, Abu Salem, and Chhota Rajan. The city was plagued by shootouts and attacks, often targeting rival gangsters, politicians, and Bollywood personalities. Extortion was the primary source of income for these criminals.

T-Series founder Gulshan Kumar's assassination and the shooting of filmmaker Rakesh Roshan right outside his office were among the high-profile cases that rocked the city. Although police efforts in the form of encounter killings had significantly reduced this menace, recent incidents such as shootings outside Salman Khan's residence and now, the killing of Baba Siddique, serve as a grim reminder that the city is not yet free from its violent past.

Who Are the Shooters?

The Mumbai Police have arrested two suspects linked to the murder of Baba Siddique. Gurmail Singh from Haryana and Dharamraj Kashyap from Uttar Pradesh were apprehended, while the third shooter, identified as Shiva Gautam, remains on the run. Investigations are ongoing to bring the absconding suspect to justice.

How Long Were the Shooters in Mumbai?

According to police interrogations, the shooters had been residing in Mumbai for almost a month before executing the attack. They rented a house in Kurla, a suburb of Mumbai, paying approximately Rs 14,000 a month. The trio reportedly received the weapons for the crime through a human courier just two weeks before the murder. The police have recovered the 9mm pistols used in the attack, along with 28 live cartridges.

Payment for the Murder

Sources have revealed that the hired shooters were each paid Rs 50,000 to carry out the assassination of Baba Siddique. This chilling revelation has further underscored the calculated nature of the crime.

How Was the Attack Executed?

On the day of the murder, the killers arrived on a scooter at the scene and patiently waited for their target. A collaborator kept them updated on Siddique's movements. When Baba Siddique arrived, six bullets were fired, four of which hit him in the chest, tragically ending the life of the veteran politician.

This case has not only rattled the city of Mumbai but also reopened discussions about safety, law enforcement, and the lingering threat of organized crime in the city of dreams.

Comments

Add new comment

  • Coastaldigest.com reserves the right to delete or block any comments.
  • Coastaldigset.com is not responsible for its readers’ comments.
  • Comments that are abusive, incendiary or irrelevant are strictly prohibited.
  • Please use a genuine email ID and provide your name to avoid reject.
News Network
October 16,2024

flight.jpg

A Bengaluru-bound Akasa Air flight and Delhi-bound IndiGo flight received bomb threats on Wednesday, taking the number of such threats to 12 in three days.

An Akasa Air spokesperson said the flight QP 1335 had 177 persons, including 3 infants, and seven crew members on board. The flight returned to Delhi.

Meanwhile, IndiGo's 6E 651 Mumbai-Delhi flight was redirected to Ahmedabad. The aircraft was isolated, and all passengers were safely disembarked, an IndiGo Spokesperson said.

Apart from an Air India Delhi-Chicago flight, the Dammam-Lucknow IndiGo flight, Ayodhya-Bengaluru Air India Express, a SpiceJet flight from Darbhanga to Mumbai (SG116), an Akasa Air flight from Bagdogra to Bengaluru (QP 1373) an Alliance Air Amritsar-Dehradun-Delhi flight (9I 650) and an Air India Express flight (IX 684) from Madurai to Singapore received bomb threats on Tuesday.

On Monday, two IndiGo and one Air India flight received hoax threats. These included an Air India flight AI119 from Mumbai to New York's JFK Airport, and IndiGo flight 6E1275 bound for Muscat, and flight 6E56 heading to Jeddah.

A Parliamentary Standing Committee met at 11 am over the issue. This was preceded by a meeting called by Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu with Civil Aviation Ministry and DGCA officials.

According to sources some culprits have been identified and the dark web is also being monitored.

Comments

Add new comment

  • Coastaldigest.com reserves the right to delete or block any comments.
  • Coastaldigset.com is not responsible for its readers’ comments.
  • Comments that are abusive, incendiary or irrelevant are strictly prohibited.
  • Please use a genuine email ID and provide your name to avoid reject.
News Network
October 17,2024

Mangaluru: In a shocking case of cyber fraud, an engineer from Mangaluru lost ₹30 lakh after being deceived by a scammer posing as a Mumbai police head constable.

On October 10, the engineer received a phone call, during which the scammer falsely claimed that 25 fraudulent bank accounts had been opened in his name. The caller alleged these accounts were being used for illegal transactions and urged the victim to act immediately to avoid legal trouble.

The scammer manipulated the engineer into believing that all funds in his personal bank account needed to be transferred for "verification" by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI). In a state of panic, the victim complied, transferring ₹30 lakh to multiple accounts provided by the fraudster.

Adding to the deception, the victim was told to send WhatsApp updates every 20 minutes to track the "progress." Realizing the fraud only after the transfers were completed, the victim filed a complaint, and a case has been registered at the Bajpe police station.

This incident serves as a stark reminder for the public to stay cautious and verify information before acting on unsolicited calls, especially those involving sensitive financial details.

Comments

Add new comment

  • Coastaldigest.com reserves the right to delete or block any comments.
  • Coastaldigset.com is not responsible for its readers’ comments.
  • Comments that are abusive, incendiary or irrelevant are strictly prohibited.
  • Please use a genuine email ID and provide your name to avoid reject.