Hacker Friendly

In a country where our weather predicting agency has obsolete instruments, where newly built roads deteriorate as fast as Pacquiao takes out his opponents, where corruption is an open secret, and where we don't even have a decent cyber law, here we are, about to have our first electronic national election next year.

I grew up with the idea that there are no decent public officials. For me, there are two types of politicians. The really bad ones, and the ones that are not too greedy. Lets face it, our beloved politicians would do anything just to be elected. A lady friend of mine who came from a political family once told me, "during election time, if a barangay wont vote for us, they wont get any project if we win". The project she was referring to were "deep wells". Water for god's sake! Its a basic need, and yet politicians use it as political leverage as if they were gods punishing their mortal subjects.

With all things said, what would prevent our beloved "public servants" from rigging next years election? Now some of you might say that next years electronic voting is a step forward in trying to eradicate electoral fraud. Well, to dream is free my friend. ( slap me silly for being so negative about this )

So how would they go about doing it? That i don't know. But If you're one of the millions who uses the internet on a daily basis, you would know that programs always have a backdoor. And no programmer in his right mind would honestly admit of making one, for that would defeat the purpose of putting it there in the first place.

So if you're like me who thinks that next years election is a futile attempt at trying to get the true voice of the people, then what can we do? My answer is the same as you my friend, I don't know.

Comelec spokesperson James Arthur Jimenez was quoted saying that "Precinct Count Optical Scan (PCOS) system ensures transparency and accuracy, and is equipped with safety features to make it difficult for people within and outside Comelec to alter the results. Hacking or rigging the election results stored in the PCOS will require a grand conspiracy, he said, considering there are many passwords and security codes that lock the machines.

They made it "difficult" but not impossible. And "it will require a grand conspiracy".

How reassuring don't you think?