Rajeev Chandrasekhar Refutes Elon Musk’s Claims on Electronic Voting Machines
Elon Musk recently suggested the elimination of electronic voting machines (EVMs), citing concerns about the potential for hacking by humans or AI, even if the risk is minimal. Musk’s comments were made in response to Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s remarks on voting irregularities in Puerto Rico’s primary elections caused by EVMs.
In response, Rajeev Chandrasekhar, India’s former Minister of Electronics and IT, disputed Musk’s statements. He asserted that Musk’s claims were factually incorrect.
“A calculator or a toaster cannot be hacked. Therefore, there is a limit to where this paradigm of hacking can extend,” Chandrasekhar told ANI. He further argued that to suggest there cannot be a secure digital product implies that every Tesla car can be hacked.
Chandrasekhar emphasized that Musk does not understand the nature of Indian EVMs, which are designed to be secure due to their limited intelligence. “This is a huge sweeping generalization that implies no one can build secure digital hardware. Wrong. No connectivity, no Bluetooth, wifi, or Internet; there is no way in. Factory-programmed controllers that cannot be reprogrammed. Electronic voting machines can be architected and built right as India has done. We would be happy to run a tutorial, Elon,” Chandrasekhar stated.
It remains to be seen how Elon Musk will respond to these comments from the former minister.
