A pocket-sized device is being designed by UK researchers, which is likely to allow citizens to vote from the comfort of their own homes – even through comprimised computers.
A team of researchers from the University of Birmingham are developing the next generation technology, which could change the voting system by the 2020 or 2025 general elections.
According to reports, the researchers were inspired by credit card-sized devices issued by banks which will allow citizens to use independent hardware devices in conjunction with their PCs.
University of Birmingham professor Mark Ryan said: "This system works by employing a credit card-sized device similar to those used in online banking.
"It is called Du-Vote, and we have been developing it over the past two years. From the voter’s perspective, it’s straightforward: you receive a code on the device and type it back into the computer."
Unlike traditional methods of voting, online voting is vulnerable to cyber security threats as foreign governments, criminal gangs, or petty fraudsters can create election-targeting malware to alter the votes casted.
Ryan added: ‘The main advantage of this system is that it splits the security between the independent security device and a voter’s computer or mobile device.
Content from our partners
"A computer is a hugely powerful, all-purpose machine running billions of lines of code that no one really understands, whereas the independent security device has a much, much smaller code base and is not susceptible to viruses."
