[continued from previous message]

trust -- particularly remarkable between people who are by nature
adversaries.

My recent post was not proselytizing, it was just an experience report. Can electronic voting be trusted? I believe this question should be evaluated against the alternatives. Is examining hundreds of the now famous Floridian "hanging chads" better? Is handing over the decision to the Supreme Court (made, as the joke went of the time, of people appointed by a president and
now tasked with appointing his son) better? Is the persistent belief of tens
of millions of US voters that the 2020 elections were "rigged" better? Is
the $787 million to be paid by Fox News to Dominion (for fueling that
belief) better? I don't think so.

One alternative, when it is possible, may make e-voting unnecessary:
required in-person voting with paper ballots. But often the actually
available alternatives are dubious. After all, a Dominion Systems voting machine *is* electronic voting, subject (for conspiracy theorists) to all
the corresponding distortions, but without the openness and public scrutiny
of the French scheme. Mail-in voting is widespread in the US and although it has been shown -- in lawsuits -- to be quite safe, it is not hard to come up with theoretical risks. The French mechanism for expat-voting was devised
for a good reason: many of the affected voters leave far away from any potential voting place; imagine you are a doctor in a small town in the developing world. In some countries, it is actually illegal to organize a voting event for an election in another country. No solution is perfect, but e-voting seems to be an excellent solution for such cases.

Whether its application should be broadened is up for discussion, but as
good scientists and technologists we should evaluate the pros and cons of
every option calmly and objectively. I could elaborate but, sorry, I need to get back to my hypnosis session.

------------------------------

Date: Fri, 12 Jul 2024 10:19:36 PDT
From: Peter Neumann <neumann@csl.sri.com>
Subject: Re: Russian Disinformation (RISKS-34.35)

Re: Canada warns of AI-driven Russian 'bot farm' spreading disinformation
online (CBC)

There is an extensive article The NYTimes, originally online
three days prioe, and in the print edition yesterday:

U.S. and Allies take aim at Russian Disinformation
Steven Lee Myers and Julian E. Barnes
*The New York Times* National print edition, 11 Jul 2024

A campaign designed to stoke internal political divisions

Spreading dubious content has become easier with AI.

------------------------------

Date: Sat, 28 Oct 2023 11:11:11 -0800
From: RISKS-request@csl.sri.com
Subject: Abridged info on RISKS (comp.risks)

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