Elon Musk Questions EVM Security Rajeev Chandrashekhar Defends India's Secure Voting Machines

Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk has raised concerns about the efficiency and security of electronic voting machines (EVMs), emphasizing the high risk of hacking, potentially facilitated by artificial intelligence or humans. As the owner of the social media platform X, Musk called for the complete elimination of EVMs from elections. This suggestion prompted a response from former union minister Rajeev Chandrashekhar, who highlighted the success and security of India's EVMs.

Reacting to Musk's post on X, Chandrashekhar detailed how Indian EVMs are custom-designed, secure, and isolated from any network or media. Unlike those used in other countries like the US, Indian EVMs have no connectivity options such as Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, or Internet, making them highly secure against hacking attempts. Chandrashekhar described Musk's statement on EVMs as "generalized" and expressed confidence in building secure digital hardware for EVMs.

Chandrashekhar wrote on X, "Indian EVMs are custom designed, secure, and isolated from any network or media - No connectivity, no Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, Internet. There is no way in. Factory programmed controllers that cannot be reprogrammed." He also extended an invitation to Elon Musk for a tutorial on building safe and secure electronic voting machines for free and fair elections. “Electronic voting machines can be architected and built right as India has done. We would be happy to run a tutorial Elon.”

In response, Elon Musk maintained his stance by commenting, “Anything can be hacked,” emphasizing his belief in the potential vulnerability of any system. This conversation on X sparked a range of opinions from various users, continuing the debate on the security and efficiency of EVMs.