By Staff Reporter
ISLAMABAD: The Election Commission of Pakistan, the body that oversees the country’s elections, said on Thursday that it would not upload the voters’ list on its website or mobile apps, citing data security, individual privacy, and legal compliance as the main reasons.
The commission, which claims to be a technology-progressive organisation that has accomplished more than two dozen technological initiatives since 2020, said that it follows international standards of data protection and respects the privacy of the voters as per Section 195 of the Elections Act, 2017.
The section states that the commission shall ensure that the electoral rolls are not used for any purpose other than the conduct of elections and referenda and that the personal information of the voters is not disclosed to any person or authority without the consent of the voter.
The commission also pointed out the risks of cyber-attacks on online platforms, referring to the incidents of website hacking during the US presidential election in 2016 and subsequent election events in France and Germany.
The commission said that its cautious approach aligns with the latest global best practices, preserving public trust in the integrity of electoral systems.
The commission also added that a huge amount of money was required for web security to protect the website from hackers, which was not feasible in the current budget.
The commission said that placing the voters’ list on the website was neither internationally recommended nor technically secure, as the websites were prone to hacking and no one could guarantee their ultimate security.
“Therefore, putting this vital information on website or any mobile App (IP based network) is strictly not recommended because it tantamount to violation of Section-195 of the Elections Act, 2017,” the commission said in a statement.
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