< Back to table of 'First Report - December 2004 Contents'
Part 4 - Testing of the System
4.5 Conclusion
From its general review of the system, from its review of previous tests and from the results of the further tests it has carried out, the Commission has identified a number of items that need to be addressed before the chosen system can be put into use.
Furthermore, the general issues in relation to testing discussed in this part draw attention to what the Commission considers to be the principal weakness of the proposed system. This is that the level and comprehensiveness of testing to date – in particular as regards the complete system as proposed to be deployed at the June elections – means that it is not possible to establish its trustworthiness and reliability at this time and that further testing, including a full source code review, is thus required.
This conclusion must be seen in a context where the trustworthiness and reliability of a system for counting votes in public elections must be established with a very high degree of confidence – a confidence far higher than in many other applications of new technology.
From this it further follows that it is not possible at this time to draw definitive conclusions as to the accuracy and secrecy of the proposed system and such limited conclusions as can be drawn in this regard are set out in Part 5.
< Back to table of 'First Report - December 2004 Contents' |
