Smartmatic AES (Automated Election System) is "safe and secure" to be used again for the upcoming Philippines Election 2022 that will happen in May. That's what Commission on Elections (Comelec) said on Friday, Apr. 29.
Smartmatic's spokesperson, Christian Lim, said that the allegations that the AES was hacked last 2016 election in the Philippines are not true.
"Comelec never shares this electoral data with Smartmatic, so claims that sensitive data, such as the voter list, was stolen from Smartmatic is also unfounded," said Lim via Manila Bulletin.
Is Smartmatic AES Still Safe and Secure?
Lim claimed that their Smartmatic automated election systems never had access to sensitive voter data.
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He added that the Comelec is the only one that can generate voter data or voter lists for the upcoming Philippine Election 2022.
Lim reiterated that the Comelec never shared sensitive voter information with other institutions.
Commissioner Rey Bulay backed the statements made by Christian Lim. He explained that the alleged Smartmatic security breach accessed no essential data.
He claimed that the May 2022 polls would not be affected by the automated election systems. Bulay said that the National Bureau of Investigation's latest report is the one that confirmed Smartmatic is secure and safe.
Meanwhile, Lim warned the public to avoid sharing false information that could affect the upcoming Philippines 2022 Election.
Smartmatic During Election 2016: A Lookback
Inquirer.Net reported that the Smartmatic issue began in 2016 after Leni Robredo won as the Philippines Vice President.
March 2016: Sen. Ferdinand, "Bongbong" Marcos Jr., claimed that he should have won VP over Leni. But, Comelec and PPCRV (Parish Pastoral Council for Responsible Voting) denied the accusation (CNN Philippines)
May 2016: Comelec decided to investigate the technology used by Smartmatic AES. They did this to see any unauthorized changes in the data packet. The issue became more serious after Bongbong Marcos' camp provided a document showing that PPRCV altered the hash codes of the Smartmatic packet data. (Inquirer.Net)
June 2017: The Philippines Justice Department decided to change its decision regarding Bongbong Marcos' claims against Smartmatic data alteration. Criminal charges were filed by the DOJ against Smartmatic and Comelec for changing the script in the servers during the 2016 polls. (Rappler)
Jan 2018: Marcos' camp released some ballot images claiming that some "questionable" marks might indicate electoral fraud. (Rappler)
July 2019: Smartmatic AES' accuracy was questioned. Former Biliran Congressman Lawyer Glenn Chong claimed that the automated election systems were manipulated or no longer accurate. (Philippine News Agency)
October 2021: Smartmatic secured a million-dollar deal with the Comelec for the upcoming 2022 polls. This means that Smartmatic will still be used for Philippines Elections 2022. (Rappler)
April 2022: Comelec decided to withhold its payment to Smartmatic since the data breach controversy is still unresolved. But, the Commission on Elections clarified that Smartmatic AES in the upcoming Philippines Elections 2022 would not be affected. (Rappler)
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On the other hand, the Philippines' digital banking industry is enhanced by Apiwiz and Tonik.
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Written by: Griffin Davis
