Indian voting machine hacker released

AN INDIAN HACKER who managed to show how it was a doddle to steal an election using electronic voting machines has been released from the clutches of the local constabulary.

E-voting researcher Hari Prasad was released from jail after seven days in police custody.

According to Freedom to Tinker Prasad was released following an order from Magistrate D H Sharma. Sharma praised Hari and made strong comments against the police. Prasad did a great service for his country, the magistrate said.

Prasad was arrested after he showed how to hack an electronic voting machine in front of a group of academics. The problem, according to the coppers who arrested him, was not that he had hacked the machine but rather where he got it in the first place.

The voting machines are supposed to be super secure, but as Prasad pointed out, they are anything but. If he could hack one so easily, then any corrupt politician with a bit of money could have the same thing done.

But Prasad's demonstration showed that the Election Commission's plans to role out the machines were flawed.

It seems that soon after the demonstration, the embarrassed Commission made a complaint to the local plod. Since Prasad refused to say where he got the machine, which had been donated anonymously, they locked him up.