The Electoral Commission (EC) has responded to the National Democratic Congress's (NDC) request for the serial numbers of Biometric Voter Registration (BVR) Kits deployed for the Limited Voters Registration Exercise.
According to the Commission's Director of Public Affairs, the release of such information could trigger a security risk.
In a statement released on May 9, 2024, the EC emphasized the critical role of BVR Kits in the electoral process, highlighting their unique serial numbers essential for generating activation codes and tracking their location and movement.
Hence, divulging these serial numbers to external parties, including political entities like the NDC, poses a significant risk to the security and integrity of registration processes.
"The serial numbers are integral to the security framework of the BVR Kits. Disclosure of these numbers could potentially allow unauthorized access to the devices, thereby compromising integrity of the voter registration process," Michael Boadu said in the release.
Additionally, "serial numbers could be used to facilitate fraudulent activities, including phishing attacks, where a criminal with the serial number can trick EC personnel into believing they are registration officials, potentially leading to unauthorized disclosures and access to sensitive information."
These among what they describe as operational integrity and targeted manipulation issues are the reasons why the EC says it cannot make this information public.
The statement urged stakeholders to consider Section 7, Subsection 1 (j) of the Right to Information Act, 2019 (Act 989), which exempts information from disclosure if its release could endanger systems, including computer and communication systems, for which security is reasonably required.
That notwithstanding, the EC assured the public of a transparent process by listing a number of measures implemented in that regard.
Find full statement below:
Credit: Kenneth Awotwe Darko