There Has Been No Theft of Biometric Verification Devices – Electoral Commission
The Minority Leader, Dr. Cassiel Ato Forson, made an accusation that seven BVDs (Biometric Verification Devices) had been stolen. However, the Electoral Commission has stated that this is untrue.
These claims are untrue. BVD has not been taken. The Commission recently performed normal maintenance on its Biometric Voter Registration (BVR) Kits in order to correct any misinformation. We found that, contrary to what was falsely reported, just five (5) computers had been stolen from the Biometric Voter Registration kits during this repair.
To be clear, the laptop, camera, scanner, and printer that come with the Biometric Voter Registration Kits are completely unrelated to the Commission’s Registration Data Systems and cannot be used to influence election results as some have suggested. Even though these kits are essential for voter registration, they need special activation.
They are only useful as separate components, such as a laptop, camera, scanner, or printer, without this activation.
This indicates that they have no worth other than what they were intended to have.
Similarly, voter registration or verification cannot be done on the pilfered laptops. It is still only a laptop. They cannot, therefore, be utilised to jeopardise our systems or cast doubt on the validity of the future elections in December 2024. Our elections and systems continue to be honest.
Once more, there appears to be some misunderstanding about how to use our equipment. It’s crucial to know that the Commission runs its business using two (2) different pieces of equipment: the Biometric Voter Registration kits, which are used for voter registration, and the Biometric devices that, on election day, use voters’ fingerprints or facial features to authenticate them. Without the correct activation, these devices cannot do the registration or verification tasks on their own.
It is significant to remember that all collected data is deleted from the computers throughout the registration process, a procedure known as “End of Life.” We thus reassure the public that no private or valuable information is stored on the pilfered laptops. As a result, the theft has no bearing on the integrity of the next elections and does not forward any implied political purpose.
The Commission quickly alerted security authorities involved in the maintenance procedure upon discovering the theft, and efforts are currently underway to identify and bring charges against the culprits.
The Commission continuously relies on the police and other security measures to safeguard all of its facilities since it places a high value on its assets, which include biometric voter registration kits and biometric verification devices.
The Commission exhorts both citizens and public leaders to conduct due diligence by confirming information before sharing it. This duty is crucial to preserving public confidence and averting unjustified panic or dread.
The Electoral Commission is still dedicated to maintaining the greatest levels of honesty and openness in all of its elections and business dealings.
Source: 3news
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