Blockchain for the people: Implementing blockchain technology for a secure and reliable E-Voting solution
- 1. Blockchain for the people: Implementing blockchain technology for a secure and reliable E-Voting solution Marko Kovic1 May 25, 2016 ZIPAR Zurich Institute of Public Affairs Research 1 ZIPAR / marko.kovic@zipar.org
- 2. ZIPAROutline What I’m about to talk about
- 3. ZIPAROutline What I’m about to talk about Why E-Voting matters.
- 4. ZIPAROutline What I’m about to talk about Why E-Voting matters. Problems with E-Voting.
- 5. ZIPAROutline What I’m about to talk about Why E-Voting matters. Problems with E-Voting. Blockchain to the rescue!
- 6. ZIPAROutline What I’m about to talk about Why E-Voting matters. Problems with E-Voting. Blockchain to the rescue! How would a blockchain-powered solution work?
- 7. ZIPAROutline What I’m about to talk about Why E-Voting matters. Problems with E-Voting. Blockchain to the rescue! How would a blockchain-powered solution work? The steps forward.
- 8. ZIPARWhy E-Voting matters Because voting matters!
- 9. ZIPARWhy E-Voting matters Because voting matters! Voting is a necessary condition for democracy.
- 10. ZIPARWhy E-Voting matters Because voting matters! Voting is a necessary condition for democracy. The people’s sovereignty cannot be expressed without free and fair elections!
- 11. ZIPARWhy E-Voting matters Because voting matters! Voting is a necessary condition for democracy. The people’s sovereignty cannot be expressed without free and fair elections! In Switzerland, we also care about people being able to directly express their preferences on legislative issues.
- 12. ZIPARWhy E-Voting matters Because voting matters! Voting is a necessary condition for democracy. The people’s sovereignty cannot be expressed without free and fair elections! In Switzerland, we also care about people being able to directly express their preferences on legislative issues. Representative democracy as well as direct democratic procedures depend on a free and fair voting process!
- 13. ZIPARWhy E-Voting matters Conducting voting ist very difficult Enabling people to vote is easy in theory, but difficult in practice.
- 14. ZIPARWhy E-Voting matters Conducting voting ist very difficult Enabling people to vote is easy in theory, but difficult in practice. Even in the simplest of cases, it’s a logistical challenge!
- 15. ZIPARWhy E-Voting matters Conducting voting ist very difficult Enabling people to vote is easy in theory, but difficult in practice. Even in the simplest of cases, it’s a logistical challenge!
- 16. ZIPARWhy E-Voting matters Conducting voting ist very difficult Enabling people to vote is easy in theory, but difficult in practice. Even in the simplest of cases, it’s a logistical challenge! Figure: A «Landsgemeinde» in Glarus. Old school!
- 17. ZIPARWhy E-Voting matters Conducting voting ist very difficult Enabling people to vote is easy in theory, but difficult in practice. Even in the simplest of cases, it’s a logistical challenge! Figure: A «Landsgemeinde» in Glarus. Old school!
- 18. ZIPARWhy E-Voting matters E-Voting as a reduction of transaction costs
- 19. ZIPARWhy E-Voting matters E-Voting as a reduction of transaction costs Because voting is logistically difficult, governments have been trying to implement "E-Voting" for decades.
- 20. ZIPARWhy E-Voting matters E-Voting as a reduction of transaction costs Because voting is logistically difficult, governments have been trying to implement "E-Voting" for decades. However, "E-Voting" is a fuzzy notion!
- 21. ZIPARWhy E-Voting matters E-Voting as a reduction of transaction costs Because voting is logistically difficult, governments have been trying to implement "E-Voting" for decades. However, "E-Voting" is a fuzzy notion! Sometimes, people refer to electronic voting machines as E-Voting.
- 22. ZIPARWhy E-Voting matters E-Voting as a reduction of transaction costs Because voting is logistically difficult, governments have been trying to implement "E-Voting" for decades. However, "E-Voting" is a fuzzy notion! Sometimes, people refer to electronic voting machines as E-Voting. I am talking about place-independent, individualized voting over the Internet.
- 23. ZIPARWhy E-Voting matters E-Voting as a reduction of transaction costs E-Voting could have a tremendous positive impact!
- 24. ZIPARWhy E-Voting matters E-Voting as a reduction of transaction costs E-Voting could have a tremendous positive impact! Normatively, citizens would receive an additional channel to participate.
- 25. ZIPARWhy E-Voting matters E-Voting as a reduction of transaction costs E-Voting could have a tremendous positive impact! Normatively, citizens would receive an additional channel to participate. Practically, there are at least two benefits:
- 26. ZIPARWhy E-Voting matters E-Voting as a reduction of transaction costs E-Voting could have a tremendous positive impact! Normatively, citizens would receive an additional channel to participate. Practically, there are at least two benefits: Mobilization: Younger people tend to use the Internet more.
- 27. ZIPARWhy E-Voting matters E-Voting as a reduction of transaction costs E-Voting could have a tremendous positive impact! Normatively, citizens would receive an additional channel to participate. Practically, there are at least two benefits: Mobilization: Younger people tend to use the Internet more. Ease of use: E-Voting could mean that voters have to invest fewer resources, increasing the probability for participation.
- 28. ZIPARWhy E-Voting matters E-Voting as a reduction of transaction costs E-Voting could have a tremendous positive impact! Normatively, citizens would receive an additional channel to participate. Practically, there are at least two benefits: Mobilization: Younger people tend to use the Internet more. Ease of use: E-Voting could mean that voters have to invest fewer resources, increasing the probability for participation. That sounds great! What’s the downside?
- 29. ZIPARWhy E-Voting matters E-Voting as a reduction of transaction costs E-Voting could have a tremendous positive impact! Normatively, citizens would receive an additional channel to participate. Practically, there are at least two benefits: Mobilization: Younger people tend to use the Internet more. Ease of use: E-Voting could mean that voters have to invest fewer resources, increasing the probability for participation. That sounds great! What’s the downside? Security.
- 30. ZIPARProblems with E-Voting Security, security, security...
- 31. ZIPARProblems with E-Voting Security, security, security... Traditional voting methods are not tamper-proof!
- 32. ZIPARProblems with E-Voting Security, security, security... Traditional voting methods are not tamper-proof! The base-rate probability for voting fraud is greater than 0.
- 33. ZIPARProblems with E-Voting Security, security, security... Traditional voting methods are not tamper-proof! The base-rate probability for voting fraud is greater than 0. For example: Your voting letter in Switzerland can be intercepted, physically.
- 34. ZIPARProblems with E-Voting Security, security, security... Traditional voting methods are not tamper-proof! The base-rate probability for voting fraud is greater than 0. For example: Your voting letter in Switzerland can be intercepted, physically. However, large-scale voting fraud is rare in democracies.
- 35. ZIPARProblems with E-Voting Security, security, security... Traditional voting methods are not tamper-proof! The base-rate probability for voting fraud is greater than 0. For example: Your voting letter in Switzerland can be intercepted, physically. However, large-scale voting fraud is rare in democracies. There’s a poor return on investment.
- 36. ZIPARProblems with E-Voting Security, security, security... Traditional voting methods are not tamper-proof! The base-rate probability for voting fraud is greater than 0. For example: Your voting letter in Switzerland can be intercepted, physically. However, large-scale voting fraud is rare in democracies. There’s a poor return on investment. The potential security risk with E-Voting is huge.
- 37. ZIPARProblems with E-Voting Security, security, security... Traditional voting methods are not tamper-proof! The base-rate probability for voting fraud is greater than 0. For example: Your voting letter in Switzerland can be intercepted, physically. However, large-scale voting fraud is rare in democracies. There’s a poor return on investment. The potential security risk with E-Voting is huge. You don’t intercept singular votes, but all of them!
- 38. ZIPARProblems with E-Voting Security, security, security... Traditional voting methods are not tamper-proof! The base-rate probability for voting fraud is greater than 0. For example: Your voting letter in Switzerland can be intercepted, physically. However, large-scale voting fraud is rare in democracies. There’s a poor return on investment. The potential security risk with E-Voting is huge. You don’t intercept singular votes, but all of them! That concern is why the Consortium Vote électronique failed.
- 39. ZIPARBlockchain to the rescue! A distributed E-Voting system
- 40. ZIPARBlockchain to the rescue! A distributed E-Voting system You have probably heard of the «cryptocurrency» Bitcoin.
- 41. ZIPARBlockchain to the rescue! A distributed E-Voting system You have probably heard of the «cryptocurrency» Bitcoin. Figure: I can pay for a latte with Bitcoin? It’s getting real!
- 42. ZIPARBlockchain to the rescue! A distributed E-Voting system Bitcoin is interesting in its own right. But what’s going on under the hood is what really matters!
- 43. ZIPARBlockchain to the rescue! A distributed E-Voting system Bitcoin is interesting in its own right. But what’s going on under the hood is what really matters! Enter the blockchain.
- 44. ZIPARBlockchain to the rescue! A distributed E-Voting system Bitcoin is interesting in its own right. But what’s going on under the hood is what really matters! Enter the blockchain. What the hell is a blockchain?
- 45. ZIPARBlockchain to the rescue! A distributed E-Voting system Bitcoin is interesting in its own right. But what’s going on under the hood is what really matters! Enter the blockchain. What the hell is a blockchain? In layman’s terms (I’m a layman!), the blockchain is a distributed ledger.
- 46. ZIPARBlockchain to the rescue! A distributed E-Voting system Bitcoin is interesting in its own right. But what’s going on under the hood is what really matters! Enter the blockchain. What the hell is a blockchain? In layman’s terms (I’m a layman!), the blockchain is a distributed ledger. Everybody has a copy of the ledger.
- 47. ZIPARBlockchain to the rescue! A distributed E-Voting system Bitcoin is interesting in its own right. But what’s going on under the hood is what really matters! Enter the blockchain. What the hell is a blockchain? In layman’s terms (I’m a layman!), the blockchain is a distributed ledger. Everybody has a copy of the ledger. Transactions are broadcast between users.
- 48. ZIPARBlockchain to the rescue! A distributed E-Voting system Bitcoin is interesting in its own right. But what’s going on under the hood is what really matters! Enter the blockchain. What the hell is a blockchain? In layman’s terms (I’m a layman!), the blockchain is a distributed ledger. Everybody has a copy of the ledger. Transactions are broadcast between users. The transactions are verified by all other users.
- 49. ZIPARBlockchain to the rescue! A distributed E-Voting system Bitcoin is interesting in its own right. But what’s going on under the hood is what really matters! Enter the blockchain. What the hell is a blockchain? In layman’s terms (I’m a layman!), the blockchain is a distributed ledger. Everybody has a copy of the ledger. Transactions are broadcast between users. The transactions are verified by all other users. It’s 100% open source!
- 50. ZIPARBlockchain to the rescue! A distributed E-Voting system Bitcoin is interesting in its own right. But what’s going on under the hood is what really matters! Enter the blockchain. What the hell is a blockchain? In layman’s terms (I’m a layman!), the blockchain is a distributed ledger. Everybody has a copy of the ledger. Transactions are broadcast between users. The transactions are verified by all other users. It’s 100% open source! There’s (basically) no way to cheat!
- 51. ZIPARBlockchain to the rescue! A distributed E-Voting system Bitcoin is interesting in its own right. But what’s going on under the hood is what really matters! Enter the blockchain. What the hell is a blockchain? In layman’s terms (I’m a layman!), the blockchain is a distributed ledger. Everybody has a copy of the ledger. Transactions are broadcast between users. The transactions are verified by all other users. It’s 100% open source! There’s (basically) no way to cheat! Unless you operate a majority of the network.
- 52. ZIPARBlockchain to the rescue! A distributed E-Voting system Several industries are looking into blockchain applications beyond Bitcoin, not least banks.
- 53. ZIPARBlockchain to the rescue! A distributed E-Voting system Several industries are looking into blockchain applications beyond Bitcoin, not least banks. But how could the blockchain be useful to E-Voting?
- 54. ZIPARBlockchain to the rescue! A distributed E-Voting system Several industries are looking into blockchain applications beyond Bitcoin, not least banks. But how could the blockchain be useful to E-Voting? It’s obvious: Voting could be implemented as a transaction via the blockchain ledger.
- 55. ZIPARBlockchain to the rescue! A distributed E-Voting system Several industries are looking into blockchain applications beyond Bitcoin, not least banks. But how could the blockchain be useful to E-Voting? It’s obvious: Voting could be implemented as a transaction via the blockchain ledger. If implemented well, this could be as secure as it goes.
- 56. ZIPARBlockchain to the rescue! A distributed E-Voting system Several industries are looking into blockchain applications beyond Bitcoin, not least banks. But how could the blockchain be useful to E-Voting? It’s obvious: Voting could be implemented as a transaction via the blockchain ledger. If implemented well, this could be as secure as it goes. Everything is open source: Unlike all other existing E-Voting applications, this one would be truly transparent and thus truly democratic!
- 57. ZIPARHow would a blockchain-powered solution work? Easier said than done – but it’s still doable! There’s two kinds of challenges:
- 58. ZIPARHow would a blockchain-powered solution work? Easier said than done – but it’s still doable! There’s two kinds of challenges: Technical challenges.
- 59. ZIPARHow would a blockchain-powered solution work? Easier said than done – but it’s still doable! There’s two kinds of challenges: Technical challenges. Social challenges.
- 60. ZIPARHow would a blockchain-powered solution work? Easier said than done – but it’s still doable! There’s two kinds of challenges: Technical challenges. Social challenges. The social challenges are more challenging!
- 61. ZIPARHow would a blockchain-powered solution work? Easier said than done – but it’s still doable! There’s two kinds of challenges: Technical challenges. Social challenges. The social challenges are more challenging! The technical challenges are, essentially, manageable:
- 62. ZIPARHow would a blockchain-powered solution work? Easier said than done – but it’s still doable! There’s two kinds of challenges: Technical challenges. Social challenges. The social challenges are more challenging! The technical challenges are, essentially, manageable: Anonymization of transactions (votes).
- 63. ZIPARHow would a blockchain-powered solution work? Easier said than done – but it’s still doable! There’s two kinds of challenges: Technical challenges. Social challenges. The social challenges are more challenging! The technical challenges are, essentially, manageable: Anonymization of transactions (votes). Setting up and maintaining a network.
- 64. ZIPARHow would a blockchain-powered solution work? Easier said than done – but it’s still doable! The social challenges for a blockchain-powered E-Voting solution:
- 65. ZIPARHow would a blockchain-powered solution work? Easier said than done – but it’s still doable! The social challenges for a blockchain-powered E-Voting solution: Trust
- 66. ZIPARHow would a blockchain-powered solution work? Easier said than done – but it’s still doable! The social challenges for a blockchain-powered E-Voting solution: Trust In order to make this happen, we need to gain the trust of the relevant stakeholders:
- 67. ZIPARHow would a blockchain-powered solution work? Easier said than done – but it’s still doable! The social challenges for a blockchain-powered E-Voting solution: Trust In order to make this happen, we need to gain the trust of the relevant stakeholders: Governments (local, regional, national).
- 68. ZIPARHow would a blockchain-powered solution work? Easier said than done – but it’s still doable! The social challenges for a blockchain-powered E-Voting solution: Trust In order to make this happen, we need to gain the trust of the relevant stakeholders: Governments (local, regional, national). Legislators.
- 69. ZIPARHow would a blockchain-powered solution work? Easier said than done – but it’s still doable! The social challenges for a blockchain-powered E-Voting solution: Trust In order to make this happen, we need to gain the trust of the relevant stakeholders: Governments (local, regional, national). Legislators. Foundations.
- 70. ZIPARHow would a blockchain-powered solution work? Easier said than done – but it’s still doable! The social challenges for a blockchain-powered E-Voting solution: Trust In order to make this happen, we need to gain the trust of the relevant stakeholders: Governments (local, regional, national). Legislators. Foundations. The public.
- 71. ZIPARHow would a blockchain-powered solution work? Easier said than done – but it’s still doable! A general outline of blockchain-powered E-Voting:
- 72. ZIPARHow would a blockchain-powered solution work? Easier said than done – but it’s still doable! A general outline of blockchain-powered E-Voting: 100% non-commercial.
- 73. ZIPARHow would a blockchain-powered solution work? Easier said than done – but it’s still doable! A general outline of blockchain-powered E-Voting: 100% non-commercial. Involving multiple stakeholders.
- 74. ZIPARHow would a blockchain-powered solution work? Easier said than done – but it’s still doable! A general outline of blockchain-powered E-Voting: 100% non-commercial. Involving multiple stakeholders. If the government is in charge, it’s all for naught!
- 75. ZIPARHow would a blockchain-powered solution work? Easier said than done – but it’s still doable! A general outline of blockchain-powered E-Voting: 100% non-commercial. Involving multiple stakeholders. If the government is in charge, it’s all for naught! Funding:
- 76. ZIPARHow would a blockchain-powered solution work? Easier said than done – but it’s still doable! A general outline of blockchain-powered E-Voting: 100% non-commercial. Involving multiple stakeholders. If the government is in charge, it’s all for naught! Funding: Government(s).
- 77. ZIPARHow would a blockchain-powered solution work? Easier said than done – but it’s still doable! A general outline of blockchain-powered E-Voting: 100% non-commercial. Involving multiple stakeholders. If the government is in charge, it’s all for naught! Funding: Government(s). Foundations and individual donors.
- 78. ZIPARHow would a blockchain-powered solution work? Easier said than done – but it’s still doable! A general outline of blockchain-powered E-Voting: 100% non-commercial. Involving multiple stakeholders. If the government is in charge, it’s all for naught! Funding: Government(s). Foundations and individual donors. Possibly: Corporate sponsorship.
- 79. ZIPARThe steps forward Win hearts and minds, and then get funded How do we proceed from here? An idea without a plan is but a dream!
- 80. ZIPARThe steps forward Win hearts and minds, and then get funded How do we proceed from here? An idea without a plan is but a dream! Phase 1: Create a discussion paper aimed at policy makers (governemnt(s), legislators) and promote the idea publicly as well.
- 81. ZIPARThe steps forward Win hearts and minds, and then get funded How do we proceed from here? An idea without a plan is but a dream! Phase 1: Create a discussion paper aimed at policy makers (governemnt(s), legislators) and promote the idea publicly as well. Phase 2: Secure funding for a proof-of-concept.
- 82. ZIPARThe steps forward Win hearts and minds, and then get funded How do we proceed from here? An idea without a plan is but a dream! Phase 1: Create a discussion paper aimed at policy makers (governemnt(s), legislators) and promote the idea publicly as well. Phase 2: Secure funding for a proof-of-concept. Phase 3: Project management phase.
- 83. ZIPARThe steps forward Win hearts and minds, and then get funded How do we proceed from here? An idea without a plan is but a dream! Phase 1: Create a discussion paper aimed at policy makers (governemnt(s), legislators) and promote the idea publicly as well. Phase 2: Secure funding for a proof-of-concept. Phase 3: Project management phase. Phase 4: Project evaluation.
- 84. ZIPARThe steps forward Win hearts and minds, and then get funded How do we proceed from here? An idea without a plan is but a dream! Phase 1: Create a discussion paper aimed at policy makers (governemnt(s), legislators) and promote the idea publicly as well. Phase 2: Secure funding for a proof-of-concept. Phase 3: Project management phase. Phase 4: Project evaluation. Phase 5: Unpredictable.
- 85. ZIPARThe steps forward Win hearts and minds, and then get funded How do we proceed from here? An idea without a plan is but a dream! Phase 1: Create a discussion paper aimed at policy makers (governemnt(s), legislators) and promote the idea publicly as well. Phase 2: Secure funding for a proof-of-concept. Phase 3: Project management phase. Phase 4: Project evaluation. Phase 5: Unpredictable. We will focus on phases 1 and 2.
- 86. ZIPARThe steps forward Win hearts and minds, and then get funded How do we proceed from here? An idea without a plan is but a dream! Phase 1: Create a discussion paper aimed at policy makers (governemnt(s), legislators) and promote the idea publicly as well. Phase 2: Secure funding for a proof-of-concept. Phase 3: Project management phase. Phase 4: Project evaluation. Phase 5: Unpredictable. We will focus on phases 1 and 2. Phase 2 includes a concept for the proof-of-concept!
- 87. ZIPARThe steps forward Win hearts and minds, and then get funded How do we proceed from here? An idea without a plan is but a dream! Phase 1: Create a discussion paper aimed at policy makers (governemnt(s), legislators) and promote the idea publicly as well. Phase 2: Secure funding for a proof-of-concept. Phase 3: Project management phase. Phase 4: Project evaluation. Phase 5: Unpredictable. We will focus on phases 1 and 2. Phase 2 includes a concept for the proof-of-concept! Phase 3 assumes success at phase 2.
- 88. ZIPARThe steps forward Win hearts and minds, and then get funded How do we proceed from here? An idea without a plan is but a dream! Phase 1: Create a discussion paper aimed at policy makers (governemnt(s), legislators) and promote the idea publicly as well. Phase 2: Secure funding for a proof-of-concept. Phase 3: Project management phase. Phase 4: Project evaluation. Phase 5: Unpredictable. We will focus on phases 1 and 2. Phase 2 includes a concept for the proof-of-concept! Phase 3 assumes success at phase 2. Phases 3 and 4 are speculative; everything beyond phase 4 is wishful thinking.
- 89. ZIPARThank you Thanks for your attention!