by Gregory Hietala

Created on: January 18, 2009

There has always been a vital flaw in the so called "secure" actions over the Internet, and that debilitating problem has always been the rule-breaker. Also known as a hacker, the Internet, commonly believed to be a safe zone, in reality represents the closest version of a battle-field to the every day American. The situation of the Internet and hackers becomes all the more dire when one considers the international hacking agencies, that work day and night to crack security protocols and manipulate whatever program they wish to control. Which is why today's question is extremely important; should eligible voters be able to register to vote on-line? The answer, from my perspective, is a resounding no, for three main reasons Those reasons are as follows: domestic hacking, and international hacking.

Ever since the creation of the Internet, the United States Government has had quite a few "run-ins" so to speak, with hackers. When governmental programs were able to go onto the world wide web, it was discovered that hackers could potentially bypass security restrictions and gain access to highly classified files. Since the time such a realization hit the United States Government, efforts have been underway to protect these programs. However, in the case of todays debatable question, one should take into account, that by placing registration on-line, you would be placing the entire voting system on-line through network connections. The problem there, is that now hackers can remotely access this network and change everything from who's voting to who those people voted for. Therefore, by placing the voter registration on-line, the United States Government would put the entire democratic system into a vulnerable and dangerous position.

Russia, has been notorious for the "cyber-wars" that it committed against its near-by neighbors, and now the United States Government is realizing that wars of the future may not be completely fought with the old "blood and guts" but now may be fought over the Internet. With the availability to governmental files and programs at the tips of military hackers overseas, the idea of leaving any trace of files relating to the United States, is rather chilling. By placing the democratic system of the United States on-line, the United States Government will be opened to the possibility of being infiltrated or crippled by a foreign entity. Such a result would be a catastrophe for the United States, mainly because there would be no clear leader in charge, while the foreign entity could then take advantage of the chaos, and quickly move to thwart United States interests abroad. By placing the Democratic System of the United States on-line, the United States and its allies will be in grave danger.

Overall, putting convenience before security has never been allowed in the United States, and today is no exception. Clearly, the risks overweight the potential benefits, and therefore the United States should not allow voters to register on-line, because the network link that would be established would allow any hacker to mess with the results of an election. Clearly, the United States needs to take all precautionary steps when it comes to democracy and leadership, and by making registration available on-line, the United States would make the entire system more vulnerable then it needs to be. So, with domestic and international hackers posing a constant threat, it should be clear that technology and democracy, will not mix.

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