EC refuses to give details of SIR software, cites ‘trade secrets, IPR'
The Election Commission of India has refused to disclose details regarding the software used for voter roll verification, citing intellectual property and trade secret protections. The commission maintained that the software is not subject to disclosure under the Right to Information Act.
Why it matters
The refusal raises questions about transparency and public oversight regarding the technology used in democratic electoral processes.
NEW DELHI: Election Commission has declined to disclose the name and version of the software it used to identify errors and anomalies in voter rolls during SIR, saying the information was related to “commercial confidence, trade secrets and intellectual property” and, thus, exempt under RTI Act. The reply, dated Oct 16, came in response to an RTI plea.M A Mujeeb Ayyub, a social activist from Karimpur in Telangana, in his RTI plea dated July 27 had sought information regarding the software, application, algorithm or AI platform used by EC to identify errors, anomalies or inconsistencies in electoral rolls during SIR.In response, EC said, “No new software has been developed or procured for the SIR exercise.
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