Ex-Minister Rajeev Chandrasekhar Criticizes Elon Musk’s EVM Comment on Tesla Car

Rajeev Chandrasekhar responded to a claim by Tesla CEO Elon Musk, who suggested that “everything can be hacked” by implying that not every digital device is prone to hacking. Chandrasekhar, who previously headed the Union ministry of Electronics and Information Technology in India, refuted Musk’s statement and emphasized that devices like calculators and toasters cannot be hacked due to their limited functions. He also disagreed with Musk’s assertion that every Tesla car could be hacked, emphasizing that certain devices like Indian EVMs (Electronic Voting Machines) are not susceptible to hacking due to their limited intelligence and lack of connectivity.

Chandrasekhar highlighted that EVMs in India differ from the internet-connected voting machines used in the US, which Musk may have been referring to in his statement. Elon Musk’s initial comments were made in response to a post by Independent US Presidential candidate Robert F Kennedy Jr. regarding reported voting irregularities in Puerto Rico’s elections. Musk’s suggestion to eliminate electronic voting machines due to the risk of being hacked fueled opposition criticism, with politicians like Rahul Gandhi and Akhilesh Yadav raising concerns about the transparency of the electoral process in India.

Despite the criticism, the Election Commission of India, judges, and other officials have noted that EVMs have been effective in eliminating booth capturing and invalid votes, minimizing errors, and expediting the counting process, while also reducing paper wastage.