The up to date FAQs have been uploaded on August 23 and canopy 76 questions; the sooner model answered 39 questions.

Among the brand new questions answered on the FAQ web page is whether or not the 2 EVM producers, Bharat Electronics Ltd and Electronics Corporation of India Ltd, “share the confidential software programme with foreign chip manufacturers to copy it on to microcontrollers used in the EVMs”.

In its reply, the EC writes: “Microcontrollers are ported with firmware by BEL/ECIL inside their factories under high level of security and safeguards. Out of a 4 layered secure manufacturing process (secure manufacturing facility), the microcontrollers are ported in the L3 area where only designated engineers are authorised access through access cards and biometric scans. No external agency either indigenous or foreign is involved in loading the firmware programme in micro controllers.”

On VVPAT (voter verifiable paper audit path), the EC writes that VVPATs have two sorts of recollections — one the place this system directions are stored for the microcontrollers that may be programmed one time solely and the opposite the place graphical pictures are saved, the place symbols of candidates are loaded in presence of candidates or their representatives.

To the query, “How are ECI EVMs different from the voting systems banned by the German Constitutional Court?”, the FAQ web page says EVMs are manufactured by Union authorities PSUs in safe services and endure rigorous third-party testing. “The German Constitutional Court made its observation in the context of EVMs used in German elections and in relation to German law. Indian EVMs are robust and implement technologies and processes which are different and non-comparable. Hon’ble Supreme Court of India and various High Courts have time and again scrutinised the machines and have reposed their confidence and faith in ECI EVMs,” the EC says.

The FAQs additionally cowl a number of claims about tampering of EVMs and the EC’s replies to these. To the declare that EVMs may be manipulated utilizing cellphone or bluetooth gadgets, the EC says: “The claim is baseless and unscientific… The technical information about the micro controllers is available in public domain and can be accessed on the website of microcontroller manufacturers…If these controllers had internal Bluetooth or Wi-Fi module then information in the form of features, internal block diagram of the microcontrollers, pin assignment and signals at all pins of the module would be available in the data sheets.”

Another query posed within the FAQs is whether or not media reviews about 2 million EVMs going lacking are true. “The matter is sub-judice and necessary clarifications have been provided to the Hon’ble High Court of Bombay. The issue is nothing more than the twisting, selective and wrongful representation of facts by vested interests,” the EC replies.

Apart from the brand new questions and claims that the FAQs handle, the web page on the ECI web site contains info on the manufacturing, value, testing, transportation and deployment of EVMs and VVPATs.