Election Commission aborts Google tie-up bid
Bowing to pressure from major political parties, the Election Commission has given up the idea.
New Delhi: Bowing to pressure from major political parties, the Election Commission has given up the idea of forging a tie-up with US-based Internet giant Google for the forthcoming 2014 Lok Sabha elections.
An EC official said, “After due consideration, the commission has decided not to pursue it any further.”
Google had made a presentation to the poll panel a couple of days back that was attended by chief election commissioner V.S. Sampath and election commissioners H.S. Brahma and S.N.A. Zaidi and senior officials of the EC.
But it is the same poll panel that after due deliberation had concluded that the proposal cannot be taken forward. Google had proposed that it could facilitate voter services by proposing voter online registration in addition to making available important details of voter EPIC card numbers and location of polling stations.
The move was criticised for sharing vital details about Indian citizens with a foreign company.