So I want to compare the regulatory process it takes to write software for a medical device compared to a voting machine. A thread:
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- maintain a device history record, linking serial numbers to versions - establish reporting protocols for failures ...
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- notify the FDA for any bugs that affect a patient - document every software decision, who made it, and when it was made, in the DMR - etc
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Now, here is the complete regulatory process for a voting machine:
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That's it. Nothing. No mandatory code reviews. No cybersecurity analysis. No versioning reqs. Absolutely nothing.
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Everything that's done is done at the discretion of the manufacturer. Maybe there's some state regulations out there, but I don't know any.
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If you want to copy patient data off a medical device using a thumb drive, HIPAA regs require you to have a destruction plan for that drive.
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For voting machines, it just gets copied to a laptop, whatevs.
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If you're like, "wow, that seems like there's a lot of potential failure modes" then indeed you are correct.
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In my precinct, I fill in a scantron thingy. Except it's not really a scantron, it's like a printed word doc. And the machine eats it.
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Does it get my vote right? Is it robust to dirty fingerprints and pen colors and creases in the paper? ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
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Can I look up a database and see failures and recalls? ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
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@Slestac points me to this: https://www.eac.gov/testing_and_certification/testing_and_certification_program.aspx … This exists as a certification effort, but seems to lack the FDA's teeth. -
To be clear: industry standards are not enough in high-risk devices. Regulatory oversight by a congressionally-empowered agency is needed.
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This document contains all state regulations: https://www.eac.gov/assets/1/Page/State%20Requirements%20and%20the%20Federal%20Voting%20System%20Testing%20and%20Certification%20Program.pdf … Most back-trace to federal *certification* requirements.
End of conversation
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