
Rafael Cordón: Revolutionizing Election Security with Bitcoin
Rafael Cordón is deeply concerned about safeguarding the truth in the digital age, especially amidst the rise of artificial intelligence and rampant disinformation. This Guatemalan tech entrepreneur and engineer initially began pondering these challenges following Russia’s interference in the 2016 U.S. presidential election. Little did he know that he would develop a technology aimed at protecting the integrity of elections in his home country from potential threats. Enter Simple Proof, a revolutionary system that employs the Bitcoin blockchain to create immutable records, preserving the authenticity of vital data.
Meet Rafael Cordón
Rafael Cordón, a self-proclaimed “computer nerd” from Guatemala, has a strong academic background in engineering. He earned his undergraduate degree in mechanical engineering before pursuing a master’s degree in engineering management at Duke University in the late 2000s.
After his tenure at Accenture and roles in IT consulting with major financial institutions, Cordón was driven to embark on his own venture. In 2017, during research on distributed databases, he revisited Bitcoin (having initially read the Bitcoin white paper in 2011 and dismissing it). This rediscovery led him to delve deeply into the Bitcoin ecosystem.
By 2018, Cordón conceived Simple Proof, securing the domain and continuously developing the concept while serving as CTO for IBEX, a startup focusing on Bitcoin payments based in Guatemala.
Unpacking Simple Proof
Simple Proof utilizes OpenTimestamps, an open-source protocol created in 2016 by Bitcoin Core developer Peter Todd. This protocol offers cryptographic timestamping, which is significantly more reliable than human-generated timestamps due to its reliance on cryptographic algorithms for information verification. Cordón explains the process succinctly:
“OpenTimestamps allows users to interact with the Bitcoin blockchain to create timestamps for documents,” Cordón notes. “A digital fingerprint, derived through Merkle trees, is embedded into a specific part of a Bitcoin transaction via the OP_RETURN function, which is akin to the ‘memo’ section on a check. In essence, this arbitrary text serves as proof of the document’s existence.”
The documents in question are the vote tally sheets, officially known as Document Number 4, used in Guatemalan elections.
In 2022, Cordón negotiated with the Guatemalan government to ensure that these Documents Number 4 from the upcoming presidential election were timestamped on the Bitcoin blockchain as they were generated. The Supreme Electoral Tribunal (TSE), the highest electoral authority in Guatemala, adopted Simple Proof to validate the election results.
Decentralized Guatemalan Elections
Similar to Bitcoin, Guatemala’s election procedures are decentralized. This intricate process is detailed in the documentary Immutable Democracy, which chronicles the implementation of Simple Proof in the 2023 Guatemalan presidential election.
Over 100,000 volunteers, alongside 100,000 observers from various political and civil organizations, oversee the creation and collection of more than 150,000 Documents Number 4. At voting tables, volunteers count the votes and record the results, while additional observers verify the compilation of these documents.
The Documents Number 4 are then dispatched to the Elections Process Operations Center, where nearly 25,000 boxes containing election materials are redistributed to Municipal Elections Boards. Volunteers at these boards calculate and transfer results to District Elections Boards for further tallying at the district and national levels before submitting the official tallies to the TSE.
The unofficial yellow carbon copies of the results are scanned and uploaded digitally to the Preliminary Elections Results Transmission (TREP) system. Two independent scans ensure the uploaded data’s accuracy, one at the voting table and another at the Municipal Elections Board. Matching scans confirm that the results are genuine, making them available on TREP.gt for public scrutiny.
Addressing the reliability of this process, Cordón states:
“With 125,000 volunteers counting votes and observers from political parties and international organizations, totaling around 200,000 individuals, orchestrating a conspiracy is practically impossible.”
The Functionality of Simple Proof
As unofficial digital versions of the vote tallies are received, a hash or “Digital Fingerprint” is generated. This hash is then stored through OpenTimestamps, recording the data on the Bitcoin blockchain.
Through the TREP.gt platform, anyone can audit the Documents Number 4 by clicking a button that translates to “Verify Hash.” This redirects to Simple Proof’s website, where users can find the hash and associated Bitcoin block, along with the precise timestamp of the document’s recording.
Accurate timestamping is critical to ensure that vote tallies uploaded promptly are genuine, as delayed uploads may indicate tampering.
Election Results Under Scrutiny
The unexpected winner of the 2023 Guatemalan presidential election was Bernardo Arévalo, a candidate advocating for anti-corruption. Following his victory, his opponent Sandra Torres contested the results, alleging fraud.
Torres’ party, UNE, falsely claimed that some votes were uploaded before the polling stations closed. This misinformation was debunked by cross-referencing data available on Simple Proof’s portal, as reported by La Hora.
Despite the controversy, Simple Proof’s documentation provided concrete verification, helping to dismantle baseless fraud claims.
Future Adoption of Simple Proof
Various governments have expressed interest in adopting Simple Proof to authenticate election data. However, Cordón remains cautious.
“I want to ensure Simple Proof is utilized correctly, not as a superficial solution for improper practices. I am wary of collaborating with authoritarian regimes,” he asserts.
Cordón also recognizes the persistent threat of AI and disinformation distorting public perception and influencing elections.
“In an era where digital information predominates, distinguishing truth from falsehood is increasingly challenging. Simple Proof is a step toward safeguarding truth, but collective efforts are needed to address this vast problem,” Cordón concludes.