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Globe and Mail
16-07-2025
- Business
- Globe and Mail
Eligo eVoting Launches Low-Coercion and Verifiable Digital Voting Protocol in the U.S.
Eligo eVoting announces the U.S. release of its secure digital voting protocol, designed with low coercion and end-to-end verifiability to ensure transparency and voter autonomy across private and public organizations. Eligo eVoting has announced the U.S. launch of its secure digital voting protocol, built on the principles of low coercion and end-to-end verifiability (E2E-VIV). The platform ensures privacy, eliminates vote manipulation, and reinforces trust without requiring a central scrutiny authority. This next-generation solution is already used by leading multinational corporations, trade unions, universities, and public institutions across Europe and Latin America. Now, Eligo aims to empower U.S. organizations, both public and private, with a system that guarantees voter autonomy and result integrity from start to finish. A new era of transparent voting Traditional digital voting systems often rely on internal oversight to verify accuracy and trustworthiness. Eligo's innovative online voting system removes that dependency through a self-verifying cryptographic framework. Its end-to-end verifiable architecture allows voters to independently confirm that their vote was cast as intended, recorded as cast, and counted as recorded, all while preserving complete anonymity. At the same time, the system incorporates low coercion protocols to minimize the risk of undue influence during the voting process. This ensures that votes are not only secure, but genuinely free expressions of the voter's will, even in remote or hybrid voting environments. 'We developed this protocol to help organizations run secure, independent, and transparent elections,' said Irene Pugliatti, CEO of Eligo eVoting. 'By combining low coercion with end-to-end verifiability, we're supporting confidence in digital voting processes worldwide.' Security without complexity What sets Eligo apart is its ability to combine state-of-the-art online voting security with a user-friendly interface. From online board elections and union votes to general assemblies and referendums, the platform is fully customizable and ready to scale for elections of any size or complexity. The newly released E2E-VIV protocol, developed by the University of Warwick, is based on a variant of the DRE-ip protocol to provide E2E verifiability with support for low coercion mitigation (revoting capability). Eligo system still supports digital signature and timestamping to ensure immutability of all reports according to PADES standard. Furthermore, Eligo adheres to strict international standards, including ISO/IEC 27001 for information security and ISO 9001 for quality management, reinforcing its commitment to data protection and process excellence. A growing footprint in the Americas Eligo's arrival in the U.S. follows a string of successful implementations across Latin America, including high-impact elections for professional associations, national trade unions, and universities in Mexico, Chile, and Colombia. Its presence in the Americas is rapidly expanding as organizations seek digital solutions that offer both flexibility and institutional-grade reliability. The U.S. market represents a key milestone in Eligo's global expansion strategy. With growing demand for modern governance tools, especially in hybrid work environments and increasingly digital civic engagement, the company sees strong alignment between its technological values and the expectations of American institutions. Experience real transparency Eligo is inviting U.S.-based organizations, from corporations to municipalities, from associations to academic institutions, to experience the platform in action. Live demos are now available upon request, allowing stakeholders to test drive the system and explore its secure, verifiable features. Book a live online voting demo to explore how Eligo's online voting software supports transparent and verifiable digital voting for public and private organizations. About Eligo eVoting Founded in Milan and operating across Europe and Latin America, Eligo eVoting is a digital voting platform designed to modernize the way organizations vote. With a focus on transparency, security, and usability, Eligo has enabled over 10,000 secure elections globally for companies, associations, unions, universities, and public bodies. The platform supports multiple voting methods, complies with international data protection regulations, and now offers a fully end-to-end verifiable protocol with low coercion safeguards for the U.S. market. Media Contact Company Name: Eligo Contact Person: Irene Pugliatti Email: Send Email Country: Italy Website:
CTV News
09-07-2025
- Business
- CTV News
Indian workers go on a daylong nationwide strike against Modi's economic reforms
NEW DELHI — Hundreds of thousands of workers across India went on a nationwide strike on Wednesday in opposition to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's efforts to privatize state-run companies and other economic reforms, partially disrupting public services and manufacturing. A coalition of 10 major trade unions that represent laborers and several other groups that speak for farmers and rural workers called for the one-day industrial action, dubbing it Bharat Bandh,' Hindi for 'Shut Down India.' The strikes pose fresh challenges for Modi's efforts to attract foreign companies by easing labor laws to streamline business operations and boost productivity. Unions that helped organize the strikes say that coal mining operations were halted in several states while some trains came to a grinding halt as protestors blocked the network, and that banks, insurance companies and supermarkets were disrupted. An Associated Press photographer in the eastern city of Kolkata saw protestors walking in a rally at a local railway station, some shouting slogans against the government and burning an effigy of Modi. Another, in the financial capital Mumbai, witnessed bank employees shouting slogans against the privatization of state-run banks. The Press Trust of India reported traffic in eastern India's Odisha state was halted in some areas, while in the southern state of Kerala, shops, offices and schools remained closed, with roads looking deserted. In New Delhi, protesters carried placards demanding scrapping of the labour laws and chanted slogans like 'Stop selling our railways' and 'Don't infringe upon trade unions rights.' 'You can be fired any day from work. Your labor has no value in this country and in this society,' said Aishe Ghosh, a student activist. Ghosh said a lot of migrant laborers and workers move from their villages to work elsewhere, and they are thrown out of jobs arbitrarily. 'The government never realizes how much the workers have to suffer because of this,' she said. Maimoona Mollah, another protestor, said the government should work for the rights of workers and create more formal job opportunities than contractual. Rajendra Pratholi, an activist from the Communist Party of India (Marxist-Leninist) that is associated with key trade unions, accused the government of snatching the benefits of workers on the pretext of reforms. 'Working hours of laborers, and the benefits they used to get in their jobs after years of struggle, all those benefits have been given away to the capitalists and industrialists by the government,' Pratholi said, without elaborating. The government hasn't formally commented on the strike. It usually dismisses assertions made by the unions. The workers' demands include higher wages, halting privatization of state-run companies, withdrawal of new labour laws and filling vacancies in the government sector. The farmers' groups also want the government to increase the minimum purchase price for crops such as wheat and rice. Modi's government has opened some sectors of the Indian economy to foreign direct investments and offered billions of dollars in financial incentives to attract local manufacturing. It has also aimed to bridge the budget deficit with a drive to privatize loss-making state-run companies and unveiled new labor laws that promise workers higher statutory minimum wages, social security and healthcare. However, the trade unions aren't convinced and want the new laws to be scrapped. 'The government intends to suppress workers in the name of ease of doing business through labor reforms,' said Amarjeet Kaur, general secretary of All India Trade Union Congress, a prominent union taking part in the strike. Tapan Sen, general secretary of the Centre of Indian Trade Unions, or CITU, which is aligned with the communist party and a key trade union that is part of the group that called for the strike, said he got reports of protesting workers blocking several national highways and rail routes. 'Coal mining operations in most states have come to a halt. Services in banking, insurance, manufacturing and petroleum refineries are impacted too,' said Sen. A. Soundararajan, a prominent trade union leader in the southern state of Tamil Nadu, said the police detained around 30,000 protesting workers on Wednesday. Manufacturing activities at several companies have also been hit, he said. Rajesh Roy And Piyush Nagpal, The Associated Press
The Independent
09-07-2025
- Business
- The Independent
Indian workers go on a daylong nationwide strike against Modi's economic reforms
Hundreds of thousands of workers across India went on a nationwide strike on Wednesday in opposition to Prime Minister Narendra Modi 's efforts to privatize state-run companies and other economic reforms, partially disrupting public services and manufacturing. A coalition of 10 major trade unions that represent laborers and several other groups that speak for farmers and rural workers called for the one-day industrial action, dubbing it Bharat Bandh,' Hindi for 'Shut Down India.' The strikes pose fresh challenges for Modi's efforts to attract foreign companies by easing labor laws to streamline business operations and boost productivity. Unions that helped organize the strikes say that coal mining operations were halted in several states while some trains came to a grinding halt as protestors blocked the network, and that banks, insurance companies and supermarkets were disrupted. An Associated Press photographer in the eastern city of Kolkata saw protestors walking in a rally at a local railway station, some shouting slogans against the government and burning an effigy of Modi. Another, in the financial capital Mumbai, witnessed bank employees shouting slogans against the privatization of state-run banks. The Press Trust of India reported traffic in eastern India's Odisha state was halted in some areas, while in the southern state of Kerala, shops, offices and schools remained closed, with roads looking deserted. The government hasn't formally commented on the workers' strike. It usually dismisses assertions made by these unions. The workers' demands include higher wages, halting privatization of state-run companies, withdrawal of new labor laws and filling vacancies in the government sector. The farmers' groups also want the government to increase the minimum purchase price for crops such as wheat and rice. Modi's government has opened some sectors of the Indian economy to foreign direct investments and offered billions of dollars in financial incentives to attract local manufacturing. It has also aimed to bridge the budget deficit with a drive to privatize loss-making state-run companies and unveiled new labor laws that promise workers higher statutory minimum wages, social security and healthcare. However, the trade unions aren't convinced and want the new laws to be scrapped. 'The government intends to suppress workers in the name of ease of doing business through labor reforms,' said Amarjeet Kaur, general secretary of All India Trade Union Congress, a prominent union taking part in the strike. Tapan Sen, general secretary of the Centre of Indian Trade Unions, or CITU, which is aligned with a communist party and a key trade union that is part of the group that called for the strike, said he got reports of protesting workers blocking several national highways and rail routes. "Coal mining operations in most states have come to a halt. Services in banking, insurance, manufacturing and petroleum refineries are impacted too,' said Sen. A. Soundararajan, a prominent trade union leader in the southern state of Tamil Nadu said the police detained around 30,000 protesting workers on Wednesday. Manufacturing activities at several companies have also been hit, he said.
Associated Press
09-07-2025
- Business
- Associated Press
Indian workers go on a daylong nationwide strike against Modi's economic reforms
Updated [hour]:[minute] [AMPM] [timezone], [monthFull] [day], [year] NEW DELHI (AP) — Hundreds of thousands of workers across India went on a nationwide strike on Wednesday in opposition to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's efforts to privatize state-run companies and other economic reforms , partially disrupting public services and manufacturing. A coalition of 10 major trade unions that represent laborers and several other groups that speak for farmers and rural workers called for the one-day industrial action, dubbing it Bharat Bandh,' Hindi for 'Shut Down India.' The strikes pose fresh challenges for Modi's efforts to attract foreign companies by easing labor laws to streamline business operations and boost productivity. Unions that helped organize the strikes say that coal mining operations were halted in several states while some trains came to a grinding halt as protestors blocked the network, and that banks, insurance companies and supermarkets were disrupted. An Associated Press photographer in the eastern city of Kolkata saw protestors walking in a rally at a local railway station, some shouting slogans against the government and burning an effigy of Modi. Another, in the financial capital Mumbai, witnessed bank employees shouting slogans against the privatization of state-run banks. The Press Trust of India reported traffic in eastern India's Odisha state was halted in some areas, while in the southern state of Kerala, shops, offices and schools remained closed, with roads looking deserted. The government hasn't formally commented on the workers' strike. It usually dismisses assertions made by these unions. The workers' demands include higher wages, halting privatization of state-run companies, withdrawal of new labor laws and filling vacancies in the government sector. The farmers' groups also want the government to increase the minimum purchase price for crops such as wheat and rice. Modi's government has opened some sectors of the Indian economy to foreign direct investments and offered billions of dollars in financial incentives to attract local manufacturing. It has also aimed to bridge the budget deficit with a drive to privatize loss-making state-run companies and unveiled new labor laws that promise workers higher statutory minimum wages, social security and healthcare. However, the trade unions aren't convinced and want the new laws to be scrapped. 'The government intends to suppress workers in the name of ease of doing business through labor reforms,' said Amarjeet Kaur, general secretary of All India Trade Union Congress, a prominent union taking part in the strike. Tapan Sen, general secretary of the Centre of Indian Trade Unions, or CITU, which is aligned with a communist party and a key trade union that is part of the group that called for the strike, said he got reports of protesting workers blocking several national highways and rail routes. 'Coal mining operations in most states have come to a halt. Services in banking, insurance, manufacturing and petroleum refineries are impacted too,' said Sen. A. Soundararajan, a prominent trade union leader in the southern state of Tamil Nadu said the police detained around 30,000 protesting workers on Wednesday. Manufacturing activities at several companies have also been hit, he said.
Daily Mail
05-07-2025
- Politics
- Daily Mail
QUENTIN LETTS: What will become of the builder who sends his labourer for two tins of tartan paint?
's monitors of workplace chit-chat have already been dubbed 'banter police' or 'banter tsars', but a different Russian word would be more accurate. After the Bolshevik revolution of 1917, military units had komissars who were enforcers for the regime. Given their power to denounce soldiers to the Soviet authorities, it wasn't long before they were heartily loathed. These komissars kept an eye on the ranks. They noted which men had an independent streak and they made sure any scepticism about the new political order did not spread. Light-hearted banter brightens most places of work. Life would become dull if we could not rib one another, devise nicknames and tease workmates when they goof. But under Ms Rayner's Bill, 'third-party harassment' will be reportable to and by diversity officers. The unifying benefits of banter will be lost to suffocating fear of propriety. Morale will be dented. Work will become more of a drudge. Is this really what Labour MPs want? Quite what constitutes 'harassment' will be for courts to decide. The lawyers are going to be busy, as will Ms Rayner's union allies. This law will also give trade union reps leverage over free-spirited souls who crack jokes at work. If those people pay their union dues, their indiscretions will no doubt be overlooked. But anyone who seems a bit too Right-wing or 'Brexity' will be fed into the procedural mangle. As for bosses, if they refuse to meet unions' pay demands, you can bet the banter komissars will find more incidents to report. My wife often works on a building site. She removes paint from doors and windows. 'Here's our stripper,' say her male workmates. She thinks this is a hoot, but you can see how a grievance-surfing lawyer could turn that into a demand for thousands in compensation. Construction sites are fruity places. She was once on all fours, helping a contractor fit some under-floor piping, and had to tell him, 'give me another inch'. Cue much ribald laughter. Under Ms Rayner's proposals it might not even require a complaint by the alleged victim of banter. Diversity officers could themselves decide to report any incidents, starting a legalistic process that will last months, ruin reputations and create untold stress. More money will be spent on human resources and training. There will be more rules, more anxiety, more suspicion, less freedom. I once worked at a warehouse where a forklift accidentally pronged a pallet of Brut 33 aerosols. What a stink. The forklift driver was the target of plenty of banter. Richly deserved it, too. My son, new to a labouring job, was dangled over a sewage pit by his ankles. A union rep might call that bullying but from that day my son felt part of the team. I know of another young lad who was sent off by his foreman to buy 'two tins of tartan paint, and holes for fence-posts'. He was told 'the holes aren't heavy but there's nothing to hold on to'. It was a while before he realised he was being asked to buy thin air. Likewise, he was told to 'go to the van and bring back a new bubble for the spirit-level'. The weird thing is that Ms Rayner is supposedly the one normal, working-class person in a Cabinet of wonks. In pressing for this mad law she is showing herself to be as out of touch as the rest of them. All because she is ambitious for the top job and wants to suck up to her union paymasters. How pathetic.
