Comelec closes down automated poll system servers, network infrastructure

The Commission on Elections (Comelec) on Monday closed down the automated election system (AES) servers and network infrastructure used in the recently-concluded 2022 national and local elections.

The poll body started the procedure at around 10:41 a.m. The process was aired on their official Facebook and YouTube pages.

The Comelec started by shutting down the automated server, physical server, and its network infrastructure at the Backup Data Center-Data One in Quezon City.

This was followed by the shutdown of its consolidated canvassing system and the transmission router database at the Central Data Center in PLDT Vitro Taguig City.

The AES servers and network infrastructure at the Transparency Data Center in PLDT Vitro Parañaque was shutdown simultaneously with the systems at the Central Data Center in Taguig City.

Acting Comelec spokesperson, Atty. Rex Laudiangco said that the shutdowns were part of the post-election procedures of the poll body.

While they uphold transparency in the process, Laudiangco said that coverage of the shutdowns were not open to the media due to "security considerations."

"Just like with the transparency server po, there will be a backing up procedure to be followed by the shutdown processes," Laudiangco said in explaining the significance of the event.

"The Data Centers, similar to the Transparency Server, have already served their purposes po for this election, thus necessitating their decommissioning," he told reporters in a Viber message. — DVM, GMA News