⚠️ MVM Simulator — Terms of Use & Disclaimer

1. Purpose

The simulator and its accompanying documentation exist to:

• Demonstrate the structural limits of black-box validation on closed-firmware constrained human–machine interfaces (HMIs).
• Support academic research and peer review on side-channel input vulnerabilities.
• Inform constructive policy discussion with election commissions and regulators.
• Educate the public on why voter-verifiable, independently-counted audit mechanisms matter.

2. What this software is NOT

• It is not a claim that any specific deployed Electronic Voting Machine has been manipulated, by any specific actor, in any specific election.
• It does not allege wrongdoing on the part of any manufacturer, election commission, technical contractor, or governmental body.
• It does not interface with any production EVM, ATM, PIN pad, or industrial controller. It is a self-contained software replica intended for demonstration only.
• The trigger patterns described (the "Manipulate Mode" features) are presented as a structural existence proof under a malicious-firmware threat model. They are not instructions for manipulating fielded equipment.

3. Prohibited uses

By accepting these terms, you agree NOT to use this software, or any information derived from it, for any of the following:

• Any attempt to influence, manipulate, defraud, or interfere with any election, referendum, or public ballot in any jurisdiction.
• Any attempt to compromise an ATM, PIN-entry pad, industrial control panel, or other constrained-HMI device deployed in a real-world environment.
• Any reverse-engineering, modification, or unauthorised physical access to actual fielded voting equipment.
• Any commercial misrepresentation of the simulator as definitive proof of compromise of any specific real-world system.
• Any deployment to a production environment intended to record real votes or process real transactions.

Such uses are ethically objectionable and may constitute serious criminal offences under election laws, computer-misuse legislation, and tamper-prevention statutes in most jurisdictions.

4. Responsible disclosure

If your work with this simulator leads you to identify a real vulnerability in a fielded system, please pursue coordinated disclosure with the responsible authority (manufacturer, election commission, regulator) under standard responsible-disclosure principles. Research on production hardware should be performed only in a controlled laboratory setting, on lawfully-acquired equipment, and with prior notification to the relevant authority.

5. Limitation of liability & warranty

This software is provided "as is", without warranty of any kind, express or implied, including but not limited to warranties of merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, accuracy, or non-infringement. The author shall not be liable for any direct, indirect, incidental, consequential, or other damages arising out of, or in connection with, the use or misuse of this software, including any unlawful application of it.

6. Author & attribution

This work was developed by Saleem Sulthan, who supports democratic elections and trustworthy critical-infrastructure operation. This simulator is offered in the spirit of constructive critique. The author has no conflict of interest with any voting-equipment manufacturer, election authority, or political party.

7. Acceptance is required

To use the MVM Simulator you must affirm, by ticking the box below and clicking "I Accept", that:

• You have read and understood these terms.
• Your intended use is lawful and falls within the educational, research, or policy-discussion scope set out above.
• You agree not to engage in any prohibited use described in Section 3.
• You take full responsibility for any consequences of your use of this software.