We have recently become aware of an unfortunate incident involving fraudulent use of bots to cast votes within our system. The Yorkshire Choice Awards prioritise fairness and transparency in all our processes, and any attempt to compromise the integrity of our voting procedures is taken very seriously.
Our team is currently conducting a thorough investigation into this matter to identify and address the fraudulent activity. While the use of a single IP address per user for fair usage has been a subject of discussion, we want to emphasise that this measure is in place to ensure equal opportunities for all participants, including businesses and individuals, in our voting processes.
In today's digital landscape, no system is entirely immune. However, we have implemented robust systems designed to detect and prevent suspicious activities. Our systems have detected such behaviour, prompting us to activate additional security measures.
Moving forward, our IT team will be scrutinising all registered IP addresses associated with votes to verify their authenticity. It is crucial for us to maintain the integrity of the voting process, and any evidence of fraudulent activity will lead to automatic disqualification.
It's important to note that we have not been the victim of hackers and all information is safe and secure. We handle all information gathered by Yorkshire Choice Awards with the highest level of discretion, ensuring that such data is not shared with any third party to uphold the privacy and confidentiality of our participants.
To provide additional reassurance to all participants, these enhanced security measures will strengthen our voting process and this WILL NOT impact the voting experience for those who have followed the fair and transparent process.
We believe it is important to provide clarity on the steps we are taking to maintain the fairness of our voting procedures. Your trust is of utmost importance to us, and we are committed to upholding the highest standards of integrity in all our operations.
Thank you for your understanding.