Hacked: How we rigged Scottish Government website

WHEN Scotland on Sunday tested the Scottish Government referendum consultation it was able to re-submit the online document again and again unchallenged.

Applicants do not have to give a name, email or home address to complete the form.

The only mandatory fields to be filled in are whether you are an individual or an organisation, if you live in Scotland, the rest of the UK or the rest of the world, and if you would agree to future contact. In contrast, the Scotland Office consultation, which closed on 9 March, required online contributors to provide an email address.

Key areas in the Scottish Government document include the timetable, the second “devo-max” question, extending the franchise to 16- and 17-year-olds and if the referendum should be held on a Saturday.

Feasibly, the consultation could be re-submitted multiple times from 25 January to 11 May.