The arrangement between Poland and SpaceX for providing Starlink internet access to the Ukrainian military involves Poland's Ministry of Digitization funding the service at an annual cost of approximately $50 million.
In addition, Poland has also supplied about half of Ukraine's Starlink terminals, totaling over 20,000 since 2022, which are essential for maintaining military and civilian communications amidst the war. Polish officials have emphasized that they are responsible for covering subscription fees and ensuring the continuity of this critical infrastructure.

However, in light of recent tensions with Elon Musk, Poland has warned that it may seek alternative providers if SpaceX is deemed unreliable, with potential options including the Paris-based satellite communications company Eutelsat.

Recent evolution of the situation in March 2025
The relationship between Poland and SpaceX has evolved significantly over time, marked by both collaboration and recent tensions.

Early days Collaboration
Poland and SpaceX initially developed a productive partnership, with SpaceX playing a key role in launching Poland's EagleEye satellite in 2024. This mission, conducted from the Vandenberg Space Force Base in California, was a landmark achievement for Poland's growing space sector. It showcased Poland's increasing technological capabilities in satellite development and its ability to collaborate on complex space missions with international partners like SpaceX

Support for Ukraine
Poland has also been a major financial supporter of SpaceX's Starlink services for Ukraine's army, which support has been critical for maintaining Ukraine's communications infrastructure during its war with Russia.

Tensions and Recent Developments

The relationship has recently become strained due to Elon Musk's warnings about potentially cutting off Starlink access to Ukraine. Polish Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski criticized Musk for his remarks, questioning the ethics of threatening a country under attack. In response, Musk dismissed Sikorski's concerns and emphasized Starlink's indispensability to Ukraine's military efforts.

Future Outlook
While Poland and Ukraine continues to rely on SpaceX for critical services, the recent tensions highlight the challenges of depending on private technology providers in geopolitically sensitive situations. Poland’s exploration of alternatives may signal a shift toward diversifying its partnerships in the space and satellite communication sectors.

#ukraine #spacex #warinukraine #eutelsat

The USA-Canada hockey rivalry, a cornerstone of North American sports culture, has recently intensified due to political tensions. This historic competition, spanning over a century, has seen both nations clash in various international tournaments, with Canada historically dominating but the USA achieving significant victories. The rivalry extends to both men's and women's hockey, consistently drawing global attention.

The recent 2025 4 Nations Face-Off tournament has added a new chapter to this rivalry, with the USA winning the initial match 3-1 and securing a spot in the final. The game was marked by intense physicality, including three fights in the first nine seconds. Canadian fans booed the US national anthem, reflecting current political strains. This heightened tension has spilled over into other areas, as evidenced by a recent Canadian parliamentary petition to revoke Elon Musk's Canadian citizenship. The final match, scheduled for February 20, 2025, in Boston, is expected to draw significant interest amidst this charged atmosphere.

#USAvsCanada #Icehockey #HockeyRivalry #4NationsFaceOff #HockeyInternational #IceHockeyTournaments

theguardian.com/technology/202…

The EscapeX campaign is a European initiative urging individuals, institutions, media, and policymakers to leave X (formerly Twitter) due to concerns about Elon Musk's influence and the platform becoming an opinion manipulation machine. It promotes transitioning to more democratic, decentralized digital spaces like Bluesky and Mastodon.
Key aspects of the campaign:
Goals: Rebuild and reclaim the democratic digital space, advocating for neutral algorithms, effective content moderation, and independence from billionaires' influence.
Organizations Involved: A collaboration of initiatives from France (HelloQuitX), Spain (Vámonos Juntas), and Germany (SciXit), along with support from organizations like Campact.
OpenPortability Platform: Developed by CNRS ISC-PIF, this application allows users to link their X identities to Mastodon and Bluesky, helping them reconnect with their contacts on these alternative platforms. Over 30,000 users in France have used it to recreate 45 million links between accounts.
Call to Action: The campaign encourages information professionals, politicians, and democracy supporters to shift the center of digital debate to more peaceful and democratic platforms using the OpenPortability application.

escape-x.org/

#X #disinformation #Twitter #escapex #HelloQuiiteX

Meta's recent decision to allow claims of mental illness towards LGBT+ individuals on its platforms has sparked a wave of outrage. This new moderation policy, announced by Mark Zuckerberg, now permits labeling a person as "weird" or "mentally ill" based on their sexual orientation or gender identity, under the guise of free speech.

This conservative shift by Meta could have disastrous consequences, similar to those observed on X (formerly Twitter) with the HelloQuitX movement (helloquitx.com/). Indeed, this decision not only risks violating European and French law but also alienating a large portion of its user base, particularly sensitive to issues of discrimination and inclusion.

In light of this situation, one wonders if a "HelloQuitMeta" movement might emerge, prompting users to massively abandon Meta's platforms. This phenomenon could represent a serious setback for the company, both in terms of image and advertising revenue. At a time when social networks are closely scrutinized for their handling of hate speech, Meta is playing a dangerous game that could prove costly.

Reference article in French francetvinfo.fr/internet/resea…

#HelloQuitMeta #LGBTRights #SocialMediaExodus #DigitalEthics #Community
Standards

La récente décision de Meta d'autoriser les allégations de maladie mentale envers les personnes LGBT+ sur ses plateformes soulève une vague d'indignation1. Cette nouvelle politique de modération, annoncée par Mark Zuckerberg, permet désormais de qualifier de "bizarre" ou "malade mentale" une personne en raison de son orientation sexuelle ou son identité de genre, sous couvert de liberté d'expression.

Ce virage conservateur de Meta que l'on observe depuis le début du mois de janvier 2025, que l'on attribue à une forme d'allégence de Mark Zukerberg au futur président US pourrait avoir des conséquences désastreuses pour l'entreprise, similaires à celles observées sur X (anciennement Twitter) avec le mouvement HelloQuitX (helloquitx.com/). En effet, cette décision risque non seulement de violer le droit européen et français, mais aussi et surtout d'aliéner une large partie de sa base d'utilisateurs, particulièrement sensible aux questions de discrimination et d'inclusion.

Face à cette situation, on peut se demander si un mouvement "HelloQuitMeta" ne va pas émerger, incitant les utilisateurs à quitter massivement les plateformes de Meta. Ce phénomène pourrait représenter un sérieux revers pour l'entreprise, tant en termes d'image que de revenus publicitaires. À l'heure où les réseaux sociaux sont scrutés de près pour leur gestion des discours haineux, Meta joue un jeu dangereux qui pourrait bien lui coûter très cher en nombre d'utilisateurs.

francetvinfo.fr/internet/resea…

#HelloQuitMeta #LGBTRights #SocialMediaExodus #DigitalEthics #CommunityStandards

friendica.world/display/84b6ef…

n816 Life

2025-01-06 05:00:56

The Hidden Profit Machine Behind Academic Publishing: A Call for Reform

In the world of academic publishing, a startling economic paradox exists that challenges the very foundations of scientific dissemination. The "big five" commercial publishers—Elsevier, Wiley, Taylor & Francis, Springer Nature, and SAGE—have built billion-dollar empires with profit margins rivaling tech giants, all while relying on the unpaid labor of researchers and public funding. This system, which some critics liken to a racket, sees academics conducting research, writing articles, and managing peer review processes without compensation, only for publishers to sell these works back to the same institutions that produced them. This introductory paragraph sheds light on a pressing issue in scientific communication, raising questions about the sustainability and ethics of current academic publishing models and overall, the core of its business model.

amp-theguardian-com.cdn.amppro…

#AcademicPublishing #OpenAccess #ResearchEthics #ScientificCommunication #PublishingReform
@The Guardian

Academic journals are a lucrative scam – and we’re determined to change that

^{Arash Abizadeh (The Guardian)}

David Chavalarias, Research Director at CNRS, the Centre for Social Analysis and Mathematics (CAMS) at EHESS, and Head of the Complex Systems Institute of Paris Île-de-France, explains that X (formerly Twitter) has become toxic since its acquisition by Elon Musk.

His CNRS laboratory has meticulously documented and quantified a significant increase in hostility within exchanges, exacerbated by the platform's algorithm. Musk has also abandoned moderation and leveraged X to promote far-right ideologies.

The HelloQuitteX collective aims to guide users toward decentralized platforms like Mastodon or BlueSky, which offer greater freedom. A key date, January 20, has been set to facilitate this transition.

Chavalarias emphasizes that HelloQuitteX is an apolitical and non-partisan initiative. Its goal is to denounce the political exploitation of user data while providing healthier alternatives. The project seeks to equip users with tools to regain control over their data and migrate to more ethical platforms.
synthmedia.fr/2024/12/politiqu…

Editor's Note: the interesting article on Synthmedia below has the slight drawback of not being shareable on the Fediverse. However, the publishing platform does allow direct sharing on X. Quite ironic!

helloquittex.com/

#X #HelloQuitteX #elonmusk #chavalarias

(@chavalarias@mastodon.social)

David Chavalarias, Directeur de recherche au CNRS et au Centre d'analyse et de mathématique sociales (CAMS) de l'EHESS et Directeur de l'Institut des systèmes complexes de Paris Île-de-France, explique que X (ex-Twitter) est devenu toxique depuis son rachat par Elon Musk. Son laboratoire au CNRS a constaté, documenté et quantifié de façon extremement detaillée une augmentation de l'hostilité des échanges, amplifiée par l'algorithme. Musk a abandonné la modération et utilisé X pour promouvoir des opinions d'extrême droite.

Le collectif HelloQuitteX propose d'accompagner les utilisateurs vers des plateformes décentralisées comme Mastodon ou BlueSky, offrant plus de liberté. Une date clé, le 20 janvier, a été fixée pour organiser cette transition.

David Chavalarias souligne que HelloQuitteX est une initiative apolitique et transpartisane. L'objectif est de dénoncer l'instrumentalisation politique des données des utilisateurs et d'offrir des alternatives plus saines. Le projet vise à donner aux utilisateurs les outils pour reprendre le contrôle de leurs données.

synthmedia.fr/2024/12/politiqu…

NDLR cet interressant article sur Synthmedia presente toutefois le leger inconvénient de ne pas pouvoir être partagé sur le fediverse. Néanmoins la plateforme de publication permet un partage sur X directement. Un comble..

helloquittex.com/

#X #HelloQuitteX #elonmusk #chavalarias
(@chavalarias@mastodon.social)

La Commission européenne a lancé une enquête formelle contre TikTok pour des infractions présumées au Digital Services Act (DSA) suite aux tentatives d'ingérence russe lors des élections présidentielles en Roumanie. Cette décision fait suite à des indications sérieuses selon lesquelles des acteurs étrangers auraient utilisé TikTok pour influencer les élections, notamment en soutenant le candidat d'extrême droite Calin Georgescu.

Les autorités roumaines ont révélé que 25 000 comptes TikTok ont été activés soudainement quelques semaines avant le premier tour des élections, promouvant massivement Georgescu sans marquage approprié des contenus électoraux. Cette manipulation coordonnée a soulevé des inquiétudes quant à l'intégrité du processus électoral et à la capacité de TikTok à gérer les risques systémiques liés aux élections.

L'enquête se concentrera sur les systèmes de recommandation de TikTok et ses politiques en matière de publicités politiques et de contenus payants. La Commission examinera si TikTok a manqué à ses obligations de diligence pour atténuer les risques posés par des aspects régionaux et linguistiques spécifiques des élections nationales.

Cette affaire souligne l'importance cruciale de la transparence et de la responsabilité des plateformes en ligne dans la protection de l'intégrité des processus démocratiques en Europe.

#TikTok #DigitalServicesAct #IngérenceRusse #ÉlectionsRoumaines #CommissionEuropéenne