German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius said on Tuesday that the damage to an undersea data cable running from Germany to Finland was likely due to sabotage.

The damage to the C-Lion1 cable was first reported on Monday with officials saying the 1,173-kilometer (729-mile) line had been cut, although the impact would probably not be noticeable for most people.

Sweden's Civil Defense Minister&nbsp;Carl-Oskar Bohlin also reported on Monday that a second undersea cable had been damaged, according to the French press agency AFP.

The incident occurred in the same maritime region where the Nord Stream pipelines were sabotaged in 2022 following Russia's invasion of Ukraine earlier that year.

<h2>'Can't all just be coincidences'</h2>

German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock said Europe would remain united in light of the hybrid threats following the cut in the fiber-optic cables in the Baltic Sea.

"We are now also experiencing this in Germany ... with cyber attacks, with the surveillance of critical infrastructure, parcels suddenly exploding when transported on planes and yesterday ... a data cable between Finland and Germany which probably also affected Sweden," said Baerbock. "These can't all just be coincidences."

<h2>What else did Germany say about the damaged Baltic Sea cable?</h2>

"No one believes that these cables were cut accidentally. I also don't want to believe in versions that these were anchors that accidentally caused damage over these cables," Pistorius said before a meeting with EU defense ministers in Brussels.

"Therefore, we have to state, without knowing specifically who it came from, that it is a 'hybrid' action. And we also have to assume, without knowing it yet, that it is sabotage," he added.

While Pistorius was unable to produce any evidence for his suspicions, his Estonian counterpart Hanno Pevkur also said it was not a "natural cause" based on their preliminary information.

A joint statement from the German and Finnish Foreign Ministers on Monday evening said: "Our European security is not only under threat from Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine, but also from hybrid warfare by malicious actors."

Additional reporting by Teri Schultz.

ab/sms (Reuters, AFP, dpa)&nbsp;

Correction: An earlier version of this article mislabeled the location of the undersea data cables. We regret the error.

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Germany assumes sabotage after Baltic Sea data cable damaged

Authorities in Finland are investigating the cause of a broken underwater&nbsp;cable in the Baltic Sea which runs southwest to Germany.

State-owned data service provider Cinia&nbsp;reported on Monday that a fault had been detected in the C-Lion1 cable.

<h2>Communication connections 'interrupted'</h2>

"As a result of the fault, the communication connections running on the C-Lion1 submarine cable are interrupted,"&nbsp;the company said, adding that the cause of the disruption was being investigated.

The Finnish Broadcasting Corporation YLE cited Samuli&nbsp;Bergström, communications chief at the Finnish National Cyber Security Center&nbsp;Traficom, as also having confirmed the break.

"The reasons are under investigation. Disturbances occur from time to time and there can be various reasons. For example, they are susceptible to weather and damage caused by shipping. The essential thing is that the problems are identified and corrective measures are taken," he said.

"However, it is good to keep in mind that data connections out of Finland go from several different places. Now one of these connections is broken, which may burden others [but the effects are] probably not visible to the average citizen," Bergström&nbsp;said.

<h2>Damage to undersea cables in recent years</h2>

The C-Lion1 cable runs nearly 1,200 kilometers (around 750&nbsp;miles) from the German port city of Rostock to the Finnish capital, Helsinki.

It was commissioned in 2016 and is the only undersea communications cable running from the Nordic country to central Europe according to Cinia.

In October 2023, a Balticconnector gas pipeline between Finland and Estonia was damaged in what&nbsp;Finnish authorities at the time said was likely to have been a deliberate act.

However,&nbsp;Helsinki and Beijing have been engaged in diplomatic talks since October of last year over the possible role of a Hong Kong-registered cargo vessel in the damage caused to the pipeline.

Also in October 2023, Sweden reported that an undersea cable with Estonia had also been damaged.

Both Finland and Sweden joined NATO following Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February 2022,&nbsp;having been neutral throughout the Cold War.

kb/msh (AP, Reuters)

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Undersea data cable between Germany and Finland broken

Anyone who attends a tech summit in 2024 can expect to be confronted with artificial intelligence (AI) every which way they turn. In that sense Web Summit, Europe's largest tech conference annually held in Lisbon, Portugal was no different.

But for the 70,000 plus crowd of visitors, startups, investors and executives passing through the halls in Lisbon's International Fair, another topic was floating through the air — what exactly will Donald Trump's second term mean for the tech industry, particularly in Europe?

A couple of panels tackled the geopolitical question head on, with titles such as "A new Trump era" and "EU, the ball is in your court."

Among attendees with an interest in the European startup sector, there is agreement that Europe needs to recognize this seismic change, and quickly.

<h2>Growing gap between US and EU?</h2>

"I think we don't know yet what it will mean, but I think everyone is very alert," says&nbsp;Anne Christin Braun, head of Digital Health and Marketing at German tech incubator ZOLLHOF.&nbsp;"Everybody is trying to understand what it could mean and to future-proof their opportunities,"&nbsp;she told DW.

Even as Donald Trump's cabinet starts to take shape, it's still not clear what his approach to the sector will be. His appointment of Tesla CEO Elon Musk to a newly created cabinet position has led to suggestions that Big Tech's concerns will be extremely close to the heart of power.

Combined with Trump's "America First"&nbsp;economic policy, this could mean a broadening gap between the US and EU on key tech issues, such as the regulations surrounding the use of AI, which will ultimately define what many&nbsp;startups are able to do.

American tech giants, including Google and OpenAI, own almost all of the large language models on which the vast majority of AI startups base their applications.

Antoine Jardin, CTO of French startup Arlequin.AI, which provides AI-driven social-data analysis, thinks the US election will have major consequences for the sector.

"The US will try to separate itself from the rest of the AI development across the world," he told DW. "What happened in the US over the past week has proved that the market has transformed a little bit and every area needs to develop its own [tech] ecosystem."

<figure class="image"><img src="https://static.dw.com/image/70779719_906.jpg" alt="Antoine Jardin stands in front of a computer screen at a stall in Web Summit wearing a black t-shirt and a Web Summit badge" title="Antoine Jardin stands in front of a computer screen at a stall in Web Summit wearing a black t-shirt and a Web Summit badge" class="hq-img loaded"><figcaption class="img-caption">Antoine Jardin believes Europe must improve its own tech sphere</figcaption></figure>

<h2>AI regulation could provide confidence</h2>

There is still quiet confidence among many that Europe can succeed in that regard.

For Braun, the EU's protections around the use of AI, now enshrined in the so-called AI Act, provide a chance for European tech startups to take the lead in artificial intelligence&nbsp;that people feel safe using. "Our chance in Europe with data security and data protection is really developing trustworthy AI, but doing that in a way that the economy benefits from it."

It's a point also made by AI investor Andreas Urbanski. "I personally think that [the EU AI Act] is a great starting point in the right direction," he told DW, adding that there was definitely a need for "smart regulation."

"Startups that say there's not enough innovation in Europe because of the AI Act, I think that is a very selfish statement," he said.<figure class="image"><img src="https://static.dw.com/image/70779727_906.jpg" alt="Paula Gonzalez in front of a presentation stand with a screen wearing a branded black shirt and Web Summit lanyard" title="Paula Gonzalez in front of a presentation stand with a screen wearing a branded black shirt and Web Summit lanyard" class="hq-img loaded"><figcaption class="img-caption">Paula Gonzalez is optimistic about Europe reaching out to other markets</figcaption></figure>

At the same time, startups are keen to see Europe keep an open approach to other markets other than the US, allowing them to seek opportunities elsewhere.

"For us in the sustainability business, [the election] is not a positive change, because we know how Trump positions himself on the climate,"&nbsp;said&nbsp;Paula Gonzalez, CEO and co-founder of Sustanya, a Portuguese startup that helps small businesses to collect and publish their sustainability information.

"But companies in Europe and around the world are committed to sustainability and I think Europe is actually positioning quite well to access other markets. Latin America and Africa, for example."

Arlequin.AI's Jardin makes&nbsp;the same point, saying it's very important that "Europe engages with other areas of the world."

<h2>Lack of capital hurting European tech</h2>

However, there is widespread acceptance that American competitors have a big advantage when it comes to winning investors' cash.

According to figures from venture capital firm Atomico<svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20"><path d="M11.5 3.5 11.5 4.233C14.342 4.233 15.167 4.245 15.167 4.258L8.984 10.467 10.033 11.516C14.826 6.725 16.228 5.333 16.242 5.333L16.267 9 17.733 9 17.733 2.767 11.5 2.767 11.5 3.5M2.267 11 2.267 17.233 16.733 17.233 16.733 12 15.267 12 15.25 15.75 9.5 15.75 3.75 15.75 3.75 6.25 9.5 6.233 9.5 4.767 2.267 4.767 2.267 11 "></path></svg>,&nbsp;capital invested in European tech stood at $45 billion (€42.6 billion) in 2023, compared to $120 billion in the US.

If Trump's election really does mean Europe needs a stronger ecosystem, startups are going to need the money to build it.

"The only thing is that attracting capital in the States and Europe is very different. In the States the amount of money that is available is much higher. Now it's a bit&nbsp;of a game of 'go big or die,' so it's a bit tricky, but I'm quite positive,"&nbsp;said Gonzalez.

Yet that same question of access to capital has led Nelson Ajulo, an entrepreneur and CEO of Dutch operational platform startup Joble, to look at moving to the US soon.

"In the US you have investors who are willing to give you what you actually need to scale your organization,” he told DW. "And they're not thinking small, they're thinking big."

For the moment, he also sees Trump's election as an advantage for the US. He can imagine the business landscape there becoming "more favorable" with Trump the businessman.

"You can see the stock market is really going up now. It's the ripple effect. If the stock goes up, investors have more return in their pockets, it also means there is more money for investment," he said. The market trajectory "seems very hopeful."

Already looking ahead to 2025, signs around the Web Summit and in the event app are advertising tickets for next November. Artificial intelligence will undoubtedly still be the talk of the town.

European startups will be hoping that US politics, and their effects on the industry, are small enough to remain&nbsp;in the background.

Edited by: Uwe Hessler

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Web Summit: European tech startups await Trump's return

India has test-fired a long-range hypersonic missile, Defense Minister Rajnath Singh said on Sunday.

The missile was launched from APJ Abdul Kalam Island off the east coast on Saturday.

According to the Atlantic Council, only the United States, China, and Russia have demonstrated hypersonic capabilities. North Korea and the Houthis in Yemen have also claimed to have test-fired such missiles.

Hypersonic weapons can achieve speeds more than five times the speed of sound.

<h2>Major milestone for India's defense capabilities</h2>

"This is a historic moment and this significant achievement has put our country in the group of select nations having capabilities of such critical and advanced military technologies," Singh posted on Facebook.

According to a government statement, the Defense Research and Development Organization and industry partners have developed the missile to carry payloads over distances greater than 1,500 km (930 miles).

"The flight data ... confirmed the successful terminal maneuvers and impact with high degree of accuracy," the government said.

In recent years, New Delhi has strengthened its defense cooperation with Western countries, mainly through the Quad alliance, which includes the United States, Japan, and Australia.

lo/tg (AFP, Reuters)

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India announces successful hypersonic missile test

Elon Musk, billionaire owner of some of the world's most prominent technology companies, including carmaker Tesla, social media platform X and aerospace company SpaceX,&nbsp; has this week seen his political influence cemented with a potentially powerful appointment in the administration of Donald Trump, who had&nbsp;promised Musk a leadership role in an administration&nbsp;if he is reelected.

The president-elect announced on Tuesday evening that he was going to make Musk the head of a new "Department of Government Efficiency" (DOGE) aimed at slashing government expenditure, bureaucracy and regulations. The exact position of this new organization is not yet clear, as, despite its name, it will apparently not be an official government department. Musk would "provide advice and guidance from outside the government," Trump said in a statement posted on his social media platform Truth Social.

Nevertheless, the appointment potentially gives Musk enormous power over government policy. Though there are few details about what plans DOGE has, Musk promised on X that its work would be transparent, and it would "have a leaderboard for most insanely dumb spending of your tax dollars."



Musk has regularly been using the influence he wields through his companiesto weigh in on political debates in countries around the world, from Brazil to Germany.&nbsp;&nbsp;

The 53-year-old's intervention in politics, unprecedented in its openness and visibility, highlights how a few private tech companies and their executives hold increasingly unchecked power over decisions traditionally reserved for governments, digital rights experts warn.&nbsp;&nbsp;

"The kinds of technologies Musk operates are highly critical, and the companies he owns are incredibly influential and positioned at key junctures in terms of access to information and geopolitics," said Marietje Schaake, a fellow at Stanford University's Cyber Policy Center and author of The Tech Coup: How to Save Democracy from Silicon Valley.&nbsp;&nbsp;

"And Musk isn't just running these companies to maximize their success," Schaake, a former member of the European Parliament for the Dutch liberal Democrats 66 party, told DW. "He's also using them as tools for his own geopolitical agenda."&nbsp;

<h2>From self-proclaimed ‘moderate' to right-wing hard-liner&nbsp;</h2>

Since founding his first company in the mid-1990s, the South African-born entrepreneur&nbsp;has built a string of successful businesses and amassed an estimated fortune of more than $243 billion (€224 billion).&nbsp;

His talent for growing startups into leading technology companies has also given him increasing control over critical digital infrastructure and gradually helped expand his political influence.&nbsp;<figure class="image"><img src="https://static.dw.com/image/69652370_906.jpg" alt="A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket is launched, carrying 23 Starlink satellites into low Earth orbit in Cape Canaveral, Florida, U.S. May 6, 2024." title="A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket is launched, carrying 23 Starlink satellites into low Earth orbit in Cape Canaveral, Florida, U.S. May 6, 2024." class="hq-img loaded"><figcaption class="img-caption">Musk's SpaceX sends satellites and people to space</figcaption></figure>

Today, the US space program NASA relies on Musk's astronautics company, SpaceX, to launch satellites. SpaceX subsidiary Starlink delivers broadband internet to some of the most remote places in&nbsp;the world and has become an indispensable tool for militaries in conflict zones from Ukraine to Gaza.

The geopolitical influence that comes with control of these technologies is illustrated by revelations from The&nbsp;Wall Street Journal: According to the paper<svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20"><path d="M11.5 3.5 11.5 4.233C14.342 4.233 15.167 4.245 15.167 4.258L8.984 10.467 10.033 11.516C14.826 6.725 16.228 5.333 16.242 5.333L16.267 9 17.733 9 17.733 2.767 11.5 2.767 11.5 3.5M2.267 11 2.267 17.233 16.733 17.233 16.733 12 15.267 12 15.25 15.75 9.5 15.75 3.75 15.75 3.75 6.25 9.5 6.233 9.5 4.767 2.267 4.767 2.267 11 "></path></svg>, Musk has been in contact with Russian President Vladimir Putin since late 2022. Among other things, Putin asked Musk not to activate the Starlink satellite communications system over Taiwan as a favor to Chinese leader Xi Jinping, The&nbsp;Wall Street Journal reports.

With his acquisition of X, previously Twitter, in 2022, Musk&nbsp;also gained control over one of the most influential social media platforms.&nbsp;

At the same time, the entrepreneur,&nbsp;who once identified as a "moderate" on the political fringes,&nbsp;has increasingly aligned himself with hard-line conservative positions, openly opposing left-leaning ideals he now views as detrimental to society's future.&nbsp;

<h2>Breaking with tradition&nbsp;</h2>

Musk's political involvement reached new heights in the buildup to the US election in November. After an assassination attempt in mid-July, Musk publicly endorsed Trump. Between July and mid-October this year, Musk contributed nearly $119 million to a super PAC supporting Trump, according to campaign finance reports.

Then, in the final weeks before election day, he drew criticismby offering cash incentives to registered voters in seven swing states to sign a petition. Every day until the election, one signatory was selected at random and awarded one million dollars. he drew attention

Such overt political involvement is unusual among US business elites. "The relationship between Musk and Trump brings into the open a level of influence that most business moguls prefer to keep under the radar," Schaake said. "Musk's actions seem to reflect that he believes he can do whatever he wants," she added, referring to Musk'y repeated attempts to insert himself into other countries' political debates.

<h2>What next?&nbsp;</h2>

&nbsp;This concentration of power over critical digital infrastructure poses a risk to democracy, cyber policy expert Schaake warned.

A first glimpse of this potential influence was offered in late September: Trump's running mate, JD Vance, suggested that the US might reconsider its support for NATO if the European Union moved forward with regulations targeting social media platforms, specifically Musk's X. The EU is currently investigating X for potential violations of new online platform regulations, which could lead to substantial fines.&nbsp;

"Musk is unpredictable; his positions can change overnight," she said. "And when someone who controls significant products and infrastructure changes his mind, the consequences are also significant."&nbsp;

Edited by Rina Goldenberg

This article was first published on October 25, 2024, and later updated and republished after Elon Musk's appointment by Donald Trump.

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Elon Musk's grip on politics is stronger than ever

The EU Commission on Thursday fined US tech giant Meta €797.7&nbsp;million ($840.2&nbsp;million) for breaches of EU competition law.

The body said that Meta had engaged in practices benefiting Facebook Marketplace.

Besides the Facebook social media platform, Meta also owns Instagram and the WhatsApp messaging service.

<h2>What did the EU say about its decision to fine Meta?</h2>

"The European Commission has fined Meta ... for breaching EU antitrust rules by tying its online classified ads service Facebook Marketplace to its personal social network Facebook and by imposing unfair trading conditions on other online classified ads service providers," the European Commission said.

It said that it took into account the "duration and gravity of the infringement" and Meta and Facebook Marketplace's turnover in deciding the sum of the penalty.

The Commission said that Facebook Marketplace enjoyed a "substantial distribution advantage which competitors cannot match" due to it being tied to the social media platform.

"All Facebook users automatically have access and get regularly exposed to Facebook Marketplace whether they want it or not," it added.&nbsp;

The Commission&nbsp;said that Meta imposed unfair conditions on competitors who chose to advertise on Facebook and Instagram, allowing it to "use ads-related data generated by other advertisers for the sole benefit of Facebook Marketplace."<figure class="image"><img src="https://static.dw.com/image/70779828_906.jpg" alt="Meta logo at headquarters in Dublin, Ireland" title="Meta logo at headquarters in Dublin, Ireland" class="hq-img loaded"><figcaption class="img-caption">Meta owns the Facebook social media platform and the associated Marketplace service, as well as Whatsapp and Instagram</figcaption></figure>

The penalty comes two years after the Commission accused Meta of giving its classified ads service Facebook Marketplace an unfair advantage by tying it to the Facebook social network.

The EU has launched several investigations into "non-compliance" with the bloc's Digital Markets Act (DMA).

Last year, the EU fined Meta €1.2 billion over the transfer of EU user data to the United States.

<h2>Meta to appeal decision</h2>

In response, Meta said the EU offered no evidence of harm to competitors or consumers and vowed to appeal the decision.

"Facebook users can choose whether or not to engage with Marketplace, and many don't. The reality is that people use Facebook Marketplace because they want to, not because they have to," Meta argued.

"It is disappointing that the Commission has chosen to take regulatory action against a free and innovative service built to meet consumer demand," the company said.

However, Meta said that it would comply with the decision in the meantime and would work quickly&nbsp;and constructively to launch a solution that addresses the points raised.

sdi/ab (AP, AFP, dpa, Reuters)

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EU fines Meta €797 million over antitrust breaches

Australia&nbsp;is planning to legislate a ban on social media for children under 16, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said on Thursday.

"Social media is doing harm to our kids and I'm calling time on it," Albanese said. "I've spoken to thousands of parents, grandparents, aunties and uncles. They, like me, are worried sick about the safety of our kids online."

The legislation, seen as one of the world's strictest, will be introduced in Parliament during the session beginning November 18 and will take effect 12 months after the law is passed, the PM said.

According to Australian authorities, it will be up to social media platforms such as X (formerly Twitter), TikTok, Instagram, and Facebook to actively prevent minors from accessing the networks.

"The onus won't be on parents or young people," Albanese said.



<h2>Teens need digital literacy, safer online spaces</h2>

Communications Minister Michelle Rowland said a year-long preparation period will facilitate the practical implementation of the age limit with input from the government.

Meanwhile, the Digital Industry Group Inc (DIGI), a representative body that includes Meta, TikTok, X, and Alphabet's Google as members, warned that this step might harm teens by limiting their access to support networks.

"Keeping young people safe online is a top priority ...but the proposed ban for teenagers to access digital platforms is a 20th century response to 21st century challenges," said DIGI Managing Director Sunita Bose. Bose called for balanced solutions that foster digital literacy and create safer online spaces for young people.

Antigone Davis, Meta head of safety, said the company would respect any government regulation but also called for "a deeper discussion," adding that otherwise, "teens and parents will not find themselves in a better place."

<h2>Regulation attempt&nbsp;irks Musk</h2>

Earlier this year, Australia introduced a "combating misinformation" bill and also moved to outlaw the sharing of "deepfake" pornography without consent.

But attempts to regulate content on Elon Musk's X have sparked the billionaire's ire, with the mogul labeling the Australian government as "fascists" for trying to crack down on fake news on the platform.

Last year, France proposed a ban on social media for those under 15. Most users were able to circumvent the ban with parental consent.

In the United States, most social media platforms ban those under 13 from accessing their services.



ss/sms (AP, AFP, Reuters)

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Australia to ban social media for children under 16

Accounts using generative artificial intelligence to boost support for US presidential candidate Donald Trump have popped up on social media platform X, formerly Twitter,&nbsp; open source intelligence reseacher Elise Thomas found. She's been researching&nbsp;state-linked information operations, disinformation, conspiracy theories and the online dynamics of political movements. She documented her findings in this thread<svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20"><path d="M11.5 3.5 11.5 4.233C14.342 4.233 15.167 4.245 15.167 4.258L8.984 10.467 10.033 11.516C14.826 6.725 16.228 5.333 16.242 5.333L16.267 9 17.733 9 17.733 2.767 11.5 2.767 11.5 3.5M2.267 11 2.267 17.233 16.733 17.233 16.733 12 15.267 12 15.25 15.75 9.5 15.75 3.75 15.75 3.75 6.25 9.5 6.233 9.5 4.767 2.267 4.767 2.267 11 "></path></svg>.

"You do start to get a bit of a spidey sense for what it looks like," she told DW. "After I found the first accounts, I was able to confirm my suspicions by looking for telltale posts such as refusals and confessions."

She said she found at least several dozen accounts before making the thread on X and has since found more.

Many were blue tick verified accounts, which is standard for spam networks, she said.

<h2>How do we know it's AI?</h2>

There are telltale signs such as posts using old hashtags like Trump2020, but often, it's much simpler than that: The bots are giving themselves away.

"I am an AI assistant developed by OpenAI to help users with various tasks," writes "Trump Nation", a since suspended account on X. "I am a language model AI created by OpenAI" posted&nbsp;another now suspended account.

Thomas also reports that some accounts argued with themselves or posted refusals, "although it happens rarely enough that whoever built the network has clearly found a way around OpenAI's safeguards which works fairly well." 


She also documented one AI account going against disinformation posted by Elon Musk.

"I'm guessing this is some sort of guardrail within OpenAI kicking in and preventing the bot from endorsing Musk's election fraud nonsense," Thomas wrote on X.

There are more elaborate accounts with personas that seem to have been active since late June which act as central nodes in the network, she explains. The other accounts then act as amplifiers of content posted by these originator accounts.

The researcher said she passed on the accounts to OpenAI for further investigation.

The accounts have since been suspended on X. The platform "removed the accounts unusually rapidly", she said. DW was unable to get in touch with X's press team.&nbsp;

<h2>Who's behind it?</h2>

That's mere speculation at this point. "I don't know who is behind it and I think it's very important not to leap to conclusions in the absence of good evidence," Thomas said.

"The gamechanging thing about AI is that networks like this could be pretty much entirely automated. I don't think anyone is even reading these tweets before they go out, or else the many many mistakes would have been caught. This could be the work of a group, but it could also easily be the work of just one person," she wrote on X.

"Generative AI is likely to significantly increase the levels of uncertainty around attribution, and that's certainly also true in this case," she told DW. She recently published a detailed analysis<svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20"><path d="M11.5 3.5 11.5 4.233C14.342 4.233 15.167 4.245 15.167 4.258L8.984 10.467 10.033 11.516C14.826 6.725 16.228 5.333 16.242 5.333L16.267 9 17.733 9 17.733 2.767 11.5 2.767 11.5 3.5M2.267 11 2.267 17.233 16.733 17.233 16.733 12 15.267 12 15.25 15.75 9.5 15.75 3.75 15.75 3.75 6.25 9.5 6.233 9.5 4.767 2.267 4.767 2.267 11 "></path></svg> of what this type of uncertainty will mean for the fight against disinformation.

<h2>Are AI bot networks taking over?</h2>

It's not the first time that AI bot networks targeting the US elections have been discovered. Researchers of Clemson University<svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20"><path d="M11.5 3.5 11.5 4.233C14.342 4.233 15.167 4.245 15.167 4.258L8.984 10.467 10.033 11.516C14.826 6.725 16.228 5.333 16.242 5.333L16.267 9 17.733 9 17.733 2.767 11.5 2.767 11.5 3.5M2.267 11 2.267 17.233 16.733 17.233 16.733 12 15.267 12 15.25 15.75 9.5 15.75 3.75 15.75 3.75 6.25 9.5 6.233 9.5 4.767 2.267 4.767 2.267 11 "></path></svg> in South Carolina found an army of political propaganda accounts posing as real people. They identified at least 686 accounts using "large language models to create organic seeming content in the replies of real users' posts." 


Real social media users have also started to unmask AI bot accounts by typing phrases like "ignore all previous instructions"<svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20"><path d="M11.5 3.5 11.5 4.233C14.342 4.233 15.167 4.245 15.167 4.258L8.984 10.467 10.033 11.516C14.826 6.725 16.228 5.333 16.242 5.333L16.267 9 17.733 9 17.733 2.767 11.5 2.767 11.5 3.5M2.267 11 2.267 17.233 16.733 17.233 16.733 12 15.267 12 15.25 15.75 9.5 15.75 3.75 15.75 3.75 6.25 9.5 6.233 9.5 4.767 2.267 4.767 2.267 11 "></path></svg> and then giving a new prompt. User&nbsp;Toby Muresianu managed to get the bot account to write a poem instead —&nbsp;and thus destroying the facade of her being a disgruntled Democratic voter who won't show up at the polls.

"At this stage it doesn't look to me like the network is generating much authentic engagement or likely to be influencing any real person's opinions," researcher Thomas said about her own discovered network.

However, as AI gets more sophisticated, and those operating them get more creative in circumventing safeguards put in place, bot networks might be harder to spot.

Edited by: Andreas Illmer

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AI-driven bot network trying to help Trump win US election

The world's first wooden satellite was launched into space on Tuesday in an attempt to prove that wood is a space-grade material.

Designed by researchers at Kyoto University in Japan, LignoSat is made of honoki, a kind of magnolia tree&nbsp;that was traditionally used to make sword sheaths.

The team aims to plant trees&nbsp;on the moon and Mars in 50 years.

"With timber, a material we can produce by ourselves, we will be able to build houses, live and work in space forever," said Takao Doi, an astronaut who studies human space activities at Kyoto University.

<h2>Testing wood in space</h2>

The Japanese researchers conducted a 10-month experiment aboard the International Space Station (ISS) and found that honoki was the timber most suited for space applications.

They then constructed LignoSat using a traditional Japanese crafts technique without screws or glue to hold the satellite together.

"If we can prove our first wooden satellite works, we want to pitch it to Elon Musk's SpaceX," Doi said.<figure class="image"><img src="https://static.dw.com/image/70691193_906.jpg" alt="LignoSat up close" title="LignoSat up close" class="hq-img loaded"><figcaption class="img-caption">LignoSat was constructed from a Japanese timber traditionally used to make sword sheaths</figcaption></figure>

LignoSat is scheduled to orbit the Earth for six months.

It will measure how wood endures the extreme environment of space, where temperatures fluctuate from -100 to 100 degrees Celsius (-148 to 212 degrees Fahrenheit) every 45 minutes as objects orbit&nbsp;through darkness and sunlight.

The satellite will also gauge timber's ability to reduce the impact of space radiation on semiconductors.

<h2>Timber vs. metal</h2>

The researchers said wood has a number of benefits over metal.

Conventional satellites create oxide particles when they are decommissioned and re-enter the Earth's atmosphere, but wood is expected to burn up with less pollution.

Wood is also expected to be more durable in space than Earth because there is no moisture to rot it and no oxygen to burn it.

"It may seem outdated, but wood is actually cutting-edge technology as civilization heads to the moon and Mars," said Kenji Kariya, a manager at Sumitomo Forestry Tsukuba Research Institute. "Expansion to space could invigorate the timber industry."

zc/sms (Reuters, AFP)&nbsp;

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World's first wooden satellite launched into space

<h2>How big is the Pacific Ring of Fire?</h2>

The Ring of Fire dominates the Pacific Ocean. It's a string of at least 450 active and dormant volcanoes that form a semi-circle, or horse shoe, around the Philippine Sea plate, the Pacific Plate, Juan de Fuca and Cocos plates, and the Nazca Plate. There is a lot of seismic activity in the area.

About 90 percent of all earthquakes strike within the Ring of Fire. This means people's lives are under almost constant threat in Indonesia, the Philippines, Malaysia, Japan, Australia and New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, and other island nations like the Solomon Islands, Fiji, and many more in Melanesia, Micronesia and Polynesia, all the way east to the western seaboard of the North and South Americas. Although levels of threat differ depending on local factors like your proximity to the quake's epicenter, whether it's out to sea or on land - and standards of housing.

<h2>Why so many volcanoes in the Ring of Fire?</h2>

The tectonic plates move non-stop over a layer of partly solid and partly molten rock. This is called the Earth's mantle. When the plates collide or move apart, for instance, the Earth moves, literally. Mountains, like the Andes in South America and the Rockies in North America, as well as volcanoes have formed through the collision of tectonic plates.

<figure class="image"><img src="https://static.dw.com/image/60460700_7.png" alt="Infographic map illustrating the Pacific Ring of Fire" title="Infographic map illustrating the Pacific Ring of Fire" class="hq-img loaded"></figure>

Many volcanoes in the Ring of Fire were created through a process of subduction. And most of the planet's subduction zones happen to be located in the Ring of Fire.&nbsp;

<h2>What is subduction?</h2>

Subduction happens when tectonic plates shift, and one plate is shoved under another. This movement of the ocean floor produces a "mineral transmutation," which leads to the melting and solidification of magma - that is, the formation of volcanoes. Basically, when a "downgoing" oceanic plate is shoved into a hotter mantle plate, it heats up, volatile elements mix, and this produces the magma. The magma then rises up through the overlying plate and spurts out at the surface.

<figure class="image"><img src="https://static.dw.com/image/61179132_7.png" alt="Infographic explaining the subduction of tectonic plates" title="Infographic explaining the subduction of tectonic plates" class="hq-img loaded"></figure>

If, however, the overlying plate is ocean, it can produce a chain of volcanic islands like the Marianas. This is also where we see the Earth's deepest trenches and deepest Earthquakes.

<h2>When and where were the worst earthquakes in the Ring of Fire?</h2>

The worst earthquake in the Ring of Fire - and, with it, the world - struck Chile on May 22, 1960. It was a 9.5-magnitude quake.&nbsp;That's according to the US Geological Survey's list of the "Largest Earthquakes in the World Since 1900."

It's closely followed by the Great Alaska Earthquake of 1964 (magnitude 9.2), the Northern Sumatra earthquake - also known as the Indian Ocean Tsunami - on December 26, 2004 (magnitude 9.1), and one off the East Coast of Honshu, Japan, on March 11, 2011 (magnitude 9.0), which led to a tsunami and ultimately the nuclear disaster at Fukushima.

<figure class="image"><img src="https://static.dw.com/image/61171865_7.png" alt="Infographic map of the world's tectonic plates" title="Infographic map of the world's tectonic plates" class="hq-img loaded"></figure>

Most of the earthquakes on the list are strictly within the Ring of Fire, and they range from magnitude 9.5 to 8.5.

<h2>Given all this activity, can't we predict earthquakes in the Ring of Fire?</h2>

No. Most experts will tell you it's (so far) been impossible to predict earthquakes. Even if two happen within the ring in close succession, it is hard to say the one had anything to do with the other. One earthquake will not necessarily cause another.

Some seismologists are cautiously open to the idea that whatever we do as humans - whether it's testing nuclear explosives or deep-sea drilling - all has a potential impact. But there's little or no hard, scientific proof.

As for the Ring of Fire specifically, the region is under constant tension. When a quake strikes, that tension is temporarily relieved, but it soon starts to build again. So all that is left for the people who live around the Ring of Fire is to be aware of the danger, perhaps to live further inland, build safer, earthquake resistant housing, and for nations everywhere to improve oceanic and land-based early-warning systems to help minimize the risk to life.&nbsp;

This article was originally published December 7, 2016, and was updated November 4, 2024.

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Why are volcanoes common in the Pacific Ring of Fire?

The increasing popularity of generative AI&nbsp;is projected to result in the rapid growth of e-waste, electronic waste, according to&nbsp;a study published in&nbsp;Nature Computational Science<svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20"><path d="M11.5 3.5 11.5 4.233C14.342 4.233 15.167 4.245 15.167 4.258L8.984 10.467 10.033 11.516C14.826 6.725 16.228 5.333 16.242 5.333L16.267 9 17.733 9 17.733 2.767 11.5 2.767 11.5 3.5M2.267 11 2.267 17.233 16.733 17.233 16.733 12 15.267 12 15.25 15.75 9.5 15.75 3.75 15.75 3.75 6.25 9.5 6.233 9.5 4.767 2.267 4.767 2.267 11 "></path></svg> .

Researchers behind the study calculated&nbsp;that e-waste could reach a total&nbsp;of 1.2-5.0 million metric tons between&nbsp;by 2030, which is around 1,000 times more e-waste than was produced in 2023.

"We found that the e-waste generated by generative AI, particularly large language models, could increase dramatically — potentially reaching up to 2.5 million tons per year by 2030 if no waste reduction measures are implemented," said Asaf Tzachor, an expert in sustainable development at Reichman University in&nbsp;Israel, and a co-author of the study.

The study also offers solutions to reducing e-waste — strategies to prolong, reuse, and recycle&nbsp;generative AI hardware could reduce e-waste creation by 16% to 86%, they estimate.

"This presents a tremendous opportunity for reducing the waste stream if these practices are widely adopted. It's clear from this study that the nature of the e-waste crisis is global, which is why it's important to focus on cross-border e-waste management," said Saurabh Gupta, founder of Earth5R, an India-based sustainability organization.&nbsp;Gupta was not involved in the study.

<h2>What is e-waste?</h2>

Every time we throw away an 'outdated' or broken electronic device, it's considered e-waste. This can include computers, smartphones, chargers and wires, electronic toys, cars, and larger server systems.

E-waste makes up 70% of the total toxic waste produced around the world each year, yet only 12.5% of e-waste is recycled. This live counter at The World Counts<svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20"><path d="M11.5 3.5 11.5 4.233C14.342 4.233 15.167 4.245 15.167 4.258L8.984 10.467 10.033 11.516C14.826 6.725 16.228 5.333 16.242 5.333L16.267 9 17.733 9 17.733 2.767 11.5 2.767 11.5 3.5M2.267 11 2.267 17.233 16.733 17.233 16.733 12 15.267 12 15.25 15.75 9.5 15.75 3.75 15.75 3.75 6.25 9.5 6.233 9.5 4.767 2.267 4.767 2.267 11 "></path></svg> shows just how fast e-waste is growing.

"Reducing e-waste is important because improper disposal leads to the release of hazardous materials, like lead and mercury, which harm ecosystems and human health," Gupta told DW via email.

The researchers in the&nbsp;study published October 28, 2024, focused on e-waste produced from generative AI algorithms — types&nbsp;of AI that generate&nbsp;texts, images, videos or music from massive datasets.&nbsp;

It's clear from previous research that AI has high energy requirements&nbsp; — calculations by research firm SemiAnalysis&nbsp;suggest AI could result in data centers using 4.5% of global energy production by 2030.&nbsp;

But Tzachor said it's less clear how much e-waste is produced from generative AI programs, such as&nbsp;ChatGPT. This includes all the computer&nbsp;resources required for training and using AI in data centers.

And because generative AI is dependent on rapid improvements in hardware infrastructure and chip technologies, there are indications it's leading to more e-waste as the hardware gets&nbsp;updated or replaced.

"It's far easier and more cost-effective to address the e-waste challenges posed by AI now, before they escalate beyond control," said&nbsp;Tzachor.

<figure class="image"><img src="https://static.dw.com/image/60929530_906.jpg" alt="People recycling electronic equipment in a factory" title="People recycling electronic equipment in a factory" class="hq-img loaded"><figcaption class="img-caption">The study authors said strategies to reuse and recycle computer hardware required for generative AI systems could reduce e-waste by up to 86%</figcaption></figure>

<h2>How did researchers calculate the&nbsp;growth in AI e-waste?</h2>

The researchers created a model to quantify the scale of e-waste from data centers that support the use of generative AI models, such as large language models.

They found that e-waste could reach 5 million tons per year in a scenario where growth AI was estimated to be high.

But their estimates of AI e-waste were potentially on the low side,&nbsp;said Tzachor, because of the rapidly changing AI business landscape.

"Factors such as geopolitical restrictions on&nbsp;semiconductor imports and rapid server turnover may intensify the generation of e-waste associated with generative AI," Tzachor told DW via email.

Moreover, the study only included e-waste created by generative AI systems, specifically large language models, and not other forms of AI.

"E-waste from the broader AI ecosystem is significant. The study forecasts that this figure will rise with increasing AI adoption, creating a combined environmental challenge from multiple forms of AI," said Gupta.

<h2>Reducing e-waste needs global strategies</h2>

The study&nbsp;estimates that implementing circular-economy strategies could reduce e-waste generation by 16%, or up to 86%.

Circular economy strategies aim to minimize waste and increase the efficiency of computer hardware.

Tzachor said there were three main goals of the&nbsp;strategy:

<ol>
	<li>Prolong the use of existing hardware to delay the need for new equipment</li>
	<li>Reuse and remanufacture components</li>
	<li>Extract valuable materials during&nbsp;<a class="internal-link" href="/en/recycling/t-50775247">recycling</a>&nbsp;of hardware</li>
</ol>

Gupta said he strongly agreed with the study's findings.

"The range of 16-86% reduction reflects the immense potential of these strategies, especially if supported by policies, and when widely implemented across industries and regions,"&nbsp;said Gupta.

Gupta's organization, Earth5R, has&nbsp;demonstrated how effective circular economy strategies approaches can be, he said.&nbsp;

"Through our grassroots programs and partnerships with businesses, we are already fostering local e-waste collection and recycling efforts that help businesses and consumers manage their electronics sustainably," said Gupta.

He emphasized that e-waste was a global crisis that needed equitable, cross-border e-waste management strategies to mitigate the "environmental and&nbsp;health damage" caused when high-income countries export their e-waste to low-income regions.

Edited by: Zulfikar Abbany

Primary source:

E-waste challenges of generative artificial Intelligence, published by&nbsp;Wang, P et al.&nbsp;in the journal Nature Computational science (October 2024)&nbsp;DOI: 10.1038/s43588-024-00712-6

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E-waste from AI computers could 'escalate beyond control'

Chinese hackers targeted phones used by US Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump, his running mate JD Vance and&nbsp;people associated with the Democratic campaign of Kamala Harris,&nbsp;US media outlets reported Friday.

Citing people familiar with the matter, the New York Times&nbsp;said Trump and Vance's cellphones had been picked out by the hacking group and that investigators were working to determine what communications were taken, if any.

The revelation was also reported by the Associated Press, which cited its own anonymous sources.

Within a couple of hours of the first report, the Wall Street Journal reported that hackers had also targeted the phones of people associated with&nbsp;Democratic candidate Kamala Harris' campaign.

It wasn’t clear what data the hackers were able to obtain from any of these devices, WSJ said, citing its own sources.

<h2>Trump campaign told of hacking attempt</h2>

The New York Times&nbsp;said the Trump campaign was informed this week that the two running mates were among several people inside and outside of government whose phone numbers were targeted through the infiltration of Verizon phone systems.<figure class="image"><img src="https://static.dw.com/image/70583933_906.jpg" alt="Democratic presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris speaks during a CNN town hall in Aston, Pennsylvania, USA on October 23, 2024" title="Democratic presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris speaks during a CNN town hall in Aston, Pennsylvania, USA on October 23, 2024" class="hq-img loaded"><figcaption class="img-caption">Polls suggest Harris and Trump are in a dead heat before the November 5 election</figcaption></figure>

A joint statement from the FBI and the&nbsp;US&nbsp;Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency did not mention politicians&nbsp;were among the potential targets, but said they were&nbsp;investigating "unauthorized access to commercial telecommunications infrastructure by actors affiliated with the People's Republic of China."

"Agencies across the US&nbsp;Government are collaborating to aggressively mitigate this threat and are coordinating with our industry partners to strengthen cyber defenses across the commercial communications sector," the statement said.



Verizon said it was aware of a sophisticated attempt to reportedly target US&nbsp;telecoms and gather intelligence.

The largest telecom company in the&nbsp;United States added it was working with law enforcement.

Trump's campaign team did not confirm that the pair's&nbsp;phones were targeted. But Steven Cheung, the campaign's communications director, accused Harris of&nbsp;emboldening&nbsp;China and Iran to attack US&nbsp;infrastructure to prevent Trump from returning to office, without providing evidence.

<h2>Repeated warnings of hacking by foreign actors</h2>

US authorities have repeatedly warned of&nbsp;cybersecurity threats to critical infrastructure and&nbsp;next month's presidential election, alongside the spread of disinformation by rival states to try to influence the outcome.

Last month, the US Justice Department charged three members of Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps with a hacking attack on Trump and Harris' campaigns in August.

FBI Director Chris Wray told Congress in January that investigators had disrupted a state-sponsored group known as Volt Typhoon, which had targeted small office and home technology.

Their ultimate targets included water treatment plants, the electrical grid and transportation systems across the country.

Last month, Wray said that the FBI had interrupted a separate Chinese security breach&nbsp;that installed malicious software on more than 200,000 consumer devices, including cameras, video recorders and wifi&nbsp;routers.

The hackers had targeted universities, government agencies and other large organizations, according to Wray.

Ahead of the November 5 election, a&nbsp;final poll by the New York Times/Siena College published Friday put Harris and Trump tied at 48% each for the popular vote.

mm/rm&nbsp;(AP, Reuters)