Immigrants in the United States, both legal and illegal, are on edge. The new Trump administration's hardline immigration policy&nbsp;has&nbsp;sent shockwaves through communities.

Kabir, whose name we have changed on his request, is&nbsp;an engineer from India working at a Silicon Valley startup. He says&nbsp;losing his job would be a nightmare for him because he is currently in the US&nbsp;on a so-called H-1B visa for which he needs an employer sponsor who must file a petition with US&nbsp;Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). He cannot stay&nbsp;without employment, he told DW, which is why he's&nbsp;concerned about what new policies might be put in place.

"We invest in this country, contribute to it, yet securing a work visa remains a struggle. From day one, we get just 90 days of unemployment, you need to find a new job or leave. That pressure is always there," said Kabir.

A so-called Green Card would give him permanent residency and allow him to work and live in US indefinitely But with a million applicants ahead of him, his official estimated wait time for a Green Card is 108 years, he added.

<h2>H-1B workers in limbo</h2>

Like many other H-1B visa holders, Kabir's future in the US&nbsp;feels uncertain. Created in 1990, the H-1B visa program for skilled foreign workers was designed to fill gaps in the labor market. The initial duration of a temporary visa is usually three years, which can then be extended for an additional three years.

But according to experts, it's failing to work as intended. The program is being misused by employers to "substitute, compete against, undercut and undermine" native employees on the US labor market, says Ron Hira, an associate professor at Howard University in Washington D.C., who studies labor issues.<figure class="image"><img src="https://static.dw.com/image/52618716_906.jpg" alt="An Indian tech worker sitting at a desk checking an electronic device" title="An Indian tech worker sitting at a desk checking an electronic device" class="hq-img loaded"><figcaption class="img-caption">Highly skilled tech workers from India are often exploited due to H-1B visa rules</figcaption></figure>

Because these H-1B workers are temporary and tied to their employers, they do not have the same rights as US&nbsp;workers. They are less likely to say "no"&nbsp;to their bosses because "losing their job means losing their visa,"&nbsp;Hira told DW. The employer controls their legal status, which makes them highly vulnerable.

<h2>Green Card vs. H-1B visa: Silicon Valley's 'dark secret'</h2>

Vivek Wadhwa, CEO of Vionix Biosciences&nbsp;—&nbsp;a Silicon Valley life sciences company — calls this an "industry loophole" and Silicon Valley's "dark secret."

The California technology hub&nbsp;is especially powered by foreign skilled workers, yet tech giants prefer H-1B visa holders over Green Card applicants.

"If you run a big technology company, you'd rather have stable employees who can't easily leave and who earn lower salaries. It's an economic decision," said Wadhwa.

Ironically, many of Silicon Valley's biggest players are immigrants themselves. Google's Sundar Pichai and Microsoft's Satya Nadella, for example, are of Indian descent. Jensen Huang, who built Nvidia, is from Taiwan. The founder and CEO of videoconferencing company Zoom Eric Yuan is from China. And, of course, South African billionaire Elon Musk, the man behind SpaceX and Tesla.

<h2>Silicon Valley's lobby</h2>

As Big Tech is among the biggest beneficiaries of the H-1B visa program, some&nbsp;argue that this is why Silicon Valley's most powerful executives have grown close to Trump&nbsp;backing his second presidential campaign financially.

Tech industry leaders will "definitely influence Trump´s policy decisions on H-1B," says&nbsp;the CEO of the Silicon Valley Central Chamber of Commerce, Harbir Kaur Bhatia.<figure class="image"><img src="https://static.dw.com/image/71364240_906.jpg" alt="Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg, Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, Google CEO Sundar Pichai and Tesla boss Elon Musk standing next to each other at the inauguration ceremony of Donald Trump." title="Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg, Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, Google CEO Sundar Pichai and Tesla boss Elon Musk standing next to each other at the inauguration ceremony of Donald Trump." class="hq-img loaded"><figcaption class="img-caption">US tech bosses supported the Trump campaign and secured front-row seats at his inauguration</figcaption></figure>

Unlike during his first presidency, when Trump was advocating for&nbsp;"Buy American, Hire American"&nbsp;and against H-1B visas, he has now softened his position and expressed support for skilled immigration, Bhatia told DW.

<h2>Indian tech migration may take a hit</h2>

The likely&nbsp;shift in visa policy is particularly important for Indian professionals. They make up more than 70% of all H-1B visa holders but are also grappling&nbsp;with its most pressing flaws.

Also, Indian nationals are often the target of hatred and attacks for allegedly taking jobs away from Americans and undercutting wages.

Ron Hira says India has a strong interest in preserving the H-1B program not only because workers send large remittances home, but also because Indian IT services companies rely heavily on H-1B visas to run their outsourcing business.

"It's a big cash cow for the country," Hira added which is why Indian companies are opposed to a reform that would reduce their profits.

Tired of the system and its uncertainty, many skilled immigrants are nevertheless choosing to return to India and build their own companies. Vivek Wadhwa predicts that within the next five to 10 years, India will have multiple Silicon Valleys. He even has already relocated his own company there.

If the&nbsp;Trump administration makes the situation worse for skilled foreign workers, says Wadhwa, "this immigration debate is going to blow up in America's face," and many of them will&nbsp;take their talent and innovation elsewhere.

Edited by: Uwe Hessler

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Indian tech workers on edge about Trump's immigration policy

Elon Musk's social network X filed a lawsuit against the Indian government, arguing that the country's IT Ministry has unlawfully expanded its censorship powers to allow the easier removal of online content.

In the court filing dated March 5 but only reported by media on Thursday, the social network alleged&nbsp;that the Indian IT Ministry has asked other departments to use a government-run website to issuecontent-blockingg orders.

<h2>Why is Musk's X suing the Indian government?</h2>

X argued the website, launched by the Indian Ministry of Home Affairs last year, was not subject to the stringent Indian legal safeguards that previously only allowed content removal orders to be issued by top officials and in cases deemed to threaten public order or state sovereignty.

The website creates "an impermissible parallel mechanism" that causes "unrestrained censorship of information in India," the social network claimed.

The Indian government is yet to comment.

The case was briefly heard earlier this week in the High Court of India's southern Karnataka state but no final decision was reached. It will now be heard on March 27.

<h2>Musk wants to roll out Starlink and Tesla in India</h2>

The lawsuit marks an escalation in an ongoing legal dispute between X and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government over how the country polices online content. It also&nbsp;comes as Musk prepares to launch Starlink and Tesla in India.

Musk has reached agreements with two of India's largest telecommunications providers Jio and Bharti Airtel, to role out Starlink broadband across the country but the company still requires government authorization.

The dispute also coincides with threats by US President Donald Trump, to whom Musk acts as a senior adviser, to impose tariffs on Indian goods.

"I believe they're going to probably be lowering those tariffs substantially. But on April 2, we will be charging them the same tariffs they charge us," Trump told the American far-right Breitbart&nbsp;news network, calling India "one of the highest tariffing nations in the world."

Back in 2021, X, then known as Twitter, was at loggerheads with the Indian government after refusing to comply with legal orders to block certain posts related to farmers' protests.

Edited by: Sean Sinico

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India: Musk's X sues Modi's government in censorship battle

Something of a global trend has emerged over the last two decades as technology made by big companies gradually crept into every part of our lives, from the phones in our pockets to&nbsp;AI: The United States innovates on tech, China innovates some more, and Europe regulates.

In the last three years, the European Union has rolled out a raft of world-first rules to rein in the power big tech wields within the bloc; from laws forcing firms to monitor and cut down on harmful online content, to comprehensive artificial intelligence legislation designed to foster "trustworthy" AI in Europe.

But as world leaders, CEOs and researchers mingled at the "AI Action summit" in Paris this week, the EU seemed keen to give its image as big tech's police officer an industry-friendly makeover.

When European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen took to the stage in the French capital, the words "rules" and "regulations" only passed her lips once. Instead "innovation" and "investment" were her talking points — with new plans to drum up €200 billion ($207 billion) in funding and plans to build new AI gigafactories announced, alongside a pledge to "cut red tape."<figure class="image"><img src="https://static.dw.com/image/71576751_906.jpg" alt="Vance and von der Leyen in Paris" title="Vance and von der Leyen in Paris" class="hq-img loaded"><figcaption class="img-caption">A meeting between the EU's von der Leyen and US Vice-President JD Vance took place on the sidelines of the AI summit in Paris</figcaption></figure>

<h2>US piles pressure on the EU to ease tech rules</h2>

If regulation seems to be falling out of vogue here in Europe, it's welcome news in Washington. Vice President JD Vance did not mince his words in Paris on Tuesday, warning that "America cannot and will not accept" foreign governments "tightening the screws" on US tech companies.

The vice president went on to rebuke the EU's online content rulebook — dubbed the "Digital Services Act" — before declaring that the US is the world's AI leader and "plans to keep it that way."

Despite showing up to the summit, the US refused to sign up to an international document drafted and rubber-stamped by 60 nations at the event — including Germany, France, China, India, South Africa, Kenya, the UAE and Brazil.

The text calls for "open, inclusive, transparent, ethical, safe, secure and trustworthy" AI, and includes pledges to "reduce digital divides" and make AI "sustainable for people and the planet."

<h2>Too late for the EU to get ahead in global AI race?</h2>

The US may be busy drawing its big tech battle lines, but the pressure to rethink the EU's approach to tech is not just coming from across the Atlantic. 2024 research by Digital Europe, a technology industry lobby group based in Brussels, shows that Europe lags behind both the US and China in terms of investment in AI.

The organization also warned that "complex regulations hinder European companies' growth and scalability, often forcing them to seek more favorable markets."

Janosch Delcker, a tech expert and author, said the latest EU investment plans announced on Tuesday "could be one element to change the game."

While Brussels' pledge to "mobilize" funds was thin on detail, it followed a similar national announcement from France.

"Decision-makers seem to have understood that more investment will be necessary for the EU to compete in this global race for AI," Delcker said, adding that the recent release of Chinese startup DeepSeek's large language model sparked reflection.

"DeepSeek seems to have developed an AI model that's able to compete with the big players in certain aspects. But it did that with, from everything we know, a fraction of the resources," Delcker, who formerly hosted DW's Techtopia show, said.

"A lot of people here in Europe understood it as kind of an eye-opening moment to say: Hold on, if DeepSeek can do it, then we can do it as well."

<h2>Deregulation push a danger for EU values?</h2>

But the EU's broader change of tune is worrying some.

"Something I honestly fear right now is that this anti-regulation narrative will lead to us not taking implementation seriously," Carla Hustedt, who directs the Centre for Digital Society at the Mercator Foundation think tank, told DW.

While Hustedt praised the push for more investment in Europe, she warned: "We have a lot of really good regulation in place in the EU right now, and now is the time to enforce it in a good way."

Hustedt said transparency rules were particularly important for&nbsp;EU companies if the bloc wants to see more&nbsp;uptake of AI models. "They need to know what they're buying. Is this safe? Is this robust? Is it biased?" she said.<figure class="image"><img src="https://static.dw.com/image/71567198_906.jpg" alt="Trump in Oval office" title="Trump in Oval office" class="hq-img loaded"><figcaption class="img-caption">US President Donald Trump says he'll slap tariffs on the EU, complaining the bloc buys too little from the US</figcaption></figure>

<h2>Big tech: Bargaining chip in EU-US standoff?</h2>

With tech billionaires now walking the halls of power in Washington and the US ramping up tariffs on global imports, many in Brussels now wonder how big tech may figure in a future EU response.

Seeking ways to avoid a trade war is priority number one in Brussels — with some EU leaders suggesting Europe buy more energy or military equipment from the US to keep Trump on side. Privately, some acknowledge that playing nice with big tech could curry favor in the US administration.

But if trade tensions escalate, big tech could be in Brussels' eyeline too, with EU retaliation tools allowing for restrictions on trade in services.

Pressed on broader EU retaliation options in the case of a potential trade war, EU parliamentarian Bernd Lange told DW last week: "It could be tariffs, it could be exclusion from public procurement, it could be market restriction."

"We want not to have a situation where a partner country, or a country which uses coercive measures, can calculate which kind of counter measures we will take," he added.

Edited by: Jess Smee

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How EU wants to change AI, big tech image amid US pressure

"They're burning the village now," one Syrian user reported on Facebook.

"Which village?" another asked.

"Please, we want the shooting to stop so we can bury the bodies that are filling up the streets," somebody else from Jableh, a&nbsp;town near the coastal city of Latakia, where the violence that killed about 800 people over the weekend&nbsp;apparently began.

"I am in Jableh. Nothing is wrong. There's no shooting," another man wrote, adding to the confusion.

After supporters of ousted President&nbsp;Bashar Assad&nbsp;launched attacks on the new Syrian security forces late last week, Syria saw its worst wave of violence since Assad's fall in early December.



By Monday, the situation had mostly calmed. But the weekend also marked Syria's worst wave of disinformation since early December, say researchers at Syrian fact-checking organization Verify-Sy.

"We observed a significant surge," Zouhir al-Shimale, a researcher and communications manager for Verify-Sy, told DW. "Coordination among malicious online actors reached its highest level since Syria's liberation."

Over the past week, "disinformation was closely linked to real-life coordination on the ground," al-Shimale said. "In chat rooms and private direct messages, malicious actors urged Alawites&nbsp;(a minority of which many call the Syrian coast home)&nbsp;and other minorities to flee, warning of an imminent genocide while encouraging men to take up arms and attack government posts."

Verify-Sy also noticed increasing use of generative artificial intelligence to manipulate footage and alter voices to produce "highly provocative and graphic content."

Some of the pictures and videos posted of war crimes and killings were real. But some were historic and showed Assad regime forces committing war crimes, as pointed out by Syrians who recognized them from the first time they'd seen them. Some posts mourning murdered locals were genuine. In others, individuals pronounced murdered turned up online later, denying they were dead and in some cases, saying they weren't even in Syria.



<h2>Why was it so bad?</h2>

The disinformation around Syria is overwhelming for various&nbsp;reasons.

In Syria, social media "serves as a crucial information source amid the absence of formal or reliable, independent media," explains Noura Aljizawi, a Syrian activist and senior researcher at the University of Toronto's Citizen Lab.

Aljizawi, whose specialty is the intersection of technology and human rights, also points to a "lack of official communication from the interim government, which leaves the community grappling with uncertainty and vulnerability."

There are also conflicting viewpoints from different Syrian communities. Pro-Assad locals have used disinformation to widen sectarian divisions and urge&nbsp;their community not to reconcile with the new Syrian government. But as one activist pointed out, many former revolutionaries also want so fervently to believe in the new government that some were quick to argue news of crimes committed by the new Syrian security forces must all be "fake."

The Syrian government has since said it will set up an independent commission to investigate potential war crimes by any parties and made two arrests.



"The surge in disinformation and hate speech online is both fueling the violence and deepening divisions," Razan Rashidi, director of UK-based advocacy organization, The Syria Campaign, told DW.

"Disinformation has become so bad that the truth is lost and denial of crimes becomes commonplace. People are afraid to speak in solidarity with victims or to challenge the interim government for&nbsp;fear of the backlash they will receive on social media. This is deeply worrying and so dangerous at a time when communities should be coming together."

<h2>Foreign interference</h2>

Additionally, disinformation is also being used by external actors pursuing their own agendas, mostly against the new Syrian government.

Both Aljizawi and Verify-Sy have noticed Iran and Iranian proxy networks in places like Iraq and Lebanon playing a role. The new Syrian government has pushed Iranian forces that supported the Assad regime out of the country.

Russia and Israel have also played a part in disinformation campaigns against the new government, the experts&nbsp;say. And right-wing commentators in the US have&nbsp;used social media to promote&nbsp;Islamophobic opinions, accusing the new Syrian government, headed by individuals with past links to Islamist extremism, of war crimes.

"This was evident when figures like Elon Musk and [US pundit] Tucker Carlson amplified outright disinformation about Syria, leveraging X's network to promote these narratives," al-Shimale adds.

That's new and dangerous, he notes. "Amplification by high-profile figures and coordinated networks means it [disinformation] shapes public discourse, pressures policymakers, and influences international perceptions of Syria's transition."



<h2>Sectarian disinfomation from Iraq</h2>

DW messaged several&nbsp;users on social media who portrayed themselves as non-Syrian and&nbsp;posted information that was later debunked. Only one, whose profile said they were based in southern Iraq, responded.

The social media user was happy to share information if they could remain anonymous and told DW they were working under instructions from the media operations room run by what are known as Iraq's Popular Mobilization Forces, or PMF. These are militias originally formed by Shiite Muslim communities in Iraq to fight the extremist group known as the "Islamic State" but now part of Iraq's state security and government. Some groups within the PMF are well known for closer contacts with Iran and are considered part of the same Iran-supported axis as Hezbollah in Lebanon and the Houthis in Yemen.

"They give me the posts, and I publish," the social media user told DW. "I trust my leadership very much, and they are the ones who verify the news," the person explained, adding they're paid between $20 and $30 for their online posts.

<figure class="image"><img src="https://static.dw.com/image/71888283_906.jpg" alt="People lift placards during a rally called for by Syrian activists and civil society representatives &quot;to mourn for the civilian and security personnel casualties&quot;, ." title="People lift placards during a rally called for by Syrian activists and civil society representatives &quot;to mourn for the civilian and security personnel casualties&quot;, ." class="hq-img loaded"><figcaption class="img-caption">Demonstrators called for justice for all victims; some Syrian civilians on the coast were killed just because their vehicle registration said they were from elsewhere</figcaption></figure>

"Most of those who work in this field are unemployed, or disabled as a result of fighting, or women whose husbands died in the war," the person continued. According to the user, what Iraqi social media operatives are paid differs depending on, for example, which languages they can post in, and their reach with some well-known influencers getting over $100 for a post.

The operatives are working for money, but the Iraq-based X user admitted there is also a political aspect to the job. A Shiite Muslim, they said they consider all Sunni Muslims, including those in Syria, to be their enemy and a foe of&nbsp;Shiite-majority Iran, "which is the savior of this region," the user said.&nbsp;

The person also justified their work by arguing another point, which is&nbsp;also false,&nbsp;that the new Syrian government is close to Israel, the US and Europe, all of whom they see as Iran's enemies.

The person admitted the profile picture on the account was not real, and DW was unable to fully verify the person's identity. However, their answers track with previous investigations<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> into the proliferation of content paid for by political interests in Iraq<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>.

Edited by: Davis VanOpdorp

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How disinformation intensified Syria's weekend of violence

In an email seen and reported by the Reuters news agency, NASA's acting administrator Janet Petro told employees on March 10&nbsp;that three offices would be closed — including that of Chief Scientist&nbsp;Katherine Calvin<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;and Chief Technologist&nbsp;A.C. Charania<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>.

The closures will affect 23 employees in the Office of the Chief Scientist, the Office of Science, Policy, and Strategy, and the diversity, equity and inclusion branch within the Office of Diversity and Equal Opportunity.

The cuts are seen as part of an efficiency drive by the new administration of President Donald Trump, who returned to office in January.

Trump's previous executive orders have included a withdrawal from the World Health Organization&nbsp;and&nbsp;&nbsp;cuts to US development aid, through USAID.

<h2>Implementing Trump's executive orders</h2>

Petro said in the email that NASA was working with government officials to implement Trump's&nbsp;executive orders, which, among other things,&nbsp;directed government agencies to reduce and reorganize their workforces. Trump has signed 87&nbsp;executive orders<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> since taking office on January 20.

Along with the cuts to personnel, the US government has also directly targeted scientific work.&nbsp;On March 9, the US military said it would cancel more than 90 scientific studies into defense threats posed by climate change.

US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said in a post on X that the Department of Defense "does not do climate change crap."

A third of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Office of Space Commerce was laid off earlier this month.



<h2>Chief scientist cut not unprecedented</h2>

Calvin was appointed as NASA's chief scientist in 2022 by the former administration of President Joe Biden — with a specific focus on climate change.

NASA has had chief scientists since 1982<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>. Their role is to advise the agency's administrator and, as the American Association for the Advancement of Science described it on science.org March 10, "keep the voice of science prominent."

But the role has not always been filled. It has previously laid vacant in the years 1997-1999, under President Bill Clinton, from 2005-2011 under Presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama&nbsp;and in&nbsp;2017, again under&nbsp;Obama.

Edited by: Fred Schwaller

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Trump cuts NASA top science and technology roles

Elon Musk, the billionaire owner of X, claimed Monday that the social media platform had been the target of a "massive cyberattack" after outages left it unavailable for thousands of users.

"There was (still is) a massive cyberattack against X," Musk said in a post.

"We get attacked every day, but this was done with a lot of resources," he claimed, adding that "either a large, coordinated group and/or a country is involved."



<h2>Musk blames 'IP addresses in Ukraine'</h2>

Later, in an interview with Fox Business, Musk said the computer systems used in the alleged attack appeared to have IP addresses in Ukraine but did not immediately provide any evidence for his claim.

However, some cybersecurity experts stressed this does not necessarily mean the attack originated in Ukraine.

Nearly 40,000 users initially reported problems with X at the peak of the outage at around 10 a.m. US East Coast time (2 p.m.&nbsp;UTC) on Monday, according to tracking site Downdetector.com.

The number then fluctuated, dropping significantly before rising around noon to almost 35,000 and then falling again.

X, formerly Twitter, has experienced several glitches since tech mogul Musk acquired the platform in 2022.

Edited by: Louis Oelofse

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Elon Musk claims X hit by 'massive cyberattack'

A spate of sabotage attacks on underwater cables, allegedly perpetrated by a Russian "shadow fleet,"&nbsp;have shown global telecommunications infrastructure is poorly protected against deliberate acts of destruction.

<h2>Different types of underwater cables</h2>

Some submarine cables transport high-voltage direct current (HVDC),&nbsp;electrical energy,&nbsp;over long distances, such as between islands or countries. These cables can also connect offshore wind turbines with onshore sites.

Then&nbsp;there are telecommunications cables. They transmit about 95% of global data traffic, including internet searches, online shopping and phone calls — albeit with a slight signal delay, as calling up a US website from Europe takes around 60 milliseconds.

In addition, some cables link data centers and large network nodes, as well as those for military communication and research, which are more protected than other cables.

<h2>Satellites are not an alternative to underwater cables</h2>

Only a fraction of international communication goes via satellites. Submarine cables can transmit much more data at a lower cost.

Satellite connections are slower and more susceptible to interference.

Nevertheless, the US and the EU are investing in satellite technologies, such as Starlink and the IRIS (Infrastructure for Resilience, Interconnectivity and Security by Satellite) program, to create more secure, alternative communication channels.



<h2>Where do underwater cables lie?</h2>

Worldwide, there are about 500 cable lines consisting of 1.4 million kilometers of cable. The cables are so long that they could be wrapped around the equator 30 times. New cables are added every year.

Most cable connections are located in the Atlantic between Europe and North America and in the Pacific between the US and East Asia. However, no complete global atlas shows the exact location of every cable.

Platforms such as submarinecablemap.com<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> or TeleGeography<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> offer maps, but without precise location information.

<figure class="image"><img src="https://static.dw.com/image/71432347_906.jpg" alt="Screenshot of an interactive map on submarinecablemap.com" title="Screenshot of an interactive map on submarinecablemap.com" class="hq-img loaded"><figcaption class="img-caption">There is no complete global atlas submarine cables, but submarinecablemap.com offers this interactive map (screenshot)</figcaption></figure>

About 90% of data traffic between Europe and Asia runs via 14 cables off the Yemeni coast. In 2024, Houthi rebels attacked three data lines with a hijacked freighter in the region.

<h2>Who lays underwater cables?</h2>

In the past,&nbsp;telecom service providers, such as AT&amp;T and China Telecom, dominated the market and ownership of submarine cables.

Now, it's the big tech companies&nbsp;like Google, Microsoft, Meta&nbsp;and Amazon&nbsp;investing heavily in submarine cables.

Google owns six active submarine cables and plans to build more.

Meta has a stake in 16 existing cables and plans to make its own global network.

<h2>How are underwater cables constructed?</h2>

Modern submarine cables consist of several layers of fiber optics that use light pulses to transmit digital information.

They are surrounded by protective layers of steel wire or steel armor, polyethylene and waterproof materials. These protect against the extreme pressure and conditions of the deep sea and ensure a lifespan of about 25 years.

Large submarine cables with a diameter of more than 20cm&nbsp;(7.87 inches) can weigh between 40-70 kilograms per meter (88-154 pounds/3.2 feet).

<h2>How are underwater cables laid?</h2>

Geologists and engineers determine the best locations for cables, considering obstacles such as trenches, ocean currents, fishing areas and shipping routes.

In the North and Baltic Seas, around 1.6 million tons of dumped ammunition from past wars also pose a significant challenge.

In deeper waters, up to about eight kilometers, the risk of damage is lower. The cables are often laid directly on the seabed by special cable-laying vessels.

The cable has to be taut during the laying process. If there is too little tension, loops might form in the cable. However, if the cable is too taut, it can make it float and break.



<h2>How do underwater cables get damaged?</h2>

Trawl nets and anchors cause most damage to submarine cables. But they are also damaged through deliberate acts of sabotage: Hybrid warfare attacks have been known since the Cold War. As early as 1959, the Americans accused the Russians of deliberately damaging an underwater cable with fishing nets.

Espionage is also a big problem, as submarine cables can be tapped for data.

<h2>How are underwater cables repaired?</h2>

Repairing submarine cables is complicated due to extreme underwater pressure and unpredictable weather conditions.

Depending on the damage and depth of the cable, divers can repair cables in dry chambers, or a cable repair ship can carefully lift them to the surface.

On board, technicians replace damaged sections with new ones. After extensive testing, the cable is carefully recessed and laid again.

<h2>How can underwater cables be protected?</h2>

Submarine cables are well protected against natural threats but are often inadequately protected against deliberate damage by hostile states, intelligence agencies or terrorists.

Underwater drones and acoustic sensor systems could help to detect potential acts of sabotage at an early stage.

Some states are developing coordinated protection strategies, with close cooperation between the states, submarine cable operators and international organizations. Experts are calling for a new legal framework at national and international levels, especially in the event of war.

This article was originally published in German.

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How sabotage on undersea cables affects our digital world

Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te on Thursday hailed the semiconductor giant TSMC's plan to invest $100 billion (€92.7 billion) in the United States as a "historic moment" for Taiwan-US ties.

Lai said that the government was not pressured by Washington&nbsp;"during TSMC's US investment process."

China sees the self-ruled island as a breakaway province that will one day be brought back under Beijing's control, but Taiwan boasts close ties with the US and considers it its&nbsp;most important security benefactor and deterrent against a Chinese invasion.

TSMC is the&nbsp;world's largest chipmaker.

The Taiwanese company announced the investment plan earlier this week after US President Donald Trump threatened to impose tariffs on imported semiconductor chips.

The move would bring&nbsp;TSMC's investment in the US to $165 billion, which the chip manufacturing powerhouse said was the "largest single foreign direct investment in US history."

<h2>What prompted TSMC investment in the US?</h2>

The expansion is "driven by customer demand," said TSMC chairman and chief executive C.C. Wei at a joint news conference with President Lai on Thursday.

"We went to Japan because of Japanese customer demand, to Germany because of German customer demand, and four years ago to the US because of American customer demand," he said.

"Now, we are increasing our investment because the demand from US customers is extremely high," Wei added.

In Taiwan, TSMC, whose major clients include Nvidia and Apple, plans&nbsp;to build 11 new production lines this year to meet demand, according to Wei.

<h2>Taiwan's semiconductor dominance</h2>

The move stoked fears that&nbsp;Trump was trying to take control of TSMC's production.

The world's largest chipmaker has long faced demands to move factories out of Taiwan, where TSMC has its headquarters and the bulk of its chip plants, as tensions with Beijing intensify.

China has upped military pressure on Taipei in recent years.

The semiconductor industry in Taiwan has long been seen as a "silicon shield" that deters Chinese aggression. The self-ruled island makes more than half of the world's chips.

Edited by Elizabeth Schumacher, Darko Janjevic

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TSMC investment 'historic moment' for US-Taiwan ties

Billionaire Elon Musk's SpaceX called off the eighth test flight of its Starship rocket on Monday, over an unspecified issue in the core chip of the spacecraft.

"Too many question marks about this flight and then we were 20 bar low on ground spin start pressure," the tech mogul wrote in a post on his social media platform X.

"Best to destack, inspect both stages and try again in a day or two," he wrote, responding to a SpaceX post saying the Starship team was determining the "next best available opportunity to fly."&nbsp;

The announcement came seconds before the flight was scheduled to take off.

According to the company livestream on X, a 40-second countdown had been paused when engineers likely found issues with the spacecraft during a final check.

<h2>What else do we know about the Starship rocket?</h2>

This was set to be the first Starship launch since the one in January, which eight minutes into the flight, exploded over the Caribbean.

Debris from the rocket then rained down on the Turks and Caicos Islands prompting a federal probe.

The world's biggest and most powerful rocket — about 100 feet (30 meters)&nbsp;taller than the Statue of Liberty — was set to take off with no crew at 6:45 pm (2345GMT) from SpaceX's Starbase facility in Boca Chica, Texas.

The rocket is designed to be fully reusable.&nbsp;

Edited by: Rana Taha

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SpaceX abandons Starship test flight at last minute

A US private&nbsp;spacecraft achieved its first-ever uncrewed lunar landing on Sunday, marking the second commercial moon landing.

Firefly Aerospace's lunar lander Blue Ghost touched down near an ancient volcanic vent on Mare Crisium, a large basin in the northeast corner of the moon's Earth-facing side.

"We're on the moon," Mission Control reported, adding the lander was "stable."

The mission is part of a NASA partnership with industry to cut costs and support the Artemis program, which strives to return astronauts to the moon.

"We're going to be putting America first, we're making America proud, we're doing this for the US citizens," said acting NASA director Janet Petro.

<h2>What do we know about the mission?</h2>

Blue Ghost was launched in mid-January from Florida, carrying 10 experiments from NASA to the lunar surface. The space agency paid $101 million (roughly €97.3 million) for the delivery, and $44 million more for the science.

The four-legged lunar lander&nbsp;is roughly the size of a compact car.

The lander is carrying a vacuum that would suck up moon dirt for analysis. There is also a drill on board that can measure temperature at depths of up to 10 feet (3 meters) below the surface.

The demos should run for roughly two weeks before lunar daytime is up and the lander shuts down.

The lander captured stunning footage of Earth and the moon along its journey.

It is due to capture high-definition imagery of a total eclipse on March 14, when Earth blocks the sun from the moon's horizon. It will then record a lunar sunset on March 16, in an effort to provide insight into how dust levitates above the surface under solar influence.<figure class="image"><img src="https://static.dw.com/image/71797594_906.jpg" alt="The moon passes by Firefly Aerospace's Blue Ghost spaceship ahead of its landing, February 24, 2025." title="The moon passes by Firefly Aerospace's Blue Ghost spaceship ahead of its landing, February 24, 2025." class="hq-img loaded"><figcaption class="img-caption">The lander captured stunning footage of Earth and the moon along its journey</figcaption></figure>

<h2>Who else has successfully moon landed?</h2>

It is the second private company to achieve a soft moon landing, following the success of the Intuitive Machines Odysseus lander last year, albeit with a less smooth landing; breaking a leg and tipping over in the process. The Houston-based firm is sending another lander to the bottom of the moon this year, due to land on Thursday.

On the national level, five countries have also managed the landing. They include the then-Soviet Union, the US, China, India and Japan.

Edited by: Louis&nbsp;Oelofse

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US private spacecraft lands on moon

A US private spaceship has achieved its first ever uncrewed lunar landing on Sunday, marking the second commercial moon landing.

Firefly Aerospace's Blue Ghost touched down near an ancient volcanic vent on Mare Crisium, a large basin in the northeast corner of the moon's Earth-facing side.

"We're on the moon," Mission Control reported, adding the lander was "stable."

The mission is part of a NASA partnership with industry to cut costs and support the Artemis program, which strives to return astronauts to the moon.

"We're going to be putting America first, we're making America proud, we're doing this for the US citizens," said acting NASA director Janet Petro.

<h2>What do we know about the mission?</h2>

Blue Ghost was launched in mid-January from Florida, carrying 10 experiments from NASA to the moon. The space agency paid $101 million (roughly €97.3 million) for the delivery, and $44 million more for the science.

The four-legged spaceship is roughly the size of a compact car.

The lander is carrying a vacuum that would suck up moon dirt for analysis. On board is also a drill to measure temperature as deep as 10 feet (3 meters) below the surface.

The demos should run for roughly two weeks, before lunar daytime is up and the lander shuts down.

The lander captured stunning footage of Earth and the moon along its journey.

It is due to capture high-definition imagery of a total eclipse on March 14, when Earth blocks the sun from the moon's horizon. It will then record a lunar sunset on March 16, in an effort to provide insight into how dust levitates above the surface under solar influence.<figure class="image"><img src="https://static.dw.com/image/71797594_906.jpg" alt="The moon passes by Firefly Aerospace's Blue Ghost spaceship ahead of its landing, February 24, 2025." title="The moon passes by Firefly Aerospace's Blue Ghost spaceship ahead of its landing, February 24, 2025." class="hq-img loaded"><figcaption class="img-caption">The lander captured stunning footage of Earth and the moon along its journey</figcaption></figure>

<h2>Who else has successfully moon landed?</h2>

It is the second private company to achieve a soft moon landing, following the success of the Intuitive Machines Odysseus lander last year, albeit with a less smooth landing; breaking a leg and tipping over in the process. The Houston-based firm is sending another lander to the bottom of the moon this year, due to land on Thursday.

On the national level, five countries have also managed the landing. They include the then-Soviet Union, the US, China, India and Japan.

Edited by: Louis&nbsp;Oelofse

US private spaceship lands on moon