The Presidency of the Council denies that contracts have been signed or agreements have been concluded between the Italian Government and the SpaceX company for use of the Starlink satellite communications system.
The discussions with SpaceX are part of the normal discussions that the State apparatus has with companies, in this case with those that deal with protected connections for the needs of encrypted data communication. The Presidency of the Council itself denies even more categorically, considering it simply ridiculous, the news that the SpaceX topic was discussed during the meeting with the President-elect of the United States, Donald Trump.
“Don’t think you can get by with a few lines entrusted to friendly press agencies and newspapers – says Democratic Party secretary Elly Schlein -. Giorgia Meloni and her government must immediately report to Parliament on the negotiations with Musk. If 1.5 billion of Italian money to bring the American billionaire’s satellites to our country is the price we have to pay for his friendship, we are not for it, Italy is not selling itself out.”
It also attacks Giuseppe Conte: “Are the ‘patriots’ in the Government putting our national security in Musk’s hands for the modest sum of 1.5 billion public? To President Meloni – the leader of the 5 stars asks in a post on social media – and to the entire Government we ask immediate transparency before Parliament on the insistent press rumors of these hours. These are issues of the utmost importance: protection of our companies, protection of personal data, privacy, personal identity, cybersecurity. And many other issues that directly affect the quality of our democratic processes. Can all this be decided on the basis of personal relationships between our Premier and one of the aspiring masters of the world?”.
“Ready to provide Italy with the most secure and advanced connectivity!”, Elon Musk wrote on X meanwhile in response to the reassurances on the security and guarantees of sovereignty of the Starlink system, published on the same social network by its contact in Italy, Andrea Stroppa.
On X the “handbook” on security and guarantees of sovereignty of Starlink
A “handbook in days of misery for non-biased journalists”. It is the ‘title’ of a post published on X by Andrea Stroppa, Elon Musk’s contact in Italy, with which – with questions and answers – he intends to reassure about the Starlink system.
The first FAQ concerns system security: “Is it safe? Yes, it’s very safe,” he assures. “It uses the most advanced encryption protocols, complex frequency modulations, a dynamic satellite system to be resistant to attacks, uses inter-satellite links.” And “while there are no public reports of sabotage of low orbit satellite networks – he adds -, there are numerous sabotages with great damage to the cables. Ukraine – gives Stroppa as an example – since the beginning of the war not only continues to use it, but it has increased the range of services adopted”.
Another question, also central to the political debate that has arisen in recent hours, it is about doubts that data can be sold off abroad. “No,” is the answer. “There are configurations that allow you to have full control of the data and complete technical and legal sovereignty.”
No “scandal”, then, for the fact that it is used in Europe American technology (“all communication systems in European countries use US technologies” such as Microsoft, iOS, the National Strategic Center, Google and Oracle) and neither do you risk losing control of the companies: “the telecommunications companies in Italy – explains Stroppa – have not been under complete public control for years.”
Separate chapter on the possibility of using, preferably, the European system: “There is currently no European system”, he points out. “There is the IRIS2 project with a cost of over 10 billion which will be led by French and German companies with an Italian minority team. It will be operational in 2030 – if all goes well – with only 270 satellites which will not be enough to cover the needs of a single medium-sized state”. Starlink, on the other hand, “has satellite launch capabilities and has over 7000 active ones and is about to launch the new generation of even more powerful satellites”. Which – another answer to another question – also leads to economic savings as well as time.
And to the last exception that Stroppa preventively places in place of the doubtful (“Yes, but those at SpaceX and Musk are crazy!”) the reply goes through the collaborations “with the Pentagon, numerous NATO governments” the “missions for NASA and ESA” the activities in “more than 110 countries in the world” .
And if in the end the biased journalists were to object that “but I don’t like Musk”, Stroppa responds: “no, no, no.”