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GIG-ARTS 2026 Dublin - Deadline Extension
by Mauro SANTANIELLO Jan. 19, 2026

Jan. 19, 2026

Dear colleagues, In response to requests, we are happy to extend the deadline for abstract submission to GIG-ARTS 2026, taking place in Dublin, Ireland on 14-15 May 2026. *New deadline: 26 January 2026.* *You can submit your* *extended abstract* (no longer than 500 words) here: https://conftool2026.gig-arts.eu/ The full call for papers can be found here: https://gig-arts.eu/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/10th-GIG-ARTS-Conference-CfP… *Key dates* - Deadline for abstract submissions: 26 January 2026 - Notification to authors: 27 February 2026 - Deadline for author confirmation (at least one author must register for a selected presentation to appear on the programme): 13 March 2026 - Programme publication: 10 April 2026 - Registration deadline: 17 April 2026 - Conference dates: 14-15 May 2026 *Communication Channels* - Website: www.gig-arts.eu <https://eur03.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.gig-ar…> - Email for information: events(a)gig-arts.eu - Submissions: https://conftool2026.gig-arts.eu/ - Mailing list for updates: mailinglist(a)gig-arts.eu We hope to see your proposal among the submissions and look forward to welcoming you to GIG-ARTS Dublin. The Organizing Committee Edoardo Celeste, Tetyana Lokot, Mauro Santaniello

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Re: [nexa] "Stefano Rodotà (appositamente richiamato dall’Aldilà mentre giocava a scacchi)"
by Simone Aliprandi Jan. 18, 2026

Jan. 18, 2026

Buongiorno a tutti. Ero uscito dalla lista qualche tempo fa e non stavo più seguendo le discussioni. Mi hanno però segnalato questo thread interessantissimo che mi permetto di riaprire, in particolare citando le parole di Guido Scorza che lo scorso 24 luglio, commentando quel documento circolato in forma pseudonima, aveva scritto: > Nella dimensione pubblica, fuori da qui, ho scelto di non commentare > il documento che, peraltro, non mi è mai stato trasmesso dal suo > autore o dai suoi autori e mi è semplicemente stato inoltrato – con un > certo ritardo rispetto alla sua prima uscita – da alcuni amici che lo > avevano ricevuto. [...] > Le ragioni alla base di questa scelta sono tante e, tra queste, certamente > il fatto che una parte di me rifiuta culturalmente l'idea di commentare > l'opinione di un collega o di un paio di colleghi che, pur conoscendomi > benissimo, non solo e non tanto scelgono di criticarmi e, in alcuni passaggi, > credo, diffamarmi (ma non tocca a me dirlo) in forma pseudonima ma, > soprattutto, per farlo disturba/no la memoria di una persona alla quale devo > tantissimo (incluso il lavoro che faccio in questo momento) [...] > Sto ricevendo centinaia di messaggi di solidarietà (credo non necessari > considerata la natura dell'iniziativa) e sto provando a rispondere a tutti > con la conseguenza che la mia risposta potrebbe non essere immediata. Alla luce di quanto emerso in questi giorni, vorrei porre a Scorza pubblicamente qui un paio di domande (visto che altrove mi ha "bloccato"), e sperando che non dica semplicemente di andare ad ascoltare la sua arringa preventiva pubblicata sui suoi canali un giorno prima dell'uscita dell'inchiesta di Report e FattoQuotidiano. Chiaramente dopo l'uscita del servizio (che ha portato varie prove di quanto sostenuto) quell'arringa preventiva non ha più molto senso e anzi assume toni un po' grotteschi. 1) Lei ritiene ancora che quel documento sia diffamatorio e contenga delle falsità? Se sì, si è attivato per fare denuncia all'autorità giudiziaria? 2) Lei pensa ancora che non si debba disturbare la memoria di Rodotà, dato che in questi giorni in molti (compreso lo stesso Ranucci nelle due puntate andate in onda fin qui) hanno fatto cenni proprio a Rodotà e a come il suo progetto di autorità indipendente è stato svilito? 3) Anche oggi sta ricevendo quelle "centinaia di messaggi di solidarietà" oppure sta ricevendo messaggi di altra natura? Grazie per le risposte che vorrà gentilmente fornirmi. E grazie a chiunque altro in questa lista voglia esprimere il suo parere sul tema. Perché - inutile far finta di nulla - è tutto di una gravità enorme e difficilmente si potrà far finta di nulla a livello istituzionale; anzi, c'è pure il rischio che adesso la macchia d'olio si estenda anche ad altri soggetti e altre autorità. Un caro saluto a tutti. -- Simone Aliprandi (https://aliprandi.org/)

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Re: [nexa] ECONOMY AND WAR AT THE TIME OF THE MILITARY-DIGITAL COMPLEX
by karlessi Jan. 15, 2026

Jan. 15, 2026

> Date: Thu, 15 Jan 2026 18:23:09 +0100 > From: Dario Guarascio <dario.guarascio(a)uniroma1.it> > To: nexa(a)server-nexa.polito.it > Subject: [nexa] ECONOMY AND WAR AT THE TIME OF THE MILITARY-DIGITAL > COMPLEX > Message-ID: > <CAGdQwZTDWkBCoKL1Gt240o1PpjbQT6O9f0TYV55EnB=OCK-OcA(a)mail.gmail.com> > Content-Type: text/plain; charset="utf-8" > > Segnalo il workshop (ibrido) del 29/01 organizzato > dall'Università di Urbino. > A presto buona sera, grazie per la segnalazione, l'argomento ci interessa molto. è questo il link online? https://www.uniurb.it/novita-ed-eventi/6435 ? c'è scritto che sarà su Zoom. segnalo che anche questa azienda non disdegna i militari, anzi: https://www.zoom.com/en/blog/zoom-for-government-achieves-il4-authorization/ del resto, come ogni altra azienda basata negli USA (o cmq fuori dall'Unione Europea), dubito possa essere GDPR compliant, se non a parole. le pubbliche amministrazioni, oltre a qualsiasi persona che ripudi la guerra, dovrebbero tenersi alla larga da questi servizi. Come anche da GMeet e Teams, senza dubbio, viste le implicazioni delle rispettive aziende nelle campagne guerrafondaie in corso. ripeto quel che in questa lista è stato già spesso ricordato: in Italia, GARR che offre alle università ecc. servizi per Live streaming & video e webconference https://www.garr.it/it/servizi-garr/portale-servizi-garr#garrtv buona serata cm >

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ECONOMY AND WAR AT THE TIME OF THE MILITARY-DIGITAL COMPLEX
by Dario Guarascio Jan. 15, 2026

Jan. 15, 2026

Segnalo il workshop (ibrido) del 29/01 organizzato dall'Università di Urbino. A presto -- *Dario Guarascio* Dipartimento di Economia e Diritto, Sapienza Università di Roma <http://www.uniroma1.it/strutture/dipartimenti> Via del Castro Laurenziano n° 9, 00161 Roma Edificio A (6° piano) -ala B, stanza n° 606 E-mail: dario.guarascio(a)uniroma1.it <nome.cognome(a)uniroma1.it> *Sito web* italiano - https://sites.google.com/a/uniroma1.it/darioguarascio/ inglese - https://sites.google.com/a/uniroma1.it/darioguarascio-eng/ -- *Fai crescere le giovani ricercatrici e i giovani ricercatori*** *con il 5 per mille alla Sapienza* Scrivi il codice fiscale dell'Università *80209930587 **Cinque per mille <https://www.uniroma1.it/it/node/23149>*

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[Responsible AI] Technological and Regulatory Assumptions Behind AI Governance in the EU
by Daniele Quercia Jan. 13, 2026

Jan. 13, 2026

Technological and Regulatory Assumptions Behind AI Governance in the EU Federico Galli, University of Bologna Format: 35 min talk + 25 min Q&A Join on Teams<http://tiny.cc/9tlx001> Title: Technological and Regulatory Assumptions Behind AI Governance in the EU Abstract: This talk examines some regulatory assumptions underlying the European Union’s approach to artificial intelligence governance. Focusing primarily on the EU AI Act, it explores how legal definitions of AI, risk categorisation, and compliance obligations reflect particular conceptions of how AI systems are developed, deployed, and controlled. It also considers the regulatory assumptions embedded in enforcement mechanisms, conformity assessments, and governance structures, highlighting potential tensions between static legal frameworks and rapidly evolving technologies. By unpacking these assumptions, the talk aims to clarify the normative choices shaping EU AI regulation and to assess their implications for innovation, legal certainty, justice and effective risk mitigation. Bio: Federico Galli is Assistant Professor at University of Bologna (Department of Legal Studies) and Research Fellow at the Alma Mater Research Institute for Human-Centered Artificial Intelligence. He has published widely in national and international journals in the field of Law & Technology, AI regulation and AI & Law. He has been involved in several projects in legal and ethical issues of computation and legal informatics. Subscribe to future talk announcements: Anyone can receive talk announcements by subscribing to the mailing list. To subscribe, send an empty email with the subject line "Subscribe RAI” to daniele.quercia(a)polito.it

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Re: [nexa] A post-American, enshittification-resistant internet
by Giuseppe Attardi Jan. 13, 2026

Jan. 13, 2026

Nell’intervento Cory sostiene che paradossalmente, le azioni di Trump rendono possibile per l’EU di ripristinare una rete più libera e meno soggetta al dominio USA. Passionate talk by Cory Doctorow that invites all countries that were forced to accept laws that protect big US companies to rebel. Paradoxically, since Trump is imposing tariffs on other countries, it’s creating an opportunity for them to rebel: they may not fear retaliations, since the US is already retaliating. He makes a call for action by a coalition of people from many countries. Here is an action that EU could do immediately: “All the EU has to do is repeal Article 6 of the Copyright Directive, and, in so doing, strip Apple of the privilege of mobilizing the European justice system to shore up Apple's hundred billion dollar annual tax on the world's digital economy. The EU company that figures out how to reliably jailbreak iPhones will have customers all over the world, including in the USA, where Apple doesn't just use its veto over which apps you can run on your phone to suck 30% out of every dollar you spend, but where Apple also uses its control over the platform to strip out apps that protect Apple's customers from Trump's fascist takeover.” Come esempio di iniziativa europea in questa direzione, cita EuroStack, che può sembrare promettente, ma quanto a impatto pratico, temo sia piuttosto illusorio. — Beppe > On 12 Jan 2026, at 08:58, nexa-request(a)server-nexa.polito.it wrote: > >> On Sun, Jan 11, 2026 at 07:52:54PM +0100, Enrico Nardelli wrote: >> Intervento di Cory Doctorow al 39-mo Chaos Communication Congress >> https://media.ccc.de/v/39c3-a-post-american-enshittification-resistant-inte… > > Giusto ieri, sullo stesso tema, ma in formato op-ed, ho letto questo suo > sul Guardian: > > Trump may be the beginning of the end for ‘enshittification’ – this is our chance to make tech good again > Cory Doctorow > https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2026/jan/10/trump-beginning-of-en…

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The new 2025 Eurostat data on citizens’ digital skills (DSI)
by Alessandro Brolpito Jan. 12, 2026

Jan. 12, 2026

Buongiorno, Le ultime statistiche sugli competenze digitali dei cittadini europei. Statistics | Eurostat <https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/databrowser/view/isoc_sk_dskl_i21/default/tab…> Significative differenze tra i diversi paesi UE, per l'Italia la situazione migliora. Alessandro

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Deadline reminder: Abstract submissions for GIG-ARTS Dublin 2026 (19 January 2026)
by Mauro SANTANIELLO Jan. 12, 2026

Jan. 12, 2026

Dear Colleagues, Just a friendly reminder that the deadline to submit extended abstracts for the 10th GIG-ARTS Conference (Dublin City University, 14–15 May 2026) is *19 January 2026*. Submission (extended abstract) guidelines: - Up to 500 words - Please include: research question(s), theoretical framework, approach & methodology, and expected findings / empirical outcomes - Submit via the conference portal: https://conftool2026.gig-arts.eu/ The full Call for Papers (including key dates and conference details) is available here: https://gig-arts.eu/dublin-2026/. Best regards, Mauro Santaniello, on behalf of the Organizing Committee Prof. Mauro Santaniello (PhD) Associate Professor in Political Science ICPC <https://www.internetpolicyresearch.eu/> Director| GIG-ARTS <https://gig-arts.eu/> Coordinator| Giganet <https://www.giga-net.org/> Secretary SWING <https://www.internetpolicyresearch.eu/swing-2025> Scientific Coordinator | UNU-CRIS <https://cris.unu.edu/people> Associate Research Fellow PRIN on Digital Sovereignty <https://www.internetpolicyresearch.eu/internet-and-communication-policy-cen…> Principal Investigator Latest publications <https://docenti.unisa.it/023694/ricerca/pubblicazioni>

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Europe's executives need to skill up to solve our total US cloud dependency
by B. J. Jan. 12, 2026

Jan. 12, 2026

Fonte: https://berthub.eu/articles/posts/ft-on-european-cloud/ Contenuto: Europe is experiencing a crisis of digital autonomy. Our dependence on US big tech has been growing for decades and is now nearly total, at a time when worries about our former ally are no longer theoretical. Might we, like the [International Criminal Court in The Hague, find ourselves locked out of our own mailboxes](https://www.theregister.com/2025/10/31/international_criminal_co… if we say something that is [upsetting to the US government](https://www.reuters.com/world/us/us-threatens-new-icc-sanctions… > This post was written in response to [an article in the Financial Times](https://giftarticle.ft.com/giftarticle/actions/redeem/fb9e9503-759d-…. Despite the [highly encouraging words on the FT website urging us to send in articles](https://www.ft.com/content/e3e8ff2b-95c7-48f8-9eda-312494422e10), this submission only received an automated reply. So then here in slightly adjusted form: Upper management of most governments and companies in Europe are fundamentally non-technical, and make IT policy decisions based on input from consultants and industry-provided and -infused professionals. And these are telling them that the three big US cloud providers (Amazon, Microsoft and Google) are the only game in town. This leads to curious statements like [recently in the FT](https://www.ft.com/content/854fcad0-0d39-438b-975b-adf9d8b89827) from the director of the Centre for Cybersecurity Belgium (CCB) that it is “currently impossible to store data fully in Europe because US companies dominate digital infrastructure [..] If I want my information 100 per cent in the EU, keep on dreaming”. Yet, many of the excellent employees of CCB (whom I encounter at conferences) would be able to do that after only a single visit to a local computer store. Their director apparently does not know this. > The FT article otherwise makes some good points, by the way! If one has taken as an axiom that only the big three US cloud service providers can do computing, it easily follows that Europe plays no role anymore. Yet, this premise is not true - many large scale IT systems [do not in fact run on special US cloud services](https://berthub.eu/articles/posts/our-self-inflicted-cloud-crisis/). They run on local computers, computers that can be rented (or even bought) anywhere. Up until maybe five years ago, it was still highly controversial [to marry tax systems to proprietary foreign cloud services](https://berthub.eu/articles/posts/beware-cloud-is-part-of-the-software/), so we didn’t do it (back then). The director of the CCB is not alone in not realizing what is (im)possible. Recently the Dutch government decided to move all documents and email from the tax agency to the Microsoft cloud because [they saw no alternative](https://ioplus.nl/en/posts/dutch-tax-authorities-opt-for-microsoft-for-email-and-calendar-). They admitted that this means our tax operations [will now become vulnerable to sanctions, and that the US grants itself legal access to our data](https://berthub.eu/tkconv/document.html?nummer=2025D52688#:~:text=De%20drie%20genoemde%20wettelijke%20instrumenten%20maken%20het). Since Microsoft’s [July admission in the French senate](https://berthub.eu/articles/posts/our-self-inflicted-cloud-crisis/#:~:text=Microsoft%20has%20just%20admitted), we know that European data on Microsoft servers, even those physically in Europe, can be accessed by US agencies. Until quite recently, companies and governments were able to control their own data on local servers. The IT people that did that have not vanished, they and their skills are still around. Top leadership, lacking technical expertise, however has allowed itself to become fully indoctrinated that nothing other than US clouds is acceptable or even possible. When confronted with these unacceptable realities, decision makers will often say they’ll look into changing this situation once a European place delivers exactly the functionality currently procured from the US. This could be a long wait since it is not easy to recreate the American experience without any customers, who admit they are only going to engage once parity has been achieved. And likely not then either - companies also find it nearly impossible to switch between US cloud service providers! It is always a risk to get too deeply in bed with specific vendors, especially for unwieldy large systems. Luckily, it is also possible to base services on generic compute, storage and network capacity, something we have [amply available in Europe](https://berthub.eu/articles/posts/the-european-cloud-ladder/). Cloud-based experts may say this is hard, but I run a popular [parliamentary monitoring system entirely on a single non-cloud server](https://opentk.nl). It hosts all parliamentary documents since 2008. If I can do this, governments could relearn to do it as well. This would not only liberate us from US tech hegemony. Using non-proprietary technologies would also ensure we do not get tied to any specific proprietary cloud provider, which would then end up as a mandatory partner to run vital systems [for the next few decades](https://berthub.eu/articles/posts/beware-cloud-is-part-of-the-software/). To get any progress, two things are needed. Leadership within enterprise and government needs to skill up and grasp the digital realities, and not only parrot wisdom from a consulting industry that itself fully believes only in US clouds. And secondly, with that newfound understanding, large scale IT operators should reengage with the generic IT capabilities that do exist in Europe, and that until a few years ago were able to run things like our tax agencies. This is vital since if upper management continues to wait until Europe’s industry recreates the US offerings, while declaring nothing else is possble, Europe will indeed continue as a digital colony of the US. This at a time when the consequences of [accepting such utter dependence could be terrible](https://berthub.eu/articles/posts/cyber-security-pre-war-reality-check/). -- Inviato con l'email di [Proton Mail](https://pr.tn/ref/2P5MPTKZY2G0).

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Trump’s Air Strikes Targeted a Scientific Research Institute, Venezuela Says
by Daniela Tafani Jan. 12, 2026

Jan. 12, 2026

Trump’s Air Strikes Targeted a Scientific Research Institute, Venezuela Says By Joe Wilkins Published Jan 8, 2026 As Venezuelans begin to pick up the rubble following massive air strikes by the United States over the weekend, the full scope of the destruction is slowly coming into focus. As Agence France-Presse reports, Venezuelan officials say the US air strikes that killed at least 56 soldiers also destroyed numerous non-military targets, including the Venezuelan Institute for Scientific Research (IVIC). On Wednesday, the country’s science and technology minister Gabriela Jimenez shared footage of an obliterated building which she says housed the mathematics department at the IVIC. On top of this, Jimenez said that four other IVIC buildings were targeted for destruction: the physics, chemistry, ecology, and nuclear research centers. “Two missiles struck the area directly,” Jimenez wrote on Telegram referencing the mathematics center, per AFP which translated the comment. “The attack was total: these areas housed servers and equipment essential to our computer networks that were completely devastated.” The minister characterized the attacks as an “unprecedented act of imperial aggression.” Why the institute was targeted is unclear. The IVIC is located on the southwestern outskirts of Caracas, nearly 11 miles away from the Fuerte Tiuna, the military installation from which Venezuelan president Nicolás Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores were kidnapped by US special forces on Saturday. In addition to the academic buildings, the governor of La Guaira, Jose Alejandro Teran, said the US air strikes destroyed a medicine warehouse located on the coastal city near Caracas. “Tons of medicine burned to ash, tons of food,” Teran said in a video posted on social media. “Here are the results of what the bombs and missiles of the United States government have done… to destroy our warehouses full of medicine and food.” Though Trump has emphasized the deaths of Venezuelan and Cuban soldiers, numerous civilians also lost their lives in the barrage. Those fatalities include 45-year old single mother Yohana Rodríguez Sierra, who was killed by a US missile. At least one of Sierra’s daughters was injured in the missile strike. At least 150 US war planes and drones took part in the devastation, which the Trump administration and American media have characterized as a “precision operation.” <https://futurism.com/future-society/trump-venezuela-research-institution>

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