What will Draghi and Colao do on 5G in Chinese sauce?
The speech by Marco Mayer, professor at the Luiss Cybersecurity Master
The resignations of Elio Vito and Adolfo Urso from Copasir and the announcement – however absolutely acceptable – of a future Cybersecurity agency outside intelligence, created in some observers the impression that a vacuum or at least of a confusing situation.
For this reason it is important to highlight a risk connected to the implementation of the Next Generation Eu plan. The European PNRR funds earmarked for the digital transition (40 billion euros plus appropriations for telemedicine healthcare) could increase Italy's already significant technological dependence on some Chinese companies, in particular for 5G networks, broadband, platforms and IT services , smart cities, urban mobility, home automation and video surveillance.
In this regard, a clear position has been expressed in recent days by the two leading protagonists of the government: both by the Foreign Minister Luigi Di Maio (following the meeting with the US Secretary of State Blinken), and by Matteo Salvini.
Salvini explicitly asked for the exclusion from China from the Italian 5G networks (where they are already rooted) as well as an enhancement and expansion of government powers for the exercise of Golden Power.
Paradoxically, however – as Startmag correctly pointed out – in his recent hearing in Parliament, the Minister of Technological Innovation, Vittorio Colao, has not yet expressed his opinion on technological dependence on China, nor has he indicated specific measures of the PNRR capable of ensuring institutional resilience and cybersecurity aimed at operators, vendors and related supply chains to whom the huge European resources in the digital field will be destined.
At this point the government is called upon to decide. We are in a historical phase in which the relationships between technology, civil liberties and democracy constitute one of the great challenges of politics in contemporary reality.
For years, intelligence agencies and related services have been warning of possible risks connected with the progressive expansion of the Digital Silk Road in Italy, concerns that are shared by Copasir unanimously.
Considering the current difficulties of Copasir and despite the awareness of the limits of a substitute role, it is now up to the Interministerial Committee for the Security of the Republic ( CISR) chaired by Mario Draghi to deliberate as soon as possible a specific directive aimed at protecting national security and consequently strengthen the Euro-Atlantic posture of our country.
Marco Mayer
lecturer at the Luiss Cybersecurity Master
This is a machine translation from Italian language of a post published on Start Magazine at the URL https://www.startmag.it/mondo/che-cosa-faranno-draghi-e-colao-sul-5g-in-salsa-cinese/ on Thu, 15 Apr 2021 13:54:32 +0000.