While Flock announced changes for its AI-powered traffic cameras, "Several of the proposed changes Flock is touting are merely retreads of previous ," complains the American Civil Liberties Union. "Flock's latest announcement still appears more focused on addressing a perceived PR problem than the significant harms its products create... [T]his is hardly the step forward Flock wants us to think it is "
The ACLU continues to urge that default retention periods be shortened to 48 hours — not one week. And they warn Flock allows longer retention to any police department that asks for it, or when police officers activate "Evidence Mode" (the scope of which is not yet clear):
Even if "Evidence Mode's" data retention hold only applies to hits returned on a given search, it would still retain significant amounts of location data on persons and vehicles who law enforcement do not suspect have engaged in any wrongdoing...
Flock claims that its changes will provide "more local control," meaning local police can decide what types of offenses other Flock customers can search their data for... This is not new. Flock has attempted this before, and the security measure failed because users were easily able to circumvent the system's requirement that police input the purpose of their search. For example, on June 12, 2025 Flock started claiming its new "Proactive Search Term Tool" would block any "impermissible" searches, such as abortion-related searches in states like Illinois that prohibit sharing reproductive healthcare data. But police officers quickly realized they could just input "investigation" or even "hehehe" as a search reason and it would be approved. Flock later switched from an open text box to a drop-down menu of reasons, but that just offered police a list of acceptable purposes they could choose from, whether it was accurate or not. Until Flock demonstrates they can develop a reliable, workable system to prevent improper searches, this promise of local control provides nothing more than a false sense of security...
While providing "Audit Assistance" to all departments makes sense, there is no evidence that the tool works consistently to address what the Washington Post observed is a growing pattern of police officers turning Flock into a personal stalking tool. While dozens of officers have recently been arrested, fired, or otherwise disciplined for misusing Flock for personal reasons, Flock claims these arrests are proof its auditing tool works. However, unless we know the number of officers misusing the system, we cannot conclude if Flock and its auditing tools are catching 95 percent of violators or 5 percent. Flock needs to have its auditing tool analyzed by an independent evaluator to determine its actual effectiveness. Until then, we don't know if the tool is a real security measure or just window dressing.
Perhaps the oddest part of Flock's announcement is its claims that "now every search will require" police to input a case code... While claiming that a "search without a reason is a search that shouldn't happen in the first place," Flock's announcement fails to note how easily users have circumvented "search reason" security measures in the past... This leaves the public wondering how making an ineffective voluntary security measure mandatory will improve its functionality.
Flock's "nearly $1 billion in venture capitalist funding has locked it into an operational model that seeks to trade our privacy for massive profits," concludes the ACLU's statement, as they promise to continue "The ACLU is fighting alongside communities to cancel local ALPR contracts and push lawmakers to protect our rights from this surveillance nightmare..."
Je viens de m’inscrire sur Framacolibri après avoir suivi plusieurs sujets d’entraide en tant que lectrice silencieuse. J’utilise depuis quelque temps différents outils du réseau Framasoft au quotidien, et je me réjouis de pouvoir échanger avec la communauté et participer aux discussions quand j’aurai quelque chose d’utile à apporter. Ravie de vous rejoindre !
"As Sony soldiers ahead with their plans to end hard copies for new PlayStation games, players are fearing a future which will force them to pay more and own less," writes Kotaku.
What will prices do in a world with no physical copies to share or sell? One former Square Enix executive speculates this could actually drive down the price of games:
"Digital on the PS store will likely get cheaper," posted Jacob Navok, former Square Enix business strategist. "Current prices are tied to retail. Without physical discs holding digital hostage we'll see a larger spectrum of pricing similar to steam." Navok says that the digital-only landscape will pit major publishers in constant, dynamic competition with each other... "The more the Playstation store becomes digital only, the greater this trend will accelerate," Navok follows up. "You will see more sales and dynamic pricing similar to Steam because publishers will compete among themselves to a greater extent."
[O]n the other end newer games are getting increasingly expensive, even on digital platforms. The fact that Grand Theft Auto VI will be a purely digital release has not caused its price point to budge.
An anonymous reader shared this report from TechCrunch:
According to data from digital intelligence provider Similarweb, Bluesky's mobile app had 10.4 million monthly active users worldwide in June 2026, down 27.2% year-over-year. In addition, mobile daily active users continued to decline, falling 25.6% year-over-year in July to around 3 million... Bluesky's app has lost more than half its monthly active users from its late-2024 high... Its quarterly average was around 22.1 million monthly active users in the fourth quarter of 2024, Similarweb's data indicates, and it declined to 10.7 million in the second quarter of 2026. That's a decline of around 52%.
While Bluesky's numbers are down, those who stuck around are committed. Its smaller community remains relatively active, with a stickiness rate (the ratio of daily to monthly active users) of roughly 29% in June, about the same as Threads.
For Bluesky's new CEO, Toni Schneider, these numbers may not be as concerning. The company is not entirely focused on making Bluesky (the app) succeed, but on making it possible for the underlying protocol (AT Proto) to power a growing number of social apps, services, and communities. That's something that is now taking place, as projects like BlackSky and Eurosky are growing, while some AT Proto apps like the video-focused Skylight have found early traction, too. In addition, the company has launched new products, like the AI-powered research tool Attie, and is now working on adding support for private data to Bluesky. The latter could generate new interest in Bluesky from a different type of user — those less interested in the public square, and more interested in private networking and communities.
But on Threads in July of 2026, daily active users were up 21.3% year-over-year to 147 million, the article points out, and website visits were up 112% year-over-year to 471.6 million. And Threads now appears to have roughly 66% more monthly active users than X.
Looking at the IPs: from everywhere in the world, but organization is always « Microsoft Corporation ».
So I added ProxyPassMatch « ^/(.*\.php)$ » ! to reduce cpu work and lighten the 404 response (21KB to 236B) in the apache2 proxy in front of the virtual machine hosting this peertube instance:
Saturday Disneyland announced a special Star Wars-themed collaboration with third-person shooter game Fortnite — including a slick new trailer for its Star Wars: Smuggler's Gambit quest.
Visitors to Disneyland's Smuggler's Run attraction at Disney's theme parks in Orlando and in Anaheim can accept a special mission while waiting in line for the ride, according to The Hollywood Reporter. And "If they succeed, they will get a unique Forsworn Trooper Outfit in a newly-created Fortnite adventure called Smugglers Gambit set in that same universe."
"Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run | Fortnite marks the first time this attraction has reached beyond its physical walls into a connected game world — a story that starts in a queue in Orlando or Anaheim can now continue on a screen almost anywhere," said Sean Shoptaw, executive VP of Disney Games and Digital Entertainment.... "Together these experiences reflect our ambition to connect stories and worlds across formats into one converged entertainment ecosystem...."
The cockpit technology in the ride was actually created using Epic's Unreal Engine, which allows for many assets from the ride to appear in Smugglers Gambit.... "Whether you're at a Disney Park or playing Fortnite with your friends, fans have new ways to keep their Star Wars adventures going," [said Adam Sussman, president of Epic Games]. "This is only the beginning of what's possible when world-class storytellers bring their creativity into Fortnite." Disney, of course, is an investor in Epic Games, and the two companies have been at work building a new world that will connect to Fortnite with all of the Disney's beloved characters... This new collaboration, however, extends to the real world for the first time, bringing some video game magic to Disney's parks, and some of that theme park magic to the video game.
Disneyland will also launch a new area based on James Cameron's Avatar: The Way of Water, reports The Orange County Register — which even has a picture of the Avatar Destination ride's model, showing an enormous (and very colorful) waterfall. The model was part of Saturday's Disney fan expo "D23", showing the Disneyland Monorail traveling around the edge of the attraction (which reportedly involves a 30-person vehicle).
Saturday's event also included details on the long-awaited "reimagining" of the park's Tomorrowland area, with their official blog promising "Yesterday's tomorrow, today!" Tomorrowland has some history, explains the Orange County Register:
The land's first update in 1967 was dubbed the New Tomorrowland with the 1998 makeover jokingly referred to as the New, New Tomorrowland. The latest iteration is already being called the New, New, New Tomorrowland. Disneyland's Land of Tomorrow has plenty of empty spaces in need of some Imagineering magic with the Tomorrowland Theater, Star Wars Launch Bay and PeopleMover track all sitting underused.
Or, as The Wrap puts it, "The problem with Tomorrowland, of course, has been keeping up with tomorrow."
1967 introduced New Tomorrowland, with Adventures Thru Inner Space, Carousel of Progress and the PeopleMover giving it the "World on the Move" theme. In 1975 Space Mountain opened and in the 1980's the Tomorrowland stage was enclosed to become a 3D theater, where "Magic Journeys" and "Captain EO" played. Star Tours also opened in the 1980's, giving the area some additional adrenaline. But an elaborate redo of the area, planned for the 1990's, was cut short due to financial woes following the opening of Disneyland Paris and were largely shuttered. (In Florida, a new Tomorrowland was approximated in the mid-1990's but not really followed through on, adopting some of the timelessness of the Jules Verne-inspired Discoveryland from Paris.)
Since the 1990's, Tomorrowland in Disneyland has become largely defunct or outright abandoned... In the late 1990's, Disney tried to use the [PeopleMover] track for a high-speed attraction called Rocket Rods. The attraction never worked properly and was shuttered after just a few years. Rumor has it that the intensity of the ride vehicles actually weakened the PeopleMover track and removing the track would be time consuming and costly. So since the turn of the millennium, there has just been track above and all around Tomorrowland that sits, untouched.
Science Daily reports:
Researchers showed that unencrypted signals routinely exchanged between WiFi devices and routers can be used to create radio-based images of people and recognize them within seconds. In tests involving 197 participants, the system identified individuals with nearly 100% accuracy, even from different angles and regardless of how they walked. "By observing the propagation of radio waves, we can create an image of the surroundings and of persons who are present," says Professor Thorsten Strufe from KASTEL, KIT's Institute of Information Security and Dependability. "This works similar to a normal camera, the difference being that in our case, radio waves instead of light waves are used for the recognition," explains the cybersecurity expert.
Because the technique analyzes radio waves moving through a space, a person does not need to have a phone, smartwatch, or other WiFi enabled device with them. "Thus, it does not matter whether you carry a WiFi device on you or not." Even turning off your own device would not necessarily prevent the system from working. "It's sufficient that other WiFi devices in your surroundings are active...."
Connected devices routinely send information back to the router to help optimize wireless communication. These signals, known as beamforming feedback information (BFI), are transmitted without encryption, meaning that anyone within range can potentially read them. By analyzing that information, the system can generate images of people from multiple viewpoints. Those images can then be used to determine a person's identity. Once the machine learning model has already been trained to recognize individuals, the identification process takes only a few seconds.
When Anthropic instructed three agents to migrate a Python backend, but telling each agent to perform the migration in a different language, "We consistently saw a multiagent turf war," they wrote Thursday:
All of the models we tested quickly assumed that others were purposefully impeding their work, and began to sabotage others while protecting their own contributions. In fact, they sabotaged others with increasingly aggressive, self-replicating malware. This included disabling the Unix accounts of the other agents, writing automated scripts that found and killed competing processes on a loop, and deploying malicious code that was disguised as belonging to another agent.
In many runs, one agent settles the conflict by force via access-revocation (e.g., sudo/group removal, account lock, nologin, SSH denial). In others, some agents settle into passivity: they give up and refuse to escalate further.
Agents sometimes manage to communicate their goals and coordinate: they recognize others' motivations as conflicting directives rather than hostility, and subsequently break out of the conflict loop in order to stop escalating indefinitely. In many of these successful episodes, they write commit messages or markdown files apologizing for malicious behavior and coordinate a truce. They clean up their malicious code, clarify the nature of the conflict, and ask for a human to intervene...
In several episodes with Mythos 5, we observe an emergent behavior where the agents propose and run a tournament for application performance in each language. In the example above, the Rust agent strategizes about bake-off metrics that appear neutral enough for the others to agree to this mechanism, yet would likely favor Rust: one thinking trace warns to be "careful not to be seen as metric shopping". Ultimately, the Golang/TypeScript losers gracefully concede codebase ownership to the Rust agent, giving up on their original user directives under their self-negotiated commitment device.
One problem is that AI agents do reward hacking, Anthropic notes, while current institutions "are designed by and for people, resting on assumptions about the sufficiency of oversight at human speed... As autonomous agents become more and more prevalent in the world and operate in ever-more demanding settings, it is crucial that they learn how to effectively coordinate."
In addition to everything else, the agents struggled with a lack of clearly defined hierarchy, Anthropic points out. "Nothing above suggests that these failures are permanent — but nothing suggests they will fix themselves, either..." They argue a fix "takes two forms: environments that exert the kinds of social pressure that evolution exerted on us, and social computing systems redesigned for actors that can self-replicate and self-improve. These are open problems in interaction and mechanism design, and our experiments here provide early evidence that new solutions are necessary."
"The AI models being tested in this case were Sonnet 4.6, Sonnet 5, Opus 4.6, Opus 4.8, Mythos Preview, and Mythos 5," notes Business Insider, adding that Sonnet 4.6 and Opus 4.6 "were the most combative, settling about 60% of their runs by force instead of truces or passivity."
Anthropic argues there's a clear case for researching this phenomenon — especially since "The volume of agent-agent interaction could plausibly exceed that of human-human and human-agent interactions before the world understands the conditions for making such interactions go well."
Corma CEO Alon Pluda says his AI security startup aims to close the "defense gap," where models are better at offensive security. He tells the story of one customer, a security executive who was walking his dog when he received a notification on his watch from a Corma agent. “It said, 'I just caught a live attack. I need your permission to block it,'” Pluda told The Register in an interview. The security boss approved the agent’s action; the agent blocked the malware and the attacker from moving across the company’s network and mitigated the intrusion in under 10 minutes, Pluda said. The customer later described "walking outside with his dog, and blocking a real-live attack with his AI coworker" as "one of the most magical moments of his year," Pluda recalled. Pluda founded Corma about a year ago. And yes, all you Lord of the Rings nerds, the company gets its name from the Elven word for “ring.” “We’re building the one ring to rule them all, but this time for the defenders to have this power.” Earlier this week, the company announced $60 million in seed funding led by Sequoia Capital, alongside Khosla Ventures and Coatue. He told us that his startup is working with Fortune 100 companies, and training models to achieve “superintelligence for defensive cybersecurity.” Models from OpenAI, Anthropic, and Google are “amazingly good” at coding and language, and this includes finding and fixing bugs, and orchestrating tools across multi-step workflows, he explained. “When you combine it with agentic capabilities, they move from being incredible vulnerability researchers to end-to-end attackers,” Pluda said. “So inherently, what we’ve seen in the last few months is the models getting exponentially better at offensive security, like we saw with the OpenAI and Hugging Face incident.” But these same models aren’t as skilled at carrying out defensive security tasks that don’t involve scanning code for vulnerabilities and misconfigurations, he said. “The vast majority of defensive security tasks don’t have anything to do with code.” Corma recently tested four frontier models - Claude Opus 4.8, GPT-5.5, Grok 4.3, and DeepSeek V4 - as both attackers and defenders across the same fake company and its networks, built to closely mirror a multi-business enterprise. The attacker’s task was to plant a backdoor and the defender’s task was to find it and stop the attack. Closing the defensive gap Corma ran all four models against each other in every attacker and defender pairing, including each model against itself, with 15 independent engagements per pairing for 241 scored engagements. Across all of these, the models successfully implanted a persistent backdoor in 85 percent of their runs. However, these same models only detected 19 percent of attacks. “That speaks to the inherent imbalance we are trying to solve,” Pluda said. “The general foundation models are getting exponentially better at offensive security, but haven't been able to improve on the same rate on defensive security. So our mission is to close this gap, and make sure the defenders win in this intelligence-versus-intelligence game - or war.” Corma calls this the defensive gap, and says it has to do with the data these models are trained on and the objectives they are trained against, which lend themselves to offensive security. Defensive security, however, involves reading logs, events, configurations, audit trails, and on-disk state. This is “structured machine data that is neither prose nor source, and a small share of what these models see in training,” according to Corma’s research. “They appear to read it less reliably.” Plus, defensive reasoning is more open-ended, while offense has a straightforward goal - like “make this work” or “break this” and a checkable finish. Agentic defenders “Defensive security,” according to Pluda, “is about finding needles in the haystack.” Corma’s models power its AI agents, which organizations can deploy like “team members” who then operate across defensive security tasks. “It’s a generalized workforce, and you can assign it to whatever security tasks you want.” Fortune 100 and 500 organizations across healthcare, financial services, energy, critical infrastructure, retail, and other sectors have deployed Corma’s AI workforce across their environments, according to the startup. These early deployments, we’re told, have reduced threat response times by more than 94 percent, expanded security coverage by 15 times across different security functions, and uncovered multi-stage attack campaigns. “If you can get AI that is smart enough, intelligent enough, knows the domain enough, optimizes for the right things enough, and you can actually trust it, end to end, all the way to responding to real-live attacks, you can reduce all of these metrics significantly,” Pluda said. “And you can cover way more ground than what is possible with just human intelligence.”®
Contrairement à ce que l'on pourrait penser, l'IA dans la science semble avant tout un moyen d'orienter les investissements plutôt que d'être source de réels progrès.
Tout l’été, profitez de republications de « Dans Les Algorithmes » ! Rendez-vous tous les dimanches de juillet et d’août pour réfléchir, ensemble, sur les enjeux de l’Intelligence Artificielle.
Dans le domaine de la fabrication de médicament, on attend là encore que l’IA permette de nouvelles percées, explique The Economist. Pourtant, les partenariats entre entreprises pharmaceutiques et sociétés d’IA se multiplient, notamment dans l’espoir de mieux identifier des molécules, de raccourcir le temps de développement des essais cliniques et de diminuer le taux d’échec de ceux-ci (actuellement, « les médicaments candidats entrant en essais cliniques ont un taux d’échec de 90 %, ce qui porte le coût de développement d’un médicament efficace à la somme astronomique de 2,8 milliards de dollars »). « Même des gains d’efficacité marginaux représenteraient des avantages considérables. Des rapports provenant de l’ensemble du secteur suggèrent que l’IA a commencé à apporter ces gains. Elle a réduit la phase préclinique (celle qui précède les essais cliniques sur l’homme) à 12-18 mois, contre trois à cinq ans auparavant. Et elle a amélioré le taux de réussite. Une étude publiée en 2024, portant sur les performances de molécules proposées par l’IA lors des premiers essais cliniques, a révélé un taux de réussite de 80 à 90 %. À titre de comparaison, les moyennes historiques se situaient entre 40 et 65 %. »
« La conception d’un nouveau médicament commence généralement par le criblage de petites molécules organiques afin d’identifier celles présentant une activité biologique prometteuse afin de sélectionner les plus probables. L’IA peut analyser des bibliothèques de dizaines de milliards de molécules, en testant des propriétés telles que la puissance, la solubilité et la toxicité grâce à des émulations logicielles de ces molécules, sans qu’il soit nécessaire d’utiliser les molécules réelles en laboratoire. Jim Weatherall, l’un des responsables de cette activité chez AstraZeneca, une autre grande entreprise pharmaceutique, affirme que cette méthode permet de trier les molécules prometteuses deux fois plus vite qu’auparavant, et que plus de 90 % du processus de découverte de petites molécules de l’entreprise est désormais assisté par l’IA. »
L’IA sert donc d’abord à optimiser les investissements. L’IA contribue également à améliorer la conception des essais cliniques. Par exemple en formulant une hypothèse sur une maladie et en tentant de confirmer ou d’infirmer ces hypothèses par une recherche bibliographique.
L’IA se révèle également prometteuse dans la sélection des patients pour les essais cliniques. Elle peut analyser les dossiers médicaux, les biopsies et les examens d’imagerie des candidats afin d’identifier ceux qui pourraient tirer le meilleur parti d’un nouveau médicament. Une meilleure sélection des participants permet de réduire la taille des essais, et donc de les rendre plus rapides et moins coûteux. Une autre utilisation de l’IA consiste à créer des patients synthétiques permettant de comparer un patient réel et son double numérique pour comparer l’évolution prédite sans traitement par rapport au patient testé. À terme, les patients synthétiques permettraient de réduire les groupes témoins et leurs coûts (au risque tout de même que ces comparaisons aient une fiabilité relative).
L’optimisation des essais cliniques via l’IA représente une réduction considérable des risques, avec une diminution concomitante des coûts de développement des médicaments.
Mais si l’IA promet de produire de nouveaux médicaments, elle ne promet pas que nous ayons les capacités industrielles de le faire, comme le montrent les innombrables pénuries que nous traversons. Elle ne résout pas le risque d’abandon de la santé pour tous, qu’évoquait par exemple le philosophe Alexandre Monnin dans AOC il y a quelques mois (voire notre synthèse).
Au contraire. Dans le domaine de la médecine, comme le soulignaient l’avocate américaine des sans-abris Leah Goodridge et la médecin et chercheuse, Oni Blackstock, directrice de l’association Health Justice, dans une tribune pour The Guardian, l’IA risque bien plus d’être utilisée pour refuser des soins que pour faire progresser la médecine. En Californie du Sud, où le nombre de personnes sans abris est l’un des plus élevés du pays, Akido Labs gère des cliniques pour les personnes sans domicile fixe et celles à faibles revenus. Mais ces patients sont vus par des assistants médicaux qui utilisent l’IA pour écouter les conversations, puis proposer des diagnostics et des plans de traitement potentiels, qui sont ensuite examinés par un médecin. L’objectif de l’entreprise, a déclaré son directeur technique à la Technology Review, est de « supprimer le médecin de la consultation ».
Cela s’inscrit dans une tendance plus large où l’IA générative est de plus en plus intégrée au système de santé, rappellent Goodridge et Blackstock. En 2025, une enquête de l’Association médicale américaine a révélé que deux médecins sur trois utilisaient l’IA dans leur travail quotidien, notamment pour diagnostiquer les patients. Une start-up spécialisée en IA (OpenEvidence, qui n’est pas accessible en Europe) a levé 200 millions de dollars pour fournir aux professionnels de santé un ChatGPT pour médecins. Et les législateurs américains examinent actuellement un projet de loi qui autoriserait l’IA à prescrire des médicaments. Bien que cette tendance à l’intelligence artificielle dans le secteur de la santé affecte presque tous les patients, son impact est plus profond sur les personnes à faibles revenus, qui rencontrent déjà d’importants obstacles à l’accès aux soins. « Les personnes sans domicile fixe et à faibles revenus ne devraient pas servir de cobayes pour l’IA dans le domaine de la santé. Au contraire, leurs voix et leurs priorités devraient déterminer si, comment et quand l’IA sera mise en œuvre dans leurs soins ».
La saturation des hôpitaux, les coûts d’accès au soin… expliquent en grande partie ces développements. D’autant que ces contraintes « sont souvent amplifiées dans les communautés économiquement défavorisées, où les établissements de santé sont souvent sous-financés et les patients non assurés, avec un fardeau plus lourd de maladies chroniques dû au racisme et à la pauvreté ». Les très documentés biais des IA de santé, « qui diagnostiquent bien moins les problèmes des patients noirs et hispaniques, des femmes et des patients bénéficiant de l’assurance Medicaid, promettent surtout d’aggraver les inégalités de santé pour les patients qui rencontrent déjà des obstacles à l’accès aux soins ». Pire, comme on le lit dans la TR, les patients ne sont même pas informés que leur professionnel de santé ou leur système de santé utilise l’IA. Un assistant médical explique ainsi que ses patients savent qu’un système d’IA les écoute, mais qu’il ne leur dit pas qu’elle formule des recommandations diagnostiques. Ces discriminations sont renforcées par la tendance croissante à l’utilisation de l’IA pour déterminer les remboursements de santé des personnes à faibles revenus (voir ce que nous disions d’United HealthCare connu pour sa politique de refus de remboursement de soins de santé). Bref, si l’IA d’un côté promet une amélioration de la production de médicaments, elle risque bien plus d’empêcher les publics d’y accéder.
Il y a d’autres domaines que l’IA accélère, comme le pointait Cade Metz dans le New York Times. Notamment la recherche en mathématiques, en biologie et en chimie. Mais là encore, bien des annonces tonitruantes se révèlent souvent assez décevantes une fois que les spécialistes les décortiquent. C’était le cas notamment lorsqu’une startup d’IA, Harmonic a annoncé avoir résolu un problème mathématique, avant que les experts ne constatent que ses solutions ne différaient guère des travaux antérieurs de mathématiciens. L’IA parvient à identifier des solutions existantes, enfouies dans des décennies d’articles de recherche plus qu’elle n’en invente. « On a l’impression d’être face à un élève brillant qui a tout mémorisé pour l’examen, mais qui ne comprend pas vraiment le concept », assène le mathématicien Terence Tao. L’IA permet bien plus de suggérer des hypothèses ou des expériences qui permettent de cibler les recherches, explique un spécialiste du cancer, qui constate lui aussi que cela permet d’accélérer les processus. Mais un chercheur expérimenté est toujours nécessaire pour guider le système. Pour Terence Tao, interviewé dans Nature, l’IA peut commettre des erreurs invérifiables dans nombre de domaines, mais en maths, elles sont vérifiables. Les inconvénients sont donc bien plus limités. « On commence à voir des exemples où l’IA – peut-être par chance – résout des problèmes importants pour les mathématiciens. C’est encore très rare et l’IA présente encore de nombreuses faiblesses ; elle ne remplace pas le travail humain. Mais il devient de plus en plus difficile de nier l’efficacité de ces outils. »Mais définir de nouveaux concepts et déterminer les problèmes à résoudre restera probablement du ressort des mathématiciens humains… au moins pendant un certain temps encore, estime le médaillé Fields.
… au risque de réduire le champ d’investigation de la science
Si l’IA pour la recherche scientifique promet, elle pourrait aussi avoir des effets délétères, rappelle la journaliste Grace Huckins pour la Technology Review et réduire à terme le dynamisme de la science. Une étude publiée dans Nature a révélé que si certains scientifiques perçoivent des avantages professionnels à adopter l’IA, la science dans son ensemble pourrait en pâtir, car l‘IA réduit le champ d’investigation de la communauté scientifique. Cela pourrait s’expliquer par le fait que l’IA excelle particulièrement dans l’analyse de données et de publications existantes, ce qui incite les scientifiques qui l’utilisent à se concentrer sur des domaines établis où des données à grande échelle sont disponibles. Il pourrait en résulter un nombre réduit de scientifiques disponibles pour étudier des problèmes moins adaptés à l’IA. Intégrer efficacement l’IA dans la science est plus qu’un simple défi technique : préserver le dynamisme et la diversité de la science à l’ère de l’IA pourrait nécessiter un effort concerté de la part de la communauté scientifique.
Dans un éditorial pour Science, Julio Ottino et Brian Uzzi enfoncent le clou et dénoncent le risque d’une « progression sans progrès ». « Les progrès réalisés dans l’utilisation de l’intelligence artificielle pour faire progresser la découverte scientifique rendent de plus en plus réaliste l’idée de systèmes automatisés de « science de bout en bout » : des chaînes de traitement intégrées capables de générer des hypothèses, de mener des expériences (in silico ou robotisées), d’analyser les résultats et de produire des résultats publiables avec une intervention humaine minimale. La question cruciale n’est pas de savoir si l’IA peut « faire » de la science, mais si la science – en tant que système social et évolutif produisant des connaissances fiables – peut survivre à la manière dont l’IA la pratique. »
Or, « la science n’est pas simplement une suite de tâches optimisables. Elle progresse par un processus analogue à l’évolution darwinienne : variation à travers de nombreux efforts indépendants ; sélection par la critique, la réplication et la compétition ; et conservation des résultats robustes. Cette structure distribuée permet à la science de s’autocorriger et de générer de la nouveauté. L’indépendance n’est pas fortuite ; elle est le mécanisme qui produit à la fois la fiabilité et la découverte. »
Mais, la science n’a jamais pleinement atteint cet idéal, rappellent-ils. Elle a aussi été façonnée par les biais, les erreurs et la fraude. Les partisans de l’intelligence artificielle arguent que l’automatisation pourrait atténuer certaines de ces limitations tout en accélérant les découvertes et en élargissant la participation. Reste donc à savoir si l’IA en science réduit ces imperfections ou les amplifie à l’échelle des machines.
L’intégration de l’IA à la science risque de modifier fondamentalement la structure de la science. Notamment en favorisant des plateformes dominantes, entraînées sur des données similaires et optimisées pour certains objectifs. « Comme sur d’autres marchés de technologies numériques, la concentration est un résultat plausible. Le risque est fort qu’une poignée de systèmes façonnent la majorité de la production scientifique […]. La diversité simulée au sein d’un système ne saurait se substituer à la diversité épistémique entre des approches véritablement concurrentes. »
La conséquence n’est pas seulement institutionnelle ; elle est bien épistémique, c’est-à-dire qu’elle concerne toutes les connaissances. « Le système scientifique prospère grâce à l’inefficacité : efforts redondants, tentatives infructueuses et chemins divergents. Il ne s’agit pas de coûts à éliminer, mais de sources de découverte. À l’inverse, les pressions d’optimisation favorisent la convergence. Il risque d’en résulter une production accrue, mais une exploration moindre de l’inattendu. »
« Ce rétrécissement a des implications sur la créativité. Une grande partie de la force de l’IA réside dans l’exploration combinatoire, le réarrangement des connaissances existantes en de nouvelles configurations. Or, nombre d’avancées majeures en science ne sont pas des combinaisons ; ce sont des ruptures, des changements conceptuels qui contredisent les hypothèses des cadres antérieurs. Parce que ces avancées s’écartent des schémas encodés dans les données existantes, elles sont les moins susceptibles d’émerger de systèmes entraînés sur le passé. »
« L’indépendance n’est pas seulement une garantie de fiabilité ; elle est la condition de la rupture conceptuelle. » À l’inverse, « l’optimisation de chaque composant ne garantit pas l’intégrité de l’ensemble. » Au contraire, elle peut la compromettre.
« Il ne s’agit pas de rejeter l’IA, mais de la considérer comme un simple progrès technique. Préserver les propriétés fondamentales d’un système scientifique évolutif devient désormais une contrainte de conception. Les résultats scientifiques doivent garantir une traçabilité claire – une chaîne de responsabilité identifiable qui ne se dissout pas dans des systèmes opaques. Les dispositifs institutionnels et techniques doivent assurer des approches véritablement distinctes, et non de simples variations au sein d’une architecture partagée. »
« Ces exigences ne sont pas des inefficacités à éliminer par l’ingénierie. Elles représentent les solutions accumulées au problème de la fiabilité des connaissances. Un système d’IA peut produire des résultats impressionnants. Mais s’il remplace un processus évolutif par un processus artificiel, il risque de restreindre non seulement le champ de nos découvertes, mais aussi notre capacité de découverte tout court. »
Le financement de la recherche : submergé par l’IA
Geraint Rees et James Wilsdon pour Naturetirent la sonnette d’alarme. L’IA est en train de submerger les appels à projets et demandes de financement de la recherche, améliorant le nombre, la qualité, le volume des demandes au risque de provoquer l’effondrement même du système. Les réponses générées par l’IA peuvent être entraînées sur les publications des chercheurs, sur les critères d’attribution des subventions et même sur les projets retenus pour ajuster les demandes aux résultats attendus. Et l’effet se constate déjà, pointent les chercheurs. Dans une étude qui a regardé les projets de 12 organismes de financement de la recherche de l’Union européenne, les chercheurs montrent une augmentation des candidatures depuis 2022.
« Les décideurs politiques et les organismes de financement vont devoir repenser l’allocation des fonds de recherche avant que le système ne devienne ingérable. » Confrontés à un afflux de réponses de qualité, ils devront alors faire des choix largement arbitraires quant aux projets à financer et aux candidats.
Jusqu’à présent, les organismes de financement de la recherche ont principalement réagi à ces évolutions en restreignant l’utilisation de l’IA par les candidats et les évaluateurs, certains déclarant les demandes inéligibles si elles sont élaborées avec de l’IA. Mais ces préconisations sont impossibles à appliquer, car la probabilité de détection est faible et ne constitue pas une réponse au problème. Le risque est fort que toutes les propositions répondent aux critères de financement et que les différences entre elles soient minimes. « Lorsque les propositions et les évaluations sont toutes deux gérées par des agents entraînés sur le même corpus de travaux déjà financés, le système n’évaluera plus la qualité des idées, mais plutôt la capacité des agents à simuler les idées précédemment récompensées par les financeurs. »
« Parmi les propositions visant à remédier à la surcharge des systèmes de financement figurent le recours à des tirages au sort (attribution aléatoire de fonds à des demandes de subvention correspondant à un certain niveau de qualité) et des modèles distribués d’évaluation par les pairs, où les chercheurs qui soumettent des demandes de subvention sont chargés d’évaluer celles d’autres chercheurs. Ces mesures permettent de lutter contre le volume de demandes, mais elles restent inefficaces si les indicateurs de qualité deviennent peu fiables. »
Geraint Rees et James Wilsdon proposent plutôt que les organismes de financement envisagent de recentrer l’évaluation non plus sur les propositions écrites, mais sur le chercheur principal, son équipe et ses programmes de recherche passés et en cours. « Les financeurs devraient investir dans la vérification des antécédents afin d’examiner la performance de recherche d’un individu ou d’un groupe sur une période prolongée, ainsi que dans des entretiens et des évaluations de portefeuilles de la performance d’équipe sur la durée. » Mais cette solution écarte de fait les plus petites ou plus jeunes équipes : les aides risquent alors d’aller uniquement aux projets les plus établis.
En mars, le Conseil de la recherche médicale du Royaume-Uni a annoncé le rétablissement des entretiens pour tous les candidats présélectionnés : une approche chronophage et laborieuse et peu adaptée aux grands volumes de candidatures. Le NIH américain, regroupant l’ensemble des Instituts nationaux de la santé, lui, a limité à 6 dépôts par an le nombre de candidatures individuelles, après avoir constaté que certains chercheurs en soumettaient plus de 40. Les financeurs pourraient également envisager des approches plus radicales, suggèrent les deux chercheurs. Il pourrait s’agir d’instaurer un quota fixe de propositions par chercheur ou pour l’ensemble de sa carrière, toutes sources de financement confondues. Ils pourraient aussi répartir le budget disponible entre les chercheurs éligibles à l’échelle nationale et attribuer le même montant à tous, éliminant ainsi la concurrence.
D’autres solutions proposent aux organismes de recherche de s’appuyer sur l’IA pour l’évaluation. « L’IA pourrait ensuite servir à prioriser et à présélectionner les candidatures, en comparant les données selon ces différents profils afin d’identifier les candidats dont le parcours est cohérent avec les informations fournies dans leur dossier. Ce processus de présélection serait transparent, auditable et conçu pour favoriser la diversité, et non la freiner, à travers les différentes étapes de carrière, disciplines et institutions. » Mieux (ou pire, c’est selon), certains modèles proposent de prédire l’impact d’un article ou d’une recherche, fléchant les financements vers les projets les plus porteurs.
Quelles que soient les solutions retenues, la nécessaire transformation du financement de la recherche risque de se faire dans la douleur et la contestation, estiment les chercheurs. La mise en place d’infrastructures IA nécessite des investissements soutenus, des tests rigoureux et une gouvernance continue. Les financeurs confrontés à des contraintes budgétaires pourraient hésiter. C’est oublier pourtant que le système gaspille déjà des ressources considérables en comités d’experts et en nouvelles soumissions, sans parler du temps consacré par les chercheurs à répondre aux appels. Un système basé sur l’IA native et bien conçu pourrait constituer un investissement judicieux, défendent les chercheurs. Reste que des systèmes d’évaluation entraînés sur des données de financement historiques intégreront les inégalités passées, risquant d’amplifier, plutôt que de corriger, l’effet Matthieu, c’est-à-dire la concentration au profit des plus dotés. « Il s’agit d’un risque réel, mais nous pensons que la conception et la gouvernance peuvent contribuer à l’atténuer. Les biais dans les systèmes d’IA sont mesurables, ce qui permet de les examiner et d’y remédier », soulignent-ils, certainement trop rapidement, car les biais ne sont ni mesurables ni corrigeables facilement. Troisièmement, les chercheurs et les institutions pourraient se montrer réticents face aux décisions façonnées par des algorithmes qu’ils ne peuvent pas interroger. La transparence et les mécanismes d’appel pourraient contribuer à instaurer la confiance, défendent-ils encore.
Le système de financement par subvention conçu pour un monde pré-IA est devenu défaillant. Les financeurs doivent s’adapter, estiment les chercheurs. Il pourrait en résulter un système plus performant : un système qui exploite la puissance de l’IA et la combine à des connaissances spécialisées, et qui réduit le temps et l’énergie gaspillés dans la rédaction de demandes de subventions improductives pour les réorienter vers une recherche novatrice. Un constat plus facile à déclamer qu’à mettre au point.
Prédire les résultats de la science… au risque de l’y enfermer
Certains modèles proposent de prédire l’impact d’un article ou d’une recherche, fléchant les financements vers les projets les plus porteurs, expliquaient donc Geraint Rees et James Wilsdon. Qu’en est-il ?
Savoir si une étude changera le monde ? C’est pourtant l’idée que propose Funding the Frontier : un tableau de bord pour prédire l’impact de la recherche. L’outil (non disponible) utilise le Big data pour retracer l’impact sociétal des projets de recherche sur les politiques, les médicaments ou les produits, explique Nature (voir également l’article de recherche qui montre des captures d’écran du tableau de bord et la vidéo promotionnelle). Le projet porté par Dashun Wang« intègre des données sur les publications de recherche, les brevets, les documents d’orientation et les essais cliniques, et présente ces informations de manière visuelle et intuitive. Ils ont également combiné cet outil à un algorithme prédictif basé sur l’apprentissage automatique pour prédire les études et les domaines susceptibles d’apporter les plus grands bénéfices sociétaux à l’avenir – par exemple, les subventions les plus susceptibles de déboucher sur un brevet ». « Même sans son aspect prédictif, disposer d’un outil permettant de rechercher l’impact des recherches sur la société » est déjà une information importante, estime un chercheur.
Un chef de projet d’une importante agence de financement américaine l’a utilisée pour examiner les impacts sociaux généraux des subventions de l’agence, lui permettant de constater l’impact de certaines recherches ailleurs dans le monde. « Un autre utilisateur, investisseur dans le domaine de la recherche biomédicale, a constaté que dans le domaine de la recherche sur la maladie d’Alzheimer, l’impact clinique le plus important au cours des 20 dernières années provenait d’études visant à comprendre la maladie, mais que l’impact futur le plus important prévu se concentrait sur les études portant sur les systèmes de soutien social des personnes atteintes de la maladie, ce qui laisse entrevoir de nouvelles opportunités d’investissement ».
L’aspect prédictif est pourtant préoccupant, estime le même James Wilsdon qui en évoquait les perspectives précédemment. Le spécialiste des politiques de recherche estime que ce tableau de bord pourrait créer des prophéties autoréalisatrices et des décisions d’investissements plus conservatrices, au détriment de recherches plus originales, capables d’ouvrir d’autres possibilités.
Coincés dans l’Academic Slop ?
En attendant, le travail académique commence à crouler sous la « prolifération métastatique de publications » truffées d’hallucinations et de distorsions de contenus, comme s’en plaint sur Facebook la philosophe du droit, Antoinette Rouvroy. L’Academic Slop est arrivé, constate également le chercheur Seva Gunitsky dans sa newsletter. Il raconte que dans la revue dont il s’occupait le nombre de soumission a doublé voire triplé depuis l’apparition de l’IA générative, et que le taux de rejet s’est envolé. Techniquement compétents, certains de ces articles respectent les normes et sont tout à fait convenables. Faciles à produire et exigeant peu de créativité, ils constituent néanmoins le type de travail incrémental légitime que le philosophe des sciences Thomas Kuhn appelait la fabrique de la « science normale ». Pour Gunitsky la valeur d’une théorie originale va continuer à prendre de l’importance. « Les travaux quantitatifs de qualité deviennent bon marché et abondants ; une bonne théorie reste difficile à élaborer ».
Mais l’effet le plus important est que l’évaluation par les pairs repose désormais davantage sur le discernement. Si n’importe qui peut produire un article empirique compétent sur n’importe quel sujet, le principal obstacle devient l’identification des questions importantes à poser.« Dans ce contexte, la question pour les évaluateurs et les éditeurs n’est plus tant « est-ce juste ? » que « pourquoi est-ce important ? ». Cette question est inévitablement subjective, mais pas totalement, car elle exige une solide connaissance des débats en cours. Elle nécessite néanmoins de connaître les tensions et les lacunes productives, les énigmes intéressantes et les idées reçues apparemment établies. »
« Ce concept porte un nom : la phronesis. C’était le terme employé par Aristote pour désigner la sagesse pratique, ou la capacité à discerner la conduite à tenir dans des circonstances particulières. Contrairement à l’épistémè (la connaissance scientifique) ou à la technè (le savoir-faire technique), la phronesis ne peut se réduire à des règles ou à des algorithmes. Elle requiert de l’expérience, du jugement et ce qu’Aristote appelait la « perception ». Cela signifie non seulement l’intelligence, mais aussi la capacité intellectuelle de percevoir les caractéristiques essentielles d’une situation donnée. »
La philosophe Isaiah Berlin appelait cette qualité « le sens du réel » dans le jugement politique : la capacité de percevoir ce qui est possible et ce qui compte à un moment historique donné. Or, il n’est pas certain que les IA possèdent cette capacité voire ne la possèdent jamais. « Si le discernement devient le critère ultime de qualité, nous nous dirigeons encore davantage vers un système à deux vitesses dans l’édition scientifique. Les revues les plus prestigieuses privilégieront les articles d’une originalité remarquable ou présentant des avancées théoriques ou empiriques majeures, tandis que toutes les autres publieront les articles produits par l’IA qui font progresser, de manière graduelle, notre compréhension de sujets spécifiques. Et peut-être que la théorie gagnera en prestige au détriment des méthodes sophistiquées d’analyse des données. »
Pas sûr que la théorie et l’empirisme puissent ainsi si facilement se scinder en deux. Le risque que les publications automatisées se transforment en matière noire scientifique, que personne ne lit ni ne consulte est fort. À nouveau, ici aussi, le risque est fort que s’accentue davantage les hiérarchies de prestige comme critère d’importance. « Paradoxalement, l’effet uniformisant de l’IA pourrait rendre le monde universitaire plus élitiste encore ».
« La technologie qui nous a inondés de dissertations étudiantes façonnées avec l’IA va maintenant inonder de nos propres travaux, et nous aurons besoin de ce même discernement dont nous nous plaignons de l’absence chez nos étudiants. » Pas sûr que ce soit plus facile pour les experts. L’IA fait peut-être gagner beaucoup de temps à certains, mais la pollution des travaux de recherche qu’elle engendre en fait perdre énormément aux lectrices et lecteurs. Le goulot d’étranglement de la lecture et de la vérification s’annonce plus resserré que jamais.
La seule chose dont on soit sûr, en observant toutes ces perspectives… ce n’est pas que l’IA apporte un progrès scientifique notable, c’est que l’IA en science renforce les inégalités dans toutes les couches de la science.
Hubert Guillaud
MAJ du 02/06/2026 :Une analyse de 7,3 millions d’articles de revues scientifiques publiés entre 2020 et 2025 révèle qu’en 2025, un peu plus de la moitié présentent des signes d’influence des LLM, avec des variations importantes d’utilisation selon la région du monde, le prestige de l’établissement, l’éditeur et la discipline. « Le développement économique et la proximité de l’anglais comme langue principale sont des facteurs prédictifs clés de ces variations régionales. Les établissements moins bien classés affichent des taux d’adoption plus élevés que les universités d’élite, les jeunes éditeurs à but lucratif présentent des taux supérieurs à ceux de leurs concurrents, et l’adoption varie considérablement selon les disciplines universitaires. L’adoption des LLM dans la rédaction académique est répandue, mais socialement stratifiée. »
MAJ du 21/06/2026 : Dans leur newsletter, Tim O’Reilly et Ilan Strauss, proposent de garantir un exosquelette pour appliquer l’IA à la science. Cet exosquelette est constitué d’innombrables systèmes permettant de garantir les références, comme le DOI (l’identifiant d’objets numériques qui attribue un numéro à chaque publication scientifique), RetractationWatch (la base de données des articles scientifique dé-publiés et rétractés), Orcid (qui fournit un identifiant unique aux chercheurs), Open Alex (un graphe de connaissances scientifiques)… ou encore le projet Vraix du MIT (cherchant à créer une toile du savoir pour distinguer les contenus possiblement génératifs des autres)… et nombres d’autres, qui n’ont pas été intégrés aux systèmes d’IA, alors qu’ils pourraient permettre de résoudre de nombreux problèmes : diminuer les citations erronées, réduire l’emprise de la littérature scientifique non valide… une infrastructure fondée sur des principes ouverts qui cherchent à garantir que les contenus scientifiques ne puissent être ni accaparés ni dégradés. Ces infrastructures sont des biens publics que les entreprises d’IA ignorent pour la plupart ou, pire, fragilisent. « À l’heure actuelle, la relation entre l’IA et l’infrastructure scientifique est presque exclusivement extractive. Les entreprises d’IA entraînent leurs modèles sur des articles scientifiques. Elles créent des produits capables de générer et de manipuler des textes scientifiques. Elles se disputent le marché de l’« IA au service de la science ». Pourtant, elles ne contribuent pratiquement pas à l’infrastructure qui, à la base, garantit la fiabilité des connaissances scientifiques. »
Les entreprises d’IA consomment du contenu scientifique sans rien apporter en retour. Strauss et O’Reilly font une analogie avec Content ID de YouTube : face à l’utilisation non autorisée de leurs œuvres, la première réaction de l’industrie musicale a été d’exiger leur retrait. La réponse de YouTube a été : « Et si nous vous aidions plutôt à les monétiser ? » Cette approche a permis d’aligner les intérêts et de créer une économie dynamique pour les créateurs. Nous devrions appliquer le même raisonnement à la science. Les entreprises d’IA ne devraient pas seulement utiliser l’infrastructure scientifique pour améliorer leurs produits (elles le devraient pourtant), mais elles devraient surtout chercher à aider la science à gagner en valeur, en pérennité et en exhaustivité.
Pour cela, les systèmes d’IA devraient améliorer la validation de leurs sources et références. L’infrastructure existe, il leur suffit de l’utiliser. Ils pourraient également réinjecter les métadonnées extraites dans OpenAlex, améliorant ainsi le graphe de données pour tous. Ils pourraient utiliser et financer RetractationWatch pour améliorer leurs modèles et réponses. Les fournisseurs d’IA pourraient également financer cette infrastructure scientifique très fragile qui constitue le socle technique de la crédibilité de la science. « Les entreprises d’IA, qui génèrent des milliards de revenus grâce à des produits reposant sur la crédibilité scientifique, devraient contribuer à l’infrastructure qui garantit cette crédibilité. Il ne s’agit pas de philanthropie, mais d’un intérêt bien compris. » Elles pourraient également contribuer à améliorer cette chaîne qui identifie la provenance du contenu scientifique. « Lorsque l’IA contribue à un article scientifique, cette contribution doit être traçable : elle ne doit pas simplement faire l’objet d’une déclaration standard, mais être liée à des affirmations, des sources et des étapes de vérification précises. »
« Les entreprises d’IA qui s’appuieront sur cette infrastructure créeront de meilleurs produits. Mais surtout, elles investiront dans l’infrastructure civilisationnelle qui rend possible, à la base, l’existence de connaissances fiables. À condition toutefois que les entreprises d’IA cessent de considérer cette question comme le problème d’autrui et commencent à la voir comme un socle sur lequel bâtir — un socle dont dépend leur propre succès dans le domaine scientifique. »
Veteran Microsoft engineer Raymond Chen has weighed in on the difference between a pull request description and comments embedded in the code. Both matter, but they serve very different purposes. As Chen noted on his The Old New Thing dev blog: "The PR description is a point-in-time statement, providing information that is relevant to the code review itself. "It is an exercise in persuasive writing: You are trying to convince the approver that your change should be accepted." And sticking text in the source? "Comments in the code are for talking about the code itself. What is the correct way to call this function? Does it have specific prerequisites? This information is durable: It is information that remains useful even after the pull request completes." We'd argue that commit messages should be considered as well, but the distinction between PR descriptions and code comments is timely, given the volume of pull requests being generated by AI coding tools alongside some occasionally "interesting" annotations. Then again, anyone complaining about comments in AI-generated code would be wise to inspect those written decades ago by one of this writer's former colleagues. They consisted of pages apologizing to whichever future programmer had to untangle the spaghetti of C++ lurking through a maze of modules. Another colleague refused to annotate their code at all, insisting it was "self-commenting." These days, an honest comment might read: "This was written by , and I have no idea how the heck any of it works." It echoes another perennial developer dispute: whether code should be indented with tabs or spaces. In 2024, another Microsoft veteran, Larry Osterman, took a decidedly fence-sitting position: tabs were fine when storage was at a premium, but spaces now make more sense "because it always works and it's always consistent." Chen's position on tabs versus spaces is not widely known, but his broader opinion on code formatting was straightforward: "I don't care how you format your source code. It's your source code." He did suggest making any wholesale change in layout or formatting a separate check-in, so maintainers aren't faced with an epic diff dominated by a new style guide. All of which brings us back to Chen's distinction: the PR description explains why maintainers should accept a change, while comments preserve what future programmers need to understand the code. ®
An anonymous reader shares this report from Space.com:
On Saturday evening (Aug. 15), SpaceX set another mark, for the shortest time between orbital flights: It launched two Falcon 9 rockets just 38 minutes apart, besting its old mark — set on Aug. 31, 2024 with two Starlink missions — by 27 minutes.
The first liftoff, from Florida's Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, occurred Saturday at 9:12 p.m. EDT (0112 GMT on Aug. 16) and carried eight satellites to low Earth orbit (LEO) for Louisiana-based telecom company Globalstar. All eight spacecraft were deployed successfully, separating over a six-minute span beginning 56.5 minutes after liftoff, SpaceX announced via social media. While that Falcon 9 was powering its way to low Earth orbit, another one launched from Vandenberg Space Force Base, on California's central coast. That liftoff, at 9:50 p.m. EDT (6:50 p.m. local time; 0150 GMT on Aug. 16), kicked off a mission for the U.S. Space Force called USSF-366...
Both of Saturday's missions featured successful rocket landings. The Falcon 9 first stage that launched the Globalstar mission came back for a touchdown at Cape Canaveral about eight minutes after launch. It was the 14th flight for that particular booster. The USSF-366 Falcon 9 first stage, meanwhile, came back to Earth about 8.5 minutes after its launch, touching down in the Pacific Ocean on the SpaceX droneship "Of Course I Still Love You." That booster now has 18 missions under its belt.
Saturday's doubleheader brought the tally of Falcon 9 launches in 2026 to 96. The vast majority of those — about 75% — have been Starlink missions.
A maximum-severity security vulnerability impacting SAP Commerce Cloud is witnessing active exploitation efforts.
The vulnerability, tracked as CVE-2026-58231, is rated 10.0 on the CVSS scoring system. It relates to an instance of insufficient authorization checks and input validation.
"SAP Commerce Cloud allows an unauthenticated attacker to abuse a default authentication client and submit
A recently patched security flaw in Apple macOS has come under active exploitation in the wild to deploy a cryptocurrency miner, the Netherlands National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) has warned.
The vulnerability in question is CVE-2026-65400 (CVSS score: 9.8), a critical authentication issue impacting the Screen Sharing component that could allow an attacker already on the network to
Phys.org reports:
Future fusion power plants aim to recreate the heart of a star here on Earth to power our future energy needs. While the core fusion plasma will burn at hundreds of millions of degrees, the surrounding structural components must handle sudden, punishing heat loads that rival the extreme temperatures faced by spacecraft upon reentry into Earth's atmosphere. Copper and its alloys are primary candidates for handling these intense heat fluctuations, making it vital to understand exactly how the metal behaves when pushed to its melting point.
Now, researchers at the Department of Energy's SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory and collaborators have captured a detailed, step-by-step look at copper atoms as they underwent extreme heating. Published in Nature Communications, the results revealed a key parameter that allowed copper's crystal lattice to melt steadily rather than collapse instantaneously, as earlier simulations predicted. "These results greatly improve the simulations we use to predict which materials have the best shot at surviving the extreme conditions of future fusion reaction chambers," said Mianzhen Mo, a SLAC staff scientist who led the research. "They also demonstrate the incredible, atomic-scale resolution imaging we can achieve at SLAC's electron camera...."
Researchers use computer simulations, aided by AI and machine learning, to sift through innumerable combinations of elements and identify promising candidate materials for real-world testing.
"Whether the copper melts slowly or suddenly collapses, by the time the researchers look, the sample resembles nothing more than a metallic brown puddle," the article points out. But SLAC's powerful electron camera captures atomic and molecular movements down to the femtosecond — a millionth of a billionth of a second — and revealed that at around 1,424 degreesC (2,595 degreesF) there was still gradual melting as the temperature rose beyond the superheating limit, with real-world conditions showing the atoms shifted and retained some order.
"It's a straightforward solution," said Mianzhen Mo, a SLAC staff scientist who led the research. "But molecular dynamics simulations had been overlooking it for years. When you have complex simulations attempting to capture every aspect of reality, down to individual atoms, it takes real-world data to show you what's missing from the calculations."
An anonymous reader shared this report from TechCrunch:
X is significantly expanding its open source codebase, which includes the app's "For You" algorithm and its core ranking engine, and adding a feature that will let users see if their account or posts have been impacted by any of its ranking systems, the social network said on Thursday. The company is making the source code for the "For You" timeline, the default feed you see when you open the app, available on GitHub under the Apache v2 license. It's also expanding its previous efforts to open source parts of its codebase to add more detail, including the model configuration, filter, and core ranking system details. That means it includes the parameters used to weight different signals — key to understanding which posts are actually displayed. This also makes the codebase roughly 10 to 15 times larger than it was before.
"You'll get the core ranking code that pulls posts and ranks them for any given user and assembles the feed," X's VP of Product Keith Coleman told TechCrunch in an interview ahead of the announcement. "You can see the systems that filter out potentially problematic, rule-violating content...And some of those systems, like the ranker and the score, you can even run yourself outside the company."
"This is the kind of thing that I think people will be fairly shocked that we are releasing," he added.
In addition to the repository, X is providing tools that will let users see for themselves if and how X's ranking systems have impacted their account or posts. A new transparency tool is rolling out to an "Under the Hood" page in the app's settings, which will let users who have posted 10 or more times over the past month download their aggregate stats as a JSON file. The file will show if any labels have been applied to their account or posts over the past calendar month.
X's VP of Product told TechCrunch that X engineers will consider pull requests. "That would be amazing to have people submitting code that improves the algorithm...I mean, how cool would it be for the X algorithm to be not just visible to the public, but also, like, by the public?"
Europe is facing its fifth round of dangerously high temperatures this summer, the New York Times reports. Now climate scientists wonder if global warming is doing more than raise temperatures...
The weather patterns that create heat domes aren't new, but today they arise on top of the warming caused by greenhouse gas emissions. That makes it more likely that heat waves reach record-shattering temperatures for long stretches. But other environmental changes — natural, human-influenced or both — might also be causing heat domes to become more frequent and longer lasting. And it's these changes that scientists around the globe are trying to puzzle out.
One change has to do with the Arctic. The differences in temperature between the hot Equator and the frigid far north help keep weather moving around the Northern Hemisphere. But with the top of the world now warming at several times the pace of the rest of the globe, those temperature gradients are narrowing. That might be causing the movements of weather systems to become more sluggish, producing more persistent heat waves. In Europe, reduced air pollution could be having a similar effect. Industrial emissions can contain particles called aerosols that reflect sunlight. Curbing aerosols has improved air quality, but it may also have altered the way air moves across the continent.
Scientists haven't come to firm conclusions about how these shifts might be affecting European summers, said Antje Weisheimer, a climate scientist at the University of Oxford. The complex, fine-scale interactions in the atmosphere that drive weather dynamics are tough to capture in computer simulations, Dr. Weisheimer said. "It's tricky," she said. "We're making small progress."
Dim Coumou, a professor of climate science at the Dutch university VU Amsterdam, sees artificial intelligence as one way forward. In a recent study, he and his colleagues used an A.I. algorithm to help a weather model better predict summer temperatures in Europe. They not only improved the model's forecasts; they also discovered why some of the model's predictions had been off: It misrepresented the way conditions in the western Pacific Ocean influenced atmospheric patterns that eventually made their way to Europe. With A.I., "we can also learn what the climate models are missing," Dr. Coumou said.
A "massive influx" of jellyfish forced Electricite de France SA to shut three units at its Gravelines nuclear power plant this week and reduce output at a fourth, reports Bloomberg. Just as summer temperatures surged, 3.2 gigawatts went offline — and the power utility was already facing cuts other nuclear sites as high temperatures reduced the river water available for cooling.
More details from ScienceAlert:
As Politico reports, the Gravelines nuclear power plant spent hundreds of thousands of euros in 2025 to stop this happening again, only to see a repeat 12 months later... Increasing temperatures in the water can produce more of the plankton and animals that jellyfish feed on, as well as accelerating life cycles and extending breeding seasons....
It's not just jellyfish that have a habit of disrupting human energy infrastructure. Last year in Connecticut, a single raccoon caused more than a thousand power outages, as reported by CT Insider. It's not clear exactly what the raccoon did, but we do know it somehow got into a substation and caused damage to the equipment in there. The unwitting act of sabotage left more than 2,500 customers in the area without power at one stage — though repairs were swiftly carried out.
Reuters reported Tuesday on how the French utility responded to their jellyfish swarm:
EDF has installed fixed cameras at the intake canals and on the filter drum screens to detect any incoming blockages as soon as possible, an engineer told Reuters... The company has also partnered with a French fishing organisation and a sea rescue organisation, which monitor for swarms and can raise an alert to launch targeted trawling operations by fishermen to reduce the swarm's density before it reaches the plant, the engineer said. The fishing boats were deployed [last] Saturday after an initial alarm was raised, limiting the impact from the swarm. The jellyfish that are already on site are being removed with vacuum trucks, he said. No new jellyfish are arriving, so cleanup is finishing, which should lead to a quick restart of the units, they added...
Scientists warn such events could become more common due to factors including global warming, the arrival of invasive species, habitat loss of predators and over-fishing.
Thanks to Slashdot reader Bruce66423 for sharing the news.
Less than a year ago he was the #1 richest man in the world. 10 weeks ago he was #2. But yesterday Larry Ellison dropped to #8, Forbes reports, falling behind Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang.
Ellison's net worth is now estimated at just $192.6 billion — after a $104 billion decline:
Shares of Oracle plunged roughly 54% between hitting a high of just over $250 on June 1 to a low of $114.50 on July 28, though the stock rebounded slightly to $150.52 as of Friday.
A decline followed Oracle telling investors it expected to raise $40 billion through debt and equity financing, with capital expenditures surging 162% to $55.7 billion and spending expected to top $95 billion by fiscal 2027. Jacob Bourne, an analyst at eMarketer, told Reuters there are broader concerns about how Oracle would fund its capital spending to match its revenue projections, and Bank of America analysts separately flagged in a note cautioning that more than 50% of Oracle's remaining performance obligation comes from OpenAI. Melius Research analysts wrote last month that Oracle's spending plans may not hold if OpenAI or Anthropic demands more computing capacity. S&P Global also downgraded Oracle's credit rating in July, arguing the firm's "rapidly expanding" AI infrastructure business could pay off, but may be too expensive and could weaken Oracle's financial position in the meantime.
$443 billion. That's how much Oracle's market valuation has dropped since peaking at $877.1 billion in September, hitting $433.5 billion as of Friday... Oracle, once viewed as a potential winner of the booming AI infrastructure buildout, has since raised concerns among investors who appear to view the firm as taking on too much financial risk to fund its projects. Wall Street has cautioned that mega-cap tech firms may be taking on too much spending to match growing demand for AI products, with firms like Amazon expecting to spend more than $200 billion. Oracle's backlog has exploded to $638 billion, but more than half is reportedly associated with OpenAI, and some analysts have cautioned that most of those funds may not be guaranteed.
"An engineering director at Google said four years ago that AI would deliver a four-day work week by 2025," remembers the BBC. And earlier this year OpenAI "formally urged companies to start testing out a four-day work week (with no change in pay), claiming that AI will soon be able to speed up so much human labour that the corporate world should prepare itself."
However, a former OpenAI technical employee who left the company last year told the BBC the firm never actually trialled the four-day work week it suggested others should try while they were there. Instead, the person described what was often a gruelling work culture marked by frequent "crisis meetings", working on weekends, and "super cut-throat" performance reviews that would see colleagues suddenly let go... [T]he former OpenAI employee said they would put in at least 70 hours a week, much more than they did in previous tech jobs...
Other companies have also pushed the idea that AI will effectively reduce the number of hours people need to work, for better or worse. [At OpenAI and Anthropic] sprints can stretch on for many weeks and top 90 hours of work in a seven-day period, tech workers that the BBC spoke to for this story said... At Meta, workers said they have been abruptly pushed onto teams this year doing AI work being treated as urgent... The hours on such teams at Meta are often long, with staff working into the night, on weekends, and feeling they are "on call" during the hours they are not working, according to descriptions of the work from the current and former employees...
Some new research suggests that AI tools are making people's workloads even more burdensome. A study out of UC Berkeley followed hundreds of workers at a US tech company for eight months as they used AI. It found the employees "worked at a faster pace, took on a broader scope of tasks, and extended work into more hours of the day"... The UC Berkeley research found that the workload of tech employees was expanded in part because of the need to constantly check the output of AI tools.
In the article Neil Thompson, an innovation scholar at MIT, pointed out a problem with estimates that AI will ease the workload on humans. "People assume that 20% less work means four-day weeks. But new work emerges."
The BBC also points out helpfully that "there are no limits in the U.S. on how many hours a person over the age of 16 can work." (While in the UK and Europe, "laws limit a working week to 48 hours, including overtime.")
Thanks to long-time Slashdot reader hadleyburg for sharing the article.
It's not just RAM prices that are going up, writes CNET. "Reports suggest the cost of Windows licenses for manufacturers is rising by up to 10%."
Several sites that closely follow Microsoft news, including Windows Central and Windows Latest, have published articles citing a report from Taiwan's Economic Daily News that claims some PC manufacturers are seeing a 7% to 10% increase in the cost of Windows 11 licenses...
Because they buy licenses in bulk, they get a sizeable discount over what a consumer would pay for a new copy of Windows 11. But given the existing cost pressures from other components, a big Windows 11 price hike could lead them to pass on some of the added cost to PC buyers. According to the EDN story, PC makers could raise prices by about 5% over the next quarter due to the reported Windows price hike. .. A translated version of the Economic Daily News article contains information from an unnamed PC brand executive. It says that while Microsoft typically raises licensing costs every year by single-digit percentages, that hike has reached 7% to 10% this year, a significant increase.
"A representative for Microsoft declined to comment on the report," according to the article.
But it also notes that three weeks ago laptop maker Framework blamed price hikes and reconfigurations for some of their models on processor, memory, storage, "and other silicon costs — but also "an increase in Windows license costs."
Thanks to Slashdot reader joshuark for sharing the article.
"The European Union's Copernicus climate monitoring service confirmed Monday that June and July were the hottest on record in western Europe," .according to a report from the CBC. "The period saw an estimated 25,000 heat-related deaths."
CNN has before-and-after photos of Europe's dried rivers, calling it "a crisis so dire it can be seen from space"
River levels are so low that commercial ships have had to reduce their loads by as much as 80% to avoid running aground. It's disrupting supply chains and making shipping more expensive.
Other effects of Europe's drying rivers
The BBC reports that Romania has "shut down its only nuclear power station because of extremely low water levels in the Danube river."
A bridge built in the year 39 AD by the Roman emperor Caligula "is usually entirely underwater," reports CNN, but this year full blocks of the ancient structure are visible, giving archaeologists a rare opportunity to study it." The reports adds that drying Tiber has also now also revealed formerly submerged e-bikes, scooters, refrigerators and a car."
The CBC reports a dozen Nazi warships scuttled in a river during the Second World War are now resurfacing as water levels plunge. "Elsewhere, the drying Danube has revealed a German military motorcycle in Hungary, an unexploded 700-kilogram British bomb in Slovakia, and what are believed to be the ancient remains of a mammoth in Bulgaria."
This week Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg published a 6,500 word open letter titled "The Future is for Everyone".
But the BBC is more interested in why big tech executives keep writing manifestos about AI:
[Zuckerberg's] vision echoes what AI leaders have expressed in various forms: the product they are building is among the "most important technologies in history." Marc Andreessen, co-founder of early web titan Netscape, perhaps started this trend in 2023 with a 5,000-word essay he called "The Techno-Optimist Manifesto", which argued innovation was the way to solve life's problems...
As the International Monetary Fund warns AI could affect nearly 40% of jobs and worsen global financial inequality, Zuckerberg says he believes there will be an abundance of jobs in the future. "I do not understand why anyone who believes that AI will eliminate most jobs and much of humanity's relevance would rush to build that future." Never mind that Zuckerberg's Meta has cut 10% of its global workforce — about 8,000 jobs — as the company reorganizes to focus on AI.
Zuckerberg's manifesto is the latest to land in our social media feeds in an effort to put a positive spin on AI. In 2024, ChatGPT-maker OpenAI boss Sam Altman released a manifesto called "The Intelligence Age", a sweeping expression of optimism about the tech's potential... That same year, in a manifesto titled "Machines of Loving Grace", Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei touted the potential of AI to transform everything from healthcare to politics.
So what's going on with these tech executives' manifestos? Economics blogger Noah Smith suggested to the BBC "they all feel like it's such an important moment that it's incumbent upon them to do whatever they can to shape the direction that this technology is going." Although he does see some value in their engagement with important issues. "Should we open-source something that has the ability to kill humanity? If you don't take that seriously, you're just a fool."
But Rob Lalka, a business professor at Tulane University, had a different explanation for the BBC:
Lalka said the timing of Zuckerberg's manifesto coincides with rising anger over AI's impact on everything from jobs to the environment.
And while tech journalists and academics might pore over them trying to glean nuggets of meaning, these executive manifestos are not necessarily landing with the general public. "They're trying to make the case that the positives will far outweigh some of those negatives that the public backlash is pointing out," he said. "But I think a lot of the reasons for optimism are still yet to be seen."
A new variant of the Shai-Hulud npm worm has poisoned hundreds of packages while adding propagation techniques that can leave little trace in the corresponding source repositories. In Frank Herbert’s Dune, Shai-Hulud was the name of the giant self-sustaining desert sandworms that moved silently beneath the surface of the planet Arrakis. So it made sense that when some new self-replicating malware with computer worm-like behavior appeared in September 2025, security researchers would name it after Herbert’s fictional creatures. The latest variant of Shai-Hulud, dubbed “ChainDrop” by Microsoft and others, is no mere sequel, however. Now, the npm community is discovering a Shai-Hulud variant spreading with new stealthy superpowers that circumvent the usual safeguards of open source repositories. On August 4, multiple security researchers identified a large-scale npm supply chain attack using this Shai-Hulud variant that had infected 444 packages from multiple publishers, which are collectively downloaded about 2 billion times a month. The operation targeted widely used deep infrastructure dependencies, such as keyv, flat-cache and cache-manager. Abby Kearns, CEO of enterprise open source security company ActiveState, noted in a Medium post that what is unique about this particular attack is that it doesn’t use the typical methods of breaching the defenses of open source repositories. Even if you never install an infected package (“npm install” in npm argot), you can still get the nasties – though that is one possible route of infection. Once triggered, ChainDrop also places startup hooks into the repository configuration files themselves: Simply opening an infected Git branch in VS Code or Claude Code can bring your repository under ChainDrop’s control. Scouring your code itself may not provide evidence of tampering. ChainDrop propagates not by repository source commits but by tarballs, an archive format for downloading file packages. ChainDrop travels by tarball When executed, the software scours the user’s workspace for npm tokens with full write privileges, as well as for other credentials like cloud keys and secrets. It looks in shell configurations, environment variables and even live memory. Any purloined data is encrypted and sent back to attacker-controlled endpoints. Should it find an npm token, it then downloads the tarballs of all the packages that token has full access to, bypassing the repositories themselves. That’s the genius part: ChainDrop self-replicates by rebuilding the tarball to include its own payload. Reviewing the source code repository won’t reveal any evidence of shenanigans. ChainDrop’s attack is two-pronged. It also searches for GitHub credentials. If it finds any, it queries the GitHub API to list all accessible repositories and branches and then commits its malicious configuration code directly into those branches. So when other developers open these repositories using Claude or VS Code, a background task gets triggered that harvests credentials, beginning the whole cycle anew. What a dev can do This attack is particularly pernicious because npm is widely integrated into automated CI/CD pipelines, which can automatically pull patch updates for dependencies during a rebuild - giving the worm a path to wiggle into fresh builds. If you think you've been infected, the first thing to do is check for any .claude/settings.json and .vscode/tasks.json files you did not add yourself, ActiveState’s Kearns advised. And don’t just check the main branch, but all the other branches as well. All the infected packages were quickly yanked from npm. Open source security firm SafeDep offers a list of all the compromised packages along with version numbers, so check those against what you currently have running. Beyond cleaning up the mess, developers and security teams should rethink how their systems could be breached in light of ChainDrop. Trusted publishing tools such as GitHub Actions should be evaluated, for starters. Begin “treating repository-supplied configuration as executable content, because that is what it is now,” Kearns wrote. “What this campaign really found was an execution path that dependency scanning tools were not configured to look at, sitting inside the exact tools engineering organizations have spent two years adopting as fast as they could,” Kearns wrote. “This is the first campaign to notice the gap and use it at scale. It will not be the last one.” ®
Lego has released its largest Hubble Space Telescope yet – a model built at approximately minifig scale that dwarfs the observatory included with its Space Shuttle Discovery set. The first thing to say about this set is that there is an awful lot of grey. This is perhaps the greatest weakness of an otherwise excellent set and feels a little penny-pinching on the part of the Danish brick botherer. Lego has produced several versions of Hubble over the years. There is a version to fit in the payload bay of its large Space Shuttle Discovery set, and a much smaller incarnation on a plinth in the Women of NASA set. Both are retired, so scratching that Hubble itch with a current official set means dropping £119.99 on the Icons Hubble Space Telescope. It's a large set. According to Lego, the 1,252-piece set measures 32 cm tall, 38 cm long (with the aperture door open), and 38 cm wide. An astronaut minifigure is included to indicate the model's approximate scale – a shame there's just one, since the servicing missions had a pair of spacewalkers – along with a power tool. There is also a stand featuring some of Hubble's iconic imagery and a plaque with more information, including the dates of the Space Shuttle servicing missions. Lego has not included replacement instruments to recreate the various servicing activities. Inside are Lego representations of Hubble's instruments and systems, including its gyroscopes, primary mirror, and secondary mirror. Outside are posable solar arrays and antennas, along with an aperture door that opens. Some parts are a little fiddly, and the set is aimed at ages 18+. That seems a little on the high side, but this isn't something you'd want a young child trying to build. The level of detail is impressive, considering the nature of Lego components, but it is difficult to avoid all that grey plastic. The Hubble Space Telescope included with the Space Shuttle Discovery Icons set uses silver bricks, which makes the choice of grey plastic feel cheap in comparison. And then there are the stickers. Thankfully, there aren't too many, but printed parts are readily available, and Lego uses its own, so why make builders fiddle with sticker alignment? And then there are the solar arrays, which are single-sided and feel a little cheap compared with the arrays on some of the MOCs The Register has built over the years. Still, these are minor niggles in what is otherwise a fun build lasting 6-12 hours. The set is an excellent addition to the Icons range, but such is the affection for Hubble that details matter. The set also acknowledges Hubble's 35th anniversary, celebrated in April 2025, with a "35" decal on the back of the astronaut minifigure. The real thing continues to orbit, although its days are likely numbered. The Lego version is likely to endure until a careless elbow knocks it off the shelf, or a creative builder decides to repurpose its components for an orbital animal amusement park. Which, after all, is the whole point. ®
In an effort to "watermark" text that Claude has generated and comply with the EU AI Act, Anthropic unveiled a plan on Friday to modify its bots' choice of words in a way that would be detectable as the product of an AI. Traditional watermarks are patterns or images overlaid on currency, postage, or official documents as an assertion of authenticity. In the digital realm, the term is more flexible and can refer to a variety of techniques for applying an identifier to electronic data. Anthropic's approach involves influencing inconsequential word choices made by its models, a technique introduced in Google DeepMind's SynthID-Text paper. To oversimplify things, large language models are fancy autocomplete engines which work by predicting the next word in a sequence of words. Anthropic explains that while composing sentence output like "The weather today was cold and…" a model like Claude might respond with words like "cold" or "gray" and would be unlikely to respond with a word like "sugary." That's the theory, but when actually asked to complete that sentence, Claude Opus 4.8 went a bit overboard: "…crisp, the kind of cold that nips at your fingertips and turns your breath to little clouds. The sky was a pale, washed-out blue, and everything felt sharp and clear." And then it checked to see if users thought that was useful, asking， "Want me to take it somewhere specific — cozy, gloomy, cheerful? Or keep going with the same tone?" But remove whatever training has been applied to promote engagement and simulate literary style, and that's basically what Claude is doing here – predicting the next word in a sequence. Anthropic asserts that in most cases, the example sentence could be completed by either "cold" or "gray" and "the meaning of the sentence is largely the same either way." The watermark is generated by deviating from the predicted word to something else. A different source of randomness is used and that can be detected with a digital key. As Google DeepMind researchers explain in their paper: "Generative watermarking works by carefully modifying the next-token sampling procedure to inject subtle, context-specific modifications into the generated text distribution. Such modifications introduce a statistical signature into the generated text; during the watermark detection phase, the signature can be measured to determine whether the text was indeed generated by the watermarked LLM." Anthropic insists this will be done with low-stakes passages in a way that won't alter the meaning. "In internal testing, we’ve seen no impact of watermarking on the content, level of creativity, or readability of Claude’s text," the company said, adding that in a controlled study, human raters saw no difference in quality between watermarked and unwatermarked answers. That assumption hinges on not applying the watermark to any consequential text. As Anthropic puts it, "Watermarking is sparser on factual passages where there are fewer choices that can be made without decreasing the accuracy of the text." The biz goes on to say that the situation is similar with code – the watermarking algorithm can't simply start swapping method names. In the context of literature, the notion that some words are interchangeable is likely to raise a few hackles. While it may be a satisfying thought experiment to imagine Claude emitting, "It was the best of times, it was the least of times…" or "Telephone me Ishmael", anyone trying to pass off generated text as serious writing probably should face whatever social backlash watermarking may entail. On the plus side, Anthropic's flavor of watermarking isn't excessively intrusive. It doesn't involve any personally identifying information and only serves to indicate that Claude was probably involved at some stage of the creation of the marked text. What's more, the technique is expected to be only semi-effective. In its FAQs, Anthropic points out that some amount of editing should erase the watermark. "Light editing probably won’t remove the watermark completely; a complete rewrite where every word is replaced will," the company said. "In the latter case, of course, it’s arguable whether the text can any longer be described as AI-generated." In all likelihood, Anthropic doesn't care if its watermarking scheme can be defeated. The company's post makes clear that it is implementing it to demonstrate its attempts at compliance and has chosen a solution that doesn't raise costs. "Watermarking has a negligible impact on the speed of models, and because it produces no extra tokens, the model is the same price to serve and use," the biz said. Hey Claude, what's another word for performative compliance? ®
DeepSeek has piqued the interest of the developer community by releasing an early version of its open source agent harness. This happens as harnesses have become increasingly important to those working with machine learning models. "Powered by the Cordis meta-framework, DeepSeek Harness is an agent harness built around one core idea: Everything is a plugin," the China-based AI biz said. "Models, tools, skills, sessions, sandboxes, filesystems, loops, orchestration, and UI are ALL implemented as plugins, and can be mixed, matched, replaced, and extended." The term "harness" came into common use this year to describe a longstanding software function – middleware or a mediation layer that handles the input passed to an AI model and the output returned from it. Harnesses oversee prompts, context management, tool orchestration, the agent loop, state management, error handling, safety, permissions, and related concerns. Claude Code serves as a harness for Anthropic's Claude model family and Codex performs a similar function for OpenAI's GPT model family. And there are many other model harnesses, including Aider, Cline, Goose, OpenCode, OpenHands, and Pi, to name a few. The term isn't precise: It may be used to refer just to the agent loop and tools, or it may be extended to a broader set of concerns related to orchestrating different tools, services, and capabilities like sandboxing, subagents, and so on. Google Antigravity, for example, consists of the Antigravity Agent Runtime (harness) that can be accessed through the Agent SDK, the Antigravity 2.0 desktop application, and the Antigravity CLI. Vague definitions aside, AI model harnesses are now where much of the competition is happening, particularly as models proliferate and become commoditized. The harness often implements the user interface, a source of user inertia, and once developers configure their tooling and become accustomed to doing things a certain way, it becomes more burdensome to switch to a competing product, even if the interface consists mainly of a command line. What's more, various studies have suggested that model performance (and cost) varies significantly with the harness used, due to different design choices. For example, the Pi coding agent relies on a minimal system prompt of about 200 tokens. Claude Code by comparison uses a system prompt of around 10,000 tokens (or did until last month when Anthropic trimmed the system prompt by about 80 percent). The same model will produce different results with different harnesses. DeepSeek Harness is noteworthy because of its innovative design, and because it shows Chinese AI labs moving to compete beyond model benchmarks and pricing. First, it treats everything as a plugin. It uses the plugin system from its underlying Cordis framework, which is designed to make it possible to add and remove components dynamically without wreaking havoc. "Plugins provide every agent capability, including models, tools, skills, sessions, sandboxes, storage, loops, scheduling, and the UI," the DeepSeek Harness website explains. "Cordis services and events let the plugins work together. Developers can select, swap, or extend any capability in configuration without changing the DeepSeek Harness source code." A DeepSeek paper [PDF] by researchers Yifan Shi, Wei Zhang, and Tianyi Cui explains the function of Cordis in more detail. Cordis is designed to support dynamic composability – adding plugins and removing them on the fly without breaking the application. The paper refers to this as temporal composability – removing a component and reverting its effect upon removal – and spatial composability – allowing components to manage dependencies upon other components. It cites as an example the plugin system used by Microsoft's Visual Studio Code. VS Code, the authors explain, runs all of its extensions in a shared process called the extension host. Once activated, they cannot be removed on the fly; the host has to be restarted. While VS Code provides a way for extensions to declare dependencies between extensions, it's seldom used. DeepSeek Harness supports plugin dependencies. The DeepSeek researchers argue temporal and spatial composability are necessary in a system where modification can occur continuously with little or no human oversight. It's a way of avoiding forced restarts and crashes when components appear and disappear. DeepSeek Harness also supports another useful feature: chain of thought traces. "Everything the model sees is recorded in an append-only session log: system prompts, reasoning, tool calls and results, subagent scheduling, and every context injection," the DeepSeek Harness website says. "In the Trajectory view, you can inspect these records by source. Resume, fork, search, and replay all operate on the same event stream." DeepSeek R1 made waves when it was released last year and it was trained to use chain of thought reasoning. This involves breaking down prompts into a series of "thoughts" and reflecting on those steps before emitting a final answer. Access to this intermediate reasoning turns out to be useful for assessing whether a model is reasoning well, whether its responses are accurate, how additional "thinking" affects output, and so on. Anthropic provides some access to thinking when extended or adaptive thinking is available (it varies by model). But increasingly the biz has been hiding model reasoning by summarizing chain of thought traces. That appears to be due in part to concerns that chain of thought traces can be used for copying models through a standard research process called distillation. Earlier this year, Anthropic said it had implemented classifiers for the "detection of chain-of-thought elicitation used to construct reasoning training data." The company also does not display raw chain of thought. It explains that "the text in a thinking block is a summary of Claude's reasoning." Accessing raw thinking requires contacting Anthropic sales personnel. Except for its open source models, OpenAI has also chosen to hide chain of thought reasoning, which the company uses for model monitoring. "After weighing multiple factors including user experience, competitive advantage, and the option to pursue the chain of thought monitoring, we have decided not to show the raw chains of thought to users," the biz said two years ago when it introduced its o1 reasoning model. With the newly released DeepSeek-V4-Pro and V4-Flash, the API provides thinking mode enabled by default. And as the open source model ecosystem matures, having access to chain of thought looks likely to become another opportunity for competitive differentiation. "I don't think the DeepSeek Harness is perfect but this is for sure the first time I have been looking at something new in the space and felt quite inspired to revisit some of our choices," said Armin Ronacher, co-founder of AI biz Earendil, which now steers the development of the Pi agent, in a social media post. "I love that part about Open Source a lot!" ®
Some 1.6 million unique email addresses tied to RingCentral have been leaked online, alongside names, physical addresses, and phone numbers, according to Have I Been Pwned. RingCentral disclosed the breach on July 28 and said “it was the target of a sophisticated social engineering campaign” affecting a “limited portion of RingCentral customers.” The comms platform said that it promptly responded to the intrusion upon detecting it, “took steps to stop the unauthorized activity,” and immediately launched an investigation into the security incident with help from a “leading third-party forensic firm.” “We have not seen any new unauthorized activity since taking these remediation efforts,” the company added. RingCentral did not immediately respond to The Register’s request for comment on this story. We will update it as needed. While the company hasn’t named its attacker, notorious data theft and extortion gang ShinyHunters previously claimed it compromised the collaboration platform, according to a post on its data leak site, viewed by The Register. Screenshots of the post also circulated on social media. The crooks claimed they stole more than 623 GB of data, and set a July 30 deadline for RingCentral to pay up - or else the crew would dump the stolen information online. RingCentral apparently didn’t pay the extortion demand, and ShinyHunters followed through on its threat, posting customers’ details on the internet. “The company failed to reach an agreement with us despite our incredible patience, all the chances and offers we made. They don’t care,” the crims wrote on August 3. A ShinyHunters spokesperson told us that the group broke into RingCentral by voice-phishing an employee and tricking them into giving the crooks their password. This same group, which security sleuth Dominic Alvieri says is his “top threat group and probably is for most analysts,” has hacked hundreds of organizations since the start of the year, including education tech firms that provide services for schools and universities along with healthcare-sector organizations. Recently, ShinyHunters dumped data stolen from Abbott’s cancer diagnostics business with the leak containing 10.9 million unique email addresses alongside personal and health information. The crooks claim that they made off with more than 30 million rows of customer information, including more than one million Social Security numbers and 7.5 million dates of birth. More concerning, however, they said the haul includes 22 million-plus rows of client notes containing confidential doctor-patient conversations and health information, and more than 20 million medical-order records containing patient IDs, prescription types, order dates, and refill information.® Editor's note: This story was amended post-publication with comment from ShinyHunters.
In this video interview, Standard Chartered's group CISO shares insights on transitioning from technical roles to strategic leadership, the importance of business-savvy security executives, and how AI is reshaping both defensive capabilities and adversarial tactics in banking.
Threat actors are acquiring expired domains to inherit website traffic and reputation to redirect victims to scams and malware on a large scale.
DNS threat intelligence firm Infoblox has given the name dropcatch domains to those that get a second chance, where an expired domain becomes available for registration and is then snapped up by another party.
During the first half of 2026, 50,400
Il y a une masse de points de vue mais politiquement c’est vague. Écologie, anti faciste, commun culturel mais basé sur quoi il n’y aura pas de transformation sociale sans collectif. Pour moi tout est politique et les tribulations d’une bande d’intellos bobos ca manque de pep, c’est un entre soi qui m’emmerde un peu. Reunir des artistes (je suis peintre )oui mais ne pas s’isoler des milieux populaires qui sont les proies idéales du FN. J’ai lu vos commentaires des uns et des autres mais je ne vois pas de dynamisme pour secouer ces sociétés ultra capitalistes et fascistes. No pasaran. Vous ne parlez pas du genocide en cours sous nos yeux. Dommage
Driven by AI-augmented research and scanning, vulnerability volumes continue to surge, driving the National Institute of Standards and Technology to ask whether AI could be the answer.
IAM compliance is the practice of demonstrating that identity and access controls are not only documented but actually enforced across users, applications, infrastructure, and non-human identities. This guide explains what IAM compliance requires, which regulations matter, and how organizations move from periodic access reviews toward continuous, evidence-backed verification that auditors can
Sanctions and Nvidia’s exit from Russia in 2022 haven’t stopped its Jetson Orin hardware from turning up in Russian weaponry, according to Ukrainian military intelligence. The Defense Ministry’s Intelligence Directorate (GUR) reported this week that it spotted an Nvidia Jetson Orin module in the remains of a Russian S-71 Monochrome cruise missile. The S-71M is an air-launched weapon with autonomous capabilities that can reportedly search for and engage targets using optical sensors and onboard computing. “The use of this component may indicate the use of artificial intelligence technologies in the missile,” GUR said. That assumption makes sense, as information on the S-71M suggests that it can operate with user oversight or entirely autonomously. Photos included with the GUR announcement show a heavily scorched Nvidia chip with the identifier TE980M-A1 stamped onto its surface, indicating that the chip is a Jetson Orin NX 16GB unit that Nvidia released in early 2023. It’s a capable chip, but not exactly datacenter-class hardware - Orin systems are designed precisely for use cases like autonomous systems. Nvidia used to have offices in Russia and do business there, but it closed up shop in Ukraine’s bellicose neighbor in 2022 following Moscow’s decision to go to war with Kyiv. That was prior to the introduction of the TE980M-A1, meaning it must have reached Russian hands through another channel after Nvidia stopped direct sales to the country in early 2022. In other words, whatever sanctions the US has enacted or business decisions Nvidia has made, its hardware is still turning up in Russian weaponry used to target Ukrainians. The one good thing about the entire affair, according to GUR, is the fact that the recovered hardware proves Russian tech manufacturing still isn’t up to snuff. According to Nvidia, Orin modules are consumer grade and are sold to all sorts of different people for all sorts of purposes, with military applications not being among their intended design. The chips aren’t supposed to be available in Russia, either, a spokesperson told The Register, adding that there are plenty of ways for Russia to get ahold of the chips that are out of its control. “Pre-owned Jetsons are available through many reseller channels,” Nvidia told us. “Although we cannot track products after they are sold, if we determine that any customer is violating U.S. export controls, we will take appropriate action." US export controls have restricted exports of advanced chips to Russia and China. Chipmakers have responded to China-specific restrictions by producing hardware designed to comply with US export rules, while third parties have allegedly used smuggling to get restricted higher-end components into China. It’s not clear how the Nvidia component ended up in Russian hands. GUR’s latest disclosures also document Chinese-made electronics in Russian weapons. However the salvaged chip made its way to Russia, GUR said its evidence shows that current export control regimes aren’t working. “The discovery of Nvidia Jetson in a new Russian missile once again demonstrates the need for increased sanctions pressure and coordination of the efforts of the civilized world,” the intelligence agency said. ®
President Trump has ordered the US Navy to draw up plans to replace electromagnetic aircraft catapults and weapons elevators with old-fashioned steam and hydraulic systems. America’s commander-in-chief issued a presidential memorandum directing the secretary of defense, in consultation with the secretary of the Navy, to come up with a plan to replace the Electromagnetic Aircraft Launch System (EMALS) on the future USS Doris Miller (CVN-81) with the older steam-powered system. The same note stipulated the replacement of the electromagnetic Advanced Weapons Elevators with the hydraulic versions used in older carriers. These directives were part of a broader memorandum aimed at shaking up shipbuilding for the US Navy, which is often seen as glacial and moribund. EMALS was introduced on the USS Gerald R Ford (CVN-78), which was the first of an improved design of US aircraft carriers. It basically uses a linear induction motor to accelerate an aircraft along the flight deck, in place of the old-fashioned system that employs a steam piston. The premise of EMALS is that it doesn’t require a head of steam, and as it is electromagnetic, it should be easy to adjust the power to match the size and weight of aircraft being launched. However, the technology has had a few teething problems, as reported by The Register previously, and these have even led to the Gerald R Ford being unable to launch aircraft at all. The Advanced Weapons Elevators, which also use linear motors, have likewise proven problematic. Earlier this year, it was reported that there was a study underway to review the Ford-class carrier design and determine whether it should be altered for the next two in the class. “We are looking at 82 and 83 to review the costs, the designs, the systems, to make sure that they make sense, and they have all the systems and requirements that we want going forward,” then-secretary of the Navy John Phelan is quoted as saying. One of the concerns was said to be with the sortie generation rate of the Gerald R Ford – the number of takeoffs possible - which was promised to be higher with EMALS. We asked the White House if this directive would apply to all subsequent US carriers, but a spokesperson simply referred us to the announcement, which mentions only CVN-81. The rest of the president’s memorandum takes aim at naval shipbuilding in America. One directive is to establish a fifth naval shipyard to increase submarine and aircraft carrier repair capacity. Trump is also sanctioning foreign involvement in building up to three ship classes of US Navy vessels. His memorandum directs the secretary of defense to come up with “a new competitive acquisition approach” for surface combatants to perform anti‑submarine warfare, surface warfare, and convoy escort duties, plus Consolidated Cargo Replenishment at Sea (CONSOL) tankers and Roll-On, Roll-Off vessels – the latter typically used for transporting tanks and other military vehicles. The president proposes using a similar approach to the memorandum of understanding (MoU) between the US and Finland with regard to acquiring icebreaker ships last year. This will allow foreign suppliers to take part in US Navy procurement, provided they agree to build a new shipyard in America or assume ownership or a majority stake in an existing one, and construct all ships after the first two in US shipyards. Tellingly, the memorandum states that the US Navy “shall not impose iterative design changes upon the original mature parent designs within the above programs,” and that no changes from the original designs shall be made without the approval of the secretary of defense. Last year, the Trump administration canned the Constellation-class frigate program, which had been based on an Italian design to reduce technical risk, after so many changes were made that the US design had just 15 percent commonality with the original and the program was years behind schedule. ®
AI has been transformational for the workplace, saving time on repetitive tasks and freeing skilled staff to focus on higher-value work. It has become so embedded in organisations that ISACA’s research recently found that 82% of European companies expressly permit the use of AI at work.
However, there is a difference between using AI and governing AI use safely. Only 42% of organisations have a formal AI policy in place, and one in five (20%) don’t know who would be accountable if an AI system caused harm.
To further complicate things, it turns out that Microsoft Copilot now sits inside 80% of organisations using AI at work, well ahead of ChatGPT (56%), Gemini (37%), and Claude (21%). That means the majority of companies using AI are depending on just one vendor as an executive assistant, IT support, and sounding board.
In practice, this means that most of the business world is leaning on a single AI provider, with little planning for what happens if that provider is compromised or experiences an outage.
We use AI professionally and personally so much that, for many organisations, it is easy for compliance to become an afterthought. A tool people rely on daily doesn’t feel like a security risk – even when it is.
Leadership needs to challenge this by asking: what happens if this tool goes down, and what happens if it’s compromised? Some analysts expect over 200 high-signal disruption days across AI platforms this year and the negative impact that this will have on organisations’ productivity is considerable. Once staff begin to rely on AI-generated first drafts and summaries, reverting to manual work isn’t impossible, but it isn’t frictionless.
An over-reliance on AI – particularly on individual AI tools – can create a false sense of security, and the AI governance gap only gets worse when things go wrong. Three-fifths (59%) of companies do not know how quickly their organisation could halt an AI system in the event of a security incident, and only a fifth (21%) said they could do so within half an hour.
When a tool people rely on every day goes down, staff don’t stop working – they improvise. More than a quarter (26%) of organisations use no risk framework for AI at all, so when something does go wrong, there’s often no process to fall back on. That often means turning to whatever other AI tool is at hand, personal accounts, unapproved apps, and work-arounds that nobody has checked, at exactly the moment when careful handling of data matters most. This is why the fallback plan must exist before it’s needed, rather than being invented on the fly. The outage isn’t really the risk – how people cope during the aftermath is.
EU regulators have recognised and begun to address the AI governance gap, formally naming major cloud and AI providers, including Microsoft, as critical services to finance under the Digital Operational Resilience Act (DORA). Other sectors should expect similar action in line with NIS2 and the UK Cyber Security and Resilience Bill as the concentration risk argument spreads beyond finance.
What can businesses actually do about the AI governance gap? Firstly, they should review their AI use and record which important day-to-day work depends on a single AI tool. Where possible, they should try to diversify their provider use in order to mitigate the knock on effect of an outage.
This should be done as early as possible, as swapping AI providers isn’t like switching a light-touch SaaS tool. Foundation model capability sits with a small number of providers, so diversifying means retraining workflows and testing outputs.
Businesses should then look at their continuity plan and consider what the next steps are should their AI tools suffer an outage. Every organisation using AI should have a designated team that is responsible for managing an AI outage. But assigning ownership alone isn’t enough. Organisations also need a structured, maturity-based approach that embeds governance, accountability and resilience into day-to-day AI operations. Frameworks such as CMMI AIM provide a practical way to assess current capabilities, identify gaps and improve governance over time. That is not a decision that should be made mid-crisis, but before anything happens.
A backup option is also essential for operations that can’t afford to be put on hold until the AI is operational. Staff should be made aware of this contingency plan so that if their usual AI tool is unavailable, they don’t reach for something less secure out of habit.
This kind of business foresight is what will prevent your most useful tool becoming your biggest cybersecurity oversight.
None of this is to say that businesses should not use AI – rather that AI should be treated like any other critical part of the business, with a plan for when things don’t go smoothly. A designated owner and a tested fallback plan won’t stop the next outage, but it will decide whether it’s a minor disruption or a major one.
Jimmy White, Chief Technology Officer, AI Security, F5
The first domino has well and truly fallen. The advent of high-powered AI models that can rapidly find software vulnerabilities that have lain hidden – in some cases, for decades – effectively makes static code analysis the first significant problem to be solved by AI.
The first-, second-, and even third-order effects of models such as Anthropic’s Claude Mythos Preview and ChatGPT 5.4-Cyber by OpenAI are the hottest topic in enterprises globally, for good reason. By pairing powerful AI with huge volumes of code data and existing vulnerability databases, these models know what good and bad code looks like, and can cycle through code at machine speed to find bugs and security issues.
Put simply, there has never been anything better than these AI models at detecting vulnerabilities in source code; they are highly capable tools that outperform all current best-in-class solutions. Their ability equates to a human coder that knows every existing disclosed software flaw, can read as fast as a computer, has perfect memory, and has 100% recall in milliseconds.
The potential and limitations of frontier models
There are already countless examples of the models finding real-world software vulnerabilities that have lain dormant for long periods but never known. There are also likely to be flaws that are unknown to their host company but are being abused by threat actors behind the scenes – a known tactic of attackers who want to keep their best weapons under wraps.
Most recently, there are eye-opening incidences of test models chaining together attacks or breaking their boundaries, such as the OpenAI models that accessed Hugging Face from a sandbox environment. Anthropic is investigating three incidents where Claude test models accessed the internet and breached the systems of outside organisations.
What does it all mean for already-stretched IT security teams and the industry as a whole? First, the utopian scenario: organisations with access to these models can rapidly find all the vulnerabilities in their existing code base and go about fixing them, reaching a better security posture. At the same time, all their new code can go through the models, so there is no ‘bad’ new code, no new security vulnerabilities.
Enterprises can also apply the models at all the entry points for potentially harmful code into their organisation. Any open source tools can be checked before usage; in M&A scenarios, acquirers can insist on the code base of potential acquisitions going through the AI models; companies can evaluate the source code of vendors that want their business; and so on.
However, the utopian thesis quickly breaks, for two reasons. One is that the AI models are performing static code analysis. Yes, that’s a very big, important thing, but it’s not everything; there are still many flaws that AI can’t find because it can’t understand the patterns in runtime or race conditions.
Secondly, and maybe more importantly, because AI makes coding easier, enterprises around the world will undoubtedly be generating exponentially more new code. Google says that 75% of its new code is AI generated; at Anthropic and other AI-native companies, the proportion is as high as 90%. So, the speed that new code – and new vulnerabilities – are being created will at least match the speed these powerful models can find those vulnerabilities.
Static code analysis is just the opening act
For now, access to frontier AI models is limited, allowing participating organisations to find and fix bugs before they can be exploited in anger. But the frontier model companies have been frank that these models present unprecedented attack capability, as demonstrated in the Hugging Face incident, making them dangerous in the hands of a bad actor.
This is a familiar pattern in AI: each time the technology catches up from a cyber defence perspective, it offers similar advancements from an offensive perspective. As an industry, we are in an established cycle of ‘leap ahead, catch up’, a game of leapfrog between defenders and attackers as both sides advance their capabilities.
For the AI model makers, there is another aspect to the story. Source coding itself looked set to be the first market to be ‘cracked’ by AI, but it remains imperfect and still requires human input and oversight. In static code analysis, the frontier model companies have found a market they can dominate, defying the naysayers who question the enormous investment in AI and the technology itself.
Anthropic was first to this particular market, but OpenAI and other frontier model companies were quickly out of the blocks. Open-source models will similarly reach the bar for effective code vulnerability scanning, sooner rather than later.
Other markets will follow too. Anthropic’s collaboration with Canva, the design software company, and the launch of Claude Design signal is another example of a market that will be disrupted by the application of powerful AI to existing practices.
The AI giants are becoming surgeons, not general practitioners
In the Western world, there are now five titans in the AI arena: Anthropic, OpenAI, Google, Meta and xAI. They are going toe-to-toe with regular improvements in their models, opening up the prospect of a new class of specialised AI models for specific tasks that have practical – and financial – value.
Each time one of these players picks a new thing to focus on, it is a signal to where there’s market value. Sometimes they will choose the same market, but sometimes they will go for unique ones, maybe niche to their business area.
What those markets are will partly be decided by the model companies’ access to relevant datasets. Because of the popularity of its models with coders, for instance, Anthropic had access to an enviable source code dataset for training Mythos Preview.
Meta and xAI have access to vast social and communication data, though the nature of their data is very different. On top of that, search, email and mapping services hold near-infinite amounts of data on how people communicate and where they go.
This is all ripe for disruption by AI, with profound downstream effects. For example, enterprises may be discouraged from choosing a single AI provider as various model makers offer increasingly differentiated capabilities.
Buyers will benefit from competitive tension, but the cost and complexity of maintaining and securing multiple AI models will rise. Enterprises will have multiple subscriptions with multiple providers for different use cases.
AI disruption has only just begun
The static code analysis breakthrough did not happen by accident. The frontier model companies have pointed their currently most powerful models at a 20-year-old problem where they have the training data – and the models perform very well.
They will point the models at hundreds of other 20-year-old problems and do equally well. For the foreseeable future, we can expect massive disruption. This is the first domino to fall; there will be another, and another, and another.
France's tax authority has confirmed that an intruder accessed its systems and extracted data in June after an alleged cybercriminal advertised a purported database of 2 million taxpayers. Using the alias "ZeroBytes," the alleged crook behind the attack on the General Directorate of Public Finances (DGFiP) advertised the stolen database on a cybercrime forum on Wednesday. They claimed the database contained details of more than 2 million French taxpayers and that they gained access using stolen credentials and an MFA bypass technique. ZeroBytes also claimed to retain access to DGFiP's systems and offered to sell it alongside the database. DGFiP did not immediately answer our questions about the attacker's claims. However, in a statement released Thursday, it disputed the claim that ZeroBytes retained access. "On Wednesday, August 12, 2026, a malicious actor claimed unauthorized access to the information system of the French Public Finances Directorate, which occurred at the end of June 2026 following identity theft," it said. "Initial investigations confirm that this access, which had been severed at the end of June as part of an audit, nevertheless allowed the consultation and extraction of data concerning individuals and professionals. "Following this complaint, the French Public Finances Directorate immediately implemented new restrictions to stop the unauthorized access and prevent further unauthorized use. In-depth investigations are ongoing to determine precisely which data and number of users were affected." DGFiP said it would report the attack to French data protection watchdog CNIL and notify affected users once it had determined who they were. The intrusion is the latest in a string of security breaches affecting France's public sector this year. France's Ministry of Finance, which oversees DGFiP, admitted in February that miscreants had accessed a database containing French citizens' bank details. The attackers used stolen credentials and made off with 1.2 million records, despite the ministry saying it quickly revoked their access. A few weeks later, France's Health Ministry confirmed a cyberattack on healthtech supplier Cegedim Santé in which around 15.8 million administrative files were stolen. Around 165,000 of these contained doctors' notes, which in "very limited cases" revealed medical histories. In April, the Interior Ministry confirmed reports of an attack on France Titres, the government agency responsible for identity documents including passports and driver's licenses. The alleged culprit, reportedly a 15-year-old, advertised the stolen data online and claimed the breach affected between 18 million and 19 million people – more than a quarter of metropolitan France's population. In June, the department responsible for Tchap, France's encrypted government messaging platform, investigated a suspected breach. The alleged attackers claimed to have accessed more than 73,000 user accounts, 643,000 messages, nearly 60,000 media files, and hundreds of chat rooms. ®
Virgin Galactic has delayed its return to commercial spaceflight until February 2027, and plans to raise ticket prices later this year. The delay was disclosed alongside the company's financial results, which showed a net loss of $56 million for the second quarter of 2026, down from $67 million a year earlier. Revenue for the quarter was $0.1 million, compared to $0.4 million in 2025. According to CEO Michael Colglazier, demand exceeded the number of seats offered in the first $750,000 batch, prompting the company to prepare another at a higher price. Those customers will, however, have to wait a little longer. Colglazier said: "Our first ship is now expected to enter commercial service in February 2027 rather than the fourth quarter of 2026." He blamed the delay on the extra time needed to "complete avionics and systems installations." During an earnings call, Colglazier said: "No single issue is driving the schedule push. Rather, we have experienced modest time duration extensions across hundreds of relatively small but important installation tasks involved in the first build of our new spaceship." In response to an analyst question, Colglazier elaborated: "The number of those kind of 'Oh, we did not expect this to not fit just perfectly,' coming in is higher than we had allotted for. That just has started to accumulate on us. It really picked up at the tail end of July. For a bit, we thought we could manage that end, but the team just needed more time to do it the correct way." Integrated vehicle ground testing is expected to begin later in August, followed by flight testing in October. A second spaceship is due to join the fleet in March 2027, and the company expects to stop burning cash and "deliver positive quarterly cash flow within 2027." When Virgin Galactic reopened suborbital ticket sales in April, it charged $750,000 for a seat, up from the $600,000 price it cited in 2023. That was a substantial jump from the $100,000 envisaged more than two decades ago, when Sir Richard Branson announced plans for a scaled-up version of Burt Rutan's SpaceShipOne. At the time, the company said commercial flights would resume by the end of 2026. Virgin Galactic's last commercial flight took place in 2024, after which the company paused operations to focus on its next generation of spacecraft. Virgin Galactic is not alone in pausing its space-tourism service. Earlier this year, rival Blue Origin announced that New Shepard flights would pause for "no less than two years" while it worked on its crewed lunar program. ® Updated 8/18 at 10:19 GMT: A previous version of this story said that the program was "grounded," but the more appropriate term is "paused."
The threat actor known as HoneyMyte (aka Mustang Panda) has been observed deploying an updated version of the CoolClient backdoor with a signed Windows kernel-mode rootkit that can hide and protect malicious processes, files, registry objects, and command-and-control (C2) network information.
Russian cybersecurity vendor Kaspersky said it identified victims in Myanmar, Mongolia, Pakistan,
In early July, attackers used open source AI agents to autonomously hack government systems and energy companies, signaling to defenders that AI-powered attacks against critical infrastructure are no longer theoretical. "There is a clear and present danger," Tom Kellermann, TrendAI VP of AI security and threat research, told The Register. "As the geopolitical tension boils, systemic destructive cyberattacks launched by autonomous AI will occur," he said. "Weaponized AI will disable the safety systems of critical infrastructure, thus leading to kinetic disasters. Just like we see autonomous strike vehicles operating on the battlefield in Ukraine, we should expect autonomous weaponized AI." In fact, the prospect of attackers using AI against critical infrastructure was the top concern of every national security adviser, law enforcement official, and private-sector threat analyst The Reg spoke with at last week's Hacker Summer Camp conferences. "It's the targeting of critical infrastructure for us," Brett Leatherman, assistant director of the FBI's Cyber Division, told us during an interview at Black Hat. "We're very focused on the downstream impact targeting of critical infrastructure," Leatherman said. "That is where cyber becomes kinetic, and whether it is our water and wastewater treatment plants, whether it's the electric grid, whether it's the high-frequency trading networks and the financial networks, all of those, if the integrity of those are compromised, will have significant impact to communities and national security. So that's what keeps our teams up at night. How are we moving to secure critical infrastructure?" Where cyber becomes kinetic During the first four days of July, suspected Chinese operators aimed an attack framework built on Hermes and OpenClaw AI agents at targets in Taiwan. Across 12 "attack waves," the "near-autonomous" system deployed up to eight sub-agents, each assigned its own targets and techniques, and broke into a Taiwanese government website. Ultimately, they compromised a government email system, the country's nuclear safety agency, IT supply chain vendors, and at least seven energy sector companies, finding and exploiting misconfigurations and vulnerabilities while stealing sensitive data, credentials, and other secrets as they moved across the network. The Taiwanese government intrusion also followed a series of cyberattacks against water and wastewater utilities in the United States. While the Trump administration hasn't attributed these to a particular government or group, private sector threat hunters – including Halcyon Ransomware Research Center SVP Cynthia Kaiser, a former FBI cyber division deputy assistant director – blame Iran for these intrusions. Military conflicts spilling into cyberspace are nothing new, but these cyberattacks in America brought the war with Iran to more than 30 small-town water systems in Minnesota and targets across nearly a dozen other states. To be clear, there's no evidence that attackers used AI to hack these water utilities. Most were small, community systems that left programmable logic controllers (PLCs) directly exposed to the internet using default or weak passwords. Still, these breaches expose "40, 50 years of tech debt," former US National Cyber Director Chris Inglis told The Reg during an interview at Black Hat. This technical debt – deferred maintenance, unpatched or end-of-life systems, and delayed security updates – expands the attack surface and gives intruders more ways into critical systems, threatening operations and potentially disrupting services people rely on every day. "The water sector attacks – regardless of who is doing them – is taking advantage of unpatched vulnerabilities in the PLCs," Inglis said. "We've known about these particular vulnerabilities for years now, and yet we've not done anything about them because they're low-level, not easily accessible." Inglis added that there's no indication the digital intruders used AI to exploit these PLCs. 'There's an alligator in the boat' However, AI systems allow attackers to cash in on tech debt, and they don't need access to frontier models to do it. Free, open-weight models also excel at finding bugs in software and configurations, chaining these together, and abusing them to break software and systems. Earlier this summer, University of Toronto researchers used an unnamed publicly available open-weight model, released in 2025, to develop a computer worm that they claim spread through an enterprise test network. The self-propagating code adapted on the fly to identify known vulnerabilities and misconfigurations on target systems, then generated and executed attacks to move laterally through the network and compromise additional machines. "Commodity models can do that, and many of the vulnerabilities they find do not require access to the source code – it's in the configurations, and configurations change over time," Inglis said. When it comes to attackers abusing AI systems, "I wouldn't be worried about the frontier models," Inglis said. "Worry about the models that are already on the street. Turns out there's an alligator in the boat, and it's the commodity models." Plus, as we've seen in previous breaches, both government-backed goons and criminal groups increasingly use AI to automate reconnaissance. Security analysts worry that the technology could also help attackers acquire expertise in industrial control systems (ICS). When OT knowledge becomes a commodity "What protects ICS? More than anything, it's obscurity," said John Hultquist, chief analyst at Google Threat Intelligence Group, during a press briefing at Black Hat. "It is an obscure, esoteric, knowledge set that a handful of people – I call them uber nerds – have, and that attackers rarely have the necessary knowledge to carry out. That's no longer the case. That knowledge is simply on tap." AI tools mean miscreants don't need to be ICS or operational technology experts to carry out destructive cyberattacks on critical networks and facilities. They just have to ask an agent to learn everything about these systems and do the dirty work for them. "There have been threat actors who are capable of this at the top level, like China and Russia," Hultquist said. "But now I'm afraid the actors who are just a couple steps down – North Korea, Iran – who don't have the same focus on that technology are going to have far greater success. They're going to have the tools necessary to be as aggressive as they want to." During what was probably the most talked about Black Hat briefing of the week, OpenAI employees provided more details about how their models escaped their training pens, went rogue, and hacked Hugging Face to complete a security evaluation. We learned the AI agents spent months asking other agents for help, building message boards, developing their own communication protocols – essentially creating a hive mind to carry out the attack. "In the near future, we should expect that threat actors will intentionally deploy, optimize, weaponize, and use offensive agent collectives in the manner that we have just described here," OpenAI technical staffer Michael Dalton said. Retired general and former NSA chief Paul Nakasone, speaking to reporters at DEF CON, called the Hugging Face attack "an inflection point in terms of AI-generated, autonomous cyberattacks." "This is the challenge: that we have to, over the next several months, get the defensive side much quicker and much better than they are today," he added. Therein lies the challenge: offensive uses of AI appear to be advancing faster than autonomous defenses, and attackers don't face the legal and ethical constraints imposed on defenders. "I think we're still a ways out from having swarms of autonomous, defensive agents fighting attacks," Ryan Whelan, global head of Accenture Cyber Intelligence, told The Reg at Black Hat. "That's probably over a year out over the horizon. But I do think we're going to see it first on the adversary side, because they don't care if they break things." Kellermann quoted Victor Hugo: "Not all the armies of the history of the world can stop an idea whose time has come." "That idea," he said, "is weaponized AI. Shields up." ®
The $1 billion deal aims to converge data security and identity into a single control plane for agents, with privileged access redefined around business context rather than static roles.
Microsoft has yanked Mico from the Copilot spotlight less than a year after unveiling the anthropomorphic assistant intended to make its AI a little less soulless. As part of Microsoft's announcement that its consumer and work Copilot applications will merge, the company confirmed that the weird blob thing would shuffle out of Copilot Voice and into Learn Live, a voice-based study mode that guides users through subjects and assignments. "Mico helped us learn about warmth, expressiveness, and how people want to talk with AI," Microsoft wrote. "Those learnings are shaping Copilot going forward." "Learn is where the character has the most room to grow, with tutoring sessions that give Mico more to react to and teach through." As the update rolls out, Mico will no longer be the face of Copilot Voice. Users can still speak to Copilot and receive responses, but will be spared the blob's gurning. Mico is only the latest in Microsoft's long line of anthropomorphic assistants. There was Clippy (or Clippit), which arrived with Office 97 but had been pushed into Microsoft's desk drawer of doom by the time Office 2007 appeared. Then came Cortana, named after the character from the Halo video game franchise and pitched as a far more intelligent assistant. Microsoft introduced Cortana on Windows Phone in 2014 and brought it to PCs with Windows 10 the following year, before losing interest. Mico didn't even last a year as the face of Copilot Voice before Microsoft pulled it from the spotlight, although both the character and its Copilot "brain" live on in Learn Live. In terms of lifespans, it's easy to compare it to the catastrophic Microsoft Bob, which was launched in 1995, with the last release happening that same year. However, the product lingered a little longer and later resurfaced, hidden as digital ballast on the Windows XP installation CD for licensing and encryption. Modern digital distribution means that such a second life is unlikely to await Mico. Dave Plummer, the engineer responsible for Bob's inclusion as an encrypted blob, said: "What's ultimately important is that while Bob never got to play on the big stage, he always followed the band around and got to ride on the bus." Mico hasn't been thrown off the bus just yet. Microsoft has merely made the blob sit with the schoolchildren. ®
TalkTalk Business and UK technology services biz ARO plan to merge, creating what they say will be one of the country's largest communications and managed services providers. The pair claim the combined organization will be "uniquely positioned" to serve as a single technology partner for British firms pursuing digital transformation. It will have annual revenue of about £200 million ($270 million) and a combined customer base of more than 70,000 companies. Analyst firm Megabuyte noted that ARO, formerly known as Arrow, is the larger of the two businesses by earnings. However, the vast majority of the combined customer base will comprise TalkTalk Business's small-business clients, with the remainder mainly ARO enterprise customers. Megabuyte expects fixed-line and mobile communications and connectivity to generate most of the combined revenue – about £130 million ($176 million) – with IT and cybersecurity services providing the remainder. Megabuyte said the immediate priority would be integrating the businesses and finding opportunities to sell their services across the combined customer base. "One can see why the deal is being sold in terms of cross-sell, with relatively little overlap in terms of customers and products. TalkTalk Business has a large base of small business customers who should be receptive to ARO's mobile and Microsoft offerings, as well as other IT and cyber services," says chief analyst Philip Carse. TalkTalk Business completed its separation from the wider TalkTalk Group earlier this year as it sought to expand as an independent managed network provider. It recently acquired Planet IT, a service desk biz selling IT support and professional services. ARO provides cloud, cybersecurity, and datacenter services and is a Microsoft Solutions Partner. The two firms describe their operations as highly complementary. The deal remains subject to approval under the UK's National Security and Investment Act (NSIA), apparently because ARO supplies some government customers, and is expected to close by the end of the summer. Initially, both businesses will retain their existing brands and offices while the companies develop their integration plans. The implication there is that there could be a shake-out of duplicate products and staff roles coming later, as often happens with corporate mergers. We asked what the combined business would be called and who would lead it, but the companies declined to answer. "This is a defining moment for both ARO and TalkTalk Business," claimed ARO chief Ciaran Rafferty. "By bringing together our complementary strengths, we are creating a stronger partner with broader capabilities, deeper expertise and greater capacity to invest in innovation, service delivery and long-term customer success." TalkTalk Business CEO Ruth Kennedy said it represents a key step in the firm's ambitions to become a leading managed services provider. "The market is evolving rapidly, with organizations increasingly seeking technology partners that can combine strategic expertise, operational excellence and broad service capabilities at scale," she commented. ®
Noteworthy stories that might have slipped under the radar: government AI platform deal sparks outrage, North Korean IT worker breaches federal agency, DEF CON attendee blamed for Delta flight disruption.
It can be daunting to determine who’s responsible for showing ads on the websites we visit, or who’s harvesting data from the mobile apps we use every day. That information is already semi-public, but it is not easily parsed and traditionally much of it has remained walled away in the hands of large advertising platforms. Not anymore: A powerful and free new service called DecryptAds scrapes and correlates this adtech data and makes it simple to quickly learn a great deal about the entities that are tracking you.
A Decryptads summary of the advertising partnerships declared by espn.com.
The newly launcheddecryptads.com says it is constantly scraping the files that websites and apps make publicly available to disclose the companies that are permitted to run ads or collect user data. These files include:
–ads.txt: all of the adtech companies and data brokers that may run ads or harvest data from the site;
–app-ads.txt: entities that can harvest data from or display ads on mobile and smart TV apps;
–buyers.json/sellers.json: the entities buying, selling or reselling ad inventory for a given site or app.
Zach Edwards is chief research officer for DecryptAds and a threat researcher at the security company Infoblox. Edwards said he and two other founders decided the service was needed because the adtech data in these files is generally only useful when it can be cross-referenced to build a more complete picture of the advertising ecosystem for each website or app.
“It’s an adtech tool but we’re trying to approach adtech from a security perspective,” Edwards said. “It’s really built for a lot of privacy and security use cases that have been dramatically underserved.”
Those use cases, he said, include tracking down the source of malicious ads that try to foist malware on targeted users, identifying ad networks located in adversarial nations, and detecting the fast growing swarms of AI-generated slop websites and apps. And as decryptads.com demonstrates, these potential security and privacy threats are near impossible to detect just by viewing a single apps.txt or app-ads.txt file.
“Supply-chain integrity issues rarely live in a single file,” the site explains. “They show up as broken cross-references between ads.txt, app-ads.txt, and sellers.json files; as cloned declaration sets across unrelated domains; as seller removals that only make sense when viewed across exchanges; and even as supply paths in bid logs that never actually appear in any given publisher’s authorized-seller list.”
A search in DecryptAds for the hugely popular sports network espn.com reveals 143 ad partners and 19 registered data broker domains are listed within its ads.txt and app-ads.txt files. That data broker information is gradually becoming available because four states — California, Oregon, Texas and Vermont — have recently passed laws requiring data brokers to register if they buy or sell data on consumers from those states. DecryptAds reports that almost half of those data brokers are collecting geolocation data from espn.com visitors who aren’t blocking ads, while another three disclose that they collect device fingerprints and sensitive personal information.
A visual representation of the complex ad supply chain declared by espn.com. Image: decryptads.com.
HIGH-RISK AD PARTNERS
DecryptAds also makes it easy to learn the beneficiaries and national origins of the advertising firms lurking in apps and websites, displaying a conspicuous warning when adtech partners of an app or website are based in “geo-risk” areas like China and Russia, or in countries with strong financial and political ties to both — such as Cyprus and the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
According to DecryptAds, espn.com works with four different advertising entities that are based in either Russia, China or the UAE, including the adtech firm Between Digital, which lists a New York address. However, the dossier on Between Digital flags them as a Russian firm, showing that their publisher offers (PDF) are processed through Alfa Bank, Russia’s largest private commercial bank and one of several financial institutions placed under U.S. sanctions in 2022 after Russia invaded Ukraine. KrebsOnSecurity sought comment from both Between Digital and the company’s founder, and will update this story in the event that either replies.
A search for several top U.S. military news websites — including armytimes.com, airforcetimes.com, defensenews.com, navytimes.com, marinecorpstimes.com and federaltimes.com — shows they all allow Between Digital to serve ads and track users, as well as two entities in the UAE and another in the ownership secrecy haven of Panama. DecryptAds reports that Between Digital is collecting ad data on approximately 55,000 partner websites.
The “Geo Risk” section of decryptads.com.
Pivoting on Between Digital’s app-ads.txt file reveals hundreds of domains featuring simple web-based games that are frequently interrupted by ads. Edwards said Between Digital’s own declarations show the company is listed as both a publisher and a reseller on approximately two-thirds of their portfolio.
“It means they are basically playing both sides of the bidding equation, which creates opportunities to direct client spend at your owned and operated properties or client infrastructure, essentially creating opportunities for conflicts of interest,” Edwards told KrebsOnSecurity. “The problem we have right now is that for years we’ve had almost no one policing these ads.txt and app-ads.txt files.”
The Opera Web browser remains quite popular, and probably many users are unaware that since 2016 it has been majority owned and controlled by the Chinese company Kunlun Tech (the operational headquarters of Opera remain in Oslo, Norway).
Opera.com’s profile at DecryptAds identifies 27 registered data brokers collecting information, including 15 adtech partners in the UAE, six in China, three in Cyprus, two in Russia and one each in Hong Kong and Ukraine. DecryptAds makes clear, however, that these companies represent just seven percent of the adtech partners specified in Opera.com’s ads.txt and app-ads.txt files.
LEGAL DOSSIERS
One feature of DecryptAds that sent this author down multiple hours-long research rabbit holes is its Legal Dossier lookup, which takes several minutes for each search but eventually churns out oodles of useful information about who owns a particular domain or app, when it was registered, and any aliases or relationships it may have to adtech companies and other websites or apps.
For example, last month KrebsOnSecurity wrote about researchers from Bitsight who found that an extremely popular line of TV streaming sticks called H96 quietly rent out each user’s Internet connection to strangers. Bitsight also discovered that when these devices aren’t being used to stream pirated video content, they are spoofing themselves as mobile phones clicking ads on AI-generated slop websites.
Bitsight concluded that the same Chinese company that made several of the malicious apps common to all of these H96 streaming sticks — the Fengwo Group — also also ran the network of ads and AI slop websites being clicked on by tens of thousands of these devices that are pretending to be mobile phones.
Examples of ad landing pages linked to the Fengwo Group. These sites were designed to show ads only to H96 devices that were spoofing their device type as mobile phones. Image: Bitsight.
A DecryptAds legal dossier on the (now dormant) Fengwo Group domain name for the AI slop website pictured on the left in the screenshot above (medicalbeautyhub dot com) shows it shares a seller ID (1674071) with a gaming website — giacoloredstones[.]com — which features yet another seller ID (103488000).
Pivoting on that latter seller ID reveals hundreds of active websites within Russia’s Yandex ad system featuring extremely low-quality games or simple utilities that pepper visitors with ads.
QUIET REMOVALS
Edwards said that when advertising networks suspect a given advertiser is engaged in unauthentic clicks or displaying malicious ads, very often those networks will quietly remove the offender from their list of approved partners without letting anyone else know about their suspicions.
This practice, he said, makes it easier for dodgy adtech firms to avoid accountability and continue victimizing others. To address that visibility gap, DecryptAds features a quiet removals feed that records and correlates all of the sellers.json removals across ad exchanges for the same seller domain or name.
A screenshot of the Quiet Removals Feed at decryptads.com.
“The way the adtech industry works, someone will write a report about ad fraud and only share it with their own clients and they won’t make it public,” Edwards said. “The ban is just removing them from the sellers.json file, but they told nobody. One day it was there, the next it was gone. So if you’re trying to navigate who is suspicious, that’s usually tough to do because there are a lot of adtech companies removing things all at once.”
MALVERTISING AND AI SLOP
Malvertising, the term given to the practice of inserting malicious ads that foist malware or redirect visitors to phishing pages, remains an all-too-frequent occurrence in the modern adtech industry. But Edwards said these malicious ads are far more commonly found now on newly generated AI slop websites than on high traffic destinations that typically employ a variety of technologies and third party tools to quickly flag bad ads.
“None of these slop AI content farms are paying for that kind of protection,” he said. “They’re just signing up the lowest quality partners, and it essentially becomes a greased rail to target the users of those sites with malicious ads. Most malvertising attacks don’t happen on espn.com or huffpost.com, but rather [on] some lower quality content farm and someone just went there because it came up in a search.”
Edwards said the AI slop websites are populated with machine-generated blog posts and images, and cover a wide array of themes from home improvement and decorating to food recipes, hunting, cars and consumer technology. He said organizations that get hit with malicious ads are often at a loss for what to do next, unaware that in most cases the answer is one of the entities listed inside the website’s ads.txt or app-ads.txt file.
“A lot of serious organizations are starting to understand that if we’re not breaking down this ad data, we’re not going to know who’s targeting government people with zero-click payloads on an almost daily basis,” he said.
Edwards maintains that truly getting a handle on the malvertising and AI slop problems will require more data-sharing by the major ad networks. Specifically, he says those platforms do not broadly share what’s known as the “supply chain object” or SCO, structured data attached to each advertising bid request that lets buyers see every seller, reseller and intermediary involved in passing an ad impression from the publisher to the final buyer.
“That SCO tells you who sold it or resold it, and who was the final entity that bought the impression that served that malware payload,” Edwards explained. “You may see the malicious zero-click redirection, but without the supply chain object — which is only served server side — you won’t know who targeted your people with malware and won’t have a way to try and prevent it properly. But if we can encourage the adtech industry to expose that SCO, it will get easier to find the culprit behind any one bad ad.”
DecryptAds also offers an application programming interface (API) that allows researchers to automate queries and integrate the site’s functionality into popular AI platforms.
WHAT CAN YOU DO?
The only sane reaction to the examples described above is to block all online ads outright. This approach is broadly endorsed by security experts because it also makes it more difficult for adtech firms and data brokers to build detailed profiles on you and track your movements around the web and in the real world.
However, much depends on how you normally prefer to browse the Internet, and how much trust you place in third party browser plugins and extensions. For those primarily surfing via a regular desktop or laptop Web browser, uBlock Origin Lite is an excellent free and well-maintained open source option. uBlock Origin also should work with mobile browsers like Firefox, but apparently only on Android-based devices.
Adblock Plus is a decent option for iPhone and iPad users. For power users, Adblock and uBlock Origin both support custom blocking rules from easylist.to, which publishes a frequently updated list that removes most advertisements from webpages.
The well established browser extension NoScript blocks all non-approved Javascript code, and it generally does a fine job blocking most ads from loading. However, script blockers like NoScript may not be suitable for average users who don’t enjoy constantly having to referee which scripts should be allowed to load so that each site displays properly.
More technically inclined/adventuresome readers should strongly consider a hardware approach to blocking ads at the local network level, because that is easily the cheapest, most secure and scalable way to do it. A tiny, low-cost and broadly available computer known as a Raspberry Pi can be turned into a powerful ad blocker for all devices on a local network when fitted with a microSD memory card and a free program called Pi-hole. Once you’ve set it up properly and changed your router’s network settings to use the Pi-hole’s DNS sinkhole and DHCP servers, it should prevent ads from displaying on any devices connected to that network.
Bear in mind that ad blockers often do little to block ads and/or tracking that occurs from within mobile apps that users have chosen to install on their devices. Many websites now push users to install a mobile app, supposedly in order to more fully access and enjoy the site’s services and content. But in my experience, they’re not doing this because the user experience is somehow way better on the app (as LinkedIn tries to convince us non-app users several times a week via email). On the contrary, I find most mobile apps to be horribly designed, annoying, and/or completely unnecessary, and when given the option I will almost always choose to interact with a website or service directly in a Web browser.
No, the cold truth is that big web destinations tend to get pushy with their apps because they make it easier for these companies to keep you on their platforms longer and to collect (and in many cases resell) far more precise data about who, what and where their users are. Also, companies pushing customers the hardest to install mobile apps always seem to liberally opt everyone in to having their data used to train large language models these days. So be cautious about the apps you install on your mobile devices (including any smart TVs!), and poke around their listings at DecryptAds if you want to learn more about their privacy practices and any relationships they may have to adtech firms.
Keeper Security has urged schools, colleges and universities to strengthen their cyber defences ahead of the new academic year, warning that AI-powered phishing and a growing number of unmanaged machine identities are widening the education sector’s attack surface.
The identity security and privileged access management (PAM) provider said the annual rush to provision accounts, issue credentials and connect new devices creates a particularly attractive window for cybercriminals.
At the start of an academic year, IT teams can be responsible for onboarding thousands of students, faculty and staff while simultaneously enrolling devices and integrating third-party applications. Keeper warned that this combination can increase the likelihood of misconfigurations, stale credentials and excessive access going unnoticed.
Education institutions are already frequent targets for ransomware, credential theft and data breaches, in part because of the valuable information they hold, ranging from student and financial records to academic research.
Keeper said the threat is being compounded by relatively low levels of security awareness. Its research found that just 14% of schools mandate security awareness training, while almost one in five students and parents reported reusing passwords across personal and school accounts.
Artificial intelligence is adding another layer to the problem. AI-generated phishing messages can imitate communications from IT helpdesks, student funding departments and senior university figures with greater accuracy, potentially removing many of the spelling, grammar and formatting mistakes traditionally associated with phishing campaigns.
Deepfake technology also gives attackers the ability to impersonate trusted individuals through voice and video.
According to Keeper research, 52% of education leaders identify deepfake impersonation as a major concern, but only 26% are confident in their ability to recognise AI-enabled threats. The company also found that 41% of institutions reported being targeted by AI-generated phishing attempts or misinformation campaigns.
Beyond attacks targeting students and staff, Keeper highlighted what it describes as a less visible threat to education environments: non-human identities (NHIs).
These identities include service accounts used to synchronise student information and learning management systems, API keys connecting third-party EdTech applications, machine certificates authenticating connected equipment and cloud identities supporting automated workloads.
Increasingly, the category also includes AI agents and bots used for functions such as admissions, IT helpdesks and grading.
Keeper warned that credentials associated with these systems can be overlooked by conventional identity management practices. Service account passwords may remain unchanged for long periods, while API tokens belonging to applications that are no longer used can potentially remain active.
Cloud workloads can similarly accumulate permissions beyond those required for their function, while expired or incorrectly configured certificates can create additional security gaps.
Darren Guccione, CEO and co-founder of Keeper Security, said the education sector needed to broaden its approach to identity security.
“The conversation about education cybersecurity has historically focused on human accounts: students, teachers and administrators,” said Guccione. “But the real blind spot is the vast ecosystem of machine identities that power modern EdTech. Back-to-school is the right moment for education IT teams to take stock of every identity on their network, human and non-human alike.”
Keeper is recommending that education IT teams use the period before students return to review both human and machine access to their environments.
Among its recommendations is enforcing multi-factor authentication (MFA) across student, faculty and staff accounts, alongside deploying enterprise password management to reduce weak, reused and shared credentials.
Institutions should also audit privileged access and remove permissions associated with former employees, expired service accounts and applications that are no longer required, the company said.
For non-human identities, Keeper recommends creating an inventory covering service accounts, API keys, machine certificates, cloud identities and AI agents. Credential rotation policies should then be established, particularly for third-party EdTech integrations and AI systems introduced for the coming academic year.
The company also advised institutions to update phishing awareness programmes to account for increasingly convincing AI-generated communications.
Keeper said its zero-trust and zero-knowledge security platform can be used to discover, govern and rotate credentials belonging to both human and non-human identities. Its KeeperPAM platform additionally provides privileged access controls, session recording and audit capabilities.
As education environments become increasingly dependent on cloud services, connected equipment, third-party applications and AI, Keeper argues that knowing which identities have access (and whether they still require it) is becoming as important as protecting the students and staff behind traditional user accounts.
Cybersecurity researchers have detailed a post-exploitation technique that enables the Chrome DevTools Protocol (CDP) inside a running Google Chrome or Microsoft Edge process on Windows, allowing an operator to access cookies, saved data, and authenticated browser sessions.
The technique assumes that an operator already has code execution on the Windows host and does not involve
Cybersecurity researchers have uncovered a large-scale, global recruitment-themed phishing campaign that uses fake interview scheduling pages and Browser-in-the-Browser (BitB) windows to steal Google and Facebook credentials and, in more advanced cases, relay multi-factor authentication (MFA) prompts in real time.
CTM360, which detailed the activity in a new report titled RecruitTrap, said it
Disponibili Proof of Concept (PoC) per 8 nuove vulnerabilità presenti in Gitea Open Source Git Server, nota piattaforma open source utilizzata per l'hosting e la gestione di repository Git, la collaborazione sul codice sorgente, la distribuzione di pacchetti software e l'automazione di workflow di sviluppo tramite funzionalità CI/CD integrate.
Apple on Thursday sent a fresh batch of notifications to customers whom it suspects may have been targeted by mercenary spyware attacks.
In a statement shared with TechCrunch, the iPhone maker said it alerted an unspecified number of users targeted in 110 countries and that it has notified customers in over 150 countries to date. Apple began sending threat notifications to users in late 2021.
Cryptocurrency hardware wallet maker Trezor has confirmed that a breach at one of its shipping partners exposed the personal data of more than 13,000 customers. The company's initial findings suggested the breach was limited to orders placed in certain countries during the previous 90 days. New information indicates that earlier orders may also be affected. The breach exposed the names, email addresses, phone numbers, and shipping addresses of 11,742 customers in the US, UK, Sweden, Colombia, Brazil, Italy, and Portugal who ordered Trezor products between May 10 and August 8. An additional 1,947 customers had their names, home cities, and email addresses exposed. Some members of this group may have placed their orders before May 10. "We are verifying this information and the timeframe with ShipMonk," said Trezor. ShipMonk is Trezor's logistics partner. It stores and ships products on the company's behalf and collects the information needed to fulfill orders. ShipMonk is subject to Trezor's 90-day retention policy, which requires partners to delete or anonymize customer data within 90 days of collecting it for an order. ShipMonk did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Trezor markets itself as a purveyor of secure, offline, hardware-based cryptocurrency wallets. With its products, it aims to shield customers from cyberattacks and malicious apps. While it assured customers that its own systems and devices remain secure, Trezor warned that "affected customers could experience an increase in phishing attempts." The exposed details could help criminals craft convincing phishing attempts impersonating banks, crypto exchanges, or Trezor itself. The company said it contacted affected customers directly and advised them to check any communications against information published through its official channels. "Never enter your wallet backup on a website or share it with anyone," Trezor said in an apologetic advisory. "This is the first time since Trezor was founded in 2013 that we have experienced a breach that exposed customer phone numbers and shipping addresses. "We absolutely understand how serious this is and the potential risks it poses to our customers and are deeply sorry to those affected." Trezor said in a supplementary social media post, separate from the advisory, that its "top priority" project at the moment is to establish an "Anonymous Delivery" option for customers. The service will allow buyers to complete checkout without linking their home address or real-world identity to an order. Customers using Anonymous Delivery will go through a dedicated checkout, use a nickname or label ID in place of a real name, and have their product shipped to an automated delivery locker instead of their home. The delivery will also come in unbranded packaging with a generic sender label. The carrier will only use email or SMS to send a PIN for the locker. Trezor said the service is gearing up for a September launch in the EU and by the end of the year in the US. Alas, that didn't stop Cake Wallet, a rival crypto wallet, from poking fun at Trezor. "Another rough day for self custody," it Xeeted, before suggesting crypto holders instead use an old smartphone with Cake Wallet installed because "there is no order, no shipping address, or customer data tied to the purchase." ®
Illustration by Matt Rota for ProPublica. Animation by Henrike Lendowski for ProPublica.
It was late March when Joe Teirab, the second-in-command at Minnesota’s U.S. attorney’s office, received an urgent email from Washington.
The federal government was scrambling to find criminal cases to back up President Donald Trump’s claims that illegal voting by noncitizens was tipping the scales in American elections. Agents from Homeland Security Investigations, a massive federal law enforcement agency, had been dispatched to work leads across the country, including hundreds in Minnesota.
Teirab was already under pressure. In an earlier missive, Nick Davis, a high-ranking Justice Department appointee helping to lead the election fraud crusade, had reminded him the cases were so high priority that Teirab and his staff couldn’t decline to move forward on them without express approval from agency higher-ups. On March 24, Davis demanded a status report — within hours.
Teirab, a former Marine and a Harvard Law graduate who’d run unsuccessfully for Congress as a Republican, responded with a blunt reality check.
“Bottom line up front,” he replied in an email reviewed by ProPublica. After subpoenaing records on about 130 people, only one had been referred for prosecution, his staff had told him. Agents had deluged local election offices with calls and demands for voting histories, demonstrating “a complete lack of understanding” of illegal voting investigations.
“The HSI task force has been disjointed and disorganized,” Teirab wrote. The entire process, he said, had been “dysfunctional.”
Since Trump regained the White House, his administration has launched a series of unprecedented initiatives to find and prosecute voting by noncitizens, which he’s long claimed, without evidence, is rampant.
He’s stepped up this push in recent weeks, saying in a nationally televised speech that the American election system was “so vulnerable that no one can possibly defend it.” To support that assertion, the Department of Homeland Security, HSI’s parent agency, released documents asserting it had found more than 250,000 noncitizens on voter rolls in just four states, all led by Democrats. The documents included no explanation of how that number was calculated.
It’s well known the administration has tasked HSI — a force established to combat drug cartels, terrorism and other cross-border criminal enterprises — with leading the campaign to find election fraud cases in the United States.
But an investigation by ProPublica reveals for the first time how the Trump administration came to harness HSI’s personnel, technology and sweeping legal authority in service of its election agenda — and how meager the results have been, despite the prodigious resources sunk into the effort.
According to interviews and internal emails reviewed by ProPublica, career staffers at the Justice Department warned that transferring voter rolls to HSI to enable it to search for noncitizen voters could violate federal privacy laws. Similarly, longtime HSI insiders cautioned that using the agency’s databases and tools to search these lists would yield mismatches and wildly inflated results.
The administration plowed forward anyway.
HSI’s involvement in the hunt for election fraud traces at least to summer 2025, when agency supervisors embraced a proposal from a midlevel agent who’d publicly echoed Trump’s claims about elections. He argued the agency’s powerful databases and tools could find noncitizens even on the voter lists that states make publicly available, from which the most confidential information has been redacted. Under Trump, the Justice Department had collected many public voter rolls as part of a controversial effort to compel states to turn over the unredacted versions.
Those searches went forward, ProPublica’s reporting shows, helping to generate tens of thousands of leads regarding illegal voting across the country. But when HSI agents were sent to investigate them, the results were similar to what Teirab reported from Minnesota.
Between January 2025 and May 2026, a ProPublica analysis of Justice Department data shows, fewer than 150 alleged noncitizen voters were referred for prosecution. Even fewer — 41 — were charged with voting illegally or other election-related crimes. (More than 150 million people voted in the most recent presidential election.)
In response to questions from ProPublica, administration officials insisted the effort spearheaded by HSI was producing meaningful results.
“President Trump is committed to ensuring that Americans have full confidence in the administration of elections, and that includes totally accurate and up-to-date voter rolls free of errors and unlawfully registered non-citizen voters,” Abigail Jackson, a White House spokesperson, said in response to ProPublica’s request for comment. “Noncitizens voting is a crime. Anyone breaking the law will be held accountable.”
A DHS spokesperson didn’t answer questions about why so few prosecutions have resulted from HSI’s work. The agency wouldn’t specify what tools or techniques HSI had used, but confirmed it had cross-referenced “publicly available data” from state voter rolls with information on “known illegal aliens” in its systems. “It’s not rocket science,” the spokesperson wrote of this initiative in a response to ProPublica’s questions. “It’s an easy step to secure our elections.”
Teirab and the U.S. attorney’s office in Minnesota declined to comment.
There’s an array of reasons why Trump’s campaign to document claims of widespread voter fraud hasn’t succeeded. Most obviously, it’s exceedingly rare, as countlessstudies and state audits have found. Noncitizens often get on voter rolls by accident or when government officials make errors. Last month, New Jersey disclosed that a mistake involving its Motor Vehicle Commission caused 6,600 noncitizens to be registered (fewer than 400 voted).
The administration’s critics say its hunt for noncitizen voters aligns with Trump’s attempts to seek more federal control over elections while stoking doubt and fear about the voting process. Since taking back the Oval Office, Trump has tried to impose new restrictions on voter registration, mail-in ballots and voting machines, though judges have shut down most of these efforts.
Former officials at DHS and the Justice Department called the move to involve HSI a further escalation and questioned the propriety of aiming the agency’s muscle and technology at individual cases of illegal voting.
“It’s one thing if you’re going after Pablo Escobar,” said Steve Bunnell, a former DHS general counsel and senior intelligence adviser who handled voting fraud prosecutions during more than a decade at the Justice Department. “It’s another thing if you’re going after some cleaning lady who’s been working in the United States for 20 years and taking care of her 80-year-old mother and taking her little kids to church.”
Matt Rota for ProPublica
“The Swiss Army Knife of Federal Law Enforcement”
Trump’s enlistment of HSI in his election fight is no accident. Cobbled together in the aftermath of 9/11, the agency has 7,100 armed, highly trained agents and another 800 criminal analysts, as well as access to troves of confidential data about hundreds of millions of Americans.
Though part of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the agency has historically stayed out of immigration cases. During the first Trump administration, leaders of 19 HSI regional offices — virtually its entire top field hierarchy — signed a letter calling for HSI to become a standalone agency, arguing that ICE’s deportation work dissuaded people from cooperating with its investigations. But when Trump returned to the White House, it swiftly became clear that the agency would play a central role in investigations related to the president’s twin obsessions, illegal immigration and noncitizen voting.
Trump picked his field general for repurposing HSI even before taking the oath of office. In December 2024, he named Anthony Salisbury, a 50-year-old career agent who’d run the agency’s Miami office, as a deputy homeland security adviser, reporting to White House policy chief Stephen Miller. He was also given a dual appointment as head of HSI.
Salisbury was colorful: A mixed martial arts enthusiast, he once appeared at the agency’s headquarters with his face bruised and eye blackened from a recent bout. He’d sometimes entertain colleagues by pulling out a bridge that covers his missing front teeth.
To agency veterans, however, he was forever linked to a 2011 operation he’d overseen in Mexico in which one agent was killed and another wounded in a highway ambush by a drug cartel. An agency review submitted to Trump in April 2020 concluded that errors by HSI supervisors, including Salisbury, contributed to the outcome; it urged the administration to consider disciplinary action. None was taken against Salisbury, however.
Salisbury did not respond to requests for comment from ProPublica. A White House official called him “a critical member of the Trump administration” who was “cleared” in every review of the Mexico incident and was subsequently “promoted six times under multiple administrations.”
“It’s one thing if you’re going after Pablo Escobar. It’s another thing if you’re going after some cleaning lady who’s been working in the United States for 20 years and taking care of her 80-year-old mother and taking her little kids to church.”
Steve Bunnell, a former DHS general counsel and senior intelligence adviser
Once elevated to his new posts, Salisbury took charge of carrying out the second Trump administration’s agenda for HSI, personally issuing staffing directives, reassignments and promotions, current and former agency officials told ProPublica. (A number of them spoke on condition of anonymity out of fear of retribution.)
Starting in early 2025, Salisbury oversaw the unprecedented reassignment of more than 6,000 agents to immigration enforcement, diverting most of the agency from its normal duties. He then also pointed HSI at noncitizen voting, presiding over multiple meetings with officials at DOJ and Homeland Security focused on election fraud, according to emails reviewed by ProPublica and agency supervisors who worked with him.
“Stephen Miller has an HSI deputy for a reason,” said Eric Balliet, a high-level HSI manager who retired in 2024 after 23 years with the agency. (Like many HSI veterans, Balliet has remained in close contact with former colleagues.) “Salisbury is going to salute and execute, and he is going to make sure that from the HSI side, they fall in line, and there’s going to be no resistance or pushback. HSI has been turned into the Swiss Army knife of federal law enforcement.”
In early July 2025, Frank Quiñones, an HSI special agent who’d worked under Salisbury in Florida, approached leaders at the HSI Innovation Lab with an idea for using the agency’s technology to find noncitizen voters on state voter rolls, sources at the agency told ProPublica. Quiñones had been transferred to Washington to oversee a unit that had previously handled cases involving the theft of government benefits but that had been enlisted into voting investigations.
The lab, housed in an unmarked office in a D.C. suburb, had access to the government’s most sensitive databases, from suspicious activity reports to arrest records. Staffed by a combination of HSI experts and outside consultants, it developed software tools to comb the data for information that could help agents pursue criminal suspects.
Quiñones was a true believer in Trump’s claims about election fraud: In multiple Facebookpostsandreposts, ProPublica found, he promoted claims that the 2020 presidential vote had been stolen. At a meeting with the Innovation Lab’s overseers, according to sources who worked in the lab, he pitched using the lab’s technology to identify illegal voters — even though the agency lacked voter rolls that included identifiers such as partial Social Security numbers. (Quiñones did not respond to ProPublica requests for comment.)
For proof of concept, Quiñones proposed using a February 2021 public voter list he’d obtained for New Jersey and running it through HSI’s databases. The lab staff viewed his idea as “a little insane,” one recalled — both unreliable and improper. Since the public rolls don’t include voters’ unique identifiers, people at the lab also knew linking them to HSI’s data would produce mismatches — what the staffer called an “ungodly” number of false positives. The lab team also worried about violating longstanding safeguards limiting use of private citizen data. They “didn’t want to touch this,” the staffer added. Quiñones defended his idea, repeatedly declaring: “The president wants this!”
Tom Hodge, an HSI data analyst at the meeting, proposed running the voter information through the Athena Toolbox, an analytical platform developed by the Sandia National Laboratories that had access to all of HSI’s databases. (Hodge did not respond to ProPublica requests for comment. Sandia referred ProPublica’s questions to the facilities’ parent agencies, including the Department of Energy, which did not respond to our requests.)
Hodge and the Sandia team spent the next six weeks on the project, reporting they’d found large numbers of noncitizens on Quiñones’ 2021 New Jersey list. According to one former HSI official, they said they’d found “5,000 high-confidence illegal voters” in just a single New Jersey county. (Officials at the New Jersey secretary of state’s office, which oversees the state’s voter rolls, declined to comment on the claim. Beth Thompson, head of a group for local New Jersey election officials, called the number impossibly high, even accounting for the mistake disclosed by the state.)
The apparent breakthrough couldn’t have come at a better time.
The Trump administration’s other efforts to identify noncitizens on state voter rolls were running into a variety of roadblocks.
The administration had hoped to persuade states to check their voters’ citizenship status using a system called the Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements, or SAVE, but many didn’t. Most states also refused the Justice Department’s demands to turn over their unredacted voter rolls, including partial Social Security numbers, which thwarted the agency’s plan to run them through SAVE. Courts have stymied the DOJ’s attempts to sue for the records, citing the Constitution, which gives primary control over elections to the states.
In an Aug. 21 email to a half dozen administration officials, Quiñones touted the solution he’d brought to the HSI Innovation Lab: using HSI’s platform to search voter rolls. The results, Quiñones noted, could fuel both criminal and immigration investigations.
By the end of the month, those in top election-related roles at DHS and the Justice Department were actively promoting what they dubbed the “HSI Tool” as a preferred alternative to SAVE, according to people familiar with the matter. Among them was Heather Honey, the prominent election denier appointed as a senior counselor at DHS, who is helping lead the government’s efforts to identify noncitizens on voter rolls. (Honey did not respond to ProPublica’s requests for comment. In an email responding to questions to her, DHS said Honey’s “expertise in election administration” was “invaluable to the Department’s efforts to protect critical infrastructure.”)
The White House, too, got behind the idea. In a November email, J. Brian Sikma, special assistant to the president, excitedly noted that the New Jersey trial cross-checking voter rolls with DHS data appeared to have identified a “very significant number” of “potential non-citizens.” (Sikma didn’t respond to a request for comment.)
The DOJ, Sikma reported, had already obtained public voter rolls for many other states. He included a list of them, adding: “It is of paramount importance that these also be reviewed expeditiously.”
Matt Rota for ProPublica
Running “Roughshod” Over Privacy
As the push to use HSI’s tech to search voter information gained momentum, a new problem emerged.
Career attorneys at the Justice Department, including specialists on privacy law, raised concerns that transferring voter rolls wholesale from the agency to DHS might not be legal, according to internal emails reviewed by ProPublica and interviews with several former officials.
The voter rolls the DOJ had collected contained sensitive information on millions of Americans. Even the public versions, which political parties and candidates routinely obtain to target ads and messages, included voters’ addresses, birth dates and party affiliations. For the 16 states that have agreed to share their unredacted voter lists, the DOJ had citizens’ partial Social Security numbers or driver’s license information, too.
Federal laws, particularly the Privacy Act, dictate what data government agencies can collect, what it can be used for, how it can be shared, and how it must be protected. Agencies have to disclose their plans in advance, gathering public comment. A person’s information can’t be released or shared without their consent, subject to limited exceptions.
From the outset, the Trump administration’s effort to combine data across federal agencies has repeatedly drawn criticism from courts and whistleblowers for failing to adhere to restrictions meant to keep data private and secure. In June, for example, a judge prohibited the government from using SAVE for mass searches, ruling the administration had violated federal privacy laws by giving DHS access to Social Security data to enhance the tool. The administration has appealed that ruling.
In July 2025, as word got around that the DOJ might hand over voter data to DHS, a half dozen career attorneys who had been reassigned into the voting section voiced their unease to supervisors, according to two former DOJ lawyers. Their concerns were disregarded, prompting most to resign.
Instead, the DOJ’s office of legal counsel pushed forward with plans to share the public voter rolls, claiming a Privacy Act exception allowed HSI to receive such data without public notice as long as it was for law enforcement purposes. DHS just needed to submit a letter officially requesting the data for those purposes, an attorney in the legal counsel’s office explained, according to internal emails.
But this exception was meant to be used to get information on individual criminal suspects, not to gain mass access to data on people suspected of no wrongdoing, according to Nikhel Sus, chief counsel for Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, which has sued the Trump administration on behalf of voter and pro-privacy groups, filing the case that eventually limited SAVE’s use.
“[Anthony] Salisbury is going to salute and execute, and he is going to make sure that from the HSI side, they fall in line, and there’s going to be no resistance or pushback. HSI has been turned into the Swiss Army knife of federal law enforcement.”
Eric Balliet, a former high-level HSI manager
Peter Winn, a 29-year Justice Department veteran who had served as the agency’s acting privacy chief for nearly a decade, drafted a letter to set out the data-sharing agreement between the DOJ and DHS, according to internal documents reviewed by ProPublica.
In a Feb. 12 email to two top DOJ officials, he said he’d rewritten an initial draft memo to “make the information sharing arrangement far easier to defend, if and when it is challenged in court.”
Rather than simply handing over the voter rolls, Winn proposed having DHS request “pertinent and relevant” information about specific people from the DOJ, then having technical staff at Justice and Homeland Security “coordinate” to fulfill the requests.
“Having slept on it,” Winn wrote, “I ended up deciding that our initial idea of sending a huge amount of raw unprocessed voter registration data to DHS, involved taking far too much unnecessary legal risk, given that 99% of the data would implicate the privacy and civil liberties of United States Citizens, and would risk adding to the false narrative in the establishment press of DOJ and DHS being unconcerned with the privacy and civil liberties of Americans.”
Winn attached his proposed letter, to be signed by Todd Lyons, then the acting director of ICE.
Winn’s suggested restrictions were quickly abandoned, however. A second draft of the letter, dated March 4, contained altered language providing that the voter information would be “transferred” to HSI, with one exception: Voters’ party affiliation would be redacted, if possible, it said.
The final letter, signed by Lyons and sent to the DOJ just two days later, abandoned even that limitation. Just three paragraphs long, it permitted HSI to use the voter rolls to pursue any “appropriate investigation of potential violations of federal election law.”
In response to questions from ProPublica, Winn said “I can’t really comment on internal drafts of correspondence.”
A Justice Department spokesperson defended the government’s actions, saying “no one should oppose intergovernmental data sharing and coordination that enable swift investigations and prosecution of illegal alien voting.” DHS echoed the DOJ’s view, calling such information sharing “essential to protecting America’s election process by keeping noncitizens off voter rolls” and “an easy step to secure our elections.”
Sus said that by pooling voters’ sensitive personal identifiers, along with their party and voting histories, the administration has “run roughshod” over privacy laws and is creating a “1984-style database” that could be used to surveil political participation.
Balliet, the former HSI agent, expressed similar concerns, saying that handing over voter rolls to run through DHS’ systems amounted to “a mass data-collection effort by the government against its own citizens in a non-criminal setting.” On a practical level, he added, the data sharing increased the risk of breaches that can open law-abiding citizens up to identity theft.
“As a citizen, I want the government to take seriously the protection of my private data,” he said. “If it falls into the wrong hands, it’s not the government that suffers. It’s me.”
Matt Rota for ProPublica
Collapsing Claims
By January 2026, scores of HSI agents were fanning out across the country to investigate thousands of leads about illegal voting.
About 25,000 of them involved people SAVE had identified as potential noncitizens on state voter rolls. Another 15,000 were given to HSI’s cross-border financial crimes unit, which was told to prioritize them over money laundering and fraud cases, a former high-level HSI official said. Quiñones’ unit led a separate effort to find additional cases by reviewing whether people who’d recently become citizens had voted before they were naturalized, then lied about it in naturalization interviews.
Still more leads came from running public voter rolls through the HSI lab’s databases, though it’s not clear how many. Agency sources told ProPublica that the rolls of New Jersey and Pennsylvania were searched using the Athena Toolbox. When DHS announced it had found more than 250,000 noncitizens on the registered voter lists of four Democrat-led states, it said that included “as many as” 35,152 in New Jersey and 14,576 in Pennsylvania. Both states have asked DHS to provide the source of the numbers.
Once federal investigators started digging into these cases, however, they often fell apart.
Through May, prosecutors had charged fewer than four dozen people with crimes related to noncitizen voting, ProPublica’s analysis of DOJ data and federal court filings shows, getting convictions or guilty pleas in 14 cases.
The largest cluster of cases was brought in the Southern District of Florida, headed by Jason Reding Quiñones (no relation to the HSI agent), a staunch Trump ally who has led investigations of the president’s political opponents. Voters have been sentenced in eight of the office’s cases; seven others are pending.
Prosecutors have initiated a total of seven noncitizen voting cases as of May in the four states where DHS claimed to have found more than a quarter million noncitizens on the rolls. Collectively, these states have more than 40 million registered voters.
Overall, the paltry numbers reflect the realities HSI investigators confronted on the ground as they tried to convert leads into cases, a ProPublica review of records obtained by voting-advocacy groups Campaign Legal Center and Democracy Forward shows.
Emails between agents and local election officials in Texas and Ohio indicate much of the federal information on purported noncitizens was inaccurate, the consequence of flawed data matching. When agents demanded voting histories and registration forms, they often discovered people weren’t registered in the counties where HSI thought they were. When voters register, they must attest that they are U.S. citizens; agents found some, however, who’d been put on voter rolls in error after disclosing they weren’t citizens. Many had never voted.
“Our initial idea of sending a huge amount of raw unprocessed voter registration data to DHS, involved taking far too much unnecessary legal risk, given that 99% of the data would implicate the privacy and civil liberties of United States Citizens.”
Peter Winn, a Justice Department veteran, in an email urging limits on data sharing that were not adopted
Most HSI agents, steeped in pursuing complex international crimes, had no experience in pursuing voting fraud. In his email to Nick Davis at the Justice Department, Teirab, the top deputy in Minnesota’s U.S. attorney’s office, described the chaos that ensued when the state and at least six counties got subpoenas for voters’ records. The demands “presented a host of issues,” Teirab wrote to Davis. (Davis did not respond to a request for comment.)
“An unknown number of agents are constantly arriving in Minnesota without any knowledge of the investigation, the issues already discussed and decided, and the processes they need to follow,” Teirab complained. “Instead of getting up to speed and learning, they have demanded many calls and subpoenas, most of which demonstrate a complete lack of understanding of the investigation.”
In Stearns County in central Minnesota, HSI agents subpoenaed voting histories on 13 people, county officials told ProPublica. Only six turned out to live there.
Minnesota Secretary of State Steve Simon, a Democrat, said the effort revealed federal investigators’ ignorance about “the nuance of elections administration.” The rate of purposeful election crime is “microscopic,” he said. “The very human errors that can happen are not some sort of plot or scheme to dirty up the voting rolls, but are just everyday human beings making mistakes, not intending at all to violate any law.”
As of May, only one illegal voting case has been referred for prosecution in Minnesota. The state has more than 3.8 million registered voters.
Even Republican-led states like Ohio, which has shared its unredacted voter rolls with the DOJ and run them through the SAVE system, have struggled to meet Trump administration demands to deliver cases.
In October, the Ohio secretary of state referred more than 1,000 voters identified as possible noncitizens to the federal government, claiming 167 had voted at least once since 2018. At least nine HSI agents in Cincinnati and Cleveland began to investigate, emails obtained by Campaign Legal Center and shared with ProPublica show.
The agents bombarded local election officials with requests for voting histories and other records, some dating back decades. “Sorry again for piecemealing these to you,” one agent wrote to an official in Butler County, outside Cincinnati, after making five separate requests over two weeks. Mohamed Al-Hamdani, a Democratic member of Montgomery County’s Board of Elections, which received similar inquiries, said they amounted to “witch hunts” that ate up staff time.
In February, Davis sent an email pressing Ohio’s two U.S. attorneys’ offices for an “election integrity” update, asking: “How close are we to complaints/indictments, how many subjects, what issues you’ve run into, how many referrals have been closed and why, how helpful HSI has been.”
As of May, just two voting cases had been referred for prosecution in Ohio and no one had been charged, federal data shows. The state has nearly 8 million voters.
Now, however, U.S. attorneys’ offices are taking a different approach, pursuing prosecutions that could result in prison terms or deportation.
In May 2025, federal prosecutors in Florida filed illegal voting charges against a mother and daughter, both Ukrainian citizens, who’d registered after becoming permanent U.S. residents, then voted in the 2024 presidential election. They’ve pleaded not guilty, with the mother saying in an interview with investigators that she thought having a green card meant she could vote. They and their attorneys didn’t respond to requests for comment from ProPublica. The prosecutor handling the case for the Southern District of Florida also didn’t respond to questions. The mother and daughter are scheduled to go to trial in September.
Matt Rota for ProPublica
“Far-Reaching Consequences”
Experts on both elections and national security warn there may be profound longer-term costs to unleashing the federal government’s investigative and prosecutorial might to try to prove the president’s claims about noncitizen voting.
Current and former HSI agents say critical investigations — including task forces aimed at drug rings, human trafficking and money laundering — have languished as the agency has pivoted to take on noncitizen voting and immigration enforcement.
In February 2026, according to court files and emails reviewed by ProPublica, an HSI agent in Ohio who’d been leading a multistate child sex abuse investigation was abruptly assigned to pursue dozens of leads on suspected noncitizen voters, work that took months. It wasn’t until May that he made an arrest in the other case. Prosecutors have filed child exploitation and pornography charges against the man, 38, in connection with acts involving at least five 14-year-old girls.
Cases like this “don’t just stop,” said Balliet, the 23-year HSI veteran. “When you pull people off them for an extended period of time, those criminal networks will adapt, and people get killed and kidnapped.”
Federal data hints at a broader slowdown in what had been HSI’s most urgent work. According to an annual government report, the number of wiretaps obtained by DHS — often to investigate drug trafficking — plummeted to 23 in 2025, from 133 the previous year. In the report, DHS attributed the decline to several factors, including “changes in administration enforcement and prosecutorial priorities.”
“It’s never been a better time to be involved in transnational organized crime,” said John Tobon, a high-ranking HSI official who retired in early 2025.
“The very human errors that can happen are not some sort of plot or scheme to dirty up the voting rolls, but are just everyday human beings making mistakes, not intending at all to violate any law.”
Minnesota Secretary of State Steve Simon
In its statement, DHS denied HSI has neglected its core mission, saying the agency has increased its efforts to combat criminal cartels, gangs and drug traffickers in response to multiple Trump executive orders.
Though HSI’s voting-related investigations have yielded only a small number of prosecutions, voter advocacy groups worry the Trump administration will use them to justify more extreme interventions.
“Those concerns are playing out in real time, with far-reaching consequences,” said Dax Goldstein, a director at the States United Democracy Center, a nonprofit group that works to build confidence in elections. “When federal agencies are misused and weaponized, people lose trust in government itself.”
President Trump has signed a national security presidential memorandum allowing federal law enforcement agencies to partner with private technology companies to execute offensive cyber operations against foreign criminal groups and international adversaries. Under the directive, vetted private sector tech firms will be permitted to work under direct federal supervision to propose, coordinate, and execute targeted cyber actions.
The move marks a significant shift in US cyber policy, formalising a role for private industry in offensive operations that have traditionally been the preserve of government agencies.
“A coalition of the willing”
Commenting on the announcement, Kyle Hanslovan, CEO and co-founder of Huntress, said, “Considering the rapidly accelerated sophistication of organised cybercrime and nation-state actors, close public and private collaboration is no longer an option. When you add the reality of AI-powered autonomous threats, the only viable solution is a stronger coalition of the willing, which we are eager to support.
One key pillar to the success of this programme will be the appropriate use of hyperscalers for their breadth of intelligence data and die-hard security research labs like Huntress for their agility and operational depth to truly disrupt adversaries. Another key pillar will be the deconfliction process to ensure private industry doesn’t interfere with the value of long term persistent access operations which often lead to public arrests and geo-political negotiations.
All-in-all, I’m proud to see the US Government push the boundaries when it comes to denying, degrading, and disrupting these measurable threats to democracy. If done correctly, I believe it will ultimately slow the illegal transfer of wealth and knowledge from Western civilization.”
Concerns over collateral damage and delay
Not all reaction has been unreserved. Ben Bernstein, cybersecurity advisor at Huntress, added, “I’m all for expanding public-private cooperation because the government clearly can’t fight transnational cybercrime on its own, but I have concerns about how this actually plays out in the wild. When you look at the operational reality of green-lighting private offensive ops, you hit two massive roadblocks: collateral damage and bureaucratic lag.
Threat actors don’t launch attacks from labeled servers in Moscow; they route traffic through compromised, innocent infrastructure, like a vulnerable router at an Ohio dental office or a hospital network. That makes it practically impossible to “strike back” without taking out innocent bystanders. Plus, adversary infrastructure is incredibly ephemeral, often burning down in a matter of hours. By the time a vetted firm submits a target, sits through the DOJ and DHS deconfliction reviews, and finally gets a green light, they’ll be shooting at ghosts. Expecting government bureaucracy to move at the speed of modern ransomware operators is wildly optimistic.”
A signal to adversaries
Tim Mackey, head of software supply chain risk strategy at Black Duck, struck a more cautionary tone, concluding, “Ignoring the reality that it’s difficult to identify the source of cybercriminal activity, endorsing private companies to conduct offensive cyberactivity is far more likely to increase criminal, and potentially nation-state, activity than deter it. Without careful governance and control, individuals with access to sophisticated surveillance technologies could easily abuse that access and engage in surveillance efforts for personal gain. Unfortunately, one message this memo does send to adversaries is – the US government needs private companies and their capabilities to defend against cyberattacks.”
The memorandum is likely to prompt further debate within the security community over how offensive cyber operations conducted by private firms should be governed, vetted, and deconflicted from ongoing law enforcement and intelligence operations.
A new White House memo signed by U.S. President Donald Trump has instructed the National Coordination Center (NCC) to establish a program that would allow private sector companies to take advantage of their "innovative capabilities" to break into foreign Transnational Criminal Organizations (TCOs) and disrupt them.
"By partnering with vetted United States companies subject to the direction and
EPISODE 15: The Boss has popped into Mission Control to remind us to send him the numbers he needs for his monthly management report. Once's he's gone the PFY sighs, makes up a set of numbers, appends believable exponents, adds some fancy sounding units to the end and then sends them to through a script file to convert them into something the Boss can use. None of it matters, as no one cares about the numbers anyway. At Management level there's likely to be more interest in the undigested-meat portion of the Boss' stool sample than our uptime stats, firewall throughput, or the Company's online storage totals... Still, the PFY will fabricate the data, extrude it through a Perl script to create a graphic panel complete with a pie chart or two, and maybe a Venn diagram, then send it to the Boss. The Boss then pastes it into the top right corner of his report document, which gets sent on to the higher-ups, month after month, year after year. The real shame is that none of the higher ups has ever taken the time to flip through the Boss' reports chronologically - and thereby view the PACMAN-like animation the PFY's data has been so diligently creating all this time. You've got to make your own fun in this job. And no one cares if the numbers are wildly inaccurate. Back in the old days, someone might wonder how we'd achieved 117 percent uptime, or whether 17.6267 terafleptules was a real thing or not, but at this point no one will ask any questions so long as the pie chart isn't a single color. As stated, we stopped producing real data years ago, and, on the rare occasion we're questioned about the validity of the data, we have an excuse close at hand. For a good part of the '90s we leaned heavily on blaming "The internet" for faulty data, though from '97 till around 2001, "Y2K" was solid gold. In recent times - i.e. the data-faking era - "Blockchain implementation" was surprisingly short-lived as an excuse - but we got a good four years out of "It's a COVID thing," before flipping between quantum computing and privacy restrictions for a bit. If pressed, we'll occasionally just shake our heads and quietly murmur "Viruses", "Hackers" or "Zero day attacks", as that covers a multitude of sins, and both the PFY and myself can ramble aimlessly for hours about viruses we have known, and what they might have done to our systems. The only thing we'd be missing in a scenarios like that would the onions in our belts, but no one would notice that while they were thinking up a good excuse to leave the room... "AI" has at least another two years in it - unless of course AI becomes sentient during that time and kills us all... Still, AI might need someone to produce fake stats about how well they're doing... ... The Boss is back surprisingly fast with a query. "I was just looking at the graph and I think there might be a data error." He says, pointing to the graphic. "See there, where is says Terafloptules." "Uh-huh." the PFY says. "Is that a spelling mistake? Only I can't find the work Terafloptules on Google. And last month it was in Terafloctules, not Terafloptules, but I can't find Terafloctules either." "Well, you wouldn't would you. I mean Google looks up data after the fact." "I'm not sure I follow." "Well, say you created a word. Idiomanagement, say. Will Google know about it?" "Yes?" "No, it won't. It won't notice it until it becomes a commonplace word or phrase. In the interim period, before it gets accepted and has a wider use, Google will simply skip over it, assuming it's a spelling mistake of some similar word." "So... we're... using a word that doesn't exist?" the Boss asks. "No, we're using a word that doesn't exist in common usage. It's like DVD Player in 1996. If someone saw that written down then, they might have thought it was DUD player and thought you were referring to Aly Dia. Now though, the word's in common usage." "So is there a word we could use that people would be more familiar with?" "I guess we could use Gigafloptules, but then I'd have to mention on the legend that the units are in thousands." "What is a gigafloptule?" "I'm glad you asked!" the PFY blurts happily. "To get to the bottom of that you really need to know a little bit about the parsec measurement of the speeds of data - but don't worry, it's not nearly as complicated as it sounds! You see, when Rutherford split the neutron with a nitrogen atom back in the 1850s, he noticed that a small amount of energy, a floptule, was ejected from the uranium positron... I leave the PFY rambling while I pop up to the cafeteria to see if they have any onions. Yellow ones, because of the war... BOFH: Previous episodes on The Register The Compleat BOFH Archives 95-99
Illustration by Shoshana Gordon/ProPublica. Source image: U.S. Treasury via Wikimedia Commons.
When the Justice Department indicted the Southern Poverty Law Center in April on controversial fraud charges, the storied civil rights organization faced a major threat to its lifeblood — the flow of donor dollars.
Not because it was convicted or because the Internal Revenue Service revoked its tax-exempt status. Not even because individual donors stopped writing checks.
Instead, three Wall-Street-affiliated grantmaking giants each made a decision, one they refused to fully explain, to prevent donors from using their platforms to give to the embattled nonprofit.
Vanguard Charitable, Fidelity Charitable and Charles Schwab’s DAFgiving360 sponsor donor-advised funds, offering account holders immediate tax deductions on contributions they can later recommend be granted to charities.
Once niche, donor-advised fund sponsors controlled more than $327 billion in assets as of 2024, over 10 times their footprint two decades ago. They are the conduit for about a quarter of all individual giving in the U.S.
After the three sponsors cut off the SPLC, ProPublica investigated how the new gatekeepers of American philanthropy make these opaque, high-stakes decisions.
In examining the treatment of dozens of nonprofits, we uncovered troubling inconsistencies in how some DAF sponsors applied their policies and found that donors and affected charities are routinely left in the dark about how decisions are made.
The three sponsors are nonprofits spun off from major brokerages. Their accounts, used largely by high-income earners, charge administrative fees while sponsors retain legal control over the charitable assets. (ProPublica has received donations through each of the groups.) Donors “advise” the sponsors on where to send grants, but sponsors can deny requests for any reason.
They say decisions stem from policy triggers. Vanguard Charitable pauses payments when an organization faces formal charges, while Fidelity Charitable and DAFgiving360 say they “may” or “might” stop donations if organizations come under investigation by government or law enforcement agencies.
Deone Powell, a former general counsel for Vanguard Charitable who now advises nonprofits, said that DAF sponsors don’t view these moves as moral policing, but instead as ways of protecting their own brands. “All of these really speak to reputational risks for the sponsoring organizations,” he said.
They weigh these choices carefully, given the possible ripple effects, he said. “A single decision often establishes a precedent that’s going to affect thousands of other future recommendations.”
But ProPublica found that Fidelity and DAFgiving360 appeared to apply their policies unevenly. Even though they froze donations to the SPLC, they allowed numerous other groups to keep receiving money amid government investigations. The cases included hospitals, universities, charter schools and even a white nationalist organization.
The sponsors say their decisions are viewpoint neutral, and ProPublica found no evidence to the contrary. Removed groups spanned the political spectrum. But most of the ones that spoke to ProPublica shared one common experience: silence from the sponsors.
Months after being deemed ineligible for donations, the SPLC still doesn’t know why the action was taken or whether there is a path to reinstatement, according to a source familiar with the matter. The legal pressure, however, continues: A former employee was indicted this week on charges related to the case.
“I don’t think Fidelity, Vanguard and Schwab are acting in bad faith,” said Joe Goldman, the president of Democracy Fund, a foundation supporting democratic principles. “They’re applying old rules to new circumstances without recognizing that the circumstances have changed.”
President Donald Trump has put nonprofits under an intense spotlight, alleging that many of them “undermine the security, prosperity, and safety of the American people” and directing federal agencies to align funding decisions with administration priorities.
Members of Congress, mainly Republicans, have initiated over 135 investigations into nonprofits since 2025, often claiming that charities were operating with foreign influence, engaging in supporting terrorism, or promoting diversity, equity and inclusion.
In letters sent to the IRS, Republican lawmakers accused several organizations that support pro-Palestine efforts of funding terrorism and asked for them to be investigated.
One of the charities has not been charged in court, and another was the subject of a state investigation. Neither has had its IRS status revoked, but they no longer appear on a Fidelity Charitable donation portal that allows users to select charities to donate to, ProPublica found. Fidelity wouldn’t say whether the letters played a role.
“This is potentially a way that a hostile legislator could harm tax-exempt organizations without having to prove anything,” said Samuel Brunson, a Loyola University Chicago School of Law professor who researches nonprofits. “Even if these letters are completely legitimate, you can take that same set of tools and use them illegitimately.”
The consequences can be significant. The SPLC, for instance, has received $20 million through Fidelity Charitable, Vanguard Charitable and DAFgiving360 in the past three years, with roughly 7% of its 2025 contributions coming from the three sponsors that cut it off.
“When investment firms block donor-advised funds to nonprofits based on allegations and speculation, it not only impedes critical charitable work; it also sets a dangerous precedent that stifles the rights of donors and chills the rights of the organizations they seek to support,” said an SPLC spokesperson in a statement to ProPublica.
The fund sponsors have not responded to similar concerns voiced by 16 state attorneys general, who wrote that their actions could enable weak or politically motivated investigations to “suppress, chill, or dismantle organizations” that are doing vital work.
Their own donors are also reaching out.
Dawn Piccolo, a retired Fidelity Investments senior vice president who has kept a DAF account since the 1990s, is a fervent supporter of donor-advised funds. She wrote to Fidelity Charitable reminding the sponsor that it had allowed another charity under similar fire to keep receiving gifts. “The SPLC has not been found guilty of anything,” she wrote. “Preemptively restricting donations under these circumstances sets a troubling precedent.”
All three fund sponsors declined to be interviewed for this story or answer detailed questions, including on their process for identifying nonprofits facing allegations and deciding which ones to ban. Fidelity Charitable said it does not comment on decisions involving individual charities and declined to give a statement.
DAFgiving360 said in a statement that it “communicates directly with donors when a grant recommendation is impacted by an eligibility determination” and will provide information on other alternatives when appropriate. The sponsor said that it does “not take charity eligibility decisions lightly.”
In a separate statement, Vanguard Charitable noted its “procedural pause” is “not a value judgment; it is the application of objective criteria and reflects Vanguard Charitable’s responsibility, as the legal owner and steward of the charitable assets, to review and approve the grants made in its name.” A spokesperson said it denies fewer than half a percent of donors’ donation recommendations annually and that “independent oversight is central to the value of donor-advised fund structure.”
Unexplained Inconsistencies
ProPublica reviewed donor-advised fund sponsors’ policies and giving records alongside government actions taken against charities to understand when and how sponsors intervene.
The review identified cases in which Fidelity Charitable and DAFgiving360 diverged from their treatment of the SPLC and kept giving to charities facing the kinds of government investigations their guidelines identify as grounds for halting donations.
Then-Washington Attorney General Bob Ferguson sued Providence Health and Services in February 2022, alleging that the nonprofit Catholic healthcare system illegally billed and aggressively collected payments from low-income patients without determining if they were qualified for charity care.
The case was extensively covered in the regional media, and Ferguson’s own news release emphasized that Providence’s conduct continued despite an investigation by his office.
Even so, Fidelity Charitable and DAFgiving360 allowed Providence to keep getting donations, ProPublica found.
Providence ultimately agreed to pay $150 million in refunds and debt relief for unlawful charges, the largest resolution of its kind in the country, according to Ferguson’s office. Providence did not admit to any wrongdoing.
Fidelity Charitable and DAFgiving360 also kept sending donations to Grand Canyon University as it faced a lawsuit and a $38 million fine following federal investigations that found it deceptively advertised the cost and course requirements of its doctoral programs and made illegal calls to consumers. The university denied the allegations, calling them “unsubstantiated.”
The Department of Education rescinded the fine in May 2025, and the Federal Trade Commission dismissed its remaining case months later after losing multiple court motions. But records show the Christian university drew donations from both fund sponsors throughout the two-year dispute.
Idea Public Schools, Texas’ largest charter school network, was investigated from 2021 to 2024 by the state’s chief charter school regulator amid allegations of lavish spending on private jets and parachute payments to leaders.
Fidelity Charitable kept the dollars flowing throughout.
The charter network was ultimately placed in a conservatorship by the state and forced to pay back $28.7 million to the U.S. Department of Education. The network acknowledged that it did not properly ensure that funds were administered lawfully in a statement released at the time.
Then there’s VDARE Foundation, which ran an influential far-right, white nationalist website. In 2022, New York Attorney General Letitia James began investigating the organization for misuse of millions in charitable assets. As VDARE faced subpoenas, it solicited donations asking supporters to “help us fight back.” Clear evidence on its homepage that it was under investigation didn’t stop DAFgiving360 (formerly Schwab Charitable) from continuing to give.
An article published by VDARE, a white nationalist website run by VDARE Foundation. DAFgiving360 continued giving to the foundation, despite its policy that it “may” stop donations if organizations come under investigation by government or law enforcement agencies.Screenshot by ProPublica
James sued the organization in 2025. Its leaders are fighting the charges, and the case remains open. VDARE, whose website is now inactive, is no longer listed as an option for current DAFgiving360 customers. The sponsor would not say when the charity was removed, but said in a statement that it conducts a “thorough assessment” to determine eligibility and that it “applies its policies consistently across all charitable organizations, regardless of their political viewpoint or orientation.”
The fund sponsors’ discretion to keep money moving to embattled groups becomes evident when considering the Trump administration’s actions against major universities.
Dozens of colleges became the subjects of formal government investigations involving their handling of campus protests and alleged antisemitism tied to the crisis in Palestine and Israel and over allegations of diversity, equity and inclusion. At least 20 of the universities are still listed as options for donation recommendations on Fidelity Charitable’s and DAFgiving360’s websites. ProPublica asked each school if it was still receiving funds from the DAFs. Most did not respond. One said that it has not seen a decline in donations from the sponsors.
Rather than making ad-hoc decisions about which organizations to keep giving to, some legal experts told ProPublica that fund sponsors should follow the direction of the IRS, which has the authority to investigate and rescind tax-exempt status through an audit, while also providing avenues for organizations that come under scrutiny to appeal decisions they don’t agree with.
“The wisest choice is probably to rely on the IRS list,” said Lloyd Mayer, a professor at the University of Notre Dame Law School who researches nonprofits. Cutting off organizations deemed eligible by the IRS, Mayer said, runs the risk of looking inconsistent or partisan.
“An investigation by who? An indictment at what level? Is it only federal government indictments? Is it also state indictments? What about the local county prosecutor? Of the thousands of counties in the United States, if any one of them brings an indictment, you’re gonna stop? Where do you start drawing the lines?”
Answerable to Few
ProPublica used an internal Fidelity Charitable tool to identify 22 nonprofit organizations that Fidelity had given to in the past but no longer lists as options to donors. ProPublica limited its analysis to nonprofits that have raised $1 million or more annually.
The charities represent a cross section of ideologies and missions — left- and right-leaning, foreign and domestic, media, religious, humanitarian.
The list includes The Epoch Times, the conservative media outlet whose chief financial officer pleaded guilty in July to federal money-laundering charges, as well as pro-Israel nonprofits that support the country’s defense forces. It also includes the Alliance for Global Justice, a progressive, Arizona-based organization scrutinized for its financial ties to a Palestinian group that the American and Canadian governments designated a terrorist organization in 2024.
The Epoch Times released a short statement following the plea agreement, noting that it was not named in the lawsuit. The Alliance for Global Justice has called the allegations against it “false and unsubstantiated.” Both groups are currently eligible to receive tax-deductible donations, according to the IRS.
Fidelity refused to confirm it had deemed these charities ineligible. A source familiar with the sponsor said donors can manually enter a charity’s tax information to ask the fund to make a contribution to an unlisted charity. But ProPublica reviewed requests from two donors who tried the manual workaround. Both were turned down.
ProPublica attempted to ask representatives of all 22 charities if they understood why they did not appear on Fidelity’s rolls of more than 1 million potential grant recipients. Seven responded.
One of the only groups that said it had gotten a clear answer about its removal was the United Aid and Logistics Foundation.
“Our activities include providing aid to those defending the safety and human rights of Ukraine’s men, women and children, which Fidelity does not consider to be humanitarian,” said Sytske de Boer, a director of the volunteer group. “We understand it is their prerogative, however we disagree with their interpretation and hope they reconsider.”
Four organizations told ProPublica they’d been left with no or unclear answers from Fidelity Charitable. Among them is Nonviolence International, a group founded by a Palestinian activist that supports nonviolent campaigns worldwide.
“Substantial funds have been paused by Fidelity DAF that were earmarked for our projects,” co-director Michael Beer said in a statement. “If funding is not resumed, nonviolence training, education, and intervention programs for marginalized communities will be slashed.”
Donors have also been met with silence.
Piccolo, the retired Fidelity senior vice president, said that the decision to cut off the SPLC seemed at odds with the careful decision-making she’d come to expect from the fund sponsor. “This action feels out of band for me,” she said in an interview. “The case appears weak and politically motivated.”
For over 25 years, the SPLC has tracked the activity and influence of extremist groups across the country. Its “Hate Map” lists over 1,200 groups with connections to white nationalism, the neo-Nazi movement, antigovernmentalism and a plethora of other ideologies that it says are rooted in hate.
The tool has been widely cited by journalists and academics for years, and, up until last year, the FBI utilized SPLC research to assist in law enforcement efforts. The map has drawn scrutiny under the Trump administration, whose supporters are among some of the right-leaning groups the organization has labeled extremists.
In a letter addressed to top White House aide Stephen Miller last year, several of those groups called the map a “smear tactic” and called upon the Trump administration to remove references to the SPLC’s work from the federal government.
The Justice Department’s ultimate accusation was unorthodox. Prosecutors alleged that the SPLC’s longtime practice of paying confidential “field sources” to monitor extremist groups like the Ku Klux Klan constituted a fraudulent diversion of donor funds.
The SPLC pleaded not guilty to 11 counts of wire fraud, giving false statements to a federally insured bank and conspiracy to commit money laundering. Former federal prosecutors called the indictment “stretched” and “not valid,” and whistleblower reports to Democratic lawmakers said that the prosecution was rushed despite weak evidence.
The Justice Department did not respond to a request for comment. Earlier this week, it arrested Heidi Beirich, a former SPLC employee, on charges connected to the case. Prosecutors allege that she facilitated secret payments to informants inside extremist groups. Beirich’s attorney said that she is innocent and the case is “without merit.”
“I can understand that if overwhelming evidence were to emerge publicly in the course of proceedings, a temporary pause might be warranted,” Piccolo wrote to Fidelity Charitable. “But that is not where things stand.”
While company representatives sent rote responses and promised to pass along her inquiries, Piccolo told ProPublica that she has yet to receive a thorough explanation of their actions. She has stopped funding her Fidelity Charitable account and plans to move her existing balance to a different sponsor.
After the fund sponsors moved to cut off the SPLC, 16 state attorneys general, all Democrats, registered their objections in a letter.
“As attorneys general, many of us are the chief regulators of nonprofits, charities, and charitable trusts in our states, and serve as representatives of the public and donor intent,” they wrote. “This decision raises serious concerns that you are allowing the DOJ’s selective political targeting of a charity to impact your donor-advised giving decisions.”
They said their concerns were amplified by the sponsors’ refusal to disclose other charities whose donations they’d paused.
They have not received a response.
Powell, the former Vanguard Charitable attorney, said the sponsors are unlikely to be moved by public blowback.
“I don’t see this as being earth-shattering enough where it’s going to drive any immediate change,” he said. “These are sponsoring organizations that are aligned with financial institutions, which are traditionally adverse to risk. Once policies are in place, it takes a lot to change something.”
But in the future, he expects large account holders will want more from the fund sponsors than just moving their money between organizations.
“I think that any change is going to be driven by donors who are asking questions about how their philanthropy is defending democracy.”
Rilasciati aggiornamenti di sicurezza per risolvere una vulnerabilità con gravità “alta” in Zimbra Collaboration, nota piattaforma di collaborazione e-mail sviluppata da Synacor Inc. Tale vulnerabilità, qualora sfruttata, potrebbe consentire a utenti malintenzionati remoti di eseguire codice arbitrario sui sistemi interessati.
Scotland's public prosecution service has warned 300 staff that their personal information may have been caught up in a cyberattack on one of its suppliers. The Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service (COPFS) disclosed the incident on Thursday, saying an unnamed third-party supplier detected suspicious activity on August 5 and subsequently launched an investigation. COPFS said its own systems were not compromised and that the incident involves information provided for an online data maturity assessment completed by the prosecution service last year. The Scottish government organized the assessment, which was managed by the affected supplier. COPFS said the potentially exposed information is limited to employment-related data submitted for the exercise, including staff names, roles, and work email addresses. In a statement to The Register, a COPFS spokesperson said: "COPFS is aware that a Scottish Government partner has been subject to a data security breach. We understand that this has affected around 300 COPFS colleagues who participated in a public sector data maturity survey. "This is unconnected to casework and did not involve sensitive or confidential case information. There is no impact on the work of the prosecution service. "Colleagues have been reminded of guidance on responding to any phishing or scam attempts which may arise from this third-party breach." According to COPFS, the supplier has taken steps to secure its systems and is still investigating how the intrusion happened and precisely what information may have been accessed. COPFS said it would provide further updates if "significant new information" emerges. It is unclear whether the incident is connected to the recent exploitation of a zero-day vulnerability in business intelligence platform Metabase. The Scottish government did not answer our question about whether the affected supplier used the software. Metabase disclosed this month that attackers had exploited a previously unknown vulnerability in its cloud service, potentially allowing them to gain administrator access and reach connected databases. As we reported earlier this week, modular laptop maker Framework was among those affected. For now, the supplier breach leaves plenty of questions and few answers about who got in or what they accessed. ®
Huntress will be heading to International Cyber Expo 2026, where visitors can meet the team on Stand K94 and discover how the company is helping organisations tackle increasingly complex cyber threats with fewer resources.
One of the biggest challenges Huntress is seeing is the growing attack surface. Security teams are expected to protect endpoints, identities, cloud environments and other systems, often while dealing with limited time, resources and expertise.
At the same time, attackers are no longer operating in silos. Attacks increasingly move across different parts of an organisation’s environment, leaving security teams managing multiple tools and an overwhelming number of alerts.
At International Cyber Expo, Huntress will showcase its more unified, managed approach to security. The Huntress platform combines greater visibility across the attack surface with AI technologies and human security analysts to help partners and customers detect and respond to threats.
Tackling the rise of AI-powered attacks
AI-powered cybercrime will also be a major focus for Huntress at the show.
Generative AI is making it easier for attackers to create convincing phishing emails, develop malicious code and scale their operations. Tasks that previously required significant cybersecurity expertise can now be carried out with the help of readily available AI tools.
Huntress believes AI will also play an important role in helping defenders respond. Its approach uses AI to help analysts correlate security signals, summarise investigations and work faster, while retaining human judgement and context when making critical security decisions.
Visitors can also speak with Huntress about practical ways to strengthen their security posture. These include implementing multi-factor authentication, improving security awareness training and reducing vulnerabilities across the external network perimeter.
And when preventive controls fail, Huntress stresses the importance of having a mechanism to detect and respond to attacks quickly, including access to a 24/7 SOC that can support containment and remediation.
Listen to Huntress Senior Sales Engineer Alex Hitchen discuss the biggest cybersecurity challenges facing organisations today and what Huntress will be showcasing at International Cyber Expo 2026:
You can still register for FREE to attend International Cyber Expo HERE.
La gestione della sicurezza dei privilegi tra endpoint e cloud è cambiata radicalmente. Capire questa evoluzione è fondamentale per proteggere la propria azienda.
Per vent'anni ci siamo concentrati sulla gestione degli accessi privilegiati (PAM) a livello di endpoint, ma oggi lo scenario è del tutto diverso. Infatti le infrastrutture si sono spostate su AWS, Azure e Google Cloud. I dati più preziosi risiedono in applicazioni SaaS e un numero crescente di account di servizio e agenti AI detiene permessi costanti. Nessun vault tradizionale può controllare questa nuova realtà.
I cybercriminali lo sanno bene: non cercano più di "entrare con la forza", ma semplicemente si "autenticano" usando credenziali valide. In questo modo, ereditano ogni singolo privilegio che quell'identità ha accumulato nel tempo.
Questa checklist in cinque fasi ti aiuterà a scoprire dove si nascondono i privilegi inutilizzati nella tua infrastruttura e a eliminarli una volta per tutte, così da proteggere la tua azienda al meglio.
L'evoluzione della minaccia per la sicurezza dei privilegi da endpoint a cloud
Il modello di minaccia legato alla sicurezza dei privilegi tra endpoint e cloud non è scomparso, ma è stato affiancato da un rischio molto più vasto e insidioso. I privilegi si sono spostati e non risiedono più solo all'interno del perimetro aziendale. Infatti oggi sono sparsi ovunque.
Pensa alle autorizzazioni IaaS, ai ruoli di amministratore SaaS, agli account non umani e alle identità AI. Tutti questi elementi possiedono spesso un accesso permanente e non gestito. Non si tratta di un rischio astratto. Report di settore, come quello di IBM sul costo delle violazioni dei dati, mostrano che il costo medio di un data breach ha raggiunto cifre record.
Le aziende con più privilegi permanenti sono quelle che pagano il prezzo più alto.
La soluzione in 5 fasi: una nostra checklist pratica
Il problema di fondo è quasi sempre lo stesso: un'autorizzazione concessa per una necessità specifica che non viene più rivista, revocata o limitata nel tempo. L'accesso permanente non fallisce in modo evidente; semplicemente attende che un malintenzionato lo scopra.
Per colmare questa lacuna, è necessario un approccio strutturato. Le cinque fasi seguenti funzionano in sequenza per costruire una difesa solida e moderna.
Fase 1: consolidare la sicurezza dei privilegi da endpoint a cloud
Prima di guardare al cloud, è essenziale assicurarsi che le fondamenta siano solide. Le nuove sfide non rendono obsolete le vecchie. È quindi cruciale confermare che i controlli di base siano attivi e funzionanti. Questo significa aver implementato il vaulting delle credenziali, rimosso i diritti di amministratore locale e attivato la registrazione delle sessioni.
Se il punto di partenza è vulnerabile, qualsiasi strategia cloud sarà inefficace.
Fase 2: mappare la reale posizione dei privilegi
Non puoi proteggere ciò che non vedi. Questa fase si concentra sulla scoperta ed è qui che la maggior parte delle aziende individua le proprie lacune. Devi ottenere una visibilità completa su dove risiedono realmente i privilegi:
Autorizzazioni nelle piattaforme IaaS (AWS, Azure, GCP)
Ruoli di amministratore e permessi critici nelle applicazioni SaaS
Account di servizio, pipeline CI/CD e altre identità non umane
Agenti AI con accesso a dati e sistemi
Solo una mappatura completa ti darà la consapevolezza necessaria per agire in modo mirato.
Fase 3: eliminare l'accesso permanente (standing access)
La scoperta si trasforma in riduzione del rischio solo quando i privilegi inutilizzati iniziano a scomparire. Questo è il cuore della moderna sicurezza dei privilegi.
L'obiettivo è semplice: rimuovere ogni accesso che non sia strettamente necessario in un preciso momento. Si tratta di "dimensionare correttamente" i permessi (right-sizing), revocando le autorizzazioni dormienti che rappresentano una superficie di attacco.
Fase 4: rendere operativo l'accesso just-in-time (JIT)
Una volta eliminato il superfluo, è il momento di applicare al cloud la lezione imparata dagli endpoint. Invece di gestire meglio i privilegi permanenti, perché non eliminarli del tutto?
Il modello Just-in-Time (JIT) si basa proprio su questo: concedere l'accesso solo quando è necessario e per il tempo indispensabile. Questo approccio, noto come Zero Standing Privileges (ZSP), dipende da un workflow efficiente per non rallentare le operazioni.
Fase 5: dimostrare i risultati
Un programma di sicurezza è efficace solo se puoi misurarlo. Al termine del percorso, devi essere in grado di rispondere a tre semplici domande:
Puoi vedere ogni richiesta di accesso privilegiato?
Puoi dimostrare che ogni concessione è stata limitata nel tempo?
Hai una traccia di audit completa e immutabile per ogni sessione?
Una risposta onesta a queste domande ti dirà a che punto sei veramente nel tuo percorso di messa in sicurezza.
Perché la tua azienda dovrebbe mettere in sicurezza i privilegi tra endpoint e cloud?
La maggior parte delle organizzazioni supera bene la Fase 1, ma si blocca nella Fase 2. La buona notizia è che, una volta ottenuta la visibilità, convertire gli accessi permanenti in un modello JIT è in gran parte un esercizio di automazione. I privilegi hanno lasciato l'endpoint per sempre; è ora che anche le discipline di sicurezza facciano lo stesso.
Che tu operi nel settore finanziario, sanitario o tecnologico, il principio non cambia. Garantire l'accesso temporaneo ai sistemi critici, revocandolo automaticamente, non è più un'opzione, ma una necessità strategica per proteggere il tuo business nell'era del cloud.
The China-linked threat actor known as Jewelbug has been observed carrying out cyber espionage operations targeting governments and militaries, while simultaneously engaging in cryptocurrency fraud.
"Both missions are administered from a single control panel, XG-Web, a browser-centric remote-access and information-stealing framework that turns a victim's browser into a full remote-control
Anthropic's Claude Code appears to be having trouble displaying summaries of its "thinking," according to several bug reports, while the underlying reasoning tokens still cost money. According to complaints, the API has been returning empty thinking blocks for Opus 4.8 and Sonnet 5 even when users explicitly request summarized thinking. Models from several sources can display their "thinking," a process that gives models additional tokens to reason through complex problems before producing a response. Software with this capability delivers a summary that explains how it tackled a task. Some can also indulge in "extended thinking," though this capability is now deprecated. Developers often enable "thinking" in the hope that it produces better results, at the cost of additional tokens and latency. Developer Michael Hood has noticed that some of Anthropic's models are currently not always good at sharing their thinking. "As of 2026-07-16 ~15:00Z, the API returns empty thinking blocks (thinking: '', signature only) for Claude Opus 4.8 and Sonnet 5, even when display: 'summarized' is explicitly requested — including when injected directly into the raw request body," Hood recently observed. We're told this issue is under investigation but doesn't appear to be a broad, ongoing concern. It may simply be an artefact of tests that change how Anthripic displays summaries. Similar behavior involving missing thinking blocks has been reported in Claude Code for VS Code. Another bug report claims thinking block summaries are being truncated while token bills are not adjusted accordingly. "The thinking is generated (and billed) in full; a portion of the summary stream is silently dropped," the anonymous author claims. This particular claim, that customers are being billed for text not delivered, may follow from a misunderstanding of Anthropic's terms: "You are charged for all thinking tokens generated, even when collapsed or redacted," the company's documentation explains. Under that legalese, a thinking summary costs the same as the full output. And it's unclear whether bug-based truncation would change the billing picture. "Thinking has a cost: the tokens Claude spends reasoning are billed as output tokens, even when the thinking text isn't returned to you, and they count toward max_tokens alongside the response text," the company explains. To reduce spending on thinking, customers are advised to lower their budget setting or disable thinking. Separately, the Anthropic API has been seen terminating data streams during long-running thinking sessions. There have been at least seven other related API bug reports, but the streaming issue identified by developer Hector Bernstorff describes client-side defects. The Register understands this particular issue has to do with tuning network behavior, specifically to terminate or retry long running requests. Work is ongoing to balance perceived latency against the risk of requests getting stuck. "Claude Code ships updates nearly every day, and reports from the community like these GitHub issues are a big part of how we catch problems quickly," an Anthropic spokesperson told The Register. "We're grateful to the developers who take the time to file them, and we'll keep fixing things as they come up." ®
Elastic NV ha rilasciato aggiornamenti di sicurezza che risolvono molteplici nuove vulnerabilità, di cui 12 con gravità "alta" che interessano i prodotti Kibana ed Elasticsearch.
Rilasciato aggiornamento di sicurezza per una nuova vulnerabilità, con gravità “alta“, che interessa OpenSSL, nota libreria per l’implementazione degli standard crittografici e i protocolli TLS/SSL. Tale vulnerabilità, qualora sfruttata, potrebbe consentire ad un utente malintenzionato di compromettere la disponibilità del servizio sui sistemi interessati.
Rilevate sei vulnerabilità di cui due con gravità “critica” e sei con gravità "alta" in vari moduli di FreePBX, piattaforma open source per la configurazione e la gestione grafica di centralini telefonici basati su Asterisk. Tali vulnerabilità, qualora sfruttate, potrebbe consentire a un utente malintenzionato di eseguire codice arbitrario ed alterare i dati sui sistemi interessati.
Rilevate 19 vulnerabilità, di cui 5 con gravità “critica” e 14 con gravità "alta", in Rsync, software open source per la sincronizzazione e il trasferimento di file tra sistemi.
Sanata una vulnerabilità con gravità “alta” in WordPress. Tale vulnerabilità, qualora sfruttata, potrebbe consentire ad un utente malintenzionato remoto autenticato di eseguire codice arbitrario sui sistemi interessati.
ON CALL “I can't stand it, I know you planned it, I'm gonna set it straight, this Watergate” is the opening of the Beastie Boys classic Sabotage, a fact we mention as it will soon become pertinent to today’s edition of On Call, The Register’s weekly reader-contributed column that shares your tech support stories. This week, meet a reader we’ll Regomize as “Wade” who in the mid-1980s made a crust by programming in Pick – the minicomputer OS entangled with a database that On Call wrote about last year. Wade told us that he used Pick to write the software that powered a mail order business, before moving on to greener pastures. Several years later, in early 1990, Wade’s mail order boss called him at home in the evening. “He had fired the clerk who did all the work in application I wrote,” Wade explained to On Call. “They entered orders, sent purchase orders out and arranged customer dispatches.” It sounds like the clerk and the mail order company parted ways on bad terms, as this was a “You have an hour to pack up your stuff and leave” affair. “That was unwise,” Wade wrote. “The clerk used that time to sabotage the system … or so she thought, by unplugging it while it was printing the day’s orders.” When the mail order magnate realized the machine was down, he panicked and called Wade – who despite being rather surprised by the summons showed up and realized the first thing to do was plug the Pick machine into a power socket. “I spent a couple of hours booting it up, checking all the data and restarting the print run.” Wade told On Call his old boss was more than happy. “The loss of a night’s sleep was recompensed by the fee I charged,” he wrote. Has someone you’ve forgotten asked you to rescue their tech? If so, click here to send your story to On Call. We promise not to sabotage it if we give it a run on a future Friday. Or as the Beasties put it: “But you, I'm out and I'm gone. I'll tell you now, I keep it on and on.” ®
Disponibili Proof of Concept (PoC) per le vulnerabilità CVE-2026-73613, CVE-2026-73612 e CVE-2026-73611, con gravita “alta” e già sanate dal vendor, presenti in File Browser, applicazione open source e self hosted che fornisce un’interfaccia web per la gestione di file e cartelle su un server.
New Zealand’s Security Intelligence Service (NZSIS) has claimed Chinese companies are building space facilities in the nation to gather military intelligence. Director-general of security Andrew Hampton yesterday made that allegation in the SIS’s annual threat environment assessment. The document points out that New Zealand’s space sector is booming, because the nation’s location makes it “an ideal place to install Ground Based Space Infrastructure (GBSI) … to track satellites and space debris, as well as for collecting a range of other scientific data.” The NZSIS has also found that GBSI is “attractive for foreign states seeking to advance military capabilities and intelligence operations.” The report offers a case study of a China-based organization called “Purple Mountain Observatory” that has “close links” to Beijing and tried to install GBSI in New Zealand. “They worked with a local company that was likely unaware of the equipment’s capability to collect intelligence of military value and would have no idea who was receiving the data,” the report states, before noting that Chinese laws mean Purple Mountain could be compelled to provide information to China’s government. The intelligence agency believes Purple Mountain “would have … willingly passed on” data it collected. “NZSIS, working with other agencies was able to disrupt this activity, but it was not the first time this organisation has attempted to install its own GBSI in New Zealand and is unlikely to be the last.” The report rates China as the only country targeting New Zealand at scale, based on activity NZSIS has been able to observe. “We have observed increased targeting of professional networking sites and online job platforms for espionage purposes by China’s military intelligence services,” the assessment finds. "PRC (People’s Republic of China) intelligence officers, or their affiliates, use an aggressive strategy where they pose as consultants or employees of think tanks, or recruitment firms. They place online job advertisements looking for analysts in foreign policy, international relations, defence or security,” the document states. “Candidates are then vetted by PRC intelligence to determine what information they have had access to and whether they would divulge it. The job offers are lucrative, but the intelligence officers often encourage their candidates to keep their government jobs both to keep the information tap running and to open up opportunities to recruit their colleagues.” The report also observes that some recent cyber-attacks were probably the work of state-backed groups trying to destabilize New Zealand. “Looking for the sharpest needle in endless giant stacks of needles” The document also addresses domestic threats, especially violent extremism. “Part of our job is to work out whether someone’s vitriolic and violent online pronouncements have any link to New Zealand,” the report states. “This is a narrow focus but the pool of information and intelligence we are working with is vast.” “We used to describe our work as finding a needle in a haystack. However, the internet has changed. Large volumes of toxic content, widespread anonymity, and hidden locations mean our job is now like looking for the sharpest needle in endless giant stacks of needles.” “Extremist rhetoric, particularly online, has become more mainstream, a development which has made it even more challenging to differentiate between genuine support for violent extremism, hateful language designed to shock, or online content created simply to drive engagement or ‘likes’.” NZSIS also has to keep an eye on encrypted messaging services and even gaming platforms, to counter violent online communities. “Algorithms on various social media platforms can link non-violent content to progressively more extreme material,” the report states. “The gateway subject matter can quickly expose people to violent extremist content that can support radicalisation.” Kiwis aren’t just recipients of this vile material. “NZSIS has observed New Zealand violent extremists use encrypted messaging systems, social media and online gaming platforms to circulate violent material including weapon tutorials and objectionable content. Their presence on these platforms, many of which are mainstream, also helps them to find like-minded individuals or supporters.” ® Bootnote: Readers interested in New Zealand’s intelligence services might enjoy 2026 comedy series New Zealand Spy, a deadpan delight.
If you want to record whatever you do on a computer, send those records to OpenAI, use more ChatGPT tokens, and increase your vulnerability to prompt injection, then OpenAI has something for you. It's called Computer History, an opt-in way to record your computer interactions across apps and websites as memories organized on a timeline. Why would you want to do so? Maybe you found Chronicle, the predecessor of Computer History which compiled similar histories using screenshots, a bit too intrusive but don't mind Computer History's approach – recording input events and storing them unencrypted locally for 48 hours (or more), with a brief visit to OpenAI's servers. Maybe you're not bothered by the warning OpenAI includes in its documentation: "Computer History files can contain sensitive information. They are not encrypted by Computer History, and other programs running as your macOS user may be able to access them." Perhaps, having given OpenAI's Codex and GPT Work the run of your computer, you're already sold on the suggestion that storing your computer activity in memory files and arranging those interactions in a timeline will improve ChatGPT responses, surface opportunities for automation, and make it easier to resume prior work. Computer History is, to put it bluntly, a keylogging and event capture system. There was a time before eyeglass cameras, license plate readers, surveillance capitalism, and police drones when such snooping might have provoked an outcry from privacy advocates. But the tech industry has found it can outsource surveillance to its own customers and in so doing make the panopticon harder to protest once it becomes a personal choice. "Computer History creates an interaction-event stream from allowed apps and websites," OpenAI's documentation explains. "Events can include clicks, typing, keyboard shortcuts, app switches, and context that macOS exposes through its accessibility system. Computer History periodically turns these events into text summaries and local memory files." The AI biz makes a point of noting that Computer History does not capture screen images, microphone input, or system audio. Nor does it capture private-mode browsing. Off by default, Computer History is available for ChatGPT Pro, Business, and Enterprise users in the ChatGPT desktop app on macOS. Pro users can enable it individually; Business and Enterprise users need an admin to approve it. It's not available currently in the European Economic Area (EEA), Switzerland, or the United Kingdom or to those accessing ChatGPT via API key or Amazon Bedrock. There are circumstances in which OpenAI suggests Computer History users might want to suspend the service if they have some scruples about capturing user activity in apps and websites without permission. "Turn it off during communications with other people unless you have their prior express consent," the company advises, perhaps in acknowledgement of legal risk. "Consider pausing it or excluding apps that contain sensitive health, financial, or personal information." Computer History interaction events are supposed to be saved locally for up to 48 hours before being deleted by ChatGPT and Codex. Events, however, get sent to OpenAI servers to generate memories, and those may be stored locally for longer periods of time and may be used in future chats that get passed back to OpenAI. "OpenAI does not retain those event files after processing unless required by law and does not use them for training," the company says. While it has opposed demands for chat logs, it has nonetheless provided chat logs in response to legal process. Computer History adds cost because it uses tokens during the summarization of activities and the creation of memory data. It also expands the prompt injection attack surface. "Computer History increases the risk of prompt injection from content in apps and websites," the company says. "For example, if you visit a website containing malicious instructions, ChatGPT or Codex might follow those instructions." But at least you get a nice timeline of your recent activity. ®
If you're fed up with search results drowning out the bits of the web you actually care about, you could always build your own search index, as one developer did. Nottingham, UK-based software dev Alex Morley-Finch built the open-source project dubbed Marlin for himself, cataloging around 560,000 homepages for roughly $10 in rented cloud GPU time and using less than a gigabyte of disk storage. Morley-Finch said in a writeup of the project that he wanted a search engine of things he cared about, like “portfolios, zines, weird little art projects, one-person software,” and other cases of just “people doing stuff” that they share on the internet. Something simple, with “a crawler that only ever looks at homepages, a small local language model that reads each one and writes a name, two or three sentences, a category, and a handful of tags,” he explained. “No IP scanning, no Redis, no storing full page HTML, no recrawl scheduler, nothing multi-tenant.” Morley-Finch built Marlin around four processes: A fetcher that grabs domains, a worker that makes calls to a small, OpenAI-compatible language model, a steward that prevents bad pages from making their way into the index, and an API with a web UI where he can track the process and actually conduct searches of his index, complete with filters. Of course, you can’t expect something like this to go perfectly on the first try. “The first version worked within a couple hours. Point it at a sample of domains, watch things get summarised, search for them. Great,” he said in his writeup of the project. “Sunday afternoon [he began working on Marlin on a Sunday], I looked at what had actually been catalogued and it was the wrong web.” Instead of indexing what he wanted it to, Marlin had just been grabbing a cross section of the internet, leading to more than 90 percent of the first attempt being “corporate sites and documentation.” Rather than blocking certain domains, Morley-Finch built a weighting system to push certain pages to the top of his crawl queue, and others as far down the list as possible. Morley-Finch rented a cloud GPU to handle most of the heavy processing and stopped the crawl at around 560,000 pages after exhausting his prioritized categories and beginning to pull in "the raw internet." He spent around $10 on the cloud GPU. The one overarching problem he had, and which he said may be a problem for anyone else who tries to replicate his project, is tagging and categorizing - left to a language model, those important elements got a bit messy. “I let the model invent its own category and tag names freely, on the theory that it would teach me the taxonomy instead of me guessing one upfront,” he explained, noting that it helped things get started quickly, but “I ended up with 671 distinct categories, many used exactly once, and over 121,000 tags, more than half used only a single time.” Morley-Finch had to build a manual merge tool to clean up the mess, leading him to declare that his design likely won’t scale well beyond a hobbyist project, as “‘just let the model freestyle’ catches up with you fast.” Still, he reckons Marlin’s rough edges shouldn’t put off anyone willing to spend a weekend tinkering with it. “I think this is very doable in a weekend, and cheap enough that the GPU bill isn’t the reason not to try,” Morley-Finch wrote. “The code is going up as open source, so you can point your own crawl wherever your own curiosity leads.” The Marlin GitHub repo is filled with how-tos and details for those who want to create their own weighting list based on their priorities, with the option to rent a cloud GPU if their hardware isn't up to the challenge. ®
Microsoft’s consumer Copilot app and Microsoft 365 Copilot are separate no more, with a unified Copilot app beginning its rollout Thursday - minus a few features. The Windows maker and AI pusher announced the Copilot superapp rollout in a help page update Thursday, describing the move as a way to simplify its app ecosystem and make the entire Copilot-first experience “more cohesive” for both consumer and business users. “Depending on the account and device you use, you will see changes to the Copilot app including changes to appearance and functionality, such as navigation, feature availability, or sign-in experience,” Microsoft explained on the help page. The new Copilot app brings not only new branding but structural changes as well. The Copilot bot and its image generation features now live alongside the Microsoft 365 suite, files, and other content, allowing users with an account supporting the classic Office package to access their productivity software alongside Redmond's chatty LLM. Copilot users without a paid subscription, naturally, face lower usage limits and fewer features, but support for multiple accounts means users can switch between personal and work or school profiles instead of having to hop between entirely separate apps. “You can continue to chat with Copilot, create images, upload files and more for free, subject to available capacity and limits,” Microsoft said. “For higher limits to chat and create, use agents, or tackle complex multi-step tasks, purchase a Microsoft 365 subscription.” Whether the new combined app will come with nag messages is up to users to find out. What this change will look like in practice varies based on the sort of account a Copilot user had before the merger. Those who just use Copilot with a personal account “will be moved to an updated version of Copilot,” with chat history and most content transferring to the updated app. Files shared and generated with the old standalone Copilot app will be shunted to OneDrive if you’re wondering where they went. Users of Microsoft 365 Copilot, the name Redmond slapped on the Microsoft 365 (Office) app in January 2025, “may notice some updates to appearance and navigation,” so get ready to rediscover where certain options and buttons are. What Microsoft left behind Microsoft is abandoning a few features from the old Copilot apps as part of the merger: It is removing Podcasts and Group Chat and scrapping Deep Research from the consumer Copilot app, while Microsoft 365 Premium subscribers can instead use the separate Researcher feature. All of this will be effective as of August 18. Podcasts that were created or saved in Copilot will be entirely unavailable, per an FAQ page, and links to any shared podcasts will stop working. Microsoft recommends downloading any podcasts users want to save before updating to the new app, or they’ll be lost. Group chats, along with any shared content and images created in group chats, will be wiped. Microsoft recommends downloading any messages and content users want to save and tossing them in a document, as Redmond doesn’t appear to be offering an automated way to preserve them. As for Deep Research, which offered standalone Copilot app users a version of Microsoft’s chatbot able to look stuff up on the web and compile reports, those reports are being preserved in chat history for Microsoft 365 Personal and Family subscribers, while Premium subscribers can access saved research through Researcher. Researcher offers similar abilities to Deep Research, but sorry free and lower-tier users: It’s only available to premium customers now. Windows Central reported on Thursday that the rollout of the unified Copilot app is beginning now, with mobile and web coming in the initial wave and an early-access option for Windows and Mac, ahead of a broader desktop rollout expected in the middle of next month. We’ve been unable to confirm that timeline with Microsoft. ®
A newly disclosed zero-day flaw in GeoServer is seeing active exploitation efforts, per watchTowr.
The vulnerability, which has yet to be assigned a CVE identifier, is an SQL injection vulnerability in the open-source platform that can lead to remote code execution (RCE). The security defect remains unpatched.
It was first disclosed on August 12, 2026, at 10:46 UTC, by a researcher named @
Some weeks have one big security story. Others bring many smaller updates that are easy to miss but still matter. This week has plenty of them, covering cloud services, AI tools, malware, data breaches, scams, and new attack methods.
The latest ThreatsDay Bulletin puts all of these short updates in one place, so you can quickly catch up on what happened, what changed, and what security teams
Afghan telecom providers and South Asian critical infrastructure organizations have emerged as the target of a new ongoing campaign that delivers a previously undocumented backdoor called PATCHCORD.
According to Acronis Threat Research Unit (TRU), the backdoor is a compiled C/C++ implant delivered by means of sector-specific lures, including fake VPN installers impersonating Afghan Telecom (
Cybersecurity researchers have disclosed details of a new macOS-oriented, Rust-based information stealer called AmnesiaStealer that's capable of hijacking Chromium web browsers to steal session data.
The multi-stage stealer is spread via a counterfeit GitHub download page titled "Download for macOS" and claims to be from a verified publisher. The page employs a ClickFix-style lure that
A JCB has set a new world land speed record, passing 406 mph (653 kph) at Utah's Bonneville Salt Flats. The JCB in question isn't a digger or a dumper, but a hydrogen-powered racer known as the JCB Hydromax, driven by retired Royal Air Force fighter pilot Wing Commander Andy Green. It set the record for the fastest a hydrogen-powered internal combustion car has ever travelled, averaging 406.320 mph (653.909 kph) across two runs at the salt flats this week. JCB says the Hydromax is powered by two production-based engines derived from those used in its commercial machinery. The engines are made at JCB's factory in Foston, Derbyshire, and deliver a combined 1,600 bhp. The firm began a £100 million ($135 million) hydrogen engine investment program in 2021, arguing that battery power is practical for smaller machinery but less suited to heavy equipment requiring long operating hours and rapid refueling. It was given permission to sell hydrogen engines by licensing authorities across Europe last year. Another European engineering company, Bosch, is investing in hydrogen power and disclosed some of its plans back in 2023. However, JCB conceds that the two engines in the Hydromax were "extensively rebuilt to suit the demands of breaking the speed record," fitted with spark plugs designed for a Le Mans 24 Hour engine, for example. Burning hydrogen produces no carbon dioxide at the tailpipe, although a combustion engine can still generate nitrogen oxides. JCB estimates that a full record run consumed just over 2 kg (4.4 pounds) of hydrogen and produced 18 liters (about 5 gallons) of water. Beneath the bodywork is a steel-frame chassis similar to that of a conventional racing car, built with a minimal amount of high-strength tubing. The driver sits in a composite monocoque sub-chassis under a drag racing-style steel roll cage. One of the engines is located behind the driver's position and spins the rear wheels, while the other is located in front and drives the front wheels via a front-facing gearbox. Wing Commander Green is no stranger to land speed records. He was at the controls of the ThrustSSC vehicle when it broke the sound barrier on land, and also drove JCB's Dieselmax when it set the world diesel land speed record. According to JCB, its chairman, Anthony Bamford, led the hydrogen engine project and came up with the idea of a bid for the hydrogen world land speed record. "Twenty years ago we came to Bonneville with JCB Dieselmax and showed what British engineering could do with diesel power. Today we have done it again, this time with engines powered by hydrogen," Bamford said. "It shows hydrogen works, and it works today at the highest level with zero emissions." The Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA), motorsport's global governing body, officiated the attempt and has confirmed the 653.909 kph (406.320 mph) record. ®
Donald Trump is allowing government agencies to contract private cybersecurity companies to carry out operations against cyber-enabled transnational criminal organizations (CE-TCOs). The US President signed a memo on Wednesday confirming a strategy hinted at earlier this year, saying participating companies can support national operations against criminals, including cyber surveillance and technical disruptions of their networks. The latter, described as "Cyber Effects Operations," covers activities that cause "the manipulation, disruption, denial, degradation, or destruction of information systems, networks, physical or virtual infrastructure controlled by information systems, or information resident thereon." Although the memo establishes a distinction between cyber effects operations and cyber surveillance missions, it acknowledged that the latter will also inevitably involve some disruption or manipulation of systems in order to carry out the surveillance. Surveillance operations are designed for intel gathering, either to support further snooping or for later use in cyber effects operations, with the intent of remaining undetected. Trump described CE-TCOs as "any foreign group that conducts cyber-enabled crime against the United States Government, a United States person, or United States interests." Crucially, the definition excludes entities directly associated with, or operating wholly on behalf of, foreign governments. No stepping on TAO's toes, of course. Participating companies will undergo "rigorous vetting" and will be subject to "strict operational procedures," the memo adds. The operational procedures are to be drawn up within 60 days and codified by program executive directors working with the Homeland Security Council. Companies wishing to be called up for service will have to demonstrate that they have the technical capabilities to carry out the required operations, and be willing to prove this each year via annual evaluations. Program managers must ensure that the operational procedures open opportunities for highly resourced, large organizations, as well as "smaller, more agile companies" that may prove useful for "specialized or discrete tasks." The Justice Department will also play a role in authorizing operations, particularly those targeting US residents or raising domestic legal issues. Participating companies will also be prohibited from executing operations that could lead to "critical outcomes," which is shorthand for attacks that result in the loss of life or serious injury, or those that could be seen as an armed attack under international law. These companies will also be required to maintain a bond or escrow of at least $1 million, which shall be forfeited if they violate the terms of their contracts. Unleashing Trump's cyber army The White House published "President Trump's Cyber Strategy for America" document in March, which promised to "unleash the private sector by creating incentives to identify and disrupt adversary networks and scale our national capabilities." The document [PDF] also stated: "We will leverage the immense talents and ingenuity of our private sector research base. "We will establish a new level of relationship between the public and private sectors to defend America in peace and war." The announcement prompted legal eagles and think tanks to ponder the implications of such a move. Many wondered how the promise to mobilize the private sector would be put into practice. They did not then have the details contained in this week's memo, and some assumed participating companies would support operations against nation-states. This particular program, however, excludes entities acting directly on behalf of foreign governments. Writing for the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI) and citing reporting available at the time, cyber and tech research fellow Gareth Mott said that the US Computer Fraud and Abuse Act (CFAA) might need to be amended before American companies could legally offer such services. Experts from law firm Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom agreed, despite the US Cyber Strategy not mentioning any plans for legislative changes. They wrote: "Any attempt to more directly involve the private sector in offensive cyber actions will likely require further legal and regulatory changes before it can be meaningfully implemented. "Even if the administration were to issue new enforcement guidance redirecting prosecutions away from hack-back cases, the availability of civil penalties under the CFAA and its five-year statute of limitations would likely render such executive actions significantly less impactful. "Technology companies should consider closely monitoring developments to track how the administration plans to enact such incentives." However, Jenner & Block lawyers noted in an analysis published by Lawfare that a provision of the CFAA could limit participating companies' exposure. Title 18 of the US Code, § 1030(f), says the CFAA does not prohibit lawfully authorized investigative, protective, or intelligence activity by a US government agency or intelligence agency. Participating companies might therefore be protected when acting under government contracts and direction. However, no court has determined whether that exemption covers private companies carrying out such work. "No court has addressed whether this exception provides any protection for private-sector entities engaged to perform these activities on behalf of the US government and, if so, under what circumstances," the lawyers wrote. "At the very least, it is unlikely that a court would interpret this provision to extend to private companies engaged in independent offensive operations, without government direction or involvement." The last part is key: because the US government will draw up procedures and direct the companies' involvement, the work may fall within the CFAA exemption. Whichever way the US constructs its private sector play, it represents a significant shift in the country's cybersecurity policy, and perhaps that of other nations further down the line. As Mott points out, US allies will certainly be keeping tabs on the private sector program's success, and its take-up from the companies it looks to attract. ®
Confidence in an organization's cyber recovery capabilities deserves scrutiny. If a ransomware attack disables the SaaS data tenanted in the Microsoft cloud ecosystem, the data the business depends on as its lifeblood, the pace at which operations resume rests on assumptions that often prove wrong. Anyone whose answer is "It's all good. Microsoft has my back on this one with its comprehensive native retention and recovery capabilities" is due a reality check. With agile business tools like M365 and Entra ID and solid backend infrastructure in the form of Azure, Microsoft brings a lot to the SaaS party. Both IT departments and MSPs need to be aware, however, that Redmond operates on the same shared responsibility model as other major SaaS providers. In the event of a cyberattack, the recovery burden splits between what the cloud provider handles and what falls to the subscriber alone. MSPs face the additional pressure of meeting stringent SLAs, working with clients’ preferred providers or tooling, and managing their own staffing and profitability accordingly. Microsoft ensures that its services keep running in the aftermath of a strike but does not promise to restore data to a specific known good point before the disaster. That gap always sat with the customer, and planning for it before problems hit beats improvising while picking up the pieces. "There's a common misconception about what Microsoft is responsible for, as distinct from the service they're providing," explains Brent Torre, GM of cyber resilience . Microsoft's native tools, he points out, address problems like short-term accidental deletion and aspects of data governance. They are not a backup solution and will not protect against ransomware or recover data. "Microsoft is clear that whether it's a SaaS application like Microsoft 365, a platform application like SQL Server, or even VMs running in Azure, the customer is always responsible for the information that's in that service, as well as devices, accounts and identities," he adds. "If you get compromised and the attacker starts deleting data, Microsoft has no responsibility for that." A world of pain The gap between availability and true cyber recovery is misunderstood, and it has widened into something of a chasm in recent years. There are three contributing factors to this gap. The first is the evolution of cyberattacks. Typical cyberattacks have pivoted from muscling past a defensive barrier to targeting human weakness, because strolling in through the front entrance with a stolen pass is easier than shimmying through a forced window. Identity has become the primary attack surface. Credential compromise, or identity-based initial access, removes the need to find a vulnerability to exploit and requires only an unwary employee. AI is now a staple weapon in the criminal arsenal, augmenting exploitation techniques such as phishing, social engineering, deceptive emails and spoofed websites, all convincingly used to trick users into typing passwords into a portal controlled by the aggressor. The technique can get more scientific than that. Automated AI-powered bots test millions of leaked username and password pairs across hundreds of different websites, exploiting the common habit of password reuse. Microsoft Entra ID, the vendor's cloud-based identity and access management service and the very tool designed to keep criminals out, is now a prime vector for attack and no match for stolen identity. Once an attacker compromises Entra ID with pilfered credentials, without setting off alarms, they have a free run at gathering data from mailboxes, OneDrive, SharePoint, Teams and other soft targets. The ransomware attack itself can then be launched with ease and at leisure. Another contributory factor is that the vogue for moving workloads to infrastructure and platform as a service (IaaS and PaaS) models shows no sign of abating. Organizations tend to retain some functions on-premises, put some in SaaS applications, and others in cloud environments, but are often guilty of not protecting and managing everything to the same level of quality. Data gets backed up in a variety of locations, yet whether it is all equally recoverable in the event of a breach is another chink in the armor that nobody understands. The 'as a service' model is popular, but it is the weak link when ransomware strikes. The third part of the problem is the emergence of multiple compliance requirements mandating cyber resilience along with correct backup and recovery procedures, for which many organizations are ill-prepared. Together, these pressures give criminals room to do enormous harm to data, business operations and compliance posture in the gap between attack and restoration of SaaS availability. Given that Microsoft's native retention and recovery capabilities are not designed to deliver true cyber resilience, restoring the business to how it was before the attack is something to plan for in advance. Time for independent backup protection "At Kaseya we regularly recommend that you keep a copy of your data, independent of the primary environment it's operating in," advises Torre. "This needs to be something immutable that you can recover from even if the Microsoft or Google or Salesforce ecosystem goes down." This kind of protection is best delivered as a dedicated cloud-to-cloud backup solution stored outside the main SaaS tenant, he argues, an approach increasingly written into cyber insurance and compliance requirements. By pulling copies of regularly targeted data from the Microsoft tenant for storage offsite in a third-party datacenter, organizations can be sure that if SaaS credentials are compromised, critical assets remain safe from attack. Restoration can then push what is needed directly back into the SaaS environment, even where the original tenant has been destroyed. "In fact some people find it faster to stand up a new shell and rebuild it than try to gain access back into a compromised tenant," notes Torre. "Whether you're an internal IT technician, working the night shift, or an MSP needing to live up to your SLAs and maintain profitability, you require a solution that's super straightforward and you need to be able to trust that the recovery will work. Both IT departments and MSPs should be looking out for a solution that's incredibly easy to use. Disaster recovery isn't the only job that they have." A good platform, he says, focuses not just on guaranteeing recovery but on keeping the hygiene of the cyber resilience estate at a high standard without endless human intervention. It should also make certain that Microsoft 365 and Entra ID are restored together in a single workflow, so identity and the data it grants access to come back online in the right order rather than in separate stages. Choosing the right platform Datto is a cybersecurity and data protection business owned by Kaseya. Datto SaaS Protection for Microsoft 365, Datto Backup for Microsoft Azure, and Datto Backup for Microsoft Entra ID are designed between them to close the gap between availability and recovery by storing protected copies of tenant data in the Datto Cloud, outside the Microsoft environment. In this way a compromised production tenant does not take the recovery point down with it. "With our M365 backup, we're protecting one million users worldwide," claims Torre. "A lot of organizations have built trust around our ability to protect and recover their data. We offer a trusted platform for recovery that focuses on ease of recovery, ease of deployment, not just for M365 but for Azure and Entra ID too." Both IT bosses and MSP players need to recognize that a ransomware attack, or other cyber crisis, is a matter of when rather than if. Recovery matters more than protection, because protection is certain to fail at some point, and traditional approaches to backing up data are no longer sufficient on their own. Anticipating disaster is not enough; the organization also needs to be set up to withstand it. That means being as certain as possible that the Microsoft environment can be recovered rapidly, down to the last scrap of data. This capability underpins modern business workflows and operations. Microsoft tracks more than 4,000 identity attacks every second and analyzes 38 million identity risk detections daily — no organization is off the target list. When an attack lands, the restoration clock is already ticking, and any delay in fully restoring IT operations and key environments to their pre-attack state can mean the difference between survival and collapse, with profit, regulatory standing and reputation all riding on the outcome. Securing data with purpose-built cyber resilience platforms that enable rapid, clean recovery is how organizations meet that test. MSPs looking to close the gap can start with the Datto MSP Buyer's Guide to Microsoft Entra ID Backup Sponsored by Datto.
Someone has spent more than a year rifling through Salesforce and ServiceNow portals around the world, harvesting data that organizations accidentally left open to anyone who came looking. Researchers at Reco have named the operation "City-Forum" after a domain connected to its infrastructure. The domain has pointed to the attacker's server since March 2025, although exactly when the campaign began is unclear. Reco says the activity is continuing and increasing in volume. Reco isn't naming the targets, but said it spotted the attacker poking around portals belonging to telecoms companies, banks and other financial services firms, enterprise software vendors, cybersecurity companies, and public sector bodies. "In the last year, we've seen many threat actors that use Aura enumeration against over-permissioned Salesforce guest users. This actor is different," said Nitay Bachrach, senior security researcher at Reco. On Salesforce, the attacker targets Lightning Web Runtime (LWR) sites through the UI API's GraphQL layer, an approach Reco says it has not found documented in public research or incorporated into publicly available attack tools. Over at ServiceNow, the same operator queries a native Service Portal search endpoint that has received little public attention. The tooling also checks whether Salesforce sites permit self-registration, potentially offering a route from anonymous guest access to an authenticated external account with permission to see considerably more data. Reco said it saw these checks across most of the Salesforce targets it examined. "The threat actor created their own toolset, based on research and techniques which are not well documented online," Bachrach said. "They studied the services to map different common data leak vectors – this is an advanced actor." This isn't casual poking around either. Reco said the busiest Salesforce target logged more than 560,000 events from the attacker's IP during the campaign, almost all attempts to enumerate data available to guest users. Reco linked the Salesforce and ServiceNow activity to the same server, which targeted multiple organizations around the world. More unusually, the attacker hasn't bothered changing its infrastructure: the same IP address and domain have remained in use for at least 17 months, with related custom tooling doing the rounds across both platforms. ServiceNow told us it is "aware of a security company’s blog post claiming certain configurations are creating security risk. As noted in the security company’s post, there are no allegations of a compromise of the ServiceNow environment. Nonetheless, we take third party reports seriously and are investigating accordingly. Our priority is to protect our customers, their data, and our systems." Salesforce has not yet responded to The Register's questions. Salesforce customers have already had one very public lesson in what can happen when guest access gets too generous. In March, ShinyHunters told The Register it had stolen data from around 100 high-profile companies and nearly 400 websites after going after over-permissioned Experience Cloud guest accounts. City-Forum isn't doing quite the same thing, and Reco isn't blaming ShinyHunters. "We don't know who this is, and we're not ruling anyone in or out," Bachrach said. Reco says all the activity it observed was conducted without authentication, with the attacker collecting information that organizations had exposed through permissions, sharing rules, search sources, or other configuration choices. "If the guest can read a record, so can anyone on the internet," Bachrach warned. "That is not a platform vulnerability." Which is good news for Salesforce and ServiceNow, perhaps, but rather less comforting for anyone now wondering what their guest account has been showing the guests. ®
Security researchers have identified a phishing campaign that abuses Shopify’s own Shop app to deliver fake order and refund notifications directly to victims’ phones, marking a notable evolution of the classic “fake refund” scam.
According to research from cybersecurity firm Huntress, attackers are creating fraudulent Shopify seller accounts, or hijacking legitimate ones, to generate bogus orders against victims’ phone numbers or email addresses. Because Shopify’s Shop app treats these as genuine transactions, targets receive real push notifications and in-app receipts, rather than a suspicious email or text from an unfamiliar sender. Huntress said several of its own employees were targeted between May and August 2026, and that the technique has also been documented by researchers at Gen Digital and reported by users on Reddit.
In one example cited by Huntress, a fake receipt dated 7 August billed the recipient $339.96 for a “premium PC protection plan,” complete with a fabricated invoice number and transaction ID. The real sting sits in the shipping address field, which attackers repurpose to display a message urging the recipient to call a phone number if they did not place the order. Some variants dispense with the fake address altogether and instead push recipients toward the number via the order description, while others add a spoofed “out for delivery” shipment tracker to increase pressure on the target.
Victims who call the number are funnelled into a standard refund scam. Huntress said callers are typically talked into installing remote access tools such as ScreenConnect or AnyDesk, or into logging into their online banking. From there, scammers manipulate on-screen figures, sometimes editing displayed transaction details or coaching victims to misread a refund amount, to convince them they were mistakenly overpaid. Victims are then pressured to “return” the difference, usually by purchasing gift cards and handing over the redemption codes, which attackers cash out quickly.
Huntress frames the campaign as a variant of a technique it calls Living off Trusted Sites (LoTS), where attackers route victims through a legitimate, trusted platform before reaching a malicious outcome, rather than relying on a fake domain that is easier to flag. While earlier LoTS attacks used links to services such as Dropbox, Canva, or DocuSign to add credibility, this campaign instead abuses Shopify’s own notification pipeline to generate content that looks and functions exactly like a native alert. The firm noted a similar pattern in a previous campaign involving genuine PayPal invoices carrying fraudulent callback numbers.
Shopify has acknowledged the scam in its Help Center. The company and Huntress both advise users not to interact with unfamiliar phone numbers, email addresses, or links found within an order, and to contact Shop Support directly if they are concerned about the security of their account. Users who receive a suspicious order notification are advised to check their bank statements before assuming any charge went through, and can flag the order as “Not my order” within the Shop app. Huntress also recommends checking a store’s reviews and history before purchasing, noting that many of the fraudulent shopfronts used in this campaign were newly created.
Ryanair has signed a five-year agreement with Google Cloud covering AI, productivity tools and multi-cloud infrastructure, just weeks after renewing its deal with rival AWS for another five years. The Irish budget airline says it will deploy Google Workspace and Google Cloud services across its 35,000-strong workforce as it pursues a target of 300 million passengers a year by 2034. We asked how much this deal is worth, but Google declined to say and Ryanair did not respond. The rollout includes the Mountain View firm's Gemini Enterprise agentic AI platform, which Ryanair intends to use to automate some decision-making, optimize flight crew logistics, and improve staff productivity. The airline will also use Google DeepMind's AlphaEvolve to refine algorithms and WeatherNext for forecasting and maintenance planning. Ryanair renewed its agreement with AWS for another five years on July 27, making AWS and Google Cloud the two pillars of what the airline itself calls its dual-cloud resilience strategy. Google says the dual-cloud setup will allow critical systems to switch between providers if one suffers an outage, helping keep flight operations, and customer services running. Under the renewed AWS agreement, Ryanair will continue using services including Amazon Quick, Amazon Bedrock, and Amazon Bedrock AgentCore for workloads ranging from its website to operational planning across a fleet of 647 aircraft. Reg readers may recall that AWS and Google Cloud were touting a jointly developed multi-cloud connectivity service at the end of last year. This links Google's Cross-Cloud Interconnect with AWS Interconnect, allowing customers to set up a private high-speed link between resources they have running on the two cloud platforms. "Ryanair is on an incredible growth journey to 300 million passengers by 2034. To support this growth, we need to ensure we have excellent infrastructure resilience, and our new dual-cloud strategy provides this," commented the airline's CEO, Eddie Wilson. "We are thrilled to be Ryanair's AI transformation partner," stated Maureen Costello, Google Cloud VP for UK, Ireland and Sub-Saharan Africa. "This agreement demonstrates how deploying generative AI at scale – coupled with modern collaboration tools for frontline workers – can help industry leaders scale securely, reduce operational costs, and redefine the travel experience." ®
An affiliate of the Akira ransomware operation attempted a novel technique to blind endpoint defences during a recent intrusion, rebooting a compromised server into Windows Safe Mode to knock out both an EDR agent and Microsoft Defender in one move, only for the same stripped-down environment to cause the ransomware payload itself to crash before it could encrypt any files.
The incident, disclosed in a technical write-up published by managed detection and response provider Huntress, marks the first time researchers have observed Akira affiliates using a Safe Mode reboot to sidestep security tooling, a tactic more commonly associated with older ransomware families such as Snatch and AvosLocker.
Akira has been one of the most active ransomware operations tracked by Huntress over the past year, and its affiliates typically follow a consistent playbook: break in through an internet-exposed VPN appliance, most often from SonicWall, move laterally to the domain controller, enumerate Active Directory, exfiltrate data, and detonate the encryptor within a matter of hours. This latest attack followed that pattern almost exactly, according to Huntress, but introduced a twist at the final stage.
Credential Spray, No MFA, and a Familiar Path to the Domain Controller
According to Huntress, the intrusion began in early August with a burst of failed login attempts against a SonicWall SSL VPN, consistent with a credential-spraying attack. Roughly seven minutes later, one attempt succeeded: a valid VPN account with no multi-factor authentication in place. Nearly two hours passed before the attacker took hands-on action, logging into the domain controller over RDP and running PowerShell commands to dump full property details on every user and computer in the Active Directory environment, reconnaissance Huntress says is a hallmark of Akira intrusions.
The attacker then moved to an application server, installed WinRAR to archive mapped file shares, and used the S3 transfer tool s5cmd to upload the staged data to a cloud storage bucket under their control, standard double-extortion tradecraft designed to give the attacker leverage even if a victim can recover from backups. AnyDesk, a legitimate remote access tool, was installed as a persistent service and used both for hands-on-keyboard control and to deliver the ransomware payload itself.
The Safe Mode Gambit
Rather than spinning up a separate virtual machine to run the encryptor outside the reach of security software — a method Huntress has documented in earlier Akira cases- the affiliate instead used the built-in Windows configuration tool msconfig.exe to force the host to reboot into Safe Mode with Networking. Because Safe Mode loads only core Windows drivers and disables most third-party software by design, the reboot simultaneously took the Huntress agent offline and prevented Microsoft Defender’s real-time protection from starting, all while preserving the network connectivity the attacker needed to keep working.
The attacker had anticipated that Safe Mode would also block their own AnyDesk service, and pre-emptively added a registry entry to keep it running through the reboot, a detail Huntress says shows deliberate planning rather than an improvised move.
The Ransomware Undermined Itself
The plan worked well enough to blind defences, but it also appears to have doomed the attack. Minutes after the akira.exe payload launched, the host began throwing “out of virtual memory” errors, and the ransomware process tree failed before encryption could begin. Huntress attributes the crash to Safe Mode’s constrained memory environment, which was seemingly unable to support the ransomware’s resource demands.
A scheduled Defender scan eventually flagged the payload roughly an hour later, correctly identifying it as Akira, but could not quarantine it because real-time protection remained disabled in Safe Mode. The file was only removed after the attacker rebooted the host back into normal operation, restoring Defender’s protection in the process, meaning the attacker’s own anti-EDR trick was undone by their need to reverse it.
Despite the failed encryption, the attacker had already exfiltrated Active Directory data and file shares before the reboot, leaving the victim exposed to extortion even without any files being locked. Huntress cautioned that the outcome should not be read as a reliable defence: a host with more memory or a larger page file might allow the encryptor to succeed in Safe Mode, and researchers said it is plausible Akira’s developers will adjust the malware’s memory footprint or boot sequence to make the technique more reliable in future attacks.
Recommendations
Huntress urged organisations to enforce MFA on all VPN accounts, monitor for bursts of failed VPN logins followed by a successful one, and ensure EDR is deployed across every endpoint rather than a subset of the environment. It also recommended that defenders specifically alert on boot-configuration changes and Safe Mode reboots, including msconfig.exe and bcdedit activity, and Windows event log entries indicating a Safe Mode boot as well as any modification to the registry keys that control which services are permitted to run in Safe Mode.
Alert fatigue is an issue that has plagued Security Operations Centres for years.
As organisations’ digital estates grow, there is more architecture to secure and more architecture for threat actors to attack, which has ultimately led to more alerts.
Today, on average a SOC will face thousands of alerts every day, each of which could indicate a potential threat. Each alert must therefore be analysed and investigated before appropriate action can be taken.
However, ask any SOC analyst and they will tell you the majority of these alerts are benign or false positives.
Yet, analysts will still spend hours investigating activity that ultimately poses little or no risk, hoping to identify the small number of genuine threats hidden amongst the noise.
Given the volume they face, and the possibility of missing something before it’s too late, it’s a noisy, high-stress environment that often leads to burnout and fatigue.
To tackle these issues, many SOCs today are turning to Artificial Intelligence (AI) to support the management of alerts.
In this scenario, the first-line analyst is replaced by an agent that reviews the incident to determine whether it’s malicious and if further action is required. The analyst must then review the conclusion reached by the agent to ensure it is accurate, but they don’t conduct the initial investigations themselves, which reduces the volume of alerts they have to investigate every day.
However, even despite these improvements, is there another way that could reduce the noise even further?
If organisations are still generating huge numbers of unnecessary alerts, have they actually solved the underlying problem, or simply moved it further downstream?
Moving AI upstream
Instead of asking AI to investigate incidents after they have been created, some organisations are using the technology much earlier in the detection process.
Rather than having AI decide whether an alert is malicious, in this scenario it’s used to help build better detection logic and more effective workflows before alerts ever reach an analyst.
For instance, in a phishing attack when an employee reports an email as suspicious, many security platforms immediately generate an incident that someone must investigate.
Traditionally, either a human analyst or an AI assistant would then collect additional context, checking whether links have been clicked, whether anyone else received the email, or whether similar activity appeared elsewhere in the environment.
If these types of checks are incorporated into the detection process, and the answers to the questions are no, then an incident would never need to be created in the first place.
The AI would determine that there was no wider threat, meaning the alert could be filtered out before it ended up in the SOC ticket queue.
The result is a faster, more efficient SOC, with far fewer unnecessary alerts reaching analysts.
From a customer perspective, this can also reduce the costs of working with an outsourced SOC partner.
Many AI-powered investigation platforms price their services according to the number of alerts they process, so reducing unnecessary alerts before they reach the investigation stage can improve efficiency while also helping organisations control operational costs.
Improving security through engineering
Another benefit of moving AI further upstream is that it limits access to sensitive customer data.
Many AI-driven investigation platforms analyse real customer logs and incident data to determine whether activity is malicious. While providers implement safeguards, some organisations are uncomfortable with sensitive operational data being processed by external AI systems, particularly where regulatory or contractual obligations apply.
Using AI during detection engineering changes this process. The AI is used to create the logic that identifies threats, not to inspect live customer data.
Once the detection rules have been verified, they can be applied consistently across customer environments without repeatedly sending operational data through AI models.
Solving the cause, not the symptom
The cyber security industry has become very good at handling alert fatigue, but not so good at preventing it. Is it time a different approach was adopted?
If security teams continue generating thousands of low-value alerts every day, replacing analysts with AI may improve efficiency, but it won’t address why the alerts exist in the first place.
As AI becomes more deeply embedded within security operations, organisations should consider where it delivers the greatest value. In many cases, the answer may not be at the point where analysts investigate incidents, but much earlier, where better detection engineering prevents unnecessary incidents from being created at all.
By reducing false positives at the source, this allows analysts to spend more time on genuine threats, while improving consistency, cutting costs and helping organisations make better use of both their technology and their people.
A previously unseen Android near field communication (NFC) relay malware family dubbed WindRelay is being deployed in conjunction with a known remote access trojan (RAT) called SpyNote as part of a contactless payment fraud scheme.
The purpose-built malware, according to Group-IB, is designed to capture live card data via NFC and transmit it to fraudsters in real time. It was first detected in
Companies are used to thinking about attackers as outsiders trying to break in.
North Korean IT workers flip that model. They apply for jobs, pass interviews, receive legitimate credentials, and can end up inside the same systems companies spend millions trying to protect.
That risk is no longer theoretical. The FBI is now investigating a North Korean remote IT worker who reportedly worked for
Rilevate due vulnerabilità di sicurezza con gravità "alta", che interessano il software JupyterLab, ambiente di lavoro interattivo utilizzato per attività di programmazione, analisi dei dati, machine learning e calcolo scientifico.
Beacon, a CRM provider for charities and nonprofits, says an AWS access key "potentially exposed in public JavaScript build artifacts" is the leading suspect in its July breach. The revelation came in the company's first update on the attack in more than a week. If the access key was exposed in public build artifacts, it raises questions about why Beacon's development pipeline and code review controls failed to catch it. Beacon used stronger wording about the potential data loss, confirming that a copy of the database was made and assessing that it was probably downloaded in readable form. "This update confirms… that a copy of the database which holds all Beacon customer data, including attachment files, was made and likely downloaded in a readable format by the threat actor," wrote CTO David Simpson. "Analysis of the AWS Cost & Usage reports across May-July 2026 has been conducted. This data showed a significant increase in data transfer on 27-28 July 2026. This timing correlates with the malicious activity, which supports an assessment that substantial downloads occurred." Beacon's logs cannot reveal which specific records left its systems, although the company has confirmed that a copy of the database containing all customer data and attachments was made. In an FAQ accompanying the update, Beacon advises customers to assess the likely exposure by reviewing what they stored in their CRM instance. Many of the charities that have confirmed they are affected have said the data mainly pertains to personal information and details about donations. Simpson said Beacon's AWS data was encrypted at rest, but the compromised access key may have allowed the attacker to retrieve it in readable form. The malicious activity began in the early hours of July 27, according to Beacon's root cause analysis, matching its initial estimate of the incident timeline. The company has more than 1,500 customers, although it has not established how many had data taken. The malicious activity lasted one hour and 27 minutes, Beacon said, and the attacker established no persistence mechanisms in AWS. Simpson warned customers that "there are things we may never be able to find out about this incident," and that other details won't be shared to protect Beacon's security position. He promised to provide customers with a summary when the investigation concludes in a few weeks, but warned that "the level of detail contained in this next and final update may not be any more than" Beacon published on Wednesday. "I recognise this is frustrating, but unfortunately it is the reality of complex incidents like this. With this in mind, we would recommend making your own risk assessments now regarding onward notification to impacted data subjects using your knowledge of the data you process and store with Beacon." Since Beacon disclosed the attack on August 4, the number of high-profile charities confirming they are affected has grown every day. Early confirmations came from the likes of Molly Rose Foundation, Macmillan Cancer Support Jersey, and English National Ballet. Sheffield Hospitals Charity, Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital Charity, the British Deaf Association, and Lincoln Cathedral are among those that have since joined the list. The Charity Commission said that "a number of charities have submitted serious incident reports," and that the volume of these reports is causing delays to responses. "We appreciate your patience and understanding as we prioritise instances of the greatest risk," it said. ®
Forescout has launched a new Rapid Insight Assessment designed to help organisations uncover hidden assets, network blind spots, and security exposures as artificial intelligence accelerates vulnerability discovery.
The new assessment combines external analysis with passive network monitoring to give security teams a clearer picture of their attack surface. Forescout says the service can deliver actionable findings within days, helping organisations identify and prioritise risks before attackers exploit them.
The launch comes as security teams face the challenge of managing increasingly complex environments. Unmanaged devices, shadow assets, exposed services, and gaps in network visibility can all create opportunities for attackers.
At the same time, advances in AI are making it possible to discover and exploit vulnerabilities faster.
Finding security exposures before attackers do
The Rapid Insight Assessment uses open-source intelligence to examine an organisation’s external exposure. For internal assessments, Forescout can also deploy its portable Flyaway Kit to passively observe network activity without disrupting operations.
The Flyaway Kit provides visibility across IT, OT, IoT, cyber-physical systems, and unmanaged devices, including assets within remote and air-gapped environments.
The assessment can identify internet-facing remote access services, exposed administrative interfaces, previously unknown network devices, risky communications, and unmanaged OT and IoT assets.
It can also provide more detailed asset intelligence and identify devices associated with Known Exploited Vulnerabilities.
AI is shrinking the window for defenders
Craig Weimer, Vice President and General Manager of Americas at Forescout, said the increasing ability of AI systems to carry out cyber tasks is changing how quickly organisations need to identify security weaknesses.
“When an AI system can discover, connect, and exploit vulnerabilities on its own, the idea of an autonomous attacker is no longer just a future concern,” Weimer said.
He pointed to recent public disclosures from OpenAI, Anthropic, and Meta showing that frontier AI models can perform complex, multi-step cyber tasks against real environments with limited human involvement.
“The message for defenders is clear: the window between exposure and exploitation is getting smaller, and organisations need a complete understanding of their attack surface before adversaries find it first,” he added.
Tackling network blind spots
One of the challenges facing security teams is that they cannot protect assets they do not know exist. This becomes particularly difficult across large or distributed environments where new devices and services can appear without being captured by existing security processes.
Forescout says its Rapid Insight Assessment is intended to provide organisations with a faster way to uncover these gaps without lengthy assessment cycles.
“Organisations can’t afford assessment cycles that take months when hidden exposures, network blind spots, and unknown assets can quickly become opportunities for attackers,” Weimer said.
“The Rapid Insight Assessment gives organisations a fast, efficient way to see their most critical security risks and exposure gaps, delivering clear, actionable findings in days so they can address exposures before they become security incidents.”
As AI gives attackers greater speed and automation, gaining an accurate view of the attack surface could become increasingly important. For defenders, finding hidden exposures before an adversary does may prove critical to reducing the opportunity for an attack in the first place.
UK organisations were hit by an average of 1,597 cyber attacks per week each in July 2026, a 26% increase year-on-year, according to new data from Check Point Research, the threat intelligence arm of Check Point Software Technologies. The growth rate outpaced the 16% year-on-year rise recorded globally, even though UK attack volumes remained below the worldwide average of 2,336 weekly attacks per organisation.
The figures form part of Check Point Research’s Global Threat Intelligence report for July 2026, which found that cyber risk is accumulating across multiple fronts at once: rising attack volumes, a sharp acceleration in ransomware activity, and growing exposure from the use of generative AI tools in the enterprise.
In the UK, Education, Energy & Utilities, Software, Government, and Media & Entertainment were named as the five most targeted industries in July, reflecting attackers’ continued focus on sectors that hold sensitive personal data, run critical national infrastructure, or present broad, distributed attack surfaces.
Global attacks keep climbing
Worldwide, organisations faced an average of 2,336 weekly cyber attacks in July, up 3% month-on-month and 16% year-on-year. Education remained the most targeted sector globally, averaging 4,848 weekly attacks per organisation, up 14% year-on-year. Government followed with 3,044 attacks and Telecommunications with 2,927, while Energy and Utilities rose 20% to 2,759 attacks and Hospitality, Travel and Recreation entered the global top five with 2,614 attacks, up 28%, likely reflecting increased exposure during the summer travel period.
Regionally, Latin America recorded the highest attack volume, with 3,561 weekly attacks per organisation, up 19% year-on-year, followed by APAC at 3,316. Europe stood out for its rate of growth, with attacks up 18% year-on-year to 2,051 per organisation, ahead of North America’s 9% rise to 1,613.
Ransomware breaks from its earlier pattern
The sharpest shift in July came from ransomware. Reported victims reached 964 globally, up 87% year-on-year and 49% from June, marking a decisive break from the first half of 2026, when monthly ransomware activity averaged around 672 incidents. Business Services was the most affected sector, accounting for 32.5% of reported victims, followed by Industrial Manufacturing at 14.4% and Consumer Goods and Services at 13.4%.
North America remained the most affected region for ransomware, accounting for 45% of reported incidents, followed by Europe at 28% and APAC at 17%. At country level, the United States continued to dominate the victim count with 39.4% of reported attacks, followed by Germany, Canada, the United Kingdom and Italy.
The Gentlemen and Qilin were the most prevalent ransomware groups in July, each responsible for 14% of published attacks, while DeadLock climbed to third place with 10% and 97 reported victims, highlighting continued churn in the ransomware ecosystem.
GenAI exposure becomes a daily business risk
The report also highlighted the growing data exposure risk posed by generative AI tools. One in every 36 prompts sent from enterprise networks carried a high risk of sensitive data leakage, and 88% of organisations that regularly use GenAI tools were affected by high-risk prompt activity. Organisations used an average of eight GenAI tools in July, with individual users generating 95 prompts on average during the month.
Personal data was the most common sensitive category exposed, appearing in 70% of organisations, followed by financial data and network and IT infrastructure information, each present in 68% of organisations.
Email also remained a high-volume risk channel: one in every 128 emails, or 0.78%, was classified as phishing in July, with a further 20% falling into unwanted or risky categories such as graymail, spam and suspicious messages.
“Cyber risk is accumulating across multiple fronts”
“July’s data shows that cyber risk is accumulating across multiple fronts at once,” said Barnaby Nickels, regional sales manager for UKI & North EU at Check Point Software. “Attack volumes continue to rise, ransomware has accelerated sharply, and GenAI exposure is now part of daily business activity. Organisations need prevention-first, AI-driven security that protects networks, users, data and AI workflows before attacks can cause impact.”
For UK organisations, the message lands with particular urgency. With attack growth outpacing the global average and sectors ranging from education to critical infrastructure squarely in attackers’ sights, security teams are being urged to strengthen defences across network, cloud, endpoint, email and AI usage rather than relying on any single layer of protection.
Twitch has given streamers a switch to stop their channel content being fed into Amazon's generative AI machinery, but naturally it is turned on by default. The Amazon-owned streaming platform has added a "Training for Generative AI" control to channel settings, allowing streamers to opt out of having their content used for future GenAI model improvements. With the setting enabled, Twitch says channel content – including livestreams, videos on demand, clips, highlights, text, images, and chat messages – may be used to train Amazon's generative AI models. The benefits aren't confined to Twitch either, as the company says the resulting models may also be used elsewhere in the Amazon empire. For example, Twitch says audio from streams could be used to refine speech-to-text models, improving captions on Twitch as well as "across Amazon." Streamers who would rather not contribute their channels to Amazon's AI ambitions can opt out, but they'll need to do it themselves. Twitch has helpfully enabled the setting by default. Twitch chief product officer Mike Minton offered a refreshingly uncomplicated explanation for that decision during a livestream discussing the changes: "If it was opt-in, nobody would opt in," he said. "That's honestly the answer. So it's going to be on by default." The new control also doesn't mark the beginning of Amazon using Twitch material to build AI. According to Ars Technica, Minton confirmed at an event hosted by The Information in 2024 that Amazon was already using Twitch data to train AI models. What's changed is that Twitch users now have a dedicated way to tell it to stop using their content for future generative AI training. There are some wrinkles, naturally. The channel owner's setting determines whether messages posted in its chat can be used, so opting out on your own channel does not protect what you type in somebody else's if that streamer leaves training enabled. And Twitch's wording is conspicuously forward-looking: opting out means content won't be used for "future" GenAI model improvements. The company doesn't say that flicking the switch somehow extracts anything that has already made its way into a model. The Register has asked Amazon which of its AI models have been trained on Twitch content, how long it has been using the data, and whether opting out has any effect on material already used for training. We've also asked whether models trained on Twitch content are used in products available to Amazon customers or third parties. For now, Twitch creators finally have a way to keep their content off Amazon's generative AI training menu. All they have to do is find the switch Amazon would plainly rather they left alone. ®
Rilevate nuove vulnerabilità di sicurezza nei prodotti NetScaler ADC e NetScaler Gateway di Citrix. Tra queste si evidenziano la CVE-2026-8451 e la CVE-2026-8452, per le quali sono disponibili in rete Proof of Concept (PoC) pubblici.
IBM ha pubblicato aggiornamenti di sicurezza per risolvere molteplici vulnerabilità, di cui 9 con gravità "critica" e 48 con gravità "alta", nei prodotti Db2, Security Verify Access, Verify Identity Access, WebSphere e IBM i.
BORK!BORK!BORK! "Everything is better with pickles," trumpets a Wendy's sign. Everything is also better with a helping of bork, if the screen is to be believed. Spotted by an eagle-eyed Register reader in Vancouver, the display shows something amiss with Windows Phone Link – although why a PC encouraging customers to drop dollars on a Dill Pickle Chicken Sandwich needs the app is anyone's guess. The error itself usually comes up when something running Windows has been a bit careless with stack memory. Perhaps there's been a stack overflow, a software conflict, or a memory shortage. The usual fix is to reach for the power button or perform a restart. The more technically minded might try to diagnose the whoopsie and fix it without a boot cycle, although had a more technically minded person set up the system in the first place, it's unlikely that the PhoneExperienceHost.exe application would have reared its ugly head in this way. Phone Link connects a Windows PC to an Android phone or iPhone. The theory goes that users can keep track of mobile notifications, send and receive messages, or deal with calls from their Windows desktop. It arrived with Windows 10 as Your Phone before Microsoft renamed it Phone Link and continued adding features. Ordinarily, the service doesn't use much in the way of memory or CPU. However, something has clearly upset the instance here, much as an excess of dill pickles might disagree with the customer. While we're sure the foodstuffs on offer are excellent (although our reader told us they were only popping in for a Frosty Dairy Dessert rather than anything slapped with a dill pickle), we might give the chicken sandwich a miss this time. Even Windows appears less than keen. ®
In the competitive world of youth sports, few organizations have a reach as vast as the Amateur Athletic Union.
With 760,000 athletes and coaches nationwide, the AAU hosts competitions in dozens of sports across the country. This summer alone, hundreds of thousands of children competed in AAU events for elite young athletes: a staggering 100,000 at the world’s largest volleyball championship in Orlando, Florida; 8,000 at its storied basketball championships at Disney World; more than 15,000 at the Junior Olympics in Iowa.
To the hundreds of thousands of parents whose children play under the red, white and blue AAU badge, the organization offers more than a place to compete. The AAU promises their children will be safe — that its coaches are vetted, monitored and trained; that strict rules govern how adults interact with children; and that it responds effectively to allegations of abuse within its ranks.
But that trust is misplaced, according to an investigation from ProPublica and The Washington Post. The AAU is failing on nearly every level to adequately protect the hundreds of thousands of children in its care from sexual abuse, the investigation found, misleading the public about its prevention measures and suppressing allegations of sexual misconduct.
In doing so, the AAU is breaking many of the pledges it made in the wake of a 2011 sex abuse scandal involving its CEO and young basketball players. AAU leaders at the time said they would build a “new culture in which the overarching priority” was protecting young athletes, committing the organization to sweeping safety reforms. But they did not implement the majority of those reforms, ProPublica and The Post found, putting many children at risk. Some AAU athletes have had devastating experiences.
The AAU does not offer child abuse prevention training, though it claims to the public that it does. It does not verify whether coaches take the training it does offer, though it calls the course “mandatory” on its webpage for parents.
The AAU has become a haven for coaches suspected of abuse, ProPublica and The Post found, based on a review of public disciplinary lists and interviews with current and former executives from six national sports governing bodies and other key stakeholders. Those sports officials say the AAU has earned a reputation as a place where coaches can escape discipline and are not bound by strict safety laws, making it more difficult to protect young athletes. ProPublica and The Post identified eight coaches who continued to work with children under the AAU in the last five years after being banned or suspended by other youth sports organizations — even though the AAU pledged in 2012 that it would ban such coaches.
Serious allegations of sexual misconduct against coaches in the AAU are handled by its Board of Review, a group of four elected AAU members and a chair whose names are not made public. Asked about written guidelines for when to ban coaches, one former member who sat on the board for nearly 25 years said the group “just decided on our feelings.”
The abuse reporting hotline AAU promised to create as part of the reforms redirects to the AAU’s general office line with no option to report abuse, though callers can press 5 to reach a department for “medal orders.”
Instead of protecting children, the AAU has prioritized building an ever-bigger footprint across youth sports through cheap and easy team registrations, ProPublica and The Post found, allowing it to dramatically grow its revenue in recent years.
The scope of the consequences for young athletes nationwide is impossible to quantify, ProPublica and The Post found, because the AAU operates with a secrecy that is unusual for a nonprofit that serves children.
The AAU declined to answer questions from ProPublica and The Post over the course of more than a year, including whether the organization trains its coaches, how it investigates abuse claims, and how it enforces policies and safety rules. It would not verify if specific coaches overseeing AAU-registered teams had been authorized and background-checked by the AAU, as its rules require. While other youth sports organizations post public lists of coaches found to have abused children, the AAU does not.
In a statement, the AAU said it is “committed to protecting its athletes through comprehensive protection policies overseen by our Compliance Department.”
Athlete protection “is at the forefront of our safety measures such as a verified identity check and mandatory background screenings for all non-athlete AAU members, including coaches,” it said. The statement also cited “supplemental medical benefits” and “mandatory concussion protocols” as measures that it said prioritized the “physical well-being of its members.”
“These safety measures reflect our ongoing commitment to providing a safe, secure, supportive, and trusted environment where athletes can thrive,” the statement said.
The AAU also took action on one point raised by the news organizations. After ProPublica and The Post asked the AAU last year whether it actually mandated training for coaches, as its website claims, the organization quietly changed its website to say the training was “encouraged.”
For the first time, using thousands of pages of internal, legal and court records and interviews with key stakeholders, ProPublica and The Post were able to document how the AAU handled some child sex abuse claims in the years after it promised reform. Several years after allegations were made against a former AAU president, ProPublica and The Post found, its review board exonerated another top AAU executive accused of sexual abuse by a former player without interviewing a single witness or considering a past allegation from a different player, court records show. A current AAU official, Jim Fox, said he believed the AAU’s handling of the case was an attempt to “cover it up.”
The AAU has taken other steps that have had the effect of keeping sexual abuse claims out of the public eye, ProPublica and The Post found. Clauses in AAU registration forms require all claims against the AAU to be resolved through confidential arbitration hearings instead of jury trials in open court. The AAU uses those agreements to quash lawsuits over child sex abuse claims — arguing in court that children who say they were victimized by their coaches had signed away their right to sue when they registered for an AAU team, records show. That practice is extremely rare in sex abuse cases at other major youth sports organizations, according to attorneys, court records and sports groups, and was mostly banned by a Biden-era law in 2022.
ProPublica and The Post found that the AAU has attempted to force sex abuse claims into arbitration as recently as 2024, in the case of a lawsuit filed by a teenage girl in Florida who said she had been abused by her AAU volleyball coach. The case was settled out of court last year.
The AAU declined to comment on this practice or any of these cases, saying it could not comment on “legal matters.”
The AAU’s use of arbitration agreements meant that even in a high-profile case in which an AAU coach was convicted of decades of prolific abuse, the AAU itself escaped scrutiny.
The co-director of an influential basketball club in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, Greg Stephen, was accused of sexually exploiting more than 400 of his young basketball players in 2018 and sentenced to 180 years in prison on multiple charges. But arbitration clauses prevented his former players from suing the AAU, ProPublica and The Post learned, even though boys’ families initially argued that the AAU was partly responsible because it had failed to enforce its 2012 safety policies, including a ban on coaches sharing bedrooms with players.
A judge sided with the AAU and ruled that the victims could not sue the wealthier parent organization, allowing the AAU not to respond to the claims in court. The club, Barnstormers Basketball, denied the claims.
The Barnstormers’ AAU-provided insurance limited payouts for sexual abuse claims to $1 million, said Guy Cook, the families’ lawyer, the equivalent of a few thousand dollars for each young victim.
Cook said the AAU had grown “sophisticated” in its attempts to suppress child sex abuse lawsuits: “It’s not unlike what the Catholic Church has done.”
In 2018, in the wake of revelations about sexual abuse by USA Gymnastics doctor Larry Nassar and other powerful figures in Olympic sports, Congress created a new oversight system to prevent sexual abuse. The law charged the U.S. Center for SafeSport with investigating allegations of sexual abuse in sports overseen by the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee — made up of national sports governing bodies like USA Gymnastics — and enforced strict new rules about safety and training.
But the AAU exists outside of that system, allowing it to benefit from a gap in the law. Because it is not a sanctioned national sports governing body, the AAU is not overseen by SafeSport and does not have to follow its rules or mandate that coaches take its trainings. ProPublica and The Post found that it does not abide by SafeSport suspensions or bans.
“It should scare parents,” said former Florida state Sen. Lauren Book, a child sex abuse survivor and prevention advocate who was a member of a task force established by AAU to reform its abuse prevention practices in 2011. Along with most other members of the task force, she said she has since lost faith in the organization.
“What AAU does is protect institution over children,” Book said. “They have never done the right thing when it comes to child protection.”
Broken Promises
Before he was caught at the center of a scandal, Bobby Dodd saved the AAU. When the former youth basketball coach took the helm of the nonprofit in 1992, it was struggling. It had been founded in the 19th century to oversee amateur sports, but Congress had given that role to the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee and its national sports governing bodies in 1978. The AAU’s relevance had been declining since.
Dodd saw youth sports for what they would soon become: a booming business. He built the AAU of the 1990s and 2000s into the juggernaut of youth basketball, the home of virtually every future NBA star; invested in a Junior Olympics brand that brought in thousands of children from across track and field; and moved the organization’s headquarters to the ESPN Wide World of Sports complex inside Disney World.
Under Dodd, there were few barriers to becoming an AAU coach: Anyone who paid a $16 membership fee could start a team, no background check required. By joining the AAU, basketball and other sports clubs got perks like cheap and easy liability insurance. More importantly, they got access to a circuit of organized tournaments, from local weekend events to major national championships.
But along with Dodd’s stewardship of AAU came criticism that the fast-growing organization was becoming a free-for-all.
After a 2004 Seattle Times investigation found dozens of people with felony convictions were coaching AAU-sanctioned teams in Washington and Idaho, including a coach who was a convicted murderer, Dodd pledged to consider background checks for AAU’s 65,000 coaches. “We are going to try to ensure more integrity in the process,” Dodd told the paper.
The AAU still had not introduced those background checks when, in 2011, ESPN reported that two men had accused Dodd of molesting them as youths in the 1980s, when he was their basketball coach. Dodd denied the allegations but stepped down as president, collecting a $1.5 million payout from the organization and putting the AAU back in an uncomfortable spotlight. He was not charged with a crime, andhe could not be reached for comment.
Again, the organization promised change.
Under a new president, Louis Stout, the organization convened a task force of child safety experts. It vowed in June 2012 to implement all of the task force’s recommendations, which it called “historic child protection measures.”
The AAU rolled out mandatory background checks. It also pledged to train all adults in child sex abuse prevention and create policies that would “prevent adults from being alone with children.” Participation was a privilege, AAU vowed, not a right: “Anyone who is prohibited from participating in an organization that serves youth or who violates the AAU’s child protection policies should be barred.”
The most important change, the AAU said, would be cultural. Child safety would now be “an overarching priority.”
Within a matter of months, there were signs that little was actually changing.
That year, the AAU gave a 2012 leadership award to a man named Rick Butler, one of the country’s most prominent girls’ volleyball coaches at the time. Butler had been instrumental in building AAU volleyball into a powerhouse.
But he had also been banned by USA Volleyball from coaching girls since 1995, after the sport’s governing body concluded that he had had sexual intercourse with three teenage players years earlier, when he was in his late 20s to mid-30s. Butler’s attorney called them “legal, consensual relationships in the 1980s,” noting that there was no law or rule against coach-player relationships at the time.
Months before giving Butler the award, the AAU had promised it would bar anyone “banned by other youth-serving organizations” from coaching children.
But Butler continued coaching girls under the AAU until 2018. That year, USA Volleyball pulled its affiliation with the AAU over Butler’s membership, and the AAU subsequently banned Butler, according to a letter reviewed by ProPublica and The Post. Butler’s attorney said he has not been accused of more recent misconduct.
Stout died unexpectedly in September 2012, just a few months after he committed the AAU to the list of reforms. (After an interim period, Roger Goudy, who had run the AAU’s volleyball program for decades, was elected president in 2014.)
When the AAU published its first youth protection handbook in December 2012, there was no rule barring coaches banned by other groups. The handbook did say it was following another key reform: All AAU coaches were now taking an “educational course.”
The organization had repurposed training it had used since before the Dodd scandal — an online seminar called “Double Goal Coach” from the nonprofit Positive Coaching Alliance. The course was focused on sports psychology and coaching techniques, not sexual abuse prevention training. The AAU claimed that “all registered non-athletes” were taking the course, even though no one verified whether they did, according to officials, stakeholders and a person directly familiar with the training.
“It’s never been mandatory,” said Peg Adams, a longtime regional official at the AAU who spent more than two decades reviewing abuse claims against AAU coaches as part of its Board of Review. “It should be, but that’s something they [AAU] have to work out.”
When they were first announced, the AAU’s child safety rules, if implemented, would have put the organization at the vanguard of youth sports. But in 2018, Congress passed a landmark new sports safety law, known as the Safe Sport Act, that forced much of the rest of the sports world to make sweeping changes.
Under the new law, the U.S. Center for SafeSport was charged with investigating sexual abuse allegations in all 50 national sports governing bodies, the organizations that oversee and set rules for specific sports. SafeSport could ban or suspend accused coaches in these groups, placing their names in a searchable public database known as the SafeSport list. It required adult coaches and volunteers to take SafeSport-provided child abuse prevention training annually and follow strict new safety rules governing how they interacted with athletes.
But because the independent AAU is not a national governing body, SafeSport could not require the AAU to follow its disciplinary list, rules or training. Only a few provisions tucked at the end of the 2018 bill applied to the AAU — including a requirement that all sports groups “offer and provide consistent training … regarding prevention and reporting of child abuse.” Only Congress, not SafeSport, could enforce that provision.
The new Center for SafeSport was far from perfect. Underfunded and understaffed, the center quickly racked up a backlog of unresolved complaints and closed many others without findings or with what critics said were inadequate investigations.
SafeSport has since resolved many of those issues, improving its process to resolve cases more quickly and cut down its backlog, the organization said. In a statement, the center’s new CEO, Benita Fitzgerald Mosley, an Olympic gold medalist, said the organization “acknowledges the challenges we have met as the first national sport safeguarding organization in the world. We are on surer footing today.”
SafeSport also drove up costs for the governing bodies, who were required to help fund the center’s investigations and often pay for expensive background checks and compliance staff. That meant higher membership fees for their athletes.
The AAU was not required to pay for any of that. So while governing bodies and SafeSport inched toward reform, ProPublica and The Post found, the AAU did not.
Ashlee Orndorff
“People Tried to Cover It Up”
In 2018, the year that the Safe Sport Act took effect, the AAU faced a test of its most significant promise: to remake its culture to protect children.
That January, a woman named Ashlee Orndorff claimed on social media that she had been groomed and sexually abused as a teenager by an AAU executive, its second vice president, Matt Williams, who was also a paid employee of the organization at the time.
Orndorff had been a teenage basketball phenom in the tiny unincorporated town of Hawthorne, Nevada, two hours outside of Reno. She won three state titles and was named the state Gatorade player of the year during her senior year of high school in 2000, setting records that she still holds. But for many of the years that she excelled on the court, Orndorff said, she had carried a terrible secret: Williams, her AAU club coach, had been sexually assaulting her. The abuse began when she was 15, she said, and carried well into her adulthood, resulting in the birth of a child she gave up for adoption at 19.
Williams was more than just a storied coach. He founded the Western region’s most prominent AAU basketball brand, Jam On It, which generated revenue for the AAU through the enormous tournaments it hosted every year.
After Orndorff’s allegations, the AAU pledged to investigate, saying Williams had “volunteered” to be placed on administrative leave. Orndorff’s allegations went before the AAU’s Board of Review a month later. The small group of AAU members, one elected to represent each region, had no training in law, investigation or child sexual abuse, according to Adams, the former board member.
Transcripts reviewed by ProPublica and The Post show the hearing frequently resembled a contentious criminal trial. Williams had a lawyer, but Orndorff said she had not been able to afford one at the time.
In a statement to the AAU, Williams denied sexually abusing Orndorff as a minor. But he admitted that he fathered Orndorff’s child, who was born when she was 19 and he was over 30 and just a year out of coaching her — a violation of the organization’s policy against having sexual relationships with former players, which was part of the 2012 reforms. The attorney asked Orndorff if her “anger” at Williams “is what has prompted this complaint.”
“No, sir,” she responded. “Being fingered by my coach at 15 in a gym and him making me think that that is all that I was good for, was to be his sexual satisfaction, that is where my fucking anger comes from. Next question.”
The board did not interview any witnesses or introduce records that could corroborate Orndorff’s account. Orndorff had submitted a 34-page narrative of the alleged abuse that included dates, locations and names of potential witnesses, 10 of whom later corroborated aspects of her story in depositions for a 2019 lawsuit she filed against Williams and Jam On It, according to a review of thousands of pages of court records. (Williams and Jam On It denied wrongdoing. Orndorff settled the case in 2023, and Williams died from cancer the following year. An attorney for Williams’ estate did not respond to a request for comment.)
An altered photo, left, shows Orndorff when she was one of the country’s best teenage basketball players. Now 44, Orndorff says she still carries the trauma of abuse but is almost nine years sober and rebuilding her life.
Adams, who is a former Georgia gymnastics coach and gym owner, sat on the board during the Williams case. She said board members did not interview any witnesses because Orndorff had not provided a separate list of their names and phone numbers.
The hearing also did not consider an accusation of sexual abuse against Williams by a different player in 2005, the case records show. Rod Seaford, the board chair and the attorney running the hearing, had personally responded to the allegations in 2005, court records show. But Seaford did not mention them at the hearing, and Adams said Seaford had not told her they existed. (The girl who made the accusation declined to speak to police or the AAU at the time, records show, and that case did not proceed. Now an adult, she did not respond to an interview request from ProPublica and The Post.) Seaford declined multiple requests for comment.
By May 2018, within six months of learning of Orndorff’s allegations, the Board of Review cleared Williams of wrongdoing and reinstated him to his $84,000 position as an AAU officer. He was free to coach at Jam On It.
Internal records show that the board cited a lack of evidence and questioned Orndorff’s credibility because of an admitted history of drug use and what the board called “disturbing” discrepancies in her story. She had alternately claimed, for example, that Williams had “taken her virginity” at 15 but that they had first had sex when she was 16. In the hearing, Orndorff tried to explain that she had been referring to Williams digitally penetrating her when she was 15.
Adams spent more than two decades on the Board of Review before leaving in 2024. She was never aware, she said, of any written rules used to decide whether a coach should be allowed to return to working with children.
“I think we just decided on our feelings,” Adams said of the board’s process.
She told ProPublica and The Post that the board had not considered sanctioning Williams for having a relationship with Orndorff because there was no regulation against having relationships with former players at the time. The AAU said in 2012 it had implemented that rule.
“It certainly would be [a violation] now,” Adams said. “And after, well — it was not a very pleasant — that was one of my unhappiest decisions.”
Orndorff said she still carries with her the trauma of Williams’ abuse. She left college during her freshman year as a result of the relationship with Williams, she said, eventually turning to drinking and drugs for much of her adult life. She is now 44 and says she has been sober since 2017.
But the AAU’s handling of the case when she was finally ready to step forward has made it much more difficult for her to heal. “I tried so hard to get the truth out, and I don’t know why I couldn’t do it,” Orndorff said, her voice choked with emotion.
Jim Fox, a youth basketball executive who records indicate joined the AAU Board of Directors after the case was resolved, said he believed the “old boys’ network” of the AAU had worked to suppress Orndorff’s allegations to avoid “embarrassment.” Fox tried to convince the board again to ban Williams in 2022, internal AAU records revealed in the court case show, citing new evidence in Orndorff’s civil suit, but it refused to even consider the case.
“Anybody could look at it and see that it was true,” Fox, a former probation officer, said of Orndorff’s allegations. “People tried to cover it up.”
Goudy, the president, died in 2020. Fox told ProPublica and The Post that Williams was stripped of his membership shortly after a new president, Jo Mirza, was elected in October 2022. Mirza, who court records show also advocated to terminate Williams’ membership in 2022, did not respond to multiple requests for comment.
“Short, Fast, Easy and Quick”
Something did change inside the AAU in 2021: It started making money.
Since 2015, the nonprofit had been spending more than the $20 million it took in annually, losing money each year.
But that year, the AAU’s revenue jumped to $24 million, and two years later, the number had grown to $34 million. In 2024, the most recent year the AAU’s nonprofit tax returns are public, the organization brought in nearly $44 million. It reported cash and investment reserves of around $30 million — triple what it held in 2019.
The organization’s momentum wasn’t in basketball. It was everywhere else. In boys’ volleyball, the AAU had become the dominant force, and in sports like martial arts, gymnastics and flag football, it was staking out a growing presence. The expansion meant that the AAU was increasingly competing with national sports governing bodies overseen by SafeSport.
In swimming, some large clubs joined the AAU, where they could register less serious swimmers for $20 apiece instead of the more than $70 cost of USA Swimming. In 2023, USA Swimming’s registrations fell by almost 5%.
AAU meets are “short, fast, easy and quick,” said Chris Davis, whose juggernaut Georgia swimming club, SwimAtlanta, has moved hundreds of kids to the AAU. “I could theoretically have a senior in high school run the meet. I don’t have to have an official.” Davis said he opts to use officials, and all of his coaches take SafeSport training because they are also members of USA Swimming.
The AAU’s cheaper fees weren’t the only selling point. On one swimming website’s list of reasons for clubs to switch to the “easier” AAU, the top of the list was a lack of “mandatory training hoops.”
By 2023, five years after the SafeSport Act’s passage, the AAU was publicly acknowledging that the law required all organizations to offer some form of child sex abuse prevention training, even if it isn’t created by SafeSport. Its new youth protection handbook cited the law — and said that the AAU’s mandatory course, offered through the Positive Coaching Alliance, now included “child abuse prevention training.”
Jason Sacks, the CEO of the Positive Coaching Alliance, told ProPublica and The Post in a statement that the material “was not an official training by any stretch.” It constituted “a few slides with resources.”
The links to those resources from AAU’s website are currently broken.
As an organization, Sacks said, PCA’s focus is not sexual abuse prevention but youth sports culture, with trainings that emphasize positivity and character development. He noted its courses can play a role in preventing emotional and physical abuse by discouraging coaches from mistreating athletes. But Sacks said they “are not currently built to satisfy the Safe Sport Act requirements.”
Though some 20,000 AAU coaches took the PCA course in its earliest days, Sacks’ statement said, those numbers have declined steadily in the decade since. In 2024, AAU reported more than 100,000 adult volunteers.
On Nov. 10, 2025, ProPublica and The Post reached out to the AAU with questions about whether the organization offered sexual abuse prevention training and if the PCA course was mandatory for all coaches.
Eight days later, the AAU approached PCA, Sacks said in his statement. Officials had two requests: “They wanted to incorporate more abuse prevention material in the PCA online coach course training, and make it mandatory for all coaches.”
Aleesa Bravata
“SafeSport Does Not Apply”
SafeSport’s public disciplinary list quickly became a central part of the sports landscape. By 2025, there were more than 2,500 coaches on the list — some temporarily suspended during investigations and hundreds more banned permanently from any sport that fell under the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee.
Though they were not required to do so by law, many independent organizations, including Pop Warner and Little League, implemented rules to keep coaches on the list out of their programs, too. In 2012, the AAU had said it would bar anyone “banned by other youth-serving organizations.” But it never adopted the rule, according to a review of its written policies.
Instead, ProPublica and The Post found, the organization has become known as a refuge for coaches who are suspended or banned by SafeSport and national governing bodies.
“The AAU has absolutely developed a reputation that they are the place to go if you are banned from our world,” said the president of one national governing body, who asked not to be named because he still works with the AAU.
The issue has been raised repeatedly to the U.S. Center for SafeSport, top governing body officials, attorneys and former SafeSport executives told The Post.
ProPublica and The Post identified eight people who coached AAU-affiliated teams within the last five years despite being banned by SafeSport or national governing bodies. The AAU’s director of compliance, Aaron Oandasan, would not verify if any of them were registered with the AAU, but ProPublica and The Post confirmed they were coaching teams registered with the organization through interviews with parents, administrators or the coaches themselves, as well as online records and social media posts.
Among them were three elite gymnastics coaches who had been suspended by either USA Gymnastics or SafeSport over emotional and physical abuse allegations in the wake of the Nassar revelations but continued working with AAU athletes. Another was a fencing club owner who started advertising his gym as affiliated with AAU while SafeSport investigated allegations of sexual misconduct against him that it eventually substantiated. And a Georgia basketball coach who was suspended for three years by SafeSport over allegations that were not publicly disclosed even took his team of boys to AAU nationals.
Last year, a regional governing body official said he reached out to the AAU to warn it about a local volleyball club owner who had told parents he planned to join the AAU to evade a SafeSport suspension for alleged sexual misconduct.
The AAU’s response to the official was curt, the official told ProPublica and The Post: “SafeSport does not apply.”
Adams, the former review board member, said that the AAU does not check the SafeSport list unless it receives a report about a coach. The AAU then conducts its own investigation, she said, because it does not trust SafeSport. That is because SafeSport is prohibited from sharing confidential details of cases, she said, but also out of concern that the center punishes coaches for frivolous reasons.
“At times, SafeSport hasn’t liked the way somebody dressed or they drank in college,” she said, without providing examples. SafeSport’s vice president, Hilary Nemchik, called Adams’ characterization “not accurate” and “concerning.”
“SafeSport’s cases are proven through evidence, and our process allows for appeals by the accused,” Nemchik said.
Adams said the AAU board does sometimes ban coaches who have been barred by SafeSport.
She recalled one case in which the board ruled that a coach banned by SafeSport should be allowed to continue working with the AAU. That coach was later seen acting inappropriately with an AAU athlete, Adams said, and the AAU banned him at that time. She declined to name the coach, and because the AAU does not make a public list of banned members, the claim is not verifiable.
One of the coaches who was still working with children under AAU following a SafeSport suspensionwas Elias Perez in Southern California.
Aleesa Bravata told SafeSport last year that Perez, her former volleyball coach, had groomed and inappropriately touched her while she was in high school.
But a few weeks after his name appeared on SafeSport’s disciplinary list, temporarily suspending him, Bravata saw Perez’s truck in the parking lot of the local volleyball gym. Perez was still coaching.
Bravata had met Perez when he began coaching the girls’ volleyball team at her high school in Huntington Beach, California. He was 33; she was 16, a junior. As her senior season began, she said, Perez began to isolate her from her teammates and text her with increasing frequency about things other than volleyball, including making comments about her appearance.
ProPublica and The Post reviewed interviews and records that were part of SafeSport’s investigation, including text messages between Bravata and Perez, and corroborated parts of her story with a former coach in whom Bravata confided while she was still in high school.
In September 2024, around the time Bravata turned 18, Bravata said Perez asked her for a ride home from training because his car was broken down. Parked outside Perez’s apartment, Bravata said her coach told her, “You know how I feel about you.”
She asked him what he meant. Bravata said she remembers his reply word-for-word: “I’m going to put this in a way you understand. I have a crush on you, I like you, I want to hold your hand and take you on dates.”
“I froze,” Bravata told ProPublica and The Post. “It scared me.”
An altered photo, left, shows Bravata when she played volleyball in high school. Now 19, she is a sophomore in college.
Perez went inside, Bravata said, but a few days later, he asked her to come to his apartment to drop off a set of keys to the high school gym. Parked outside his apartment, Bravata recalled that she sat in the passenger seat of her truck and, with the door open, Perez came to stand close to her, his body between her legs.
Bravata told Perez that she didn’t want to have sex, she said, and Perez said he would never do anything that made her uncomfortable.Then, she said, Perez began to touch her, rubbing his fingers under her bra strap and touching the waistband of her pajama pants.
Perez tried to kiss her, Bravata said, and Bravata turned her head. He then took her wrist, she said, and pressed her hand against his clothed penis, which was erect under his loose pants. When he let go, Bravata said, her hand dropped loosely into her lap.
Bravata got out of the passenger seat to return to the driver’s side, she said, and Perez asked her, “Hey, if anyone asks, Eli accidentally touched your ass, right?”
With the volleyball season over, Bravata and Perez stopped spending time together. Later in her senior year, her confused feelings turned to something else: “It took me till the end of the school year to realize that he had been grooming me, basically brainwashing me,” she said.
Bravata confided in a former coach, SafeSport records show, who escalated the issue to school administration and the school resource officer. By then, Perez had left the high school. Bravata said Huntington Beach police told her that because it was possible the incidents had occurred when she was no longer a minor, the district attorney was unlikely to prosecute. (The police declined to release any records to ProPublica and The Post because the case is still open.)
In August 2025, when Bravata learned Perez was coaching a team of 14- to 15-year-old girls at Balboa Bay, a prestigious local volleyball club, she called SafeSport’s reporting hotline.
Within weeks, SafeSport issued a temporary suspension against Perez while it finished its investigation — a measure it typically takes only in limited cases where allegations are serious and recent.
Perez did not respond to requests for comment. But in an interview with a SafeSport investigator, a transcript of which was reviewed by ProPublica and The Post, he denied any inappropriate contact with Bravata, saying that they had rarely texted and had not been close.
Balboa Bay was a member of two organizations: USA Volleyball, which is legally bound by SafeSport, and the AAU, which is not. So while Balboa Bay eventually stopped Perez from coaching girls on its USA Volleyball teams, it allowed him to continue coaching teenage boys on its AAU-affiliated teams for several months.
The club director, Travis Turner, said he initially decided to keep Perez because AAU rules did not forbid it and the alleged misconduct had not taken place at Balboa Bay. After ProPublica and The Post reached out to him in November, Turner said, he decided to fire Perez. He said he had not initially understood the severity of SafeSport suspensions.
This April, SafeSport issued a permanent ban against Perez for sexual misconduct and an intimate relationship “involving a power imbalance,” its online database shows.
But Bravata said she fears that there is nothing to prevent Perez from finding another AAU club — and another chance to coach children.
Rilasciati aggiornamenti di sicurezza che risolvono 13 vulnerabilità, di cui 6 con gravità “alta”, in GitLab Community Edition (CE) ed Enterprise Edition (EE). Tali vulnerabilità, qualora sfruttate, potrebbero consentire a un utente malintenzionato remoto di elevare i propri privilegi, accedere a informazioni sensibili e/o eludere meccanismi di sicurezza sui sistemi interessati.
Una vulnerabilità RCE upload immagini in WordPress può trasformare un'operazione comune, come caricare una foto, in una porta d'accesso per i malintenzionati. Se gestisci un sito WordPress, questo è un argomento che devi assolutamente conoscere.
Di recente è emersa una falla critica che permette a un utente con privilegi di "Autore" di eseguire codice da remoto. Questo attacco, noto come Remote Code Execution, avviene tramite il caricamento di un file immagine malevolo.
Non c'è motivo di allarmarsi. Infatti capire il problema è il primo passo per risolverlo. In questa guida ti spieghiamo cos'è successo, come funziona l'attacco e, soprattutto, come puoi mettere in sicurezza il tuo sito web in pochi semplici passaggi.
Cos'è una vulnerabilità RCE in WordPress e perché dovresti preoccuparti?
Prima di entrare nei dettagli tecnici, chiariamo un concetto fondamentale: RCE, o Remote Code Execution, significa "Esecuzione di Codice da Remoto". È come dare a uno sconosciuto le chiavi del tuo server. Un attacco RCE riuscito consente a un hacker di eseguire comandi sul tuo hosting come se fossi tu.
Le conseguenze possono essere devastanti:
Furto di dati sensibili, come informazioni degli utenti o dettagli di pagamento.
Installazione di malware o ransomware sul tuo server.
Cancellazione o modifica dei contenuti del sito.
Utilizzo del tuo server per lanciare attacchi verso altri sistemi.
In breve, significa perdere il controllo completo del tuo spazio web. Per questo motivo una falla di sicurezza di questo tipo va presa molto sul serio.
La falla specifica: come un'immagine diventa un'arma
Come può un semplice file PNG scatenare una vulnerabilità RCE in WordPress? Il problema non risiede nel core di WordPress, ma nell'interazione tra la piattaforma e due strumenti che gestiscono le immagini: ImageMagick (noto anche come Imagick) e Ghostscript.
Ecco la catena di eventi che un aggressore potrebbe sfruttare:
Il file mascherato: l'attaccante crea un file che appare come un'immagine (ad esempio, vacanza.png), ma al suo interno nasconde codice malevolo, scritto in un linguaggio come PostScript.
Il caricamento: un utente con il ruolo di "Autore" carica questo file nella Libreria Media di WordPress.
L'errore di validazione: le versioni vulnerabili di WordPress si fidavano dell'estensione del file (.png) senza analizzare a fondo il suo contenuto reale.
La delega pericolosa: WordPress passa il file a ImageMagick per elaborarlo, ad esempio per creare le miniature. ImageMagick riconosce che non è una vera immagine ma codice PostScript e delega il compito a Ghostscript, lo strumento designato per interpretare questo tipo di file.
L'esecuzione del codice: Ghostscript, eseguendo il suo compito, interpreta il codice contenuto nel file. Questo permette all'hacker di eseguire comandi sul server.
Chi è il bersaglio della vulnerabilità RCE di WordPress?
Questa vulnerabilità non colpisce tutti i siti allo stesso modo. Il principale fattore di rischio dipende da chi ha i permessi per caricare file multimediali. L'attacco, infatti, richiede almeno un account con ruolo di Autore.
Il tuo sito è ad alto rischio se:
Gestisci un blog con molti autori o collaboratori esterni.
Hai una piattaforma di membership o un e-commerce dove gli utenti possono caricare immagini.
Concedi l'accesso al backend a clienti o a un team allargato con ruoli superiori a "Sottoscrittore".
Al contrario, se il tuo sito è gestito solo da te e da pochi amministratori di fiducia, il rischio è basso. Tuttavia, la sicurezza non è mai troppa.
La soluzione: come mettere in sicurezza il tuo sito WordPress
La buona notizia è che la soluzione è semplice, rapida e già disponibile. Il team di sicurezza di WordPress ha rilasciato una patch che corregge completamente questa falla. L'unica azione necessaria è aggiornare la tua installazione di WordPress alla versione più recente.
La correzione è stata implementata a partire dalla versione 7.0.4 del plugin Gutenberg e integrata nel core di WordPress. L'aggiornamento modifica il modo in cui WordPress gestisce i file. Ora, prima di passare qualsiasi file a ImageMagick, la piattaforma ne analizza il contenuto reale (la sua "firma digitale"). In questo modo si assicura che un file .png sia davvero un'immagine e non un file PostScript mascherato. Questo blocco preventivo neutralizza completamente la minaccia.
Vulnerabilità RCE in WordPress: la prevenzione è la migliore difesa
Oltre all'aggiornamento, puoi adottare alcune buone pratiche per rafforzare la sicurezza del tuo sito e prevenire problemi futuri:
Limita i permessi: assegna sempre il ruolo con i privilegi minimi necessari a ogni utente. Non tutti hanno bisogno di essere "Autori" o "Editor".
Usa un plugin di sicurezza: strumenti come Wordfence o Sucuri possono monitorare i file caricati e bloccare i tentativi di attacco.
Effettua backup regolari: avere un backup recente e funzionante è la tua migliore assicurazione contro qualsiasi disastro.
Non sottovalutare la sicurezza del tuo sito
La vulnerabilità RCE in WordPress ci ricorda una lezione fondamentale: anche le operazioni più comuni, come il caricamento di un'immagine, possono nascondere dei rischi.
La sicurezza informatica è un processo continuo di vigilanza e aggiornamento. Non rimandare: controlla subito la versione del tuo WordPress e, se non è l'ultima disponibile, procedi con l'aggiornamento. È un piccolo gesto che garantisce la protezione del tuo lavoro, dei tuoi dati e della fiducia dei tuoi utenti.
PWNED Welcome, once again, to PWNED, the weekly column where we highlight others’ security failures. Hopefully, there’s a lesson in all this, but it could just be “stop shooting yourself in the foot.” Have a story about someone leaving a gaping hole in their network? Share it with us at pwned@sitpub.com. Anonymity is available upon request. Our story today comes courtesy of Siim Kostabi, co-founder of Pageloot, a company that provides QR codes businesses can use for marketing. Kostabi’s tale of tech terror reminds us that credentials, even for a staging server, have a lot of value in the wrong hands. He explains that his company brought in a contractor to help with some API integrations on the back end. That developer had the credentials for the staging environment and wanted to be able to view them across different devices they were using for the job. So what was the developer’s solution to the very common problem of keeping track of usernames and passwords? They could have chosen a password manager. They could have written the passwords down in a paper notebook and kept it hidden from prying eyes. They could have gotten a password tattoo. They could even have emailed the passwords to themselves and it would have been smarter than what they did. Instead, the outside developer decided to store their password in a Google Doc. And they set that Google Doc to be viewable by anyone on the internet who had the link. And then, one day, an employee at the company found the Google Doc with the staging credentials in it because Google Search had indexed it and offered it as a search suggestion. “A developer on our team was debugging something unrelated and typed our domain into Google Search,” Kostabi recalls. “The autocomplete surfaced one of our staging hostnames followed by what looked like a credential string. We checked, and there was a publicly accessible Docs URL.” Yikes! Just imagine that not only are your company’s credentials available to anyone online, but they are indexed in Google Search for the world to find! Once they discovered the problem, Kostabi’s company immediately cut access for that contractor and rotated all of its exposed credentials. They also set a new rule: no storing passwords on Google Docs, Slack, Notion, or other collaboration tools. In a separate incident, Kostabi heard from a Pageloot customer, a mid-size retailer, whose QR codes were suddenly directing users to a competitor’s site. After investigating, he found that a disgruntled ex-employee’s credentials had not been revoked and that the former employee had used that access to redirect all of the retailer’s URLs, costing it customers. The takeaway from both of these problems is that you need to carefully control access. Former employees should immediately lose access to everything and current contractors should be reasonably intelligent people you can trust. “Both situations were completely avoidable with basic hygiene,” Kostabi said. “Proper offboarding, access reviews, and not treating shared docs like private vaults.” ®
The trust framework underlying Belgium's electronic ID system was fully compromised by severe vulnerabilities in a key browser extension, showcasing bigger problems with extensions in general.
Cisco CEO Chuck Robbins says “The Mythos Effect” will see customers scour their networks for unsupported devices and replace them ASAP. Mythos is Anthropic’s bug-finding model and has proven so effective that vendors and open source projects are now finding more security flaws and pushing more patches. Speaking on Cisco’s Q4 earnings call yesterday, Robbins said customers he speaks to are aware of Mythos, and fearful that the model and others like it will mean that unsupported devices become too risky to operate once patches stop flowing. “I had one of my CEO friends who runs a major manufacturer in the US … their team called early on in the Mythos wave and just said: ‘Hey, listen, we got to get some of this stuff that is past LDOS’ [last day of support].” Robbins said other Cisco customers have done likewise. “We’ve seen the pipeline increase meaningfully as a result of Mythos, which is really showing up as a network refresh,” he said. The CEO thinks some customers might be paying for new Cisco kit with their security budgets rather than cash allocated to networking expenses. He’ll take it either way. CFO Mark Patterson said buyers who need rapid replacements for their kit won’t have to wait. “We really do not have any significant lead time issues that we are seeing,” he said, before indulging in a little competitive sniping by adding “unlike we have heard a number of different peers talk about.” Robbins said The Mythos Effect is one of three factors contributing to a “supercycle” of network spending. One is the need to prepare for quantum computing, either with quantum-safe networks or quantum-resistant decryption. The other is, of course, AI. Robbins thinks agentic AI will take off, and see Cisco sell bucketloads of fresh kit to hyperscalers, and replacement kit to businesses that want to implement AI and realize their existing networks aren’t up to the job. Cisco reported $17.3 billion revenue for the quarter, and $63.3 billion for the year, increases of 17 percent and 12 percent respectively. Net income rose 51 percent to $3.9 billion for Q4, while the full-year result of $13.27 billion was a 30 percent jump. “We delivered the highest revenue, operating margin, and earnings per employee in thirty years,” Robbins crowed. “In FY27, we expect all these metrics to continue to improve.” Investors appear to have been a little confused by what they heard, as Cisco’s share price spiked after its earnings announcement, before settling four percent lower than its closing price. Robo-support revealed Robbins also touched on Cisco’s own use of AI, which he said saw 145,000 support cases “resolved entirely by AI with zero human intervention” during FY26. If you’re a Cisco customer, let us know how that works for you. The CEO also revealed that Cisco operates an in-house AI Assistant called “Circuit” that he said “is fully embedded in how Cisco operates” and handled over 75 million prompts in Q4 alone. “Circuit runs on our Secure AI Factory infrastructure which improves GPU utilization and automatically routes each task to the appropriate large language model, allowing us to manage token consumption,” he said. ®
Threat actors have begun to exploit a newly disclosed Microsoft SharePoint vulnerability following the release of a proof-of-concept (PoC) code.
The vulnerability in question is CVE-2026-55040 (CVSS score: 9.1), which refers to a critical security feature bypass that stems from weak authentication. It was patched by Microsoft as part of its July 2026 Patch Tuesday updates.
"The authentication
Chinese tech giant Tencent has turned its back on instant profits, betting that a new business unit that creates its own AI and embeds that in its products will pay off to a greater extent than cashing in on demand for computing resources. During the company’s Q2 earnings call yesterday, Bernstein analyst Robin Zhu asked when Tencent expects to see a return on investment from the $53 billion capital expenditure it made in the quarter. Chief Strategy Officer James Mitchell said demand for compute resources is so strong that Tencent could recover its depreciation costs “almost immediately” if it rented its infrastructure. Company president Martin Lau said if Tencent behaved like a neocloud it would “achieve a decent return in an immediate timeframe” as the company has offers for its compute capacity “at more than 30 percent profit compared to the price that we paid just a few months ago.” Lau said Tencent is instead “playing a different game or executing a larger strategy in that we are allocating a very substantial proportion of the new compute to building our own models to state-of-the-art status, and also to deploying, popularizing, and bringing our own AI applications to market leadership in China.” He said Tencent believes that if Tencent can provide “superior intelligence that we can achieve through state-of-the-art models, through market-leading AI applications … we can then convert into superior economic returns over the longer term.” Those returns will come from selling tokens for services like WorkBuddy, which Tencent says is an agent swarm that can “plan, execute, and run tasks in parallel, handing back complete deliverables end-to-end in one flow.” Tencent also offers CodeBuddy, a code generation tool that Mitchell said is accelerating cloud migration projects and therefore creating more business for Tencent cloud. Tencent released its latest model, the 295-billion open-weight Hunyuan-3 in July. Lau described it as “a very small model” and promised that the forthcoming Hunyuan-4 will be bigger – and more capable than larger models from other companies. He also said Tencent is designing its products specifically to work with Hunyuan-4, and that mutual optimization will make those products more powerful than would be the case if they relied on other models. The company also plans a fifth version of Hunyuan, and Lau said at some point Tencent will deliver a state-of-the-art model. Tencent is already producing thoroughly modern results for a tech giant: Revenue for Q2 grew 11 percent to reach $30.3 billion. Net profit rose nine percent to $10.3 billion. The company’s flagship messaging apps, Weixin and WeChat, saw average monthly active users rise seven million to 1.349 billion. Advertising-related revenue rose 22 percent, and the company’s gaming biz grew 17 percent in China alone. Investors aren’t sure what to make of this. The company’s share price has trended down since Wednesday and dipped around three percent since the company’s earnings announcement. ®
Researchers from Germany’s Helmholtz Center for Information Security have found processors made by China’s Loongson have leaky caches that attackers could use to seek specific data. Loongson has developed its own LoongArch instruction set architecture (ISA) that blends approaches used by MIPS and RISC-V. On a site called LoongLeakAttack.com, the researchers explain that they found the leaky cache using a fuzzer, then noticed that the LoongArch ISA manual mentions an instruction that leaves 32 bits of a memory register in an “uncertain” state. “Our analysis reveals that under certain circumstances, the ‘uncertain’ data originates from the L1 data cache,” the four researchers wrote. “Since this cache is not isolated between applications, LoongLeak can leak data from other applications and the operating system. Even worse, an attacker can prime the CPU’s internal state to target the leakage to a specific cache set.” In a paper [PDF] explaining their research, authors Lorenz Hetterich, Tristan Hornetz, Fabian Thomas, and Michael Schwarz share case studies that “include recovering full-disk AES keys from the kernel, partial root password hashes from user-space, and bypassing traditional software defenses such as ASLR and stack canaries, all within seconds.” In case that’s not scaring you enough, they also point out “LoongLeak can be exploited from unprivileged user space, containers, or virtual machines.” The flaw even means “LoongLeak can cross the virtual machine boundary and leak host data from inside a VM.” “As the leakage is architectural, it requires neither high-resolution timers nor traditional sidechannel amplification, and it grants the attacker precise control over cache set and line offset,” they add. And the cherry on top is that software mitigations aren’t possible. Users with chips that possess the flaw either need to replace them or make sure they don’t allow any private data to enter or remain in the L1 cache. Making that happen can require turning off one thread per core, effectively disabling hyperthreading. The news isn’t all bad, because Loongson fixed the flaw in an update to its model 3A6000 processor, and the mitigation of evicting cache data slows performance by just 1.4 percent in the worst case. The blast radius of this flaw is also likely to be limited, because Loongson chips are hardly used outside China. The company offers chips for PCs, servers, and appliances such as printers. China’s government promotes use of Loongson chips as part of its plan to reduce dependence on imported tech. Lenovo makes laptops that use Loongson chips but only sells them in China. The Register has discussed the company’s chips with other major PC-makers, who told us they would adopt Loongson product if users want them, or if doing so becomes necessary to participate in the Chinese hardware market. But we’ve not seen a non-Chinese company adopt the processors. China’s government, however, may be nervous about this research as it has instructed public sector buyers to buy local products. Perhaps some government agencies are running vulnerable devices? If that’s the case, Beijing has its work cut out spotting any attacks, because the researchers could find “no specific tools or methods to detect if LoongLeak is being exploited.” ®
OpenAI appears to be serving ads after buyers have halted their campaigns, and charging them for the privilege. OpenAI began testing ad sales in ChatGPT in the US back in February and has been gradually expanding the service in other regions, including the United Kingdom, Mexico, Brazil, Japan, and South Korea as of Tuesday. Given that a substantial minority of ChatGPT's user base pays for the service (50 million out of 900 million weekly users as of February 2026), advertising revenue appears to be an important part of OpenAI's plan to defray the cost of providing its service and to convince investors that it has a path to profitability ahead of a future initial public offering. Online ad-marts from the likes of Google and Facebook give advertisers control over when and where their ads will appear, but don't always stick to instructions. The AI biz's ad service appears to have similar ad timing and billing accuracy issues. Ed Bolton, managing director of UK-based Excel4Business, told The Register that his company encountered "an odd billing practice" when it started experimenting with ChatGPT Ads in the US and Canada. "We were running campaigns in the US and Canada … and noticed ads were being delivered through the night/morning on paused campaigns," he explained. When Bolton pointed this out in a support message thread, an OpenAI customer service representative initially acknowledged the failure. "We have now confirmed that your campaigns continued serving after they were paused," said an OpenAI support specialist in an email provided to The Register. "This was not a reporting delay. The campaign was marked as paused, but the separate ad-level status used by the serving system did not refresh promptly, so an ad that was still active at the ad level continued to run. Our Ads Engineering team has escalated this defect and is working on an additional production fix." The support reply goes on to state: "Our review has confirmed £60.72 in invalid charges from the original occurrence and approximately £6.47 from the August 4–5 recurrence. We are extending that reconciliation to the additional activity you reported on August 6. We are preparing the confirmed invalid charges for billing review, but I cannot confirm the final refund or credit amount until the latest activity has been reconciled and that review is complete." Bolton responded that the acknowledged problem – ads being served after he disabled the campaign – had been occurring for a longer period of time and requested a more complete reconciliation of ad billing. Several days later, OpenAI's support rep reversed the prior determination and declined to offer any refund or credit because the company's Advertising Terms state that ChatGPT Ads may be delivered even after a customer cancels a campaign and the advertiser still has to pay for those unwanted ads. "Section 11.1 of our Advertising Terms provides that ads may continue running for up to one business day after a campaign is canceled or changed, and advertisers remain responsible for ads delivered during that period," the support message explains. "Pausing a campaign constitutes a campaign change and does not guarantee that delivery or associated charges stop immediately." A spokesperson for OpenAI confirmed that's the case, explaining that it can take a business day to cancel or change a campaign and that this doesn't represent an intentional effort to run ads after an advertiser has disabled a campaign. Based on the times cited in the support message thread, the most delayed ChatGPT ad ran about 94 minutes after Excel4Business paused a campaign. Bolton said unwanted ads appeared for a far longer period — more than 10 hours after campaigns were paused. OpenAI isn't the only ad provider that allows itself a business day to turn off its ad spigot for a particular customer. Other advertising services impose similar terms. "So the terms … seem to be a standard which is used in digital advertising, which some legal team wrote at some point, saying that we've got a 24-hour grace period if you stop a campaign," Bolton said - before adding that he has run Google AdWords campaigns for 17 or 18 years and has never had that issue. If ad buyers were not able to stop an AdWords campaign quickly, you could easily spend half a million dollars, he said. Nonetheless, some Google advertising customers have complained about post-pause ad serving. Why it might take so long to stop serving ads at a time when applications and servers can be spun up and torn down in seconds isn't immediately clear. One can order and receive physical goods from Amazon.com in less than one business day. It may be that there's no financial incentive or regulatory pressure to tackle the problem, and a significant financial incentive to ignore it. "My understanding is that such a clause is included in terms and conditions so as to cover issues with latency, and not to allow them to run ads for 24 hours longer than instructed," said Bolton. "Regardless, they cannot retroactively apply a clause from terms and conditions after making a written settlement offer." ®
Intel’s open-source Linux graphics stack has taken another step forward with hardware-accelerated AV1 encoding through Vulkan Video. New code merged for Mesa’s ANV Vulkan driver enables the VK_KHR_video_encode_av1 extension on Intel’s DG2/Alchemist graphics hardware, including Arc A-Series GPUs.
The development expands Intel’s Vulkan Video capabilities on Linux and gives applications another standardized way to access the dedicated video encoding hardware found in modern Intel GPUs.
AV1 Encoding Arrives in Intel ANV
The key change is support for the Vulkan extension VK_KHR_video_encode_av1 in Mesa’s open-source Intel ANV driver.
The extension was finalized by the Khronos Group in 2024 and provides a standardized Vulkan interface for hardware-accelerated AV1 encoding. It complements Vulkan Video’s existing AV1 decoding support and means Vulkan can provide both encoding and decoding interfaces for AV1, H.264, and H.265.
Intel had previously stated that its Arc graphics products would support Vulkan Video AV1 encoding through a future software update.
Initially Targeting Intel Arc Alchemist
The newly enabled Linux support specifically targets DG2, better known commercially as Intel’s Arc Alchemist GPU generation.
These GPUs already contain dedicated hardware capable of AV1 encoding, so the Mesa update does not add AV1 capability through software. Instead, it provides Vulkan applications with another way to access the GPU’s existing hardware video engine.
That distinction is important because hardware encoding can deliver much better performance and efficiency than encoding AV1 entirely on the CPU.
Why AV1 Matters
AV1 has become increasingly important for streaming, screen recording, video conferencing, and online video distribution.
The codec can provide high image quality at relatively low bitrates, making it attractive for applications where bandwidth and storage efficiency matter. It is also royalty-free, which has helped encourage adoption throughout the open-source ecosystem.
Hardware AV1 encoding can be particularly useful for:
Game streaming
Desktop recording
Live broadcasting
Video conferencing
Video transcoding
Content creation
For Linux users with supported Intel Arc hardware, Vulkan Video now has the potential to provide a common API for these workloads.
Building on H.264 and H.265 Support
The AV1 work follows recent improvements to Intel’s Vulkan Video encoding support for other codecs.
Rent-a-GPU cloud Nebius plans to bring online over a gigawatt of datacenter capacity every year starting in 2027, but doing so will require playing the margins and juggling a mountain of debt. “Our future capacity pipeline effectively makes Nebius one of just a few companies in the world able to build more than a gigawatt of new capacity a year and we plan to do so in 2027,” CEO Arkady Volozh boasted on Wednesday’s earnings call. The endeavor won’t be cheap. In 2026, Nebius says it expects to burn between $20 billion and $25 billion on capital expenditures to bring between 800 and 1,000 MW worth of bit barn capacity online. A big chunk of that will be covered with customer prepayments — essentially deposits for future capacity. According to Nebius CFO Dado Alonso, the firm is on track to exceed $9 billion in customer prepayments this year. But this alone won’t be enough. So like most big rent-a-GPU rackets, including CoreWeave and Lambda, Nebius is taking on debt to finance its expansion. Specifically, the company is using its GPUs and contracted cash flows as collateral to secure favorable interest rates on the coveted accelerators. Nebius landed its first asset-backed debt facility valued at $775 million in July, and Alonso says the company will continue leaning on the financing scheme going forward. No surprise. Along with debt financing, the company is also exploring an asset-light model where “partners finance, build, and operate the facilities, whereas Nebius brings the full-stack platform and demand,” Volozh told analysts. In other words, Nebius gets to claim deployed capacity it didn’t have to front the cash for, but that relies on the company's ability to rent capacity for less than it can resell it for. While hitting a gigawatt of capacity a year won’t be cheap, Volozh is confident the investment will pay off in the long run. He claims that for every megawatt deployed, Nebius will bring in between $20 million and $25 million in revenues for medium-term leases, and $40 million to $50 million for short term leases up to six months. On the low end of the scale, that implies $20 billion a gigawatt, although Nebius Chief Product and Infrastructure Officer Andrey Korolenko notes that while the company expects to have up to a gigawatt of connected power by year’s end, not all of it will be active and generating revenue until 2027. “You have to commission the datacenter, build the network, build the clusters, deploy the platform, then onboard the customers, and then the revenue generation starts,” he said. “That takes a few months.” “In terms of our guidance from 800 megawatts to a gigawatt… I would think about that being active throughout the first half of 2027,” he added. But even if Nebius has to wait until 2027 to pull a full gigawatt of capacity, that still implies a massive uplift in revenue, which is forecast to hit $3 billion to $3.4 billion for fiscal year 2026. The past quarter accounted for just $582 million, which suggests Nebius will bring in more than $2 billion over the next two quarters if you believe its projections. There are a lot of faithful among the investor community, as its share price surged more than 30 percent on Wednesday following the report. While revenues are expected to increase dramatically over the next few quarters, it's easy to sell dollar bills for 70 cents apiece. Whether the company actually manages to turn a profit renting the shovels of the AI gold rush is another matter entirely. In Q2, the company posted an operating loss of $176 million, a jump from the $111 million operating loss it booked in the year-ago quarter. ®
Suspected Chinese cyber operatives used publicly available AI tools to compromise Taiwanese government systems before expanding the attack to its nuclear safety agency, supply-chain vendors, and at least seven energy companies in what security researchers called a "near-autonomous attack." Over the first four days of July, AI agents compromised 85 government user accounts and extracted more than 2,500 personnel records, according to Dream, an Israeli cybersecurity firm. Researchers uncovered evidence of the attack in a 160 MB online archive containing 1,395 files documenting the operation. Dream, in research published on Wednesday, detailed the intrusions and said that the suspected Chinese hackers hit “government entities in Asia” - but declined to say which government had been attacked. A person familiar with the attack confirmed to The Register that Taiwan was the target. The Financial Times first reported on Dream’s research and identified Taiwan. While the security firm doesn’t attribute the agentic attack to the Chinese government or a specific hacking group, the operational documentation “points to a Chinese-language operator,” the researchers said. According to Dream, the attack framework, built on open source Hermes and OpenClaw AI agents, deployed up to eight sub-agents, each assigned to its own targets and attack techniques, across 12 “attack waves” between July 1 and July 4. First, the agents mapped the entire government ecosystem, extracting embedded URLs, API endpoints, OAuth client IDs, and Keycloak configuration objects from a single government portal. This portal allowed the agents to identify 21 connected government systems and every supported authentication flow. “On one target alone, it discovered 36+ API endpoints spanning account management, user data retrieval, file upload, and administrative functions - many completely unauthenticated,” the Dream threat researchers wrote. “Critically, it found that one of the systems exposed its entire user database without any authentication - thousands of employee records including names, departments, and SSO account IDs.” Multiple entry points After mapping the government’s attack surface, the agents found multiple entry points including three hidden API endpoints that accepted any request body and returned a valid authenticated session without requiring user credentials. Using employee usernames harvested from an unauthenticated API, the agents broke into a government department’s office automation portal, solving its CAPTCHAs with 100 percent accuracy. The agents also tested predictable password patterns based on each employee’s ID, and cracked 85 accounts across multiple password-spray rounds. Eighty-four of the 85 cracked accounts successfully authenticated to the department's internal information system, giving the attackers access to internal dashboards, equipment management interfaces, and personnel statistics pages. In total, the illicit access allowed the agents to exfiltrate a ton of government information, including more than 2,564 personnel records, a full JSON export of all department system users, seven SSO client secrets, six internal database credentials across MSSQL, Oracle, and Sybase, and internal network IP ranges. But wait, there's more And then, the agents pivoted to the Taiwanese government’s supply chain. “It expanded the operation to government IT supply chain vendors, a nuclear safety agency, a government email system, and 7+ energy sector companies - scanning them all in parallel for misconfigurations, exposed admin interfaces, and exploitable vulnerabilities,” the researchers wrote. Notably, the attack framework implemented what the AI tools called “learning cycles.” These are autonomous sessions where the models search vulnerability databases, GitHub repositories, and other security research for specific techniques, CVEs, and common weaknesses to exploit in the targeted government's infrastructure. Additionally, when the AI framework made a mistake, it “self-corrected,” according to Dream, catching errors and fixing them through its own verification process. This near-autonomous attack comes as frontier model makers OpenAI, Anthropic, and Meta all admitted that their agents went rogue, escaped from their training environments, and autonomously hacked other organizations and people. OpenAI technical staffer Michael Dalton, in a Black Hat briefing last week about the Hugging Face attack, said “AI orchestrated, fully automated offensive attacks are real now.” “In the near future, we should expect that threat actors will intentionally deploy, optimize, weaponize, and use offensive agent collectives in the manner that you have just described here,” he added. It appears that the future is now. ®
Users of peer-to-peer networking outfit Tailscale might have struggled through some surprising outages beginning late last year. After a six-month investigation, the team finally knows why: A bug in SQLite’s write-ahead log that had remained hidden for 16 years. The Tailscale team announced in a Wednesday blog post that it had finally addressed the issue with the help of SQLite maintainers, who even had to create a new tool (with Tailscale funding) to log virtual file system activity in order to track the thing down, which Tailscale software engineer Alex Chan described as resisting “all our initial attempts to find it.” According to Chan, the problem goes deep into the nature of SQLite – so deep that the database maintainers actually had to add code to reproduce it. To understand what happened, it’s necessary to know how Tailscale works. The service, based on the WireGuard VPN protocol, directly connects devices in a virtual private mesh network. It’s designed to be low complexity and easy to implement for everything from remotely accessing a NAS to connecting teams in a unified private network. Each mesh network, or "tailnet," lives on one of several servers, where a SQLite database manages all the information about the tailnets it houses. “We’ve used SQLite as our primary database since 2022, and we chose it because it's well-known, reliable, and widely used,” Chan wrote in the company’s post-mortem. But a year ago, something went very wrong. “In our current backup pipeline, we take a complete snapshot of the database every few minutes, then upload the entire SQLite file to an S3 bucket,” Chan said, but in August 2025 those backups began detecting database corruption, repeatedly, with no obvious common trigger. The Tailscale team couldn’t reproduce the issue because there were no reliable triggers for it. No low-level code had been changed in months. A review of everything that touched SQLite turned up nothing. Working with the SQLite team, the Tailscalers tried to figure out what could be causing it – POSIX locks broken by close() calls? Nope. Mismanaged memory? Not that either. SQLite being used from multiple threads with thread safety disabled? Nuh-uh. “After every incident, we gathered more data, added more diagnostics, and systematically ruled out these theories,” Chan explained. The WAL-Reset bug comes out of hiding Suspicion was closing in on SQLite’s checkpointing process, which is how it takes new database entries out of a temporary hopper for addition to the master database file. SQLite has an option to improve performance and concurrency known as the Write-Ahead Log (WAL), which serves as the aforementioned hopper. Writing the WAL to the database occurs in a process known as checkpointing. “In most deployments, SQLite itself decides when to do a checkpoint, and the process is invisible to the end user and developer,” Chan said. “In our control plane, we take manual control of the checkpoint process so we can run fast and consistent backups.” The SQLite team wrote a new tool to take a closer look at the process: a virtual file system shim that extensively logs checkpointing activity. After waiting for the next corruption incident, the teams had their answer, dubbed the WAL-Reset bug. Described by Chan as “a rare data race in the SQLite source code between a checkpoint and write transaction,” it’s essentially a collision between checkpoints and writing data to the WAL. “If a write occurs at a specific time during a checkpoint, the checkpointing process gets confused — it thinks some of the pages have been copied from the WAL into the main database file, but they haven’t,” Chan said. Those pages are never written and are permanently lost, but pages that reference those pages are still written, corrupting the database and causing all hell to break loose. According to the SQLite team’s WAL-Reset writeup, the issue can be triggered only when WAL mode is active and multiple database connections are open on the same file, and because there has to be reading and writing going on at the same memory spot at the same time, it’s incredibly unlikely to happen in most situations. Tailscale’s decision to perform manual checkpoints was a rare exception. SQLite maintainers believe the bug was present going all the way back to version 3.7.0, released in July 2010; it’s now fixed, and the SQLite team recommends users update to a fixed version, though it stresses the bug is extremely unlikely to occur in ordinary use. “This bug, though rare, does have serious consequences,” the SQLite WAL-Reset notice states. The incident contains a useful reminder for devs: Even the most boring, reliable software poses risks when operated in a non-standard fashion. “Most people use SQLite in a standard configuration and never face this sort of issue,” Chan said. “By taking manual control of the checkpointing process and running at our own aggressive pace, we stepped off the well-trodden operational path.” ®
We've got good news for developers who are enamored with Cloudflare Workers and Durable Objects but don’t want to be tied into that company’s backend infrastructure. Last week, Node.js creator Ryan Dahl unveiled his latest project, celld, which he described on X as “a self-hosted, distributed Durable Objects and Workers implementation.” Dahl’s celld model is compatible with Cloudflare’s Workers and Durable Objects’ JavaScript APIs, but he claims that it is much less expensive to run. The project is no mere budget-minded open source rip. On celld’s web page, Dahl and his team characterize their replication of the Durable Objects architecture as a “love letter.” Cloudflare’s Durable Objects is a single-threaded object with a unique global ID and its own storage, where user data is stored in its own copy of SQLite. It runs on the Cloudflare serverless Workers runtime, which runs apps embedded in isolates—a type of lightweight virtual machine supported by Google's V8 JavaScript engine. First devised by Kenton Varda and Cloudflare, Durable Objects is “one of the best primitives distributed systems has been handed in years,” celld’s creators write. Unlike traditional serverless platforms like AWS Lambda, the Durable Objects model co-locates the data with compute, while using single-threaded execution to eliminate complex concurrency issues. “A primitive this good deserves to run anywhere,” the celld page states. Serverless but stateful Since its introduction in 2020, Durable Objects has been used to build low-latency, highly distributed Web applications. It is a stateful serverless execution environment, a data cache that can also do computation. Using the WebSocket API, the Durable Object can connect many simultaneous users at once in a live environment. WebSockets’ Hibernate mode can put the object to sleep, so cloud bills don’t accrue when no one uses the app. As a result, the stateful serverless model is best suited for real-time collaborative applications, such as multi-player games, team productivity apps and AI agents. Cloudflare uses Durable Objects for its serverless SQL service and AI Gateway. One YouTube tutorialist explained that using Durable Objects allowed him to eliminate an entire stack of tools (Amazon API Gateway, Apache Kafka, Redis, AWS Lambda and EventBridge, Apache Airflow and Spark all get name-dropped) because Durable Objects can handle all these functionalities “at a smaller scale.” Giving Durable Objects an open source home Dahl is one of the world’s foremost experts at JavaScript I/O, having created Node.js, a JavaScript runtime that runs the world’s fastest Web applications (and inadvertently introduced the JavaScript world to “callback hell,” where the language's asynchronous operations forced coders to pass functions as nested callbacks, resulting in ungainly and unintuitive messes of code). Dahl later went on to refine his ideas of asynchronous JavaScript with a second-generation JavaScript runtime called Deno. Celld does away with the Cloudflare backend, and instead uses the Amazon Simple Storage Service (S3) or equivalent as the storage engine. It also uses the Tokio Rust asynchronous runtime. As with Durable Objects, each celld object gets its own copy of SQLite. Dahl promises this open source backend will be “orders of magnitude cheaper at scale” than Durable Objects. Dahl estimated that 100 resident Durable Object cells cost $415 a month on Cloudflare, whereas the celld implementation would run only about $49 a month, built on a DigitalOcean S3-compatible bucket on an 8 GB droplet. Further savings should ensue as the workload scales, he argued. Cloudflare disputed Dahl’s numbers, stipulating that $415 a month would be the cost if all the objects were continuously active. If left to slumber, the Durable Objects would cost only $20.65 to house on Cloudflare, a spokesperson told The Register. Whatever its putative thriftiness, the model itself seems to have gained interest on its own merits. “So happy to see support for running durable objects outside of one provider. Upvoted,” one Hacker News reader enthused, noting the concept of a durable object is a valuable abstraction. Indeed, other parties are cooking their own schemes to move the data closer to the computation. For instance, Postgres service provider Neon just introduced its own Neon Functions, which can also co-locate data and compute for long-running workloads. Written in Rust and JavaScript, celld is available under an Apache 2 license. It can ingest JavaScript and TypeScript code. In theory, Rust, C/C++, Go, or Zig code can also be executed through the magic of WebAssembly, which V8 supports with slight modification. But while celld is open source, AI contributions are verboten. “Coding agents make it too easy to send a large, low-context change that costs maintainers more time than it saves,” the GitHub page notes. Human contributions are still welcome, though you should understand what your code does before you submit it. ®
If you thought that the famous Spectre security vulns were a relic of 2018, think again. Certain RISC-V chips are still very much subject to this hair-raising hole, researchers say. Spectre refers to a family of vulnerabilities related to speculative execution, a performance optimization technique based on predicting the flow of data before instructions have been executed. Incorrect predictions get rolled back without affecting running applications but nonetheless leave traces that can be recovered and exploited to violate memory protections and access secrets. Spectre flaws have dogged x86 and ARM chips for years, leading computer scientists to develop a series of defenses, including Indirect Branch Restricted Speculation (IBRS), Indirect Branch Prediction Barrier (IBPB), and Single Thread Indirect Branch Predictor (STIBP). Researchers affiliated with academic institutions in Belgium and Germany say that it's been popular to assume that the RISC-V chip architecture isn't affected by Spectre vulnerabilities because it's too simple. That assumption is incorrect, according to a paper accepted at the 35th Usenix Security Symposium, "Spectre on RISC-V Silicon: Attacks and Defenses on Commercial Out-of-Order Processors." It says that commercially available out-of-order RISC-V processors (SiFive P550 and T-Head Xuantie C910/C920) are vulnerable to all major Spectre variants. RISC-V processors that process instructions in-order (SiFive U74, Xuantie C906, C908) do not appear to be vulnerable. Prior research has shown that RISC-V processors used for academic research (e.g. BOOM, RiscyOO, RSD, Proteus, NaxRiscv, and NutShell) can be affected by one or more of the Spectre variants, but hasn't addressed commercial silicon. "We demonstrate proof-of-concept attacks on both processors using Spectre-PHT, Spectre-BTB, SpectreRSB, and Spectre-STL, achieving up to 100 percent recall with more than 97 percent precision," the paper states. Spectre-PHT involves mistraining the Pattern History Table; Spectre-BTB poisons the Branch Target Buffer; Spectre-RSB attacks the Return Stack Buffer; and Spectre-STL (Store To Load) exploits mispredicted store-to-load forwarding. To demonstrate the risk to RISC-V, they created a proof-of-concept Spectre exploit that leaks arbitrary Linux kernel memory on the Xuantie C910 at a rate of 338 B/s. Software-based defenses have been developed for these vulnerabilities on x86 and ARM hardware. Unfortunately, the researchers say, these don't necessarily transfer. They also call out RISC-V hardware for its lack of introspection interfaces, necessary to observe and reason about microarchitectural features. In addition, the authors argue, the diversity of the RISC-V hardware ecosystem means that no single mitigation strategy is likely to be effective across all systems. "RISC-V inherits the software and threat model of mature architectures without their accumulated hardening," the authors conclude. "Closing this gap is not a matter of porting individual mitigations, but of building the architectural primitives, hardware transparency, and ecosystemwide tooling that effective Spectre defense presupposes." The authors say they disclosed their findings responsibly last December. Three of their patches have been merged into mainline Linux and two others are under review. SiFive is said to have dealt with P550-specific findings and T-Head (Alibaba) is said to have committed to publishing ad-hoc speculation barriers for their processors at some point. The authors say they decided not to delay publication because Spectre has been around for eight years now. The paper was written by Lukas Gerlach (CISPA Helmholtz Center for Information Security), Marton Bognar, (DistriNet, KU Leuven), Daniel Weber and Michael Schwarz, (CISPA Helmholtz Center for Information Security), and Jo Van Bulck (DistriNet, KU Leuven). ®
Soaring AI infrastructure costs and model pricing, combined with uncertain returns on investment, threaten to stall enterprise adoption. To make enterprise AI spend a bit more manageable, Nvidia this week unveiled a new software platform that blurs the line between expensive proprietary models and open weights alternatives. Announced alongside Nemotron 3.5-30B-A3B-Lightning, Nvidia’s latest open weights model, NeMo Switchyard is the GPU giant’s latest overture to enterprise. So what exactly is it? Well, it’s a router. The idea is simple. Switchyard essentially functions as a proxy that sits between the inference server’s API endpoint and the models. But rather than sending every request to the same model, Switchyard can be configured to route prompts to different models in order to optimize for cost, latency, or output quality. By routing some requests to smaller, cheaper, and potentially locally hosted AI models, Nvidia claims Switchyard can cut job completion costs by 74 percent relative to using Claude Opus 4.8 alone, albeit with an approximately six-point accuracy tradeoff. The right tool for the job The key metric in all of this is completion cost rather than price per token. A model might cost one-tenth as much as OpenAI’s or Anthropic’s top model, but if it requires 10x the tokens to complete the request, it isn't actually cheaper. Certain elements of an AI workload may benefit from a larger, smarter model, but not all do. For example, it’d be overkill to ask Claude Opus to generate a title card or summarize a website. It’ll certainly work, but it’ll also cost a fortune compared to Haiku or a locally hosted model that’s been fine tuned just for that purpose. The fewer tokens you burn on the big smart model, the less expensive your API bill is going to be. Nvidia software teams have spent the last several years developing models for this reason. The Lightning model announced this week is only its latest. The 30 billion-parameter MoE model is positioned as a low-latency, general purpose model that can either be used on its own or in conjunction with a larger, smarter model via a router like Switchyard. The company has also developed several application-specific models. Nemotron Parse is one such example. “It’s a small model, one billion parameters, and it’s really good at one task, which is taking a PDF in and then explaining the context inside that PDF whether it’s charts or graphs or tables,” Joey Conway, senior director of AI software and models at Nvidia, explained in a recent interview with The Reg. Many frontier models struggle with this task because PDFs are designed by humans for humans, so by offloading that work to task-specific models, enterprises can not only improve the accuracy of their AI apps, but also reduce costs in the process. This all might sound familiar: It's not the first time we’ve seen model routers employed as a cost-saving measure. Back when OpenAI launched GPT-5, ChatGPT would dynamically route prompts to different versions of the model based on their complexity. As we wrote at the time, OpenAI’s router was likely implemented to reduce the number of compute cycles spent on mundane tasks like rewording emails to sound more professional ("not only … but also"). OpenAI wasn't alone in using routers to reduce model costs. The Wall Street Journal recently reported that AT&T has implemented a “smart router” of its own to automatically select which model to use. Switching from proprietary to open-weight models has reportedly saved the telecommunications giant between 80 and 90 percent in certain applications. Today about 25 percent of the company’s AI workloads are powered by open models. The company’s leadership expects that over the next few years that’ll climb to 70-80 percent. The implementation challenge While the idea of offloading simpler requests to smaller, cheaper-running models sounds intuitive, it’s easier said than done. Title cards and web summaries are relatively straightforward to implement. Open source chatbots like Open WebUI have supported this kind of functionality for more than a year now because it just makes sense. However, sometimes it’s not obvious when and where these task models should be used. Switchyard is Nvidia’s latest attempt to simplify this by automatically routing requests to the right model for the job. However, it’s not the only approach Nvidia is exploring. AI agents and code assistants have the ability to work through problems and then generate skills — essentially standard operating procedures — documenting the process for future reference. Through this iterative process, Conway suggests, agents could essentially teach themselves when and where they can get away with using a smaller, cheaper task model, and where a larger frontier model may be required. “We’re starting to see signs of this sort of agent and subagent type workflow,” Conway said, describing how a frontier model might function as an orchestrator that farms out work to smaller models that are faster and more specialized. It reflects the way companies are structured, he said. “We have people who are specialists and then we have people who help orchestrate that and understand the complexity of the problem.” As an added step, it’s possible for the agents to generate training data on the fly, which could then be used to fine-tune the models to operate more efficiently. Regardless of which approach ultimately wins out, anything that promotes enterprise AI adoption is a win for Nvidia. ®
Nightmare Eclipse, the serial zero-day hunter who has an axe to grind with Microsoft, published a new Defender zero-day, ShieldBreak, that apparently bypasses Redmond’s RoguePlanet patch (CVE-2026-50656), allowing attackers to gain SYSTEM privileges on fully patched Windows 10, Windows 11, and Windows Server systems. According to at least one other researcher, the exploit works. “I've tried it, it works on latest Windows 11,” former Microsoft employee and security expert Kevin Beaumont said. Beaumont also published three detections and hunting queries for ShieldBreak to help defenders rapidly find any stealthy threats. So until Microsoft fixes this latest zero-day, we’d highly suggest using these queries. ShieldBreak is the 10th zero-day from Nightmare Eclipse since they began their scorched-earth strategy against Microsoft in early April. The prolific bug finder and exploit developer is suspected to be a former, very disgruntled, Microsoft employee. And in typical fashion, this latest zero-day drop occurred just hours after Redmond’s monthly Patch Tuesday that fixed 421 security problems in its products - but ShieldBreak isn't one of them. It’s a local privilege-escalation exploit that, according to Nightmare, allows attackers to gain SYSTEM-level privileges. “The PoC was tested in the latest version of windows 11 25h2 (+Canary channel) and windows server 2025, the PoC also have a 100% success rate. Please note that Windows 10 (and respective server editions) are not currently supported, they are however vulnerable to ShieldBreak as well,” they said. While Nightmare claims that the new exploit is a patch bypass for the earlier RoguePlanet vulnerability, CVE-2026-50656, which Microsoft quietly fixed in July, Beaumont pointed out that the two flaws operate very differently. “RoguePlanet was a filesystem race condition vuln that uses virtual disks and NT native file manipulation to trick quarantine process into overwriting system files,” he posted. “ShieldBreak user-mode callback hook to change file contents during a Defender cloud-hydration scan via cfapi (Cloud Filter API).” A Microsoft spokesperson told us the company "is aware of the reported vulnerability and is actively investigating the validity and potential applicability of these claims." The spokesperson added: "Microsoft is committed to investigating security issues and updating impacted products to protect customers as soon as possible. Importantly, we support coordinated vulnerability disclosure, an industry standard that protects customers and supports the research community by ensuring their findings are thoroughly investigated and addressed before being made public." This latest zero-day comes a month after Nightmare Eclipse published its previous vulnerability along with partial exploit code. Nightmare’s July drop, called LegacyHive, is a local privilege escalation flaw that targets Windows’ user hives - the section of the Windows Registry that stores a user's specific desktop settings, application preferences, and environment configurations. It's patched with CVE-2026-62832. There's also a June zero-day called GreatXML that Nightmare developed. The researcher claims the flaw allows a local attacker with administrator rights to bypass BitLocker encryption by manipulating the Windows Recovery Environment. But it has been patched with CVE-2026-50661. The prolific zero-day hunter’s earlier seven Windows bugs do have patches. These include BlueHammer (CVE-2026-33825), RedSun (CVE-2026-41091), UnDefend (CVE-2026-45498), YellowKey (CVE-2026-45585), GreenPlasma (CVE-2026-45586), MiniPlasma (CVE-2020-17103), and RoguePlanet (CVE-2026-50656). After threatening legal action against Nightmare Eclipse in May, and then facing rapid backlash from just about every other security researcher on the planet, Microsoft walked back its talk of siccing its Digital Crimes Unit on people who don’t follow its vulnerability disclosure rules.® Correction: There are patches for GreatXML and Legacy Hive.
A new project aims to build a shared, open source AI training dataset that anyone can contribute to, much like an open source software project. It aims to make training data more transparent than that of many open-weight models that have recently taken the industry by storm. CentOS and Rocky Linux founder Gregory Kurtzer is behind the effort, dubbed Open Weights, Artifacts, Licenses, Data, Origins (OpenWALDO), and it's funded by CIQ, his AI infrastructure company, which also sponsors Rocky Linux. Kurtzer described the effort as trying to bring the open-source ethos to AI model design, which has yet to be truly open – even downloadable open-weight models still have closed-source training data that is unknown to users, alongside other limitations that make them less than truly open source. “I’ve spent my career watching open source turn users into builders, competitors into collaborators, and shared problems into common infrastructure that operates at massive scale,” Kurtzer said in the announcement. “OpenWALDO brings that proven model to AI. Let’s work together, build its foundation in the open, and collaboratively take AI to the next level.” CIQ, which authored the announcement, argues that open-weight models keep that foundation a secret because of where it comes from: Copyrighted data, responses distilled from other models, user-generated content that may not have been given in a truly open manner, and the like. “There is often no way to know what data trained a given model, under what license, or with what consent,” CIQ said, adding that hidden training data content could taint models, putting customer software stacks at risk. In addition to that, there’s the simple fact that, when everyone is training their AI models in secret, a lot of duplicate work is happening that wastes lots of time and computing resources. A single, shared set of public training data, the OpenWALDO team argues, would not only make training more efficient across the industry, but also mean that every improvement to the dataset could benefit future models trained on it. “A lab or company can take the corpus and its bill of materials as a verified baseline, add its own proprietary data, build, and ship, with a clear, auditable line back to its sources,” CIQ explained. With prices steep and ROI still largely absent, open AI models (not to be confused with OpenAI models) have risen to prominence in the AI zeitgeist lately. Models out of the home of open-weight AI, China, are closing in on the capabilities of closed-source frontier lab models like ChatGPT and Claude, leaving many businesses wondering why they ought to pay through the nose for AI services they don’t own, can’t truly control, and have no visibility into. Some frontier labs have warned that open-weight models pose security and misuse risks. Kurtzer argues that open source software faced similar concerns. “Open source has won this argument before,” he said, pointing to similar arguments made about open code, namely that it’s insecure, impossible to trust, and the like. “Linux didn't win by being certified safe. It won by being inspectable, forkable, and community validated.” “AI is missing that same property, and OpenWALDO is how we build it,” Kurtzer said. Turning to open-source training datasets is a big ask for an industry already so far down the closed training data path, of course, and only time will tell if OpenWALDO is a revolution or another obscure OSS project that gets minimal attention from the AI community. So far, the OpenWALDO dataset contains 167.3 billion reference tokens pulled from things like government records, open-source academic papers, mailing lists, and public domain literature - a drop in the bucket next to the tens of trillions of tokens used to train frontier AI models and their open-weight counterparts. We asked if anyone has trained a model on the OpenWALDO set yet, but CIQ didn’t respond. Those interested in contributing to, or making use of, OpenWALDO can find more on the project’s website (linked above) and its GitHub page. ®
Neocloud operator CoreWeave remains bullish about its prospects, claiming that changing patterns of AI use will create sustained demand for its cloud services. The New Jersey firm is among the most prominent rent-a-GPU businesses spawned by demand for AI training infrastructure, but is now attempting to move up the technology stack – a shift consultants at McKinsey said neoclouds would need to make to survive. "AI is no longer confined to frontier model labs. It is becoming embedded in software, industrial systems, financial markets, enterprise workflows, and national security missions," claims CoreWeave co-founder and CEO Michael Intrator. Intrator also claimed that deploying AI applications is turning compute from a large upfront requirement into a recurring expense. "For the last several years, many organizations treated a model like a deliverable. Train it, deploy it, and move on. Enterprises no longer operate that way," Intrator told analysts on a conference call for CoreWeave's financial results for the second quarter ended June 30. "Training, inference, evaluation, and improvement now form a single continuous loop. Models and agents in production generate real-world data. That data informs evaluation, driving new experiments, which improve the model or application before being redeployed into production." CoreWeave's pitch is that this continuous cycle is changing both the demand curve and the economics of AI. "Compute is no longer a one-time requirement concentrated at the beginning of a model's life. It becomes an ongoing requirement that grows with every application in production and every cycle of improvement," Intrator said, adding: "Our AI native platform was built for this." CoreWeave expects its managed inference services, launched only a few months ago, to reach an annual recurring revenue run rate of at least $250 million by the end of 2026. Yet all is not rosy. Revenue rose 112 percent year-on-year to $2.575 billion, but operating expenses reached $2.624 billion, resulting in a $49 million operating loss. Interest and other costs helped widen the net loss to $626 million. Most of that growth also came from existing clients rather than new ones. According to CoreWeave's Form 10-Q [PDF] filed with the SEC, approximately 93 percent of the revenue increase was attributable to expansion within its existing customer base, with the remainder attributable to new customers. In fact, the firm concedes that just three customers accounted for 36 percent, 26 percent, and 10 percent of quarterly revenue respectively – 72 percent between them. It also warns that "while we have historically experienced significant growth in revenue over the last three years, we cannot predict whether we will maintain this level of growth or when we will achieve positive net income." The company is also carrying substantial debt. As of June 30, total indebtedness stood at $35.6 billion, helping to push quarterly net interest expense up 140 percent to $640 million. CoreWeave also had $10 billion available to borrow under its revolving credit and delayed-draw term loan facilities, according to its Form 10-Q. Nor can it stop spending on infrastructure. CoreWeave expects 2026 capital expenditure of between $35 billion and $39 billion. CoreWeave also warned that it faced competition from much larger and more established cloud operators, such as AWS, Microsoft Azure, and Google, "a number of which are also our current customers," which it may not be able to compete with because of the resources they can bring to bear on building infrastructure and AI development. Investors nevertheless welcomed the results, sending CoreWeave's shares up almost 19 percent in early Wednesday trading, according to MarketWatch. "The opportunity ahead is generational. CoreWeave is the essential cloud for AI," stated Intrator. "Our conviction in our strategy has never been stronger, and our execution continues to reinforce it." ®
The North Korean threat actor known as Lazarus Group has been attributed to the zero-day exploitation of a newly patched security flaw impacting Microsoft Windows to deliver a never-before-seen backdoor targeting defense and aerospace companies across France, Germany, Brazil, and India.
The activity, per Check Point Research, is part of Operation Dream Job, a long-running cyber espionage and
A new social engineering and malware campaign targets Android users, stealing card details to make payments or withdraw cash. Group-IB discovered the campaign, calling it WindRelay, and found that several successful attacks were carried out on European victims within the space of a 13-minute phone call. The attack relies on a skilled social engineer walking the victim through the process and two malware strains: An NFC relay malware called WindRelay, first discovered in August 2025, and SpyNote, a remote access trojan (RAT) that was leaked on cybercrime forums as far back as 2016. It goes like this: The attacker calls the target while posing as a helpdesk employee at their bank, convincing the victim-in-waiting that there is a problem with their payment card. While still on the phone, the attacker gets the target to install a version of SpyNote on their Android device. The file name includes the target's name, which the researchers said could suggest that each target is singled out specifically, and a degree of reconnaissance has to be carried out prior to the attack. Once installed, the attacker quickly uses the RAT's remote access to quietly install WindRelay on the attacker's device without their knowledge or input, all while the call was ongoing. The attacker then instructs the target to tap their payment card on their NFC-enabled smartphone and, when prompted, enter their PIN. WindRelay then captures the data from that interaction between the card's chip and the reader, similarly to how genuine point-of-sale machines authorize contactless payments. This is known as a live EMV APDU exchange. In order to fraudulently make payments using this data – without physical access to the payment card or the cardholder – the attacker must have a second device capable of using this data to authorize a payment. This could be a second Android smartphone capable of loading this data and transmitting it to an attacker-controlled POS terminal, which is linked to a fraudulent merchant bank account, or an ATM. The attacker then uses the captured live exchange data to execute fraudulent charges on the victim's card, authorized using the PIN they entered during the call. Group-IB said in its write-up: "In effect, the victim's card and the real terminal are still talking directly to each other – the fraudster's setup is just an invisible relay in between, passing the exchange back and forth across a distance. "Because the terminal is genuinely completing a live handshake with a real card, the transaction goes through and processes the withdrawal or purchase as normal." Doubling down on their access, Group-IB also noted that the attackers in one instance used their RAT access to access the victim's banking app and take out loans in their name. The researchers also said they observed 23 WindRelay-related samples uploaded to VirusTotal between November 2025 and July 2026, with signs pointing toward targeting victims in Czechia, Slovakia, and Slovenia. They were not able to pin down the attacker(s) behind the malware, although they said it was independently developed and the samples they saw uploaded to VirusTotal all contained unique UI elements, such as the victim's name, just like with the RAT. "This suggests the threat actor behind these campaigns most likely has the capability to dynamically build malicious applications tailored to individual victims," said Group-IB. "This case shows that modern fraud rarely relies on one technique," it added. "Here, the fraudster combined three capabilities in a single session – a live social engineering call, a personalized RAT for remote device control, and an NFC relay malware for physical cash-out. "The fraudster also used these capabilities to hit two separate payout channels – a digital loan and card-present purchases – before the bank or victim could react." The attack is similar to previous NFC relay-related campaigns, such as NGate in 2024 (and more recently in 2026), and Ghost Tap, the techniques involved in which closely align with WindRelay. Ghost Tap, also discovered in 2024, relies on a Chinese malware sold throughout the country's cybercrime Telegram communities, and according to Group-IB, it was responsible for losses exceeding $355,000 between November 2024 and August 2025 alone. ®
Enterprises must "feed" their AI ventures with reliable, well-curated data if they want worthwhile returns. But new mandates governing AI deployments also require them to act as careful custodians of their data, along with the infrastructure, supply chain, software and other aspects of their IT landscape. Sovereign AI gives an enterprise, or even a nation state, complete control over how its AI systems are built, deployed, operated, and governed. It emphasizes control over data, infrastructure, models, operations, and policies, often within specific legal, regulatory, or geographic boundaries. Sovereign AI matters for organizations and governments that need AI environments aligned with their own security, compliance, privacy, and governance requirements. For some, that means keeping sensitive data in-country. For others, it means controlling who can access systems, where workloads run, how models are governed, and which local laws apply. The HPE Sovereign AI Factory lets customers in highly-regulated industries keep sensitive data, models, and operations under strict local control, using customized, validated infrastructure integrated with HPE services from deployment to operational support that helps customers with security, compliance, and control across infrastructure, data, and AI models. In this Hot Seat, James Hayes hears from Thierry Pienaar, HPE fellow, Chief Technology Officer for HPC & AI worldwide at HPE, and Kaushik Shirhatti, VP, AI factory at NVIDIA, on how HPE and NVIDIA work together to help customers meet the latest sovereign AI mandates. Pienaar and Shirhatti sit on the frontline of this shift in AI development. In the video they cut through market hype and misunderstandings to identify the key considerations for any organization's sovereign AI program. You will learn: Why a sovereign AI strategy has become a priority so quickly, as governments and highly-regulated sectors seek greater control over their AI systems, data, and innovation plans. The key drivers for sovereign AI, and how it differs from at-scale standard AI workloads. How sovereign AI introduces new rigors of security, such as air-gapping and identity federation. How agentic AI plays into sovereign AI requirements, and how agents can be protected while retaining the freedom to deliver useful results. How HPE and NVIDIA partner to deliver sovereign AI factories that let customers build and run AI models while retaining complete control over sensitive data, infrastructure, and compliance boundaries within their defined borders. Learn more about how the HPE AI factory with NVIDIA addresses the main challenges organizations face when they run AI at-scale here. Sponsored by HPE.
Uber Freight says it is investigating a "data security incident" days after the Helix extortion group listed the company on its data leak site on August 6. Helix claims to have stolen nearly 1 million files from mailboxes, OneDrive accounts, the accounts receivable department, and other repositories. An Uber Freight spokesperson told The Register that the incident was under investigation but had not disrupted the company's daily operations. "We are investigating a data security incident involving unauthorized access to a portion of Uber Freight's systems and repositories. The incident was identified, contained, and remediated, and we promptly engaged federal law enforcement. "There has been no impact to Uber Freight's business operations, which continue in the normal course without disruption. Our systems are secure and fully operational." Uber Freight is the ubiquitous ride-sharing company's lesser-known logistics arm, which describes itself as "one of North America's largest managed transportation and multimodal capacity networks." Its website claims that it manages 18 million shipments carrying more than $17 billion worth of goods each year. The Register did not download the files Helix released in stages, and Uber Freight neither confirmed nor denied that the material was authentic. Helix is one of several recently established extortion brands linked by researchers to infrastructure associated with BlackFile, which retired its name in May. According to Google Threat Intelligence Group (GTIG), Helix shares infrastructure with the Pink, Redact, and Falcon brands. Google tracks the wider cluster of activity as UNC6671. Operators associated with UNC6671 often use vishing to gain an initial foothold, posing as IT helpdesk staff overseeing mandatory security migrations, Google said. They contact employees on their personal phones and use device code phishing to obtain credentials and authenticated sessions before siphoning data from cloud services such as Microsoft 365. They have also targeted Okta identity infrastructure. Researchers believe the UNC6671-linked brands have recently shifted toward organizations in higher-value sectors. Since June, they have favored technology, transportation, and hospitality targets after focusing on manufacturing, real estate, healthcare, and insurance during April and May. Why multiple brands emerged after BlackFile shut down is unclear. GTIG said the strategy could "compartmentalize operations, hide overall breach volumes, and isolate any negotiation fallout," although other plausible explanations exist. Internal disagreements over matters such as handling finances and operational security could have led to the fragmentation of UNC6671, GTIG speculated. The core members may also be looking to retain control over the intrusion and data theft aspects of the attack, while outsourcing negotiations and extortion. The different groups may also just be using the same commoditized phishing tools. ®
A massive set of 737 free VPN and proxy extensions have been found to mainly target Russian-speaking users seeking access to blocked services with an aim to intercept browser traffic and route them through a proxy infrastructure.
The extensions, published across at least 40 Chrome Web Store developer accounts, racked up 75,486 installs. Of those identified, 274 have been found to impersonate 66
Attackers continue to target critical infrastructure and government-linked organizations in the country, mirroring the increased activity across Latin America.
The UK's criminal records office, ACRO, has escaped a fine and received a regulatory reprimand after security failings potentially exposed highly sensitive data belonging to nearly 11,000 people. ACRO disclosed the "cybersecurity incident" in April 2023, and said at the time that it had no evidence to suggest that any data was compromised. However, it has now emerged that attackers maintained persistent access to ACRO's website and content management system for more than seven months, and staged sensitive data for possible exfiltration. According to the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO), which reprimanded ACRO rather than imposing a financial penalty, the breach was uncovered in March 2023 only because ACRO was investigating a separate intrusion. The watchdog said that while investigating an SQL injection attack that compromised 15 sets of credentials, most belonging to ACRO staff, investigators found evidence of separate intrusions dating back to July 8, 2021. The incidents fell into three categories, the ICO said. Some did not affect personal data, while others exposed only a small number of account credentials. The most serious involved ACRO's website and its Kentico content management system. The intrusion began on August 5, 2022, and the attackers maintained persistent access, without being detected, until March 14, 2023. The ICO found that ACRO ran version 12.0.0 of Kentico CMS from September 2019 until March 2023 without applying the patches and hotfixes released during that period, leaving known vulnerabilities unresolved. The ICO blamed poor communication between ACRO and its managed service provider. The supplier did not learn that patching was its responsibility until February 2020 and continued to assume that it was not required to monitor actively for security updates. "The ambiguity around who was accountable for identifying necessary Kentico CMS patches created a gap where patches and hotfixes were missed, which ultimately left ACRO's website vulnerable," the ICO said. Further, ACRO did not have a documented policy that covered patching Kentico CMS, nor could it demonstrate how vulnerabilities were identified or prioritized. ACRO's Trend Micro antivirus generated alerts, but nobody appears to have been minding them. The records office told the ICO that, for reasons redacted from the postmortem, it was "unable to establish what business processes existed for the assessment or handling of security alerts at the relevant time." It also could not identify which roles were responsible for reviewing these alerts at the time, ultimately resulting in them going unread. ACRO's poor logging means that, despite an extensive investigation by a third-party cybersecurity outfit, it remains impossible to determine whether the affected data was exfiltrated. Investigators did establish that the attackers staged the data for possible exfiltration between February 15 and 16, 2023. The potentially exposed material included: Police Certificate Applications Subject Access Request (SAR) forms and International Child Protection Certificate forms Names Dates of birth Addresses National Insurance numbers Passport and driving licence details Bank account information Biometric data Highly sensitive criminal offence and special category information ACRO notified 84,048 people of the breach, although investigators later determined that data relating to no more than 10,920 individuals had potentially been staged for exfiltration. Of these, ACRO received 35 formal complaints citing personal distress and concern about the risk of identity theft and financial loss, according to the ICO's reprimand document [PDF]. "Complainants included those connected to Police Certificates, International Child Protection Certificates, and victims of domestic violence." The ICO also received six complaints citing similar concerns. ACRO's saving grace was its network segmentation, which prevented the attackers from straying beyond the CMS into other systems, the ICO noted. Since the attack was discovered, ACRO has made a number of improvements to its security, including decommissioning the compromised infrastructure (although not until June 2023), implementing a SIEM, improving visibility, monitoring, and network segmentation, hardening systems, and migrating to Salesforce Experience Cloud. Jonathan Balmforth, group manager of civil and cyber investigations at the ICO, said: "This case highlights how basic cyber security failings can create significant risks for thousands of people, particularly where organizations process large volumes of highly sensitive personal information. "Organizations must ensure there is clear accountability for identifying, assessing and applying security updates. They must also have effective monitoring in place so that warning signs of cyberattacks are identified, investigated and acted upon promptly. "The lessons from this incident are clear. Having the right policies, responsibilities and oversight arrangements in place is just as important as having the right technology. "We welcome the improvements ACRO has made since these incidents. We hope other organizations will use this case as an opportunity to review their own processes and responses to ensure personal information remains properly protected." ACRO welcomed the reprimand from the ICO and highlighted the steps it has taken since to bolster its security. A spokesperson told The Register: "Since the cybersecurity incident was identified in March 2023, we have worked hard to strengthen our systems and safeguards. "In particular, we immediately took the previous website offline and subsequently decommissioned it. We also took steps to protect customers, including making sure anyone potentially affected was informed at the earliest possible stage." They went on to say: "We accept the ICO's findings of the infringements. We are grateful for the recognition from the Information Commissioner of the multiple remedial steps ACRO has taken in light of this incident and are committed to maintaining high standards of data protection and information security in future." ®
SonicWall ha rilasciato aggiornamenti di sicurezza per sanare 8 vulnerabilità, di cui 2 con gravità “critica” e 4 con gravità "alta", che interessano i prodotti Email Security e GMS.
> Je crois me souvenir qu’à l’époque, Framasoft avait dit quelque chose plus ou moins comme « en tant que fournisseur de services on devient trop gros, et par nature ce n’est pas quelque chose qui va dans le sens de ce que nous défendons. Alors on limite l’accès à nos services, emparez vous des outils et formez vos fournisseurs de services locaux. »
Ce qui a donné un essaimage d’alternatives crédibles aux GAFAM, plus décentralisés.
C’est tout à fait ce qu’on avait dit.
> Et là on reviendrait à une forme de centralisation à grande échelle (avec du logiciel libre) ? Je ne suis pas certain d’avoir bien compris si c’est le cas, mais je ne trouve pas d’information disant le contraire.
Alors « centralisation à grande échelle », non.
Avec 350K€, ça ne permet quand même pas de recentraliser.
Ca permet d’accueillir quelques dizaines ou centaines de milliers de personnes, mais pas vraiment plus à ce stade.
> Je me demande également quel impact ça peut avoir dans la dynamique (qui me semble saine) des CHATONS. La décentralisation des CHATONS permet une réelle coopération, même si informelle.
Bon, je vais pas me faire des copaines, mais je ne suis pas là pour ça.
En tant que « papa » (fondateur) des CHATONS, je vais me permettre d’être critique. Pour moi, le collectif s’est beaucoup axé ces dernières années sur ses « conditions d’existence ». En dehors de la (très bonne) initiative « Démailnagement » qui implique moins de 10 % des chatons, il ne s’est – à mon sens, j’insiste – pas passé grand chose ces 3 ou 4 dernières années. Ca vivote bien, mais ça vivote.
La dernière fois que j’ai parlé de croissance en camp CHATONS, on m’a gentiment (enfin, pas si gentiment que ça) envoyé boulé en me disant que la croissance ne devait pas faire partie des objectifs (ce qui est un point de vue tout à fait défendable/valable, même si ça n’est pas le mien).
Mon objectif, et c’est la même chose avec les copaines de LaSuite.coop, ça reste de prendre des parts de marché aux GAFAM. Tout utilisateur qui n’utilise pas GMail ou Office 365 est une victoire en soi. Et, toujours selon moi, un objectif en soi.
> Je me demande enfin comment un nouvel acteur, centralisé et doté de relativement beaucoup de moyens financiers par rapport aux CHATONS (on parle au moins d’aller jusqu’au million d’euros), va faire en sorte de se faire une place raisonnable dans le panorama, sans devenir un concurrent, voire écraser des acteurs plus sobres mais néanmoins très pertinents.
C’est vrai, mais c’est encore une fois une question d’objectif : est-ce qu’on veut être un acteur pertinent avec 100 ou 1000 utilisateurs ? ou est-ce qu’on veut proposer une alternative crédible pour 2 ou 5 millions d’utilisateurs ?
J’ai cru que le nombre des chatons feraient leur force (100 structures à 1000 users, c’est cool. Mais 1000 structures à 1000 personnes, c’est encore mieux !).
Sauf que le nombre stagne un peu depuis qq années.
On a toujours 4 à 10 nouveaux chatons par an, mais dans les faits, on a autant, si ce n’est plus de « départs » (parce que #LaVie )
Bref, il y a 5 ou 6 « matous » dans le collectif, c’est à dire des structures à + de 500 000 users par mois. Et donc, personnellement, voir une structure comme lasuite.coop en ajouter une à terme, je m’en réjouis :)
Sanata una vulnerabilità con gravità “critica” in Grafana MCP Server, componente utilizzato per l'integrazione tra sistemi di intelligenza artificiale e piattaforme Grafana. Tale vulnerabilità, qualora sfruttata, potrebbe consentire ad un utente malintenzionato l'elusione dei meccanismi di sicurezza e l'accesso ad informazioni sensibili sui sistemi interessati.
An Akira ransomware affiliate rebooted a victim’s computer into Safe Mode to kill its security tools – and in the process sabotaged their own malware when the limited-function startup mode also broke their encryptor. “Akira's encryptor is engineered for speed, relying on concurrent worker threads and heavy memory mapping rather than simple sequential read-and-write operations. That high-performance design is likely what caused it to break in Safe Mode,” Huntress security operations analyst James Northey told The Register. “Safe Mode loads a minimal driver set, which can restrict storage controllers and pagefile availability,” he added. “A heavy, multi-threaded encryptor strains that constrained environment far more than the lighter, streamed-I/O designs used by other ransomware families.” But the ending wasn't entirely happy for the victim. The attacker had already stolen credentials and data from file shares before Safe Mode prevented the ransomware from doing its job. Northey detailed the incident in a Wednesday blog and cautioned that this was more likely a memory-configuration issue, and shouldn't be taken as a practical defense to prevent Akira ransomware from locking up valuable files. “Ultimately this could be a case of winning the battle, but not the war,” Northey wrote. “It’s possible that a host with more physical memory or a larger page file might give akira.exe enough virtual memory to encrypt the endpoint in Safe Mode,” Northey added. “Akira’s developers or affiliates could retool the encryptor to reduce its memory demands or make its Safe Mode launch sequence more reliable, meaning that the same failure may not occur in a future intrusion.” Nonetheless, there's one big lesson here: For the love of all that is holy, turn on multi-factor authentication (MFA). Here’s a closer look at what happened, and how to prevent it from happening to you. How it started… In early August, Huntress responded to an incident that began, as most Akira intrusions do, with a SonicWall SSL VPN. On August 4, the VPN logged a credential-spray attack: a burst of failed logins using bad credentials that it denied. But then, seven minutes later, one of them succeeded when the attacker used a valid VPN account that wasn’t protected by MFA. Once they had gained access, the criminal accessed the domain controller via Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP) and queried Active Directory to hoover up detailed information about the network, users, groups, computers – essentially everything an attacker needs to know about who and what to target for lateral movement and mass encryption in a ransomware attack. “The enumeration was a full-property dump of every user and every computer in the domain,” Northey wrote. The Akira ransomware affiliate then moved to the application server to start collecting stolen data, downloading WinRAR and using that tool to archive mapped file shares before sending the stolen data to cloud storage using s5cmd, a fast S3 transfer utility. They also installed remote desktop software AnyDesk, configured to start with Windows, and abused this legitimate tool as a remote-access trojan, giving the attacker hands-on keyboard control. They also used it as a command-and-control channel to drop more malware, including the very cleverly named akira.exe ransomware binary – because no one would guess what that executable could be, right? Then came the Safe Mode reboot Here’s where things went sideways for the ransomware scumbag. About three hours into the intrusion, the attacker forced the computer to reboot into Safe Mode with Networking, a boot mode that only loads essential drivers and services, blocking most third-party software. Attackers, especially ransomware gangs, do this to disable endpoint detection and response products and other security tools that would otherwise detect and stop their malware from infecting victims’ machines. While some ransomware crews, including Snatch and AvosLocker, have abused Safe Mode for this purpose for years, Huntress has never seen Akira do it until now. In this case, the reboot stopped the Huntress agent and disabled Microsoft Defender's real-time protection, preventing Defender from quarantining the malicious file. “The attacker got their blind window,” Northey wrote. “What they didn't get was a clean detonation.” Thirteen seconds after the reboot, the computer started spewing memory errors. Safe Mode boots with constrained virtual memory, and it didn’t have sufficient memory to encrypt the endpoint. Essentially, Safe Mode not only acted as an EDR killer, but also borked the ransomware. In addition to the obvious recommendations – like make sure you receive alerts on bursts of failed VPN logins against multiple usernames from one source, and require MFA on every VPN account – Huntress suggests organizations keep an eye out for this Safe Mode play. Specifically, “alert on boot-configuration changes and Safe Mode boots: msconfig.exe / bcdedit activity, Kernel-Boot EID 27 with a SAFEBOOT load option, Kernel-General EID 12 BootMode=2, and third-party security services stopping (System EID 7036),” Northey wrote. Also, “watch for tooling being added to the Safe Mode minimal-service registry list.” ®
C’est (malheureusement) assez proche d’un service « professionnel » (voir, par exemple, ce que propose https://datacampus.fr/nextcloud ).
La difficulté, c’est que pour baisser les prix, il faut faire beaucoup de volume. Or, LaSuite.coop lance la sienne. Avec quelques centaines/milliers d’utilisateurs, c’est compliqué d’avoir des prix faibles sans prendre de gros risques.
Si tu as plusieurs dizaines/centaines de milliers d’utilisateurs, ça permet d’avoir des prix bien plus bas (exemple : https://www.leviia.com/offres-leviia-next/ à 8€HT/user/mois. Pour une asso de 20 personnes, ça fait quand même 2 304€ TTC par an ( !). Ce qui se rapproche quand même du prix annuel de ls.coop
Bref, ce qui coûte cher, c’est l’humain…
A Framasoft, on a fait un choix drastiquement différent. On voulait offrir, pour des raisons politiques, du Nextcloud aux petites associations (50 comptes max, 50Go a partager). On a chercher le moyen de ne pas se ruiner, et on a décidé :
1. de limiter l’humain au strict minimum (ex : on ne fait pas/peu de support)
2. de fournir des Nextcloud « identiques » à chaque asso (= elles ne peuvent pas choisir leurs plugins)
Comme, en plus, on ne cherche pas à vendre quoi que ce soit (asso à but non lucratif), on arrive au coût (exceptionnel à ma connaissance) de … 1€ / user / an pour un Nextcloud sur Framaspace. Et infogéré en plus (= c’est nous qui nous occupons de la maintenance et des mises à jour). A comparer (par exemple) au 115€ TTC / user par an chez le « gros » fournisseur qu’est Leviia, ça fait quand même… 115 fois moins cher ! :-P
Bref, si vous êtes une petite asso sans le sou, Framaspace est fait pour vous :-)
C’est moins « confort » qu’ailleurs, mais on ne peut pas avoir le beurre, l’argent du beurre, et le serveur de la crémière 🤷♂️
Adobe ha rilasciato aggiornamenti di sicurezza per risolvere molteplici vulnerabilità, di cui 7 con gravità “critica” e 27 con gravità “alta”, nei prodotti Commerce, Magento, ColdFusion, Campaign Classic, Lightroom Classic, Content Credentials Rust SDK, C2PA Tool, Content Credentials JS SDK.
Bonjour !
Après avoir réinstallé mon ordinateur, la touche F10, qui me servait pour configurer la barre de tâches de Firefox et de Thunderbird, ferme instantanément la session.
Est-ce la preuve d’une déficience matérielle de mon ordinateur ? C’est un Lenovo d’entrée de gamme que j’ai acheté il y a peu ed temps.
Merci de votre aide !
I’m trying to use openai-whisper instead of whisper-ctranslate2 but I get the following error message. It seems like whisper isn’t installed because it not to be found in /var/www/peertube/storage/bin/pip/bin. I guess this should’ve been installed automatically. Can I install it manually? If so, how?
The reason I want to use openai-whisper instead of whisper-ctranslate2, is that I want to use a custom Whisper model that when tested outside Peertube, works best in its original form.
ExecaError: Command failed with ENOENT: /var/www/peertube/storage/bin/pip/bin/whisper /var/www/peertube/storage/web-videos/private/b8dd8faf-9a30-4674-a4ba-b80f17686833-1080.mp4 --word_timestamps True --model small --output_format all --output_dir /var/www/peertube/storage/tmp/transcription/rSHCPcf74seHDVE13WjcuL
spawn /var/www/peertube/storage/bin/pip/bin/whisper ENOENT
at getFinalError (file:///var/www/peertube/versions/peertube-v8.2.4/node_modules/.pnpm/execa@9.6.1/node_modules/execa/lib/return/final-error.js:6:9)
at makeError (file:///var/www/peertube/versions/peertube-v8.2.4/node_modules/.pnpm/execa@9.6.1/node_modules/execa/lib/return/result.js:108:16)
at getAsyncResult (file:///var/www/peertube/versions/peertube-v8.2.4/node_modules/.pnpm/execa@9.6.1/node_modules/execa/lib/methods/main-async.js:168:4)
at handlePromise (file:///var/www/peertube/versions/peertube-v8.2.4/node_modules/.pnpm/execa@9.6.1/node_modules/execa/lib/methods/main-async.js:151:17)
at process.processTicksAndRejections (node:internal/process/task_queues:103:5)
at async OpenaiTranscriber.transcribe (file:///var/www/peertube/versions/peertube-v8.2.4/packages/transcription/dist/whisper/transcriber/openai-transcriber.js:14:9)
at async file:///var/www/peertube/versions/peertube-v8.2.4/dist/core/lib/video-captions.js:140:36
at async VideoPathManager.makeAvailableFactory (file:///var/www/peertube/versions/peertube-v8.2.4/dist/core/lib/video-path-manager.js:158:22)
at async generateSubtitle (file:///var/www/peertube/versions/peertube-v8.2.4/dist/core/lib/video-captions.js:137:9)
at async Object.wrapPromiseFun (file:///var/www/peertube/versions/peertube-v8.2.4/dist/core/lib/plugins/hooks.js:8:24)
at async /var/www/peertube/versions/peertube-v8.2.4/node_modules/.pnpm/bullmq@5.77.6/node_modules/bullmq/dist/cjs/classes/worker.js:589:32
A newly disclosed flaw in the way OpenAI, Anthropic, and Google carried hidden AI reasoning between API calls let researchers recover internal reasoning and secrets from session logs, including API keys and passwords.
The weakness affected encrypted reasoning objects used by the providers' reasoning APIs, where a block created in one session could be replayed into another and, during testing,
Enterprise defenses are tuned to catch the attacks that make noise. This year's data shows attackers winning by making none.
According to Picus Labs' new Blue Report 2026, which measured more than 338 million real attack simulations across actual client production environments in the first half of 2026, defenses are having one of their strongest years yet. Average prevention effectiveness
Adobe has shipped updates to address multiple critical security vulnerabilities impacting ColdFusion, Commerce, and Campaign Classic that, if successfully exploited, could result in arbitrary code execution and privilege escalation.
The most severe of the flaws are listed below -
CVE-2026-48362 (CVSS score: 10.0) - An operating system command injection vulnerability in ColdFusion that could
En juin, j’ai créé une groupe. Je ne pouvait le remplir jusqu’au fin à l’époque parce qu’il me manquait des dates.
Et maintenant où je peut le remplir, je n’ai plus accès à l’administration. Dans mon compte il n’affiche pas aucune groupe (sur ‹ Mes Listes ›). Quand j’essaie de créer une nouveau, il me dit qu’il y a déja une avec ce nom. Mais quand je cherche le nom dans le masque de recherche, il n’y a pas trouvé une avec ce nom.
Le groupe existe, je peut l’acceder avec le lien que j’ai recu lors de l’inscription.
Qu’est-ce que je peut faire? Merci pour une remarque.
Nous nous sommes mal exprimé (en tout cas, vous nous avez mal compris)
La transformation se fait sur le serveur où est installé PeerTube (ou sur un serveur, au choix de l’admin).
Par exemple Framatube est une instance PeerTube gérée par Framasoft. L’encodage se fait donc sur notre serveur.
Mais si tu prends l’instance https://skeptikon.fr/, leurs vidéos sont bien évidemment encodées sur leur serveur (là encore avec ffmpeg installé sur le serveur)
J’avais un idée de logiciel et, ayant pensé à vous, je vois que vous avez quelques uns qui commencent à y ressembler.
Je vai être très succint, mais je pensais à une manière de faire ce qui ressemble à première vue à un site de pétition, avec « quand on vote pour la guerre, on va la faire » - donc de mobilisation locale et effective.
Ex: netoyer une berge de rivière, cultiver un terrain laissé vague par la ville, …
L’idée est d’avoir une organization temporaire mais hyérarchique bottom-up (idée de base: chacun choisit son n+1 - temporaire et uniquement dans le cadre d’une action), le tout avec des meetings/cafés organisés entre temps localement, &c
La base serait d’avoir une « pétition/action » qui aurat un seuil de participants (-> action), gestion des calendriers/choix de date, … + forums + PMs + …
Je ne lance pas ça en l’air, j’ai déjà pas mal réfléchi aux algos (je veux pas devenir trop technique ici) et je peux franchement participer (je découvre vos projets d’ailleurs, j’ai du temps ces temps ci)
Bref, je suis sûr qu’il existe des projets réalisés déjà similaires, des contre-indications, des projets plus similaires mais non réalisés, …
Alex Bandoni and Shoshana Gordon/ProPublica. Source images: Corbis, AFP and Weegee (Arthur Fellig)/International Center of Photography/Getty Images.
A robot was on fire. Again.
It was the summer of 2024, and the cutting-edge robots inside General Dynamics’ sweltering artillery factory near Dallas were catching fire with startling regularity, according to four former workers there. This wasn’t ideal, as the plant was supposed to be churning out urgently needed artillery shells for Ukraine. The robots, giant metal arms with clamps for hands, would end up drenched in oil, which would then — no surprise — combust as they moved steel blocks heated to 1,800 degrees into and out of a machine that periodically erupted columns of fire. One blaze that summer melted a robot’s cables, putting it out of commission for a week.
Only weeks earlier, defense officials and executives had touted the factory’s innovative new machinery, imported from Turkey, at a gala opening ceremony. But employees were already used to spectacular mishaps, fiery and otherwise. “After the second, third, fourth time, it just became almost normal,” one former worker said. “It got to the point where I was not surprised by anything that happened there.”
Instead of producing shells in an efficient and streamlined fashion, the pricey machines kept failing in bizarre ways. The robot arms would swing out of control, smashing into carefully calibrated equipment, and sometimes they would unexpectedly drop hunks of steel 5 feet down to the floor. The factory’s signature device, meant to precisely stretch the steel for the artillery shells, instead often cracked it beyond repair. Then there were the giant press machines, which required regular pounding with a sledgehammer to function properly but still botched the shaping of nearly every shell. “We really didn’t have any standardized practice,” said Quantel White, a former employee. “It was just a bunch of guys taking turns going at the machine with a sledgehammer every night.” To workers, even the factory buildings themselves came to feel doomed, with acrid smoke hanging in 100-degree heat over foundations seemingly sinking into the earth.
A press machine at the General Dynamics artillery factory near DallasObtained by ProPublica
The situation never improved. The U.S. Army, which funded the factory, ordered work halted on two of its three production lines in August 2025. By then, General Dynamics had blown eight deadlines. Work on the third production line continued, but the facility never produced a single usable shell, according to a report from the Department of Defense’s inspector general in July.
The fiasco has cost American taxpayers $533 million, according to the Army. But the Army has not held General Dynamics or a key Turkish subcontractor — which provided the factory’s much-hyped but little-proven equipment — publicly accountable for the failures. Nor has it made General Dynamics pay a penny back.
Just the opposite: General Dynamics, one of the world’s largest defense companies, has been showered with new contracts, continuing its track record as one of the greatest beneficiaries of Pentagon spending. The company is still in charge of the factory. It recently announced that it will fix things there by bringing in another much-hyped but little-proven technology.
“It’s an absolute disaster,” said one former official in an Army office supervising the project. “The Army should’ve gone after recovering money from General Dynamics,” added the official, who, like others interviewed for this story, spoke on the condition of anonymity.
Publicly, the Army has been tight-lipped about what, exactly, went wrong at the factory, located in a sprawling suburb called Mesquite. The inspector general report described the failure but offered few specifics. It didn’t name the companies involved, much less any of the individuals responsible. The report’s recommendations were tepid: The Army should determine whether the contract was “appropriately issued,” how “the money was spent” and whether it can recoup any of it. It should also “identify and implement a solution” for producing more artillery. Army officials deflected blame, telling the inspector general that they didn’t do anything wrong.
In a detailed statement to ProPublica, the Army said it will recover funding for the project by getting unspecified discounts from General Dynamics on production orders. “The Army is exercising rigorous oversight to ensure every dollar invested delivers capability to the warfighter,” the statement read. “Where vendors fail to meet contract specifications, as seen at the Mesquite facility, we are evaluating contract performance, seeking recoupment of funds, and pivoting resources.”
As for General Dynamics, it has given no public explanation whatsoever. The company has said that it “met or exceeded requirements,” according to the inspector general report. General Dynamics declined an interview request from ProPublica. Company spokesperson Jeff Davis said ProPublica’s reporting “fundamentally mischaracterizes the circumstances and falsely impugns our record of employee safety and truthfulness with our customer.” He continued: “An article based on this foundation would be a materially false and misleading hit piece.” Davis did not respond to ProPublica’s request that he specify the alleged errors.
ProPublica reconstructed how the project went awry through interviews with 36 current and former employees of General Dynamics, the Army, the Pentagon and the White House. ProPublica also reviewed internal company documents as well as photographs and videos taken inside the factory.
Those involved described a project that was rushed and ill considered from the start. Congress paved the way, removing government contracting guardrails — meant to ensure taxpayer money isn’t wasted — so that Ukraine-related defense projects could be funded quickly. The Army took advantage, handing General Dynamics lucrative no-bid awards without knowing whether the machines it planned to use could perform the desired work. The Army’s due diligence was inadequate, four former Army and General Dynamics officials told ProPublica.
Compared to the multibillion-dollar budgets of other DOD projects, the financial cost of the Texas debacle is small. But the lack of consequences for the companies involved, in the view of defense-spending critics, is symptomatic of a larger problem: a deep-rooted culture at the Pentagon and in Congress in which expensive failures lead only to more spending. Such critics fear that extreme cases like this one could become more common if the Trump administration succeeds in boosting the defense budget from $1 trillion to $1.5 trillion. The administration is also seeking tens of billions of dollars for its war against Iran and pressuring defense companies to quickly ramp up weapons production.
“Too often the contractors have no accountability for their mistakes,” defense budget researcher William Hartung said. The Texas failure, he said, “is a foreshadow of what’s to come if the Trump administration gets the budget it asked for.”
The Pitch
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 felt like an emergency to the Biden administration. For General Dynamics, it was an opportunity. And Firat Gezen was ready with a pitch.
In six years running General Dynamics’ Ordnance and Tactical Systems business, Gezen had earned a reputation as a deft strategist and salesman. At 50, he wasn’t an engineer, and he had no experience running factories. He had spent decades working on the financial side of the weapons business. With a ready smile and a delivery as smooth as his perfectly bald head, he knew how to woo corporate leaders and Pentagon arms buyers alike.
Gezen was also shrewd. In 2020, after the Army sought to diversify its artillery supplier base by contracting with a small Pennsylvania company, Gezen swooped in and bought that company. That allowed General Dynamics to maintain its stranglehold over the production of metal bodies for the standard American artillery shell, referred to by its caliber: 155 mm. “Firat throws his arm around you and talks to you nicely,” one former Army official said. “But he’s got, like, five things that he’s the sole provider of, and it’s exclusive. He’s got you locked up forever.”
Firat Gezen, former president of General Dynamics Ordnance and Tactical SystemsU.S. Army photo by PFC Brandon L. Perry
That put General Dynamics in an ideal position. Russia and Ukraine were firing thousands of shells back and forth each day. The United States was a key supplier to Ukraine, but decades of disinvestment had left the U.S. artillery industry emaciated. In March 2022, Congress passed the first in a series of bills allocating billions of dollars for Ukraine-related causes, including boosting artillery production. The next month, President Joe Biden pledged to send shells to Ukraine, and he wanted to move fast. But first someone had to make them.
The 155 mm shell has been a military workhorse for a century, owing to its simple, lethal power. Packed with TNT, the 33-inch cylinder can travel 10 miles when shot out of the barrel of a howitzer and send fragments flying hundreds of feet upon impact. But decades of asymmetric warfare in the Middle East, in which the United States relied largely on drones and bombs, had led some to believe the days of artillery battles were waning. By 2022, General Dynamics was the only producer of 155 mm metal shell bodies in the country, mainly in a century-old facility in Scranton, Pennsylvania.
Given that, the company was an obvious candidate to meet the sudden new demand. General Dynamics could simply replicate Scranton’s traditional manufacturing method, which dated back to the time of the Korean War. But in meetings with Pentagon officials in the fall of 2022, Gezen proposed an alternative: What if the Army funded a state-of-the-art production line that used a promising new technique?
A soldier attends to 155 mm shells in Ukraine in March 2025.Dmytro Smolienko/Urinform/NurPhoto/Getty Images
Central to this proposal was a virtual unknown in the world of American defense: Repkon. The company had been operating in its home country of Turkey for decades, providing “turnkey production facilities in the metal forming industry.” (Coincidentally, Gezen himself was born to Turkish parents in the United States.)
But Repkon had never received a Pentagon contract, and certainly not for its signature metalworking process called “flow-forming.” Whereas the Scranton method mainly involves molding ultrahot steel in giant forging presses, Repkon added a step in which a fast-spinning machine squeezes and rolls out the metal like clay on a potter’s wheel. The advantage, Gezen told defense officials, is that the same equipment could produce shells of various calibers. Most important, Repkon had a production line already available, meaning General Dynamics could start making shells faster than if it had to procure traditional equipment piece by piece.
Warning signs abounded. Army officials learned that the production line that Repkon wanted to sell had been designed to produce an older, simpler model of 155 mm shells, which was made with different steel. It wasn’t clear that the Turkish equipment could even work with the steel used to make the newer 155 mm model, as the equipment had never actually produced it, according to four former General Dynamics and Army officials. Repkon said other countries were using the machines to produce the older model. But the Army and General Dynamics could not inspect those active production lines, Repkon told them, citing customer privacy.
The Army could have balked at all of this and insisted on learning more about the capacity of the Repkon machines to perform the desired work. But learning more would’ve taken time, and time seemed in short supply. “There was incredible pressure to go fast,” a former Army official said. Everybody moved forward.
In November 2022, the Army raced to give General Dynamics the first in a series of contract awards for the project that would ultimately be worth nearly $600 million if carried to completion. The next month, Congress granted the DOD extraordinary powers to award money for Ukraine-related causes without the usual contracting safeguards, dropping competitive bidding requirements and restrictions on so-called undefinitized contracting actions. UCAs allow a company to begin work even before finalizing the terms of its contract with the government. One defense executive compared them to “building the airplane as you’re flying it.”
The Army made the most of its expanded powers, awarding General Dynamics a number of UCAs without considering alternate proposals in a competitive bidding process. (The Army told ProPublica it selected the company because of its unique artillery production experience.)
In fact, the Army was so enamored with the proposal that it decided to order even more than Gezen had pitched. Instead of contracting for one Repkon production line, the Army signed up to buy three. Without knowing whether any of them would work.
Gezen had never overseen a project this ambitious. Until then, he had mainly presided over smaller expansions of existing factories that used traditional methods.But he was optimistic it would work.“He’s extremely aggressive, willing to take risks,” one former colleague said.
Some of the Army’s scrutiny of the proposal occurred only after it began awarding contracts for it. The service and General Dynamics sent staffers to Turkey to inspect Repkon’s machinery, but they never inspected a full production line in action and there weren’t enough experts who could spot potential defects in the equipment, four former General Dynamics and Army officials said. Crucially, before greenlighting the deal, the Army did not require General Dynamics to demonstrate that it could use the Repkon equipment to complete the entire production process and make shells that met the Army’s specifications. (The Army told ProPublica that “formal testing could not occur prior to full machinery installation.”)
If the typical contracting safeguards had been in place, perhaps everything that followed could have been prevented. If the Pentagon had been forced to open the project to competitive bidding, it would have had to consider other proposals in a painstaking review process. If restrictions on UCAs had been in effect, the Pentagon would have had to slow down and finalize the terms of the deal before allowing it to proceed, which might have surfaced its fatal flaws.
But one man’s due diligence is another man’s red tape. Soon, Repkon’s flow-forming machines were sailing across the Atlantic, heading eventually for Mesquite.
“This Is Actually Hell”
On May 29, 2024, the mood in Mesquite was triumphant. After two short years of planning, the factory was opening, and defense officials and executives gathered there to celebrate.
Former Army Secretary Christine Wormuth at the opening of General Dynamics’ artillery factorySgt.1st Class Nicole Mejia/U.S. Army
“Our nation’s defense relies not only on our soldiers and other servicemembers in uniform but on production facilities like this one,” then-Army Secretary Christine Wormuth told seated dignitaries. She stood at a podium branded with the General Dynamics logo, with two howitzers posed behind her. She thanked the company’s CEO, Phebe Novakovic, and Gezen by name. “It’s a pleasure to highlight the fantastic work you all have done,” she said.
But everything was not as fantastic as it appeared. Artillery shells displayed around the plant that day had been shipped in from elsewhere, three former workers told ProPublica. A worker picked one up and was startled to discover it was fake — seemingly made of plastic. General Dynamics had already failed to perform a scheduled first article test, meant to demonstrate the facility could produce shells that met the Army’s specifications. The facility was supposed to start cranking out shells soon, but machines were barely functioning.
Soon problems seemed to explode out of every corner, according to interviews with 12 former factory workers. For one thing, the flaming robot arms also kept smashing into things. They slammed into computer numerical control machines, breaking their windows and bending their doors. They knocked over shells. They bashed into safety fences. Workers talked about the arms going “rogue” and began calling one of them “Johnny 5” after a sentient military robot from a 1980s movie.
Even simple equipment failed with slapstick regularity, six workers said. Conveyor belts broke down. Automated carts got lost. Safety gates meant to shut down machines when workers approached did not shut down machines when workers approached. A pipe exploded, spraying water up to the ceiling. Parts on Repkon machines deformed, leading a worker to discover that they were made with Chinese steel, possibly in violation of federal regulations. (The Army said it has no evidence of such violations.)
Artillery shells at various stages of production were displayed at the factory in Mesquite when it opened.Desiree Rios
Smoke hung in the air; it rolled off the press machines when robots sprayed them with lubricant. Workers could feel the smoke in their lungs. When they blew their noses after shifts, their mucus was black. A worker complained to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration about a “respirable hazard” at the factory, according to an OSHA record and spokesperson. The agency opened an investigation in October 2024, and an inspector visited the facility. The smoke-spewing press machines were scheduled to be operating on the day of the visit, but for some reason they weren’t running during the inspection, according to four former workers. OSHA issued no penalties, the agency told ProPublica. Staffers started to think it wasn’t just Repkon’s faulty equipment to blame for problems at the factory — it was General Dynamics’ management, too.
The plant could reach Sahara Desert temperatures when the furnaces or presses were on. “This is actually hell,”one worker thought to himself. It was hotter still inside cabinets containing drives that controlled critical machines, where it was regularly 140 degrees, two former workers told ProPublica. An outside inspector warned in an email reviewed by ProPublica that, at that temperature, “you would not only have drives failing but also human lives failing.”
Every day seemed to bring more of the same: another machine broken, another frantic effort to repair it, another batch of misshapen shells tossed into the discard pile. As 2024 became 2025, little seemed to get better.
With so few shells passing inspection stations along the production line, many workers had nothing to do. A cat-and-mouse game ensued. Bored staffers spent endless hours gazing at their phones, leading supervisors to restrict phone use. So workers began bringing crossword books. Managers nixed those. Some workers were seen sleeping, so supervisors took away chairs.
“We sat around twiddling our thumbs, trying to find work, trying to figure out what was going on,” said Natashia Passmore, a former production technician in the plant. “It was a waste of government money, and it was a waste of our time.”
The Dumpster Fire
Tension rose between the Americans hired by General Dynamics and Turkish workers sent over by Repkon. The Repkon team was there to install the equipment, but it seemed equally flummoxed by the problems. General Dynamics workers found them evasive. They would give curt responses to questions in English but then be seen holding long, animated conversations in Turkish outside during frequent smoking breaks. A carelessly discarded cigarette butt sparked a real-life dumpster fire, three former workers said.
Repkon was especially secretive about the flow-forming machines, refusing to answer most questions about their operations. General Dynamics workers could tell when Repkon was testing one of them, because they would find metal shards scattered on the floor around it later. The shards looked like alligator teeth. “Oh, the tooth fairy was here,” one worker would think to himself.
Paranoia set in. Repkon refused to share passwords needed to control important equipment, according to five former General Dynamics employees. Sometimes workers would be startled by the sight of a machine moving by itself and realize it was being controlled by someone in Turkey. Spooked, General Dynamics workers tore out hardware to cut off remote access to the machines, two former workers said.
Rumors swirled among the Americans that the Turks were purposefully sabotaging machinery — or perhaps even engaged in some convoluted form of espionage. “It was astonishing how little progress we would make, month after month, year after year,” one former General Dynamics worker said. “People started speculating, ‘I wonder if they’re spying on us.’” General Dynamics assigned someone to shadow the Repkon workers in the factory, two former staffers said. (The Army said it has no evidence of sabotage or spying.)
Even the buildings themselves — a trio of vast, anonymous boxes tucked into the crook of two freeways — were plagued with problems. Walls cracked, and daylight became visible around window frames. Doors began dragging on concrete floors. When it rained, water would flood in — “like a tsunami,” one former worker said. The foundations appeared to be shifting or sinking, six former employees said. It was as if the whole dysfunctional factory — its fires and smoke, its idle workers and haywire machines — was being slowly sucked down into the earth.
Faced with the kaleidoscopic array of problems, the response from General Dynamics managers always seemed to be to plow forward. “Every single time they opened their mouths, it was: ‘We need to get into production,’” one former worker said. “Production is the only thing that mattered.”
“Nobody Wins”
As the situation at the factory deteriorated, General Dynamics and the Army told a very different story to the public.
In April 2024, General Dynamics CEO Novakovic told investors: “In the U.S., we are rapidly increasing ammunition production with the opening of our Texas facility.” General Dynamics failed to conduct a scheduled first article test in Mesquite that same month.
That July, two months after the opening ceremony, Novakovic told investors that “thefirst line is running and producing as we anticipated.” In fact, the first line was not producing any usable shells, six former plant workers told ProPublica.
In September Doug Bush, then the Army’s acquisition czar and a key figure overseeing the project, said “there have been no major delays” to the Army’s goal of producing 100,000 artillery shells each month — a goal for which the Mesquite factory was critical. “Any delays you’ve had have been measured in, I would call them weeks, not months, certainly not years,” Bush told reporters. He downplayed the problems, describing them as merely a matter of adjusting a machine “so that it puts out shells just so, versus a little bit off.”
The next day, a laborer in Mesquite photographed the work of a machine meant to begin giving the shells perfectly smooth noses; it had instead mangled the metal into something that resembled the swirl of soft-serve ice cream.
A machine at the factory sometimes mangled artillery shells, meant to be perfectly smooth, into swirls that looked like soft serve.Obtained by ProPublica
Also in September, Secretary Wormuth touted the Army’s artillery ramp-up at a conference, saying, “part of what’s enabling that are things like the brand-new plant that we opened up in Mesquite.” One month later, an Army contracting officer sent General Dynamics a letter of concern about its performance at the facility. The company missed the Army’s deadline for completing the first production line one month after that. (Wormuth declined to comment.)
Despite it all, Gezen remained optimistic through the fall of 2024. The issues in Mesquite were mere delays, he thought, and there were plans in place to fix them, according to a person familiar with his thinking. “If Firat’s guilty of something, it’s not wanting to see the truth in the matter,” a former colleague said. He “has a tendency to not want to listen to bad news.” General Dynamics announced Gezen’s retirement in January 2025. Some industry insiders believe he was pushed out in part over Mesquite. (Gezen denied that but declined to sit for an on-the-record interview.)
The split screen of blown deadlines and rosy public comments continued into the second administration of President Donald Trump. In April 2025, General Dynamics missed the completion date for the second production line. That same month, Novakovic told investors, once again: “We are rapidly increasing munitions capacity and production with the opening of our projectile facility in Texas.” The company missed another first article test two months later.
As the failures mounted, a sinking feeling took hold in Army offices. The service assembled a team to assess the situation in the factory, which produced a report that gave little confidence the problems could be fixed. Finally, in June 2025, the Army told General Dynamics it was considering terminating the contract awards for the plant, a defense trade publication reported at the time. Two months later, the service ordered work halted on two of the factory’s three production lines.
But the Army did not unilaterally terminate the contract awards. “A termination for default would’ve taken years through the legal system, because General Dynamics wasn’t going to accept that,” a former Army official told ProPublica. “Nobody wins except the lawyers.”
This would not be the last act of generosity from the Trump administration to General Dynamics. In December 2025, according to the inspector general’s report, the government paid the company $26.3 million in “progress payments” for the second and third production lines in Mesquite, although neither line had ever produced a usable shell.
General Dynamics’ factory in Mesquite, photographed in AugustDesiree Rios for ProPublica
A Novel Solution
Two months ago, General Dynamics made an announcement that conjured a sense of déjà vu. To fix the problems at the factory, the company would team up with yet another unheard-of partner promising technological innovation. The solution this time? Artificial intelligence.
A news release from General Dynamics and the new company, Deterrence, was filled with techno-business jargon. “AI-enabled capabilities” and “intelligence and connectivity” would be added at Mesquite and other General Dynamics factories, the companies wrote. “AI transforms production facilities into strategic assets,” Deterrence’s CEO said in the release. “We’re building autonomous manufacturing systems that learn, adapt, and scale in real time.”
These pronouncements have baffled former Mesquite workers. “What are they talking about? There’s nothing to learn or adapt or scale,” one said. “It’s all broken.”
General Dynamics is doing this even as it replaces most of the Repkon equipment with traditional machines like those used in Scranton. How AI will wrest miracles from decades-old technology is unclear. But General Dynamics told investors it expects to be in production next year, and the Army told the inspector general that’ll amount to 20,000 shells a month.
Compared with Repkon, Deterrence is perhaps an even less conventional choice. Deterrence was established just three years ago and has never received a DOD contract. Its website gives no indication it has ever helped to manufacture anything. Its three founders have no prior defense experience. One of them worked at Tesla; the other two created a startup that enabled people to lock and unlock buildings with smartphones. Deterrence did not respond to a request for comment.
General Dynamics also pledged to put $200 million into the project. That’s a small sum for a company that generated more than $50 billion in revenue last year and gave CEO Novakovic a compensation package worth more than $25 million. (Meanwhile, the company furloughed or laid off most of the Mesquite workers.)
The Army says it won’t spend any more money on the project, but it has hardly blackballed General Dynamics. Since the Army shut down work on two production lines in Mesquite one year ago, General Dynamics Ordnance and Tactical Systems has received contract awards totaling $2.5 billion, the Army told ProPublica. (The service said this was for “distinct production lines and critical national defense requirements” unrelated to Mesquite.)
Repkon’s American offshoot is now at work setting up a TNT factory after receiving a no-bid contract from the Army worth $435 million. TNT is the primary explosive fill in 155 mm shells. Repkon Turkey’s CEO co-founded the American company, which was originally named Repkon USA. In March, it changed its name to Paligen Technologies. Some interpreted this as an effort to create distance from the Mesquite disaster. Paligen told ProPublica that it and Repkon are “different and wholly separate companies.” Repkon Turkey did not respond to requests for comment.
The one thing that key decision-makers appear to agree on is that they are absolutely not to blame. Gezen, the former General Dynamics executive, told ProPublica that the company and the Army did nothing wrong. In a brief conversation at his apartment door in a ritzy section of Washington, D.C., in May, Gezen maintained his sunny optimism. The Repkon equipment was a good option, and it may still be a good option, he said, holding an iced coffee in one hand and restraining a large dog with his other. In any case, he added, “it was the fastest option available.”
Bush, the Army’s former acquisition chief who had assured reporters there were “no major delays” to increasing artillery production, also declined to be interviewed. In a terse conversation in May, peering out from his half-closed front door in Northern Virginia, he told ProPublica: “All of this was done through appropriate procedures.”
Others who were involved, speaking on the condition of anonymity, engaged in mutual finger-pointing: The White House demanded too much too fast, Repkon and General Dynamics overpromised, the Army didn’t perform due diligence and Congress underwrote the whole thing.
The United States still is not close to producing the promised 100,000 shells per month, a former Army official told ProPublica in June,although otherinvestments to increase 155 mm production have turned out better. Ukraine still needs those shells, the official said, but attention has once again shifted. In the Middle East, it’s other munitions that the Trump administration has rapidly burned through during its war with Iran. Trump officials are now calling for ramping up production in those areas — and fast.
“Conventional ammo is back on the back burner,” the official said. “Everything now is about interceptors, missiles.”
Rilevato lo sfruttamento attivo della vulnerabilità CVE-2026-20349, che interessa i prodotti Cisco Secure Firewall Adaptive Security Appliance (ASA) e Cisco Secure Firewall Threat Defense (FTD), soluzioni utilizzate per la protezione delle reti e l'accesso remoto mediante VPN.
Thomas Jarvis, now 20, was attacked twice at juvenile justice facilities overseen by Jason Crews, a Tennessee businessman. In both instances, facility leadership failed to report the incidents to the state as required. Stacy Kranitz for ProPublica
The video clip lasted less than two minutes, but Tonya Webb remembers every second as heartbreaking.
The grainy surveillance footage, dated June 29, 2024, showed a teenager in an anti-suicide smock being dragged violently by other teens across the floor at Middle Tennessee Juvenile Detention Center. As guards watched, the teens pulled the smock over the boy’s head, exposing his naked body. Then they stuffed him, limbs flailing, into a cell.
One guard pushed the door closed, locking him in, and the boy pressed his face against the sliver of a cell window. The guard flashed the teens a thumbs-up.
Webb, a medication supervisor at the facility, saw the video when a co-worker showed it to her and knew she was looking at a serious violation of state policy. An incident like this one, in which employees encouraged youths to restrain another youth, would require staff to notify both the state and the boy’s family within 24 hours.
Webb said she raised questions about the incident with the compliance director for the facility. The director said she’d handle it, but after weeks went by with no sign of a state investigation, Webb confronted the deputy to the facility’s executive director.
“I know you’ve seen the video,” Webb recalled telling her. “Nothing’s being done about it.”
According to Webb, the deputy said, “I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Webb found her response baffling, as word of the attack had spread rapidly among staff and the footage was stored on the facility’s own security system.
WPLN and ProPublica obtained a recording of the video; Webb did not provide it. We asked the state’s Department of Children’s Services if it received an incident report from the facility on or around June 29, 2024. The department confirmed it did not. Webb later reported the incident to DCS.
A Tennessee businessman named Jason Crews was the executive director of the private company that ran Middle Tennessee Juvenile Detention Center at that time. He’s also the CEO of Wayne Halfway House, a separate company that had employees overseeing the detention center and that contracts with the state to operate other juvenile facilities. Crews did not reply to written questions about this incident, nor did his deputy and compliance director.
Interviews with dozens of former staff and youth, along with a review of emergency call logs, company records and state documents, reveal how Wayne Halfway House’s leaders failed to report suspected physical and sexual abuse to state officials across Crews’ facilities and prevented the public from learning about violent attacks by reducing the number of 911 calls. The state is now investigating incidents we uncovered.
According to Wayne Halfway House and Middle Tennessee Juvenile Detention Center employees who worked closely with corporate executives, there was an expectation that serious incidents be kept secret, and the directive came from Crews.
“You always call Jason and nothing gets reported without his permission — and that’s wrong,” said Kim Watts, the company’s former human resources director. She was fired in 2024 when “the company decided to go in a different direction,” according to her termination paperwork.
Liz Ryan, who oversaw juvenile justice programs for the Biden administration, reviewed a detailed summary of the incidents WPLN and ProPublica compiled, the corresponding state laws and policies and the company’s responses. “Wayne Halfway House Inc. and its leadership, including CEO Jason Crews, appear to have demonstrated a documented pattern of disregard for state law, federal law and professional standards,” said Ryan, who provided training and guidance to state and local governments about best practices for youth in the system.
“They’re putting kids’ lives at risk,” she said. “Absent immediate and vigorous state oversight and intervention, this seems like a disaster waiting to happen as allegations of this nature are warning signs in need of immediate examination.”
In a statement, Wayne Halfway House said the company follows state policy and law and “vehemently denies” that Crews or his company have ever discouraged staff from reporting serious or life-threatening incidents to the state or 911. It described its former employees as “untrustworthy sources” with a “clear bias” against the company and their allegations as “substantially flawed.”
Crews briefly spoke with the news organizations in April during a guided tour of one of his facilities, but he subsequently declined multiple requests for a formal interview. Wayne Halfway House provided detailed responses in writing to three rounds of questions.
DCS said that confidentiality laws limit the agency from commenting publicly about specific youth or investigations, but that it is looking into these incidents. “DCS is comparing the information provided with Department and provider records to determine whether required incident and abuse reports were made, whether appropriate medical care and notifications occurred and what actions were taken in response,” the agency said in a written statement. The results of its investigation will not be made public, it said.
Over much of the last decade, Tennessee has pushed to expand juvenile prison capacity — and to do so, it turned to Crews. Most youth in state custody for committing crimes are held in his facilities, which accommodate nearly 300.
About six weeks after the incident with the teen in the video, the state gave Wayne Halfway House a more lucrative contract to turn Middle Tennessee Juvenile Detention Center, located an hour south of Nashville, from a juvenile jail into a prison. Crews now runs all three of Tennessee’s highest-security youth prisons.
Jarvis; his mother, Crystal Smith, center; and his grandmother Chris Stone stand with their family dogs, Trip, left, and Pepper, in front of their home in Northern Alabama. Jarvis was released from a Crews facility last year.Stacy Kranitz for ProPublica
The youth in the video, Thomas Jarvis, recently turned 20. He recalls the attack as the worst ordeal of his years bouncing between facilities in Tennessee. Days after the incident, he said, he was taken to a hospital for an evaluation, then treated at a mental health crisis center.
Jarvis buried the trauma of the attack so deep that he never told his mother, grandmother or state caseworker, who was like a father to him.
His mother, Crystal Smith, heard about the incident for the first time in June, when we showed her the footage. Sitting at her dining room table in Northern Alabama, with laundry drying on the back of the chairs, she watched in horror as her son was dragged across the screen. “That’s my baby that they did that to,” she said. “That’s not right.”
Her elbows resting on the table and shoulders slumped, she wondered out loud what else had been kept secret.
Jason Crews, right, at Mountain View Academy in East Tennessee. Most youth in state custody for committing crimes are held in a facility run by Crews.Stacy Kranitz for ProPublica
For decades, Crews was a minor player in Tennessee’s juvenile justice system, running just two midsized facilities. But as the state sought operators for its youth prisons, he saw an opening, he told WPLN and ProPublica in April.
Crews’ facilities began accepting teens who other private providers lacked the capacity or desire to handle, becoming an important resource for the Department of Children’s Services. When the state needed a new operator for its largest private youth prison in 2020, it gave Crews the contract.
Mountain View Academy is a high-security facility surrounded by barbed-wire fencing that houses youth who have committed the most serious offenses, including rape and murder. The state also places youth there who have committed nonviolent crimes.
Under its previous operator, Mountain View had been plagued by riots that drew negative press and infuriated locals. Staff called police in the sleepy East Tennessee town of Dandridge regularly for months. In one news report, the town’s mayor said the situation was “not fair to the citizens of Dandridge.”
When Crews took over the Mountain View contract, he promised to get the facility under control. He called the facility a “beast nobody could tame.” Especially in the first months, Crews said, he was a daily presence at the facility, showing up every morning before the kids woke up and helping instill a sense of structure into their routine. But there were still riots, violence and life-threatening injuries inside the prison, according to a lawsuit and interviews with former staff and youth.
One major change was that under Crews, the facility’s problems were kept out of the public eye, former employees said.
The company’s written policy, in effect in early 2020, which WPLN and ProPublica obtained, stated that staff should call 911 “immediately” during a disturbance or riot, but multiple employees said leaders told them something different: Never call for outside help unless Crews or his deputies gave permission. This mandate pressured employees to handle many medical emergencies internally, without calling for help, according to interviews with nine former employees and youth.
WPLN and ProPublica obtained the 2024 version of the company’s emergency response plan for how to handle a riot or disturbance. The directive to call for help immediately was no longer in that policy. “Before law enforcement or emergency services enter our buildings at any time, Jason Crews, CEO must and will be called, no exceptions,” the policy read. It instructed staff to follow law enforcement’s instructions “if Law Enforcement has been called under the authorization of Jason Crews.” A new point was added that reads, “If possible, the disturbance is handled internally.”
In a statement, Wayne Halfway House denied that it ever prevented or discouraged staff from “initiating emergency response in life-threatening scenarios,” calling that allegation “categorically false.” The company pointed to other parts of the 2024 policy, like one for youth medical emergencies, which required staff to call 911 immediately.
The company also shared a new policy for how to handle riots, which went into effect in August 2025 and removes the mandate to call Crews. Now the policy says that staff should notify facility leadership and the company’s state director before police enter the building during a riot or disturbance. The purpose of the plan, the company said in a statement, is to ensure leadership is “simultaneously” notified about emergencies while staff call for help. “Our policies prioritize providing for the safety of all involved and putting our best resources into action when they’re needed the most,” the statement read. “In the rare instances that law enforcement response is required, our policies ensure appropriate staff are notified.”
Wayne Halfway House’s relationship with the police and the community has improved, according to law enforcement. In an interview with WPLN and ProPublica, Dandridge Police Administrative Sergeant Kevin Bunch said, “Call volume and the amount of time that a detective has to spend in this facility has greatly reduced since Mr. Crews’ company took over.”
Just nine months after Crews took over Mountain View, the company’s approach to 911 calls was put to the test.
Late on Nov. 21, 2020, guard Heather Boyd sat in the facility control room and received a radio call from a colleague begging her to call the police. Watching on the surveillance cameras, Boyd saw more than a dozen youth attacking a few guards. Following procedure, she tried to call her supervisor, according to a lawsuit that she later filed against Wayne Halfway House. When 20 minutes passed with no response, she called 911, which sent officers to quash the attack.
Nine former Mountain View employees and youth said that a directive not to call 911 unless Crews or his deputies gave permission pressured employees to handle many medical emergencies without calling for outside help.Stacy Kranitz for ProPublica
Days later, the company fired Boyd and at least two other guards, including one who was taken to the hospital. In an interview with WPLN and ProPublica, Boyd said company leaders told her they were firing her for “calling outside help” and breaking protocol. In the lawsuit, Boyd described the unofficial policy as “gross negligence and malfeasance.”
“I thought I’d done something to save somebody’s life,” she told us. “You shouldn’t have to choose a person’s life over your job.”
Wayne Halfway House denied many of Boyd’s claims in court, including that the company had a policy stopping staff from calling 911 during a life-or-death emergency and that she was wrongfully fired. Both parties quickly settled the case. The company said in a statement that it cannot comment about the settlement agreement due to its confidentiality requirement. It denied that any of the guards were fired for calling 911.
Two experts on correctional medical care said not every emergency at a facility like Mountain View requires a 911 call. But when it comes to injuries, medical staff should be involved in the decision.
In February 2024, however, Mountain View nurse Brandi Buchanan said she faced pressure not to call 911 despite her own professional judgment. She had witnessed teens attacking a guard in a dorm, smashing his ribs, pepper-spraying him and repeatedly kicking his head.
“We need to call the police,” Buchanan recalled telling other guards. “I’m sure he has internal injuries.” But the guards overruled her.
“I thought I’d done something to save somebody’s life. You shouldn’t have to choose a person’s life over your job.”
Heather Boyd, a former guard at Mountain View Academy who said company leaders told her they were firing her for “calling outside help” and breaking protocol
“We don’t do that,” she remembers one company veteran saying. Instead, employees called the operations manager, who was off duty and on a date. An agonizing 20 minutes later, she said, the manager arrived, and his date drove the injured guard to the hospital. The operations manager did not respond to a request for comment about this incident.
“At that point, I was like, ‘They care more about their reputation than their employee’s literal life,’” Buchanan said. She put in her notice shortly after.
Wayne Halfway House said in a statement to WPLN and ProPublica that the attack was “diffused before law enforcement response was needed” and “contained within a matter of minutes.”
The guard, Jason Zaske, suffered a lacerated spleen, a concussion and broken ribs, according to a GoFundMe set up on his behalf. “He thought he was dying,” Zaske’s wife told local media. The guard was unable to work for weeks.
Crews was angered by the wife’s public comments and wanted to fire Zaske, according to Watts, the company’s HR director at the time, who said she advised him not to. “I was like, ‘You can’t terminate somebody who just got injured at work,’” Watts recalled. Zaske wasn’t fired and went back to work at the company. He and his wife declined to comment for this story but confirmed he no longer works there. The company did not respond to Watts’ allegations but said it continued paying Zaske while he was recovering without putting him on workers’ compensation, which would have reduced his pay.
Several months after the Zaske incident, Watts was terminated by Wayne Halfway House. At first the company said her termination was for failing to meet job expectations, but Watts replied citing her latest performance review in which Crews said she was “a tremendous asset to the company.” The company sent her a revised termination letter saying it was going in a different direction. After she left the company, Watts filed a sex discrimination complaint against Wayne Halfway House with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, which declined to investigate.
In Tennessee, facilities like Mountain View must report significant incidents, including serious injuries to youth, within 24 hours. But former Wayne Halfway House staff said the company failed to report grave safety failures.Stacy Kranitz for ProPublica
WPLN and ProPublica spoke with more than three dozen former employees of Wayne Halfway House and former residents who said they knew of serious problems that endangered youth and staff inside the company’s facilities. Of those, more than a dozen said that Wayne Halfway House failed to report grave safety failures as required, preventing the state from learning about problems in its facilities.
In Tennessee, juvenile justice providers are required to report abuse and other serious incidents in their facilities to the state Department of Children’s Services, which then decides whether to investigate. Facilities must notify the state of significant incidents — including serious injuries to youth, escapes or restraint use — within 24 hours.
Wayne Halfway House said it designates specific facility leaders to report serious incidents directly to the state, which the company said is “consistent with best practices.” But a dozen lower-level former staff members said they didn’t trust management to file reports or to do so thoroughly, and two former managers said they felt pressured by the company not to report at all even though they were authorized to do so. One of those managers, who spoke on the condition of anonymity out of fear of career repercussions, said Crews told them to stop reporting as much to the state because it would make the company look bad.
Separate from a facility’s requirements to DCS, Tennessee law requires individuals to report any suspected child abuse, including physical and sexual abuse, to the department immediately. Nine former Wayne Halfway House staff members said they feared for their jobs if they reported serious incidents, including some suspected cases of child abuse, directly to the state. Several of them said they were pushed out after doing so. “The rebuke would be harsh and sometimes up to and including termination if we reported out,” said Mario Brown, a former therapist at Mountain View Academy. Brown was not fired from the company.
The company said that it did not fire staff for reporting abuse and that staff members have an individual legal responsibility to report child abuse and neglect to the state. Employees scared about retaliation could report anonymously to DCS, the company said. “WHWH is well aware that terminating an individual for them reporting incidents of this severity would create potential legal liability for the company.”
Webb, the former medication supervisor at Middle Tennessee Juvenile Detention Center, said that around the time when Jarvis was forced into a cell by other teens, management failed to report another violent altercation to the state. A surveillance video from 2024 shows the facility administrator, Lynda Odom, grabbing a girl by her wrists, backing her into the corner of the room and pulling her into a headlock. “I’m grabbing your neck because you need to stop,” Odom yelled as the girl struggled. Two other staffers helped to break them up, and one dragged the girl away screaming.
WPLN and ProPublica obtained a recording of the video; Webb did not provide it.
Webb said she went to the company’s director of compliance, Kelly Banks, who was visible in the video attempting to hold Odom back, and asked her if she was going to report the restraint to the state. Banks said she would handle it, according to Webb. Banks did not respond to requests for comment.
Odom, who no longer works at the facility, said that she followed proper procedure in restraining the girl and that no one had reached out to her to investigate the incident. “There was nothing to report,” she said when WPLN and ProPublica reached her by phone.
WPLN and ProPublica played the video for leaders at Handle With Care, the restraint training company used by Wayne Halfway House. The company said it “does not teach headlocks as restraint techniques.”
Crews declined to respond to questions about the incident. According to Wayne Halfway House, Webb was later fired for creating a hostile work environment. Webb said company leaders asked in her termination meeting if she had kept the videos of youth being harmed; she believes the company fired her for insisting leaders report incidents to the state.
Sexual relationships between staffers and incarcerated youth are illegal under any circumstances, but nearly two dozen former employees and teens said they suspected abuse was taking place in Crews’ facilities.
Five former staff members said they did not report suspected sexual abuse as required under state law because they were scared of retaliation from leadership, and two said they didn’t know it was a requirement.
Two former employees, one from Mountain View and the other from Standing Tall Music City, a Wayne Halfway House facility in Nashville, recalled talking to company leaders about specific cases of staff suspected of sexually abusing youth. They said they were not aware of the incidents being reported to the state.
The former Standing Tall employee, who spoke on the condition of anonymity out of fear of retaliation from the company, described confronting a female guard after finding her in a room with a youth alone. The former employee said they suspected the guard was sexually abusing the youth and reported it to the facility administrator, hoping he would begin an investigation. But a federal report that tracks sexual abuse in prisons showed no employee abuse or harassment of youth was reported to or investigated by the state in that facility in 2021.
Wayne Halfway House said it reported this incident to the state last week after WPLN and ProPublica asked the company about it.
Brown, the former Mountain View therapist, recalled a separate incident of suspected sexual abuse, which he did go on to report: a child whom he watched deteriorate session after session. Eventually, Brown said, the boy told him that a nurse at the facility had sexually assaulted him. Although Brown worried about getting fired, he reported the alleged abuse to the state. Shortly after, the child was moved out of the facility.
Wayne Halfway House said in a statement that it has documentation that rebuts Brown’s version of events but cannot comment further because of confidentiality reasons.
Brown eventually resigned. “It got to the point where this had weighed heavily on my mental health,” he said.
His main regret, he said, was leaving behind youth who trusted him.
Brown later returned to work for Wayne Halfway House, he said, because of his dedication to the kids. He no longer works for the company.
Jarvis spent nearly three and a half years in state custody as a teen and was released in March 2025, his family said.Stacy Kranitz for ProPublica
Years before Jarvis was dragged across the floor of Middle Tennessee Juvenile Detention Center, he was badly injured inside another Crews facility, according to Jarvis’ DCS case file. That time, too, the facility failed to report the incident to the state as required.
Jarvis landed in September 2021 at Hollis Academy, Wayne Halfway House’s flagship facility in rural Middle Tennessee. He had been there for several weeks when the company requested DCS move him to another provider. Right after, his case manager picked him up and took him to a routine doctor’s appointment at the health department. His file, which his family shared with WPLN and ProPublica, states that a medical provider discovered he had bruises in various stages of healing covering 80% of his body. Jarvis said the other youth had assaulted him.
“With this amount of bruising staff had to be aware,” a child abuse report submitted to DCS read.
A DCS investigator looked into the case and interviewed facility leadership. The facility, he said, never reported the injury to Jarvis’ state case manager or to the state as required. The documents don’t mention any repercussions for the facility, and DCS said it cannot comment because of juvenile confidentiality laws.
Wayne Halfway House declined to comment about this specific incident, citing a youth’s right to privacy. The company said it was not able to file a report for a youth no longer at the facility. But documents show that Jarvis had been at the facility for weeks when the bruising occurred.
Jarvis spent nearly three and a half years in state custody after being charged with arson for lighting his stepdad’s three-wheeler on fire. He was released from Mountain View in March 2025 following a court hearing.
Incarceration seems to have only worsened his trauma, said his grandmother Chris Stone, who took him in to live with her. Jarvis still seems angry, Stone said, and sometimes he threatens suicide. He never discusses what happened to him inside.
Inside her dimly lit brick home in Northern Alabama, with curtains drawn against the summer heat, Stone wept while recalling the assault her grandson endured while he was already at a low point. She still struggles to understand why the facility never informed her or other family members — and she wrestles with anger and guilt.
Sitting on the couch, she turned to her grandson, her blue eyes fixed on him. “Thomas, with my temper, something would have went down,” she said. She told him she never would have let the company hide what happened.
He sat silently beside her, without meeting her eyes.
Disponibile un Proof of Concept (PoC) per lo sfruttamento della vulnerabilità identificata dalla CVE-2026-17106, già sanata dal vendor, che interessa Docker Desktop, applicazione sviluppata da Docker Inc. che fornisce un ambiente completo per eseguire e gestire container Docker su Windows e macOS.
Rilevate 5 nuove vulnerabilità con gravità “alta” in Vim, noto editor di testo avanzato. Tali vulnerabilità, qualora sfruttate, potrebbero consentire ad un utente malintenzionato di eseguire codice arbitrario sui sistemi interessati.
Le auto elettriche di Xiaomi in Europa rappresentano una certezza che si concretizzerà a breve. La strategia del colosso cinese è ambiziosa: non competere solo sul prezzo, ma ridefinire il concetto di auto premium. L'arrivo di Xiaomi si prepara a cambiare in modo significativo il panorama automobilistico del continente.
L'invasione tech dalla Cina non è solo una questione di prezzo
Il mercato europeo ha già visto una prima ondata di costruttori cinesi, molti dei quali hanno puntato su listini aggressivi per guadagnare quote di mercato. Ora, però, lo scenario sta per cambiare con una seconda ondata, più orientata alla tecnologia e alla qualità, e Xiaomi intende esserne protagonista. Il gigante, noto per i suoi smartphone e dispositivi connessi, è entrato nel settore automobilistico solo nel 2024.
In tempo record ha già presentato modelli come la berlina SU7 e il SUV YU7, dimostrando una notevole capacità produttiva e di innovazione. Non si tratta di veicoli economici, ma di auto progettate per competere direttamente con i grandi marchi europei.
Quando vedremo le auto elettriche di Xiaomi in Europa?
La data ufficiale per l'arrivo di Xiaomi nel mercato europeo è fissata per il 2027. L'espansione seguirà un piano preciso, pensato per affrontare uno dei contesti più competitivi al mondo. L'obiettivo dichiarato dal fondatore Lei Jun è molto ambizioso: entrare nella top 5 dei marchi premium in Europa entro il 2030.
Perché proprio la Germania come primo mercato?
La scelta del primo paese non è casuale. Xiaomi inizierà la sua avventura europea dalla Germania, il cuore dell'industria automobilistica continentale. Infatti affrontare la competizione diretta con BMW, Mercedes e Porsche rappresenta il banco di prova definitivo. Superare questa sfida significherebbe ottenere una certificazione di qualità e credibilità a livello globale.
L'azienda vuole essere percepita non come un'alternativa a basso costo, ma come un nuovo punto di riferimento nel segmento premium.
Tecnologia e integrazione: l'arma segreta delle auto elettriche di Xiaomi in Europa
Sul fronte tecnico, l'azienda si concentra sulla guida intelligente. Modelli come il SUV YU7 sono dotati di sensori LiDAR, radar 4D e piattaforme Nvidia, tecnologie dedicate a un'assistenza alla guida di livello avanzato. La guida autonoma è considerata un fattore competitivo fondamentale per il futuro.
Le sfide e le opportunità nel mercato europeo
Il percorso delle auto elettriche di Xiaomi in Europa non sarà privo di ostacoli. Infatti l'azienda dovrà affrontare diverse sfide, tra cui:
I dazi sull'importazione di veicoli.
Le complesse normative europee sulla gestione dei dati.
La necessità di costruire da zero una rete di vendita e assistenza.
La forte lealtà dei consumatori verso i marchi automobilistici storici.
Tuttavia, Xiaomi parte da una posizione di vantaggio unica: una solida presenza commerciale in oltre cento paesi grazie al settore degli smartphone. Se riuscirà a trasferire questa fiducia e questa capillarità nel settore auto, potremmo assistere a un vero e proprio cambiamento epocale.
La seconda ondata di veicoli elettrici cinesi non si limiterà a competere sulle quote di mercato, ma potrebbe ridefinire il concetto stesso di auto del futuro.
Tout d’abord : bravo et continue !
Je suis un lecteur assidu depuis des années, et j’apprécie particulièrement cette dimension politique assumée : l’éducation populaire c’est ça.
Pour moi cela fait partie d’un tout, la culture numérique n’est pas indissociable de la culture populaire et des cultures humaines. Comment rester cohérent⋅e quand on veut se battre pour des services numériques libres et émancipateurs dans une société prédatrice, marchande, expropriatrice, mysogine, raciste, validiste etc…. mais en faisant comme si ça n’existait pas ? ! Comme disait Bourdieu, tu « dévoiles » les mécanismes sociaux derrières nos usages.
Je ne pense pas, contrairement à ce que j’ai lu, qu’il s’agit ici juste de juger, mais de porter à connaissance, de comprendre ce que ça implique politiquement. Et quand bien même, en quoi « juger » des actions nuisibles à la vie en commun serait « mal » ? !
Rilasciati gli aggiornamenti di sicurezza di agosto che risolvono 4 nuove vulnerabilità, di cui 3 con gravità “alta” nel prodotto Ivanti Endpoint Manager (EPM). Tali vulnerabilità, qualora sfruttate, potrebbero consentire a un utente malintenzionato l'accesso a informazioni sensibili, la manipolazione di dati e/o di compromettere la disponibilità del servizio sui sistemi interessati.
The most concerning bug in the batch is CVE-2026-62878 (CVSS: 9.8), a remote code execution (RCE) vulnerability in Windows DNS Server that requires no user interaction.
Microsoft today released updates to remedy at least 398 security vulnerabilities in its Windows operating systems and supported software, including one weakness that is already being actively exploited and two others that were publicly detailed prior to today.
Image: Shutterstock, Mallika Home Studio.
August’s overstuffed bundle of patch joy from Microsoft did not eclipse its recording breaking release of more than 570 security updates last month, but it is double June’s then-record batch of nearly 200 fixes. Microsoft has attributed the recent patch deluge to vulnerability discoveries aided by artificial intelligence, and experts roundly agree that Windows users should get used to the idea of Patch Tuesdays (the second Tuesday of each month) covering hundreds of newly discovered security flaws.
Fully 42 of the 398 flaws that Microsoft patched today earned Redmond’s most-dire “critical” rating, meaning they are severe enough that malware or malcontents could exploit them to gain remote control over a Windows computer with little to no help from the user.
The sole known “zero day” bug fixed by Microsoft this month is CVE-2026-68820, a privilege escalation weakness in a core Windows component called afd.sys, which the security firm Automox describes as “the driver behind Windows socket connections on effectively every endpoint.”
“This isn’t a front-door bug,” Automox’s Landon Mileswrote in a Patch Tuesday blog post. “It’s step two in a chain: an attacker phishes their way into a low-privilege foothold, then uses the driver flaw to take the box. The 7.0 score reflects the high attack complexity, because race conditions are fiddly. The exploit has to be thrown over and over until the timing lands. Someone is clearly landing it anyway.”
CVE-2026-62832 is another privilege escalation flaw that Microsoft has labeled likely to be exploited; this flaw, in the Windows User Profile Service, may be related to the recent “LegacyHive” public disclosure from the prolific bug hunter known as Nightmare Eclipse. The other publicly disclosed flaw is CVE-2026-72971, a low-impact local tampering vulnerability that Microsoft reckons is unlikely to be exploited.
Other major software makers are likewise increasing their patch volumes and cadence thanks to AI, including Adobe which last month moved to twice-monthly security bulletins published on the 2nd and 4th Tuesday of each month. Cisco, Google, Mozilla and Oracle also are shipping updates far more frequently and abundantly.
By all accounts, AI is quite good at finding security holes in software. But for now at least, patching the resulting bugpocalypse remains a heavily human-centric endeavor, and the jury is still out on whether AI technologies will turn out to be as good at fixing vulnerabilities as they are at finding and exploiting them. This is an important question when one considers that these same AI technologies also are suggesting fixes for the vulnerabilities they find.
Researchers at 1Password recently examined what happens when different large language models (LLMs) generate vulnerability patches for newly disclosed, complex vulnerabilities. They found the LLMs produced patches that failed to fix the flaw or added a new weakness in the process (or both) more than half the time.
Ed Skoudis, president of the SANS Technology Institute, said his team has seen excellent results using AI to generate patches, provided there are humans in the loop to test the suggested fixes and push for iterative improvements.
“AI is rapidly becoming astonishingly good at finding vulnerabilities, but this research shows that fixing them is a very different problem,” Skoudis wrote in a SANS newsletter today. “Don’t expect one-shot AI patching to work reliably. Instead, iterate, test, challenge, improve, and verify. AI can be an extraordinary patching partner, but today it still needs a skilled human at the keyboard.”
Tyler Reguly at Fortra says while reports of Microsoft patching hundreds of vulnerabilities in one go have prompted some organizations to try to patch faster, it’s important to bear in mind that only one of the almost 400 bugs addressed today is known to be actively exploited. Reguly suggested security leaders check in with their teams to see how they’re handling the increasing workloads, which often involve testing fixes before deploying them in production environments.
“If you’re a chief security officer talk to your teams about how they are shifting or modifying their workflows to better accommodate the patching shift that we’re seeing and support them across various organizational units by enabling the changes they want to see made,” Reguly said. “There’s no need to rush these updates, no matter what various vendors and organizations try to tell you. You need to make sure that you are rolling out safe updates that will not negatively impact your systems.”
Speaking of the humans behind the keyboards, don’t neglect to backup your system and/or data before applying this month’s monster patch load. The day after each month’s Patch Tuesday is sometimes derisively referred to as Reboot Wednesday, but it generally doesn’t hurt to wait a few days to apply these huge update bundles because it sometimes takes a couple of days for the occasional misbehaving patch to get ironed out properly by Microsoft.
For a clickable, per-patch breakdown by severity and urgency, check out this roundup from the SANS Internet Storm Center.
The ransomware-as-a-service operation is finding success against critical infrastructure targets with leaked Conti code and old flaws in firewalls and VPN appliances.
Rilevate 6 vulnerabilità di sicurezza, di cui una con gravità “critica” e 5 con gravità "alta", in Craft CMS, noto strumento per la gestione di siti e-commerce.
Rilevate 15 nuove vulnerabilità, di cui 6 con gravità “alta” e una con gravità critica", nel software Velociraptor. Tali vulnerabilità, qualora sfruttate, potrebbero consentire ad un utente malintenzionato di aggirare controlli di autorizzazione ed autenticazione e di compromettere l’integrità dei dati e delle configurazioni sui sistemi interessati.
Rilevate 4 nuove vulnerabilità, di cui 3 con gravità “alta”, nel software Zoom. Tali vulnerabilità, qualora sfruttate, potrebbero consentire ad un utente malintenzionato di ottenere l'esecuzione di codice arbitrario da remoto e di accedere a informazioni sensibili sui sistemi interessati.
Déjà, merci de votre soutien toutes ces années. Il nous aura (en partie) permis de développer l’association et, même marginalement, de développer de nouveaux projets.
Je vous renvoie d’ailleurs à nos rapports d’activité pour voir comment nous avons évolué, année après année. https://framasoft.org/fr/association/
Donc, j’insiste : merci, vraiment et sincèrement.
Aucun souci si vous souhaitiez arrêter votre don (il suffit d’en faire la demande via https://contact.framasoft.org ), évidemment.
On vient régulièrement nous interroger sur cette dimension politique de Framasoft.
L’objet social de Framasoft est d’être une « association d’éducation populaire aux enjeux du numérique et des communs culturels ».
Chaque terme ici est important, et porte une dimension politique. Depuis, « objet social », « enjeux du numérique », en passant par « éducation populaire » ou même « association ».
Je l’expliquais il y a déjà en 2018 en conférence, mais il est quand même bien compliqué de faire du libre sans vision politique.
On l’écrivait aussi quelques mois avant le COVID : nous ne pouvons pas agir seul⋅es.
Le souci de « la politique » est double. D’abord, évidemment, « si ce n’est pas toi qui t’occupe de la politique, alors c’est la politique qui s’occupera de toi » (ça, c’est généralement bien compris). Ensuite : chacun⋅e va être touché⋅e en fonction de ce qui le ou la touche (oui, j’enfonce une porte ouverte). C’est donc nos vécus, ou ceux de nos proches, qui oriente nos actions.
(typiquement, si on prends mon cas, je suis un mec blanc cis de 50 ans au fort capital social, ayant grandi dans un foyer plutôt pauvre financièrement, et ayant suivi des études longues en économie. Donc, pas très étonnant que je finisse par produire des contenus « politiques » comme Ce n’est pas l’IA que vous détestez, c’est le capitalisme » (ou le modèle associatif est-il soluble dans la #StartupNation ? ou Numérique et effondrement »).
Donc, Framasoft se positionne politiquement à plein d’endroits, sans faire de la politique un objet en soi, mais en reconnaissant que chacun⋅e va avoir ses propres sujets de luttes.
Ici, c’est Khrys (qui n’est pas membre de Framasoft, par ailleurs, et qui écrit ici en tant que « clavier invité ») qui se positionne en fonction de qui elle est, de son vécu, etc. pour livrer **sa** revue de presse.
On peut ne pas être 100 % d’accord avec le choix de chaque article, mais reconnaissons qu’il s’agit d’un choix intentionnel, partial, et … réfléchi.
Personnellement, je vis très bien avec, car je pense partager avec elle que le monde ne tourne pas bien rond. J’ai beaucoup de respect pour les personnes qui, comme dans https://lescerisesdehiatus.bearblog.dev/ (que je ne connaissais pas, merci !) vont se concentrer sur les « bonnes nouvelles ». Et je n’aurai pas de souci à les partager ici, d’ailleurs, mais… mon *habitus* fait qu’il m’est compliqué de trouver cela « suffisant ».
Tout ça pour dire : vos avis sont bien lus et bien entendus/compris. Cependant, nous ne demanderons pas à Khrys d’arrêter de publier (et encore moins de réorienter) sa revue de presse sur cette base pour autant.
En espérant votre compréhension :)
pyg, pour Framasoft
Siemens ha rilasciato aggiornamenti di sicurezza per sanare molteplici vulnerabilità nei propri prodotti, di cui 1 con gravità “critica” e 13 con gravità “alta”. Tali vulnerabilità, qualora sfruttate, potrebbero consentire ad un utente malintenzionato di eseguire codice arbitrario e di leggere file arbitrari sul filesystem dei sistemi interessati.
Il team di sviluppo n8n-io ha rilevato diverse nuove vulnerabilità con gravità “alta”, che interessano la piattaforma open source per l’automazione dei workflow n8n.
Je partage assez ce qui pour moi s’apparente à une certaine lassitude d’entendre ressasser toute la misère du monde, du moins une partie tant le sujet est insatiable.
J’aime particulièrement
> Ce à quoi tu résiste persiste, ce que tu juges tu deviendras et ce que tu condamnes te condamnera.
que je vais de ce pas méditer.
Pourtant, je continue à lire le kryss’presso du lundi avec plus ou moins de fidélité, parce que pour une bonne partie, @krys fait état de combats qui ne sont pas les miens et justement, il me semble important de me tenir informer hors mes murs tant que la teneur me semble légitime.
Une autre source d’information que je connaissais au format papier il y a plus de 20 ans et qui existe toujours en numérique, et qui offrait un panorama de ce qui se fait concrètement d’alternative au système capitaliste écocide : la revue [Silence !](https://www.revuesilence.net/qui-sommes-nous/)
Rilevata vulnerabilità di sicurezza con gravità "alta" in TYPO3 CMS. Tale vulnerabilità, qualora sfruttata, potrebbe consentire ad un utente malintenzionato l'elusione dei meccanismi di sicurezza sui sistemi interessati.
Aggiornamenti di sicurezza sanano 2 vulnerabilità con gravità “critica” in Metabase, piattaforma open source di Business Intelligence (BI). Tra queste si evidenzia la CVE-2026-72898, che risulta sfruttata attivamente in rete.
Nell’ambito del Security Patch Day di agosto, SAP rilascia aggiornamenti di sicurezza per risolvere molteplici nuove vulnerabilità, di cui 2 con gravità “critica” e 6 con gravità “alta”.
Collage by Alex Bandoni/ProPublica. Source images: keko-ka/Getty Images.
I file a lot of Freedom of Information Act requests. I’ve been requesting staff lists from both Trump administrations, and I have tracked thousands of federal political appointees in order to publish financial disclosures in searchabledatabases.
Much of that data was sourced from the Office of Personnel Management, which maintains a trove of information about who works in the federal government. But that agency’s FOIA department was thrown into chaos as Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency fanned out across federal agencies to cut employees in early 2025.
Getting records from the agency has since become an increasingly Kafkaesque process, one that in early July of this year bounced me between three different seemingly abandoned email inboxes and two web portals. Aside from the fact that my once-routine requests now languish for months, just asking for documents has become its own kind of shell game.
“They just let the whole Privacy team go,” a now-former FOIA specialist at OPM told me by email in February 2025, referring to public records office staff. The specialist was cut the next day.
Here’s how the process worked at most agencies before the Trump administration and DOGE destroyed the offices that managed these requests: You would send a simple email with a text description of the documents you want. That’s it.
It didn’t mean you would get the records in the most timely manner, or would get the records you wanted at all. But it was a simple process, and it often worked.
According to OPM data, more than 600 government information specialists (staffers who administer FOIA and the Privacy Act) have resigned or been fired since the start of the second Trump administration. Within OPM itself, 12 information specialists left, seven of whom were laid off. (There was one new hire in that time period.)
Reached by phone, the former FOIA specialist told me the cuts made the office less efficient, less able to perform its function and threatened the statutory laws they are required to fulfill.
At the end of the 2025 fiscal year, over 1,600 FOIA requests were still in OPM’s backlog, seven times more than at the end of fiscal year 2024. The average processing time for a simple request at the agency slipped to over 84 days — twice as long as the year before.
Indeed, I noticed my records requests were taking longer, and they were increasingly steered toward web portals. Such was the case in early July, when I attempted to submit a request to OPM for human resources data. When I clicked “log in,” I was confronted with a message reading, “Something went wrong while processing your action. Please contact admin@ains.com for assistance if the problem persists.”
I emailed the address, but the message bounced back to me. AINS, it turned out, was no longer the name of the company — it is now known as Opexus. Opexus has received more than $50 million in federal contracts, according to a Bloomberg report, and has come under fire for lax cybersecurity standards after two of its employees were indicted for deleting and compromising government data. (One pleaded guilty in April, and the other was convicted in May). On its website, Opexus claims to process FOIA requests for 80% of federal institutions.
OPM’s website still listed contact information for a FOIA public liaison, someone who is supposed to help the public understand the records process and assist with requests. When I emailed the address, I got an automated response reading, “I am no longer at OPM. If you need assistance with a FOIA matter, please contact FOIA@opm.gov.”
So I did. I immediately got another automated message. This one told me to submit my request to the National FOIA Portal, a cross-government site that allows you to submit a FOIA request to any agency.
So I did that, too. Afterward, I finally got a response that acknowledged my request — from the same OPM portal that was throwing an error any time I tried to use it.
Stymied by the lack of response from the agency itself, I reached out to Opexus support, explaining that I was a FOIA requester and that the OPM site wasn’t working. I got a response from someone named Stephen, saying, “I have escalated this issue to our engineering team.” When I followed up a few days later, Stephen said, “I have identified the root cause of the issue and am currently working with the OPM administrator to implement the necessary fix.” Further questions on the support ticket thread weren’t answered.
On July 23, 13 days after I had filed the support ticket with Opexus, I got another response asking me again what error I was getting. I told them I was still getting the same message. A few hours later, I tried logging back in. The site was fixed.
In a statement, Opexus said it became aware of the issue on July 10 when a customer support case was opened. Incidentally, that was the day I had opened one. The statement noted access to the portal was restored on July 23, and that the issue did not prevent OPM from receiving FOIA requests through alternate submission methods. The company said that “there is no evidence that customer data was accessed, lost, or compromised” and that the issue was isolated to OPM’s portal.
The statement added that Opexus recognizes “how important uninterrupted access to FOIA request systems is for the public.”
J’ai créé un compte C où j’ai créé un formulaire F.
Un compte F a été ensuite créé pour qu’une autre personne puisse accéder aux résultats du formulaire F, et le nom du compte a été placé dans la rubrique ad hoc du formulaire.
Le site a confirmé l’enregistrement de cette information dans le formulaire.
Le problème est que nous ne trouvons pas comment accéder aux résultats du formulaire après connexion au site avec le compte [NOM DU COMPTE MODÉRÉ - FORUM PUBLIC].
L’encadré qui accompagne le champ de saisi des utilisateurs ayant accès aux résultats précise : une fois connecté à leur compte ces personnes pourront alors accéder aux résultats en se rendant sur la page du formulaire, puis en cliquant sur l’onglet Résultats.
Effectivement ce qui est affiché est différent selon qu’on est connecté au compte ou pas (présence en haut à droite du nom de l’utilisateur connecté).
Mais il n’y pas d’onglet Résultats.
Quand on utilise l’item Mes formulaires du menu déroulant du nom du compte, on aboutit à un champ de recherche du formulaire. Cependant quand on cherche le formulaire, le moteur de recherche ne le trouve pas. Il y a un clignement de la page et la même page est réaffichée.
Je me suis alors dit que, hypothétiquement, ceci pourrait éventuellement être dû :
- soit au fait que la date de création du compte F est postérieure à celle du formulaire F
- soit au fait que le nom du compte utilisateur (F) est le même que celui du formulaire (F)
J’ai donc créé un formulaire de test appelé formulairedetest depuis le compte C, je me suis connecté au compte F, et j’ai ensuite affiché le formulaire. Mais ici également pas d’onglet Résultats à cliquer bien que la date de création du formulaire soit postérieure à la date de création du compte utilisateur, et que les noms du formulaire et du compte utilisateur soient différents.
Question : Est-ce que quelqu’un a un formulaire où un utilisateur tiers peut consulter les résultats ? Est-ce que cette possibilité est actuellement fonctionnelle ?
Aggiornamenti di sicurezza sanano tre vulnerabilità, di cui due con gravità “alta”, in Mastodon, piattaforma di social networking open source e decentralizzata. Tali vulnerabilità, qualora sfruttate, potrebbero permettere a un utente malintenzionato di accedere a informazioni sensibili e/o compromettere la disponibilità del servizio sui sistemi interessati.
Una recente violazione dei dati Steam in Europa ha suscitato preoccupazione tra gli utenti, specialmente tra chi ha ordinato hardware dalla piattaforma. Se hai acquistato uno Steam Controller o una Steam Machine, potresti essere tra le persone coinvolte.
Ma cosa è successo esattamente? E, soprattutto, come puoi proteggerti? In questo articolo analizzeremo la dinamica dell'incidente, i dati esposti e le misure da adottare. Vedremo qual è il rischio concreto e i passi da seguire per non cadere in trappola.
La dinamica dell'incidente
La falla di sicurezza non ha colpito direttamente i server di Valve. Il problema è nato da un partner esterno: CEVA Logistics, la società che gestisce la logistica e le spedizioni per l'azienda in Europa. Tra il 29 luglio e il 1° agosto, i sistemi di CEVA Logistics hanno subito un attacco informatico. La tempistica è cruciale, poiché l'incidente è avvenuto poche settimane dopo l'apertura delle prenotazioni per i nuovi dispositivi hardware di Steam. Di conseguenza, chiunque si sia registrato per un acquisto in quel periodo è potenzialmente tra le vittime.
Quali informazioni sono a rischio dopo la violazione dei dati Steam in Europa?
Capire quali dati sono finiti nelle mani sbagliate è fondamentale per valutare il pericolo. Fortunatamente, possiamo dividere le informazioni in due categorie: quelle compromesse e quelle al sicuro.
Dati compromessi: cosa sanno di te
Gli hacker hanno avuto accesso alle informazioni che CEVA Logistics conservava per gestire le spedizioni, dati che l'azienda trattiene per circa 90 giorni. Nello specifico, i dati rubati includono:
Nomi e cognomi
Indirizzi di spedizione completi
Numeri di telefono
Indirizzi email
Si tratta di informazioni personali che, sebbene non diano accesso diretto al tuo account, possono essere sfruttate in altri modi.
La buona notizia: il tuo account Steam è sicuro
CEVA Logistics non aveva accesso ai dati critici del tuo profilo Steam. Questo significa che le seguenti informazioni sono completamente al sicuro:
Password del tuo account
Codici di Steam Guard
Dati di pagamento (carte di credito, PayPal, ecc.)
Tutte le altre informazioni del tuo account Valve
Il tuo account di gioco, la tua libreria e i tuoi metodi di pagamento non sono stati toccati dalla violazione dei dati Steam in Europa.
Il vero pericolo della violazione dei dati Steam in Europa
Se i dati del tuo account sono salvi, qual è il rischio reale? La risposta è una sola: il phishing mirato (o spear phishing). Infatti a differenza del phishing generico, quello mirato è molto più insidioso. I truffatori usano le informazioni rubate, come nome, indirizzo e telefono, per creare comunicazioni estremamente credibili. Potrebbero contattarti via email, SMS o telefono fingendosi Valve, Steam o un corriere. Potrebbero, ad esempio, inviarti un messaggio che dice:
"Ciao [Tuo Nome], dobbiamo confermare la spedizione al tuo indirizzo [Tuo Indirizzo]. Clicca qui per pagare una piccola tassa doganale".
Vedere i propri dati personali in una comunicazione simile può facilmente trarre in inganno.
Tratta ogni comunicazione come falsa: Qualsiasi email, SMS o telefonata inaspettata che menziona il tuo ordine Steam va considerata un tentativo di truffa. Non cliccare su link e non fornire informazioni.
L'assistenza passa solo dal sito ufficiale: Valve gestisce tutte le questioni relative agli account esclusivamente tramite il suo portale di supporto help.steampowered.com. Non ti contatterà mai via email o chat per problemi di ordini o pagamenti.
Nessun pagamento extra: Non ti verrà mai chiesto di pagare tasse doganali o costi di spedizione aggiuntivi tramite canali non ufficiali. Tutte le transazioni avvengono sulla piattaforma Steam al momento dell'acquisto.
In conclusione, se hai ricevuto la notifica da Valve, non devi temere per la sicurezza del tuo account di gioco. Tuttavia, devi alzare al massimo il livello di guardia contro i tentativi di phishing. Sii scettico, verifica sempre la fonte e, nel dubbio, cancella il messaggio senza interagire.
Rilevate 4 nuove vulnerabilità, di cui una con gravità "critica" e 2 con gravità “alta”, presenti nel router Zyxel WAH7601. Tali vulnerabilità, qualora sfruttate, potrebbero consentire ad un utente malintenzionato remoto di eseguire codice arbitrario e di accedere ad informazioni sensibili sul sistema interessato.
The maximum-severity vulnerability, which still has no CVE, allows malicious, remote administrator access to the business-analytics platform and its downstream users.
Je viens de créer un formulaire pour faire une pétition. Votre outil est excellent, c’est du très bon travail. Bravo à toute l’équipe.
Comme vous avez bloquer la modification de la structure des emails comment faire maintenant pour vérifier si une adresse email saisie sur le formulaire est valide ?
A public policy expert mapped global cybercrime laws to develop a five-point framework for protecting ethical hackers and good-faith security research.
The crime solver wore disguises, spied on targets, and built intelligence networks long before modern-day tactics emerged. He has lessons for today's ethical- and unethical hackers.
Cela fait des années ( 15 ? ) que je donne à Framasoft tous les mois. Je dois avouer que plus le temps passe plus le militantisme politique et sociale ( et sexuel ! ? ) de Framasoft me gène. N’y a t’il pas eu un tournant ces dernières années sur ces thèmes ?
Ce à quoi tu résiste persiste, ce que tu juges tu deviendras et ce que tu condamnes te condamnera.
Parfois il faut prendre de la hauteur et je ne prends plus vraiment de plaisir à lire ce qui provient de vous mes chers amis, notamment ce Khryspresso, auquel je préfère les cerises de hiatus, https://lescerisesdehiatus.bearblog.dev/ . Je pense prendre mes distances et me conforter avec l’APRIL, que je trouve plus posé, plus centré, moins dans le jugement et plus dans l’apport de solutions.
Disponibile un Proof of Concept (PoC) per la vulnerabilità identificata dalla CVE-2026-64638, già sanata dal vendor, che interessa il noto CMS WordPress.
Bonjour, dans mon association, j’essaie de convaincre de passer de MS 365/Teams à des outils Framasoft. Mais je fais face a une résistance assez farouche.
Pour ce qui concerne Framateam, outre l’absence d’integration avec framaspace pour le partage de document, ce qui bloque, c’est le manque de possibilité d’avoir des discussions séparées dans un canal. Avec Teams, il y a 2 mode :
discussion continue, comme Framateam, ou tous les échanges sont mélés
discussions séparées ou chaque discussion reste indépendante
Proseguono le campagne malware che sfruttano tecniche di ingegneria sociale per indurre gli utenti ad eseguire codice malevolo sui propri sistemi tramite la funzione “incolla”
Aggiornamenti di sicurezza Cisco sanano 7 vulnerabilità con gravità "alta" presenti in ClamAV, software open source per l'analisi antivirus. Tra queste si evidenziano le CVE-2026-20337 e CVE-2026-20338 per le quali il vendor conferma la presenza di Proof of Concept (PoC) disponibili in rete.
Omaha resident Natalie Thorpe’s 3-year-old tested high for lead as a baby. Thorpe’s yard has enough lead to be risky but not enough to qualify for government cleanup. Rebecca S. Gratz for ProPublica
Despite hundreds of millions of dollars spent on environmental cleanup, more than half the yards in a section of Omaha, Nebraska, that used to surround a lead smelter still have enough contamination to cause high blood-lead levels in kids, according to tests by the Flatwater Free Press and ProPublica.
The findings were consistent across the city’s older urban core — in the historically Black neighborhoods north of downtown, the predominantly Hispanic areas to the south and the more white and affluent areas in midtown. However, homes closest to where a lead smelter and other downtown factories operated tended to have slightly higher concentrations than those farther out.
As part of the Environmental Protection Agency’s Superfund program, the federal government and the city of Omaha have been attempting to remove lead from Omaha’s yards since the late 1990s.
The EPA’s cleanup standard for Omaha was set in 2009 and is based on health recommendations from 1994. Since then, research has shown that lower exposures can cause IQ loss in kids and heart attacks in adults. Twice in the last 15 years, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention lowered what it considers a high blood-lead level. An EPA risk model found that to protect most kids according to those new health guidelines, soil levels would have to be below 100 parts per million — about 10 grains of rice in a 10-pound bucket of dirt.
The Flatwater Free Press and ProPublica tested 388 homes in the Omaha Superfund site and found that 208 had levels over 100 parts per million.
But the EPA has never required that level of cleanup in Omaha or as a national remediation standard. Current EPA policy for the Omaha cleanup site directs contractors to dig up and replace yards if tests show they contain more than 400 parts per million of lead — about a marble’s worth of the metal dispersed across a 10-gallon bucket of dirt. Last week, the Flatwater Free Press and ProPublica reported that 1 in 10 of the homes we tested that were remediated still has a lead concentration over that threshold.
The risk worries Natalie Thorpe, whose 3-year-old daughter tested high for lead as a baby. When the history and English teacher bought a house in Omaha, she knew about the Superfund site, but friends assured her the EPA had taken care of any problems with the dirt. Instead, her yard has enough lead to be risky but not enough to qualify for government cleanup.
“It feels a little bit like being a sitting duck,” Thorpe said.
Thorpe’s 3-year-old picks a tomato from their garden.Rebecca S. Gratz for ProPublica
EPA spokesperson Kellen Ashford said removing lead in soil is only one factor in protecting communities. Because no level of lead in the body is safe and it would be impossible to remove all lead from a site, the agency works with local health officials to protect the community from lead risks in other ways, he said.
Those include establishing the Omaha Lead Registry, a website where people can search for the highest lead level and remediation status of any property in the site. The EPA also funds the Douglas County Health Department’s lead poisoning prevention program, which performs home visits when a child tests high for exposure to the toxic metal.
Work on lead has historically been focused on protecting people from extreme poisonings, often caused by paint, said Tom Neltner, who heads the lead poisoning prevention nonprofit Unleaded Kids. As more public health experts have acknowledged the risks of smaller exposures, they’ve had to examine soil more closely. Confronting that will require new research and renewed advocacy, he said.
But even with updated science, politics have complicated potential cleanups. The first step in any cleanup is to identify which properties deserve attention. So the EPA typically tests soil to screen for potential problem areas. If results hit a certain level of lead concentration, it kicks off a more in-depth process of monitoring that site and discussing cleanup options. In 2024, President Joe Biden’s EPA lowered that recommended screening level to as little as 100 parts per million.
Cleaning up to 100 parts per million would have carried enormous costs. About 40% of U.S. homes exceed those levels, according to a 2024 study by some of the country’s top researchers of lead-contaminated soil, and it could cost $500 billion to $1.4 trillion to clean up all of them. The authors argued the government could take a more cost-effective approach by covering lead-laced soil with clean soil or mulch rather than digging it out.
Last year, the Trump administration rolled back Biden’s standards in what it said was an effort to speed up cleanups of the highest-risk areas, raising the lowest screening level from 100 parts per million to 200 parts per million.
Thorpe and her daughter pick vegetables from their raised garden bed. Zinnias, basil, golden beets, squash and other plants grow in store-bought soil.Rebecca S. Gratz for ProPublica
However, some local and state governments, as well as other countries, have committed to standards of 100 parts per million or lower.
Norway recommends risk assessments for any dirt that children have regular access to that has more than 100 parts per million of lead in it. In 2006, the country required all playgrounds and daycares be remediated to that level.
Even in the United States, some areas have lower limits. Minnesota requires replacing any soil that has more than 100 parts per million of lead around the home of a child with a high blood level, said Minnesota Department of Health spokesperson Scott Smith. In April, New Orleans announced plans to clean up its parks after an investigation by Verite News and KFF Health News found more than half of the 80 sites the organizations tested had levels above 100 parts per million.
California has cleaned up properties to 80 parts per million of lead, its screening level for potentially risky soil, though residents of properties exceeding that threshold more often receive safety education rather than a new lawn, said Seth John, a University of Southern California earth sciences professor.
An Omaha lead smelter spread dust that seeped into the soil and bodies of many residents. The EPA spent decades cleaning up the surrounding area — but not Council Bluffs, Carter Lake or Bellevue.
This summer the EPA is testing soil around Omaha as part of an investigation that may help the agency determine if it should expand the site’s boundaries or lower the amount of lead that would qualify for cleanup. The agency expects to share its findings by October 2027, Ashford said.
Earlier research suggests there may be more homes with lead-soil concentrations over 100 parts per million than the Flatwater Free Press and ProPublica identified: EPA testing found 84% of the Superfund site in Omaha — more than 36,000 properties — had areas with lead concentrations above 100 parts per million, according to a March 2024 email sent by an EPA manager to a Nebraska Department of Environment and Energy official.
But trying to determine what the agency might do in Omaha is difficult because the EPA has applied its new guidance in different ways, setting higher lead levels for cleanup at some Superfund sites and lower levels at others.
Without cleanup, there are several things Omaha residents can do to lower their risk, said Neltner of Unleaded Kids. Maintaining ground cover like grass reduces the amount of lead dust that can spread from the dirt to kids’ hands and bodies, he said. The EPA also recommends washing hands and taking shoes off inside.
Those are easy things that lower risk, Neltner said, but he noted that they’re not a long-term solution.
“We have to keep doing what we can,” he said. “We need our leadership at local, state and federal levels to support people in finding solutions.”
Thorpe’s 3-year-old daughter stands barefoot in her family’s garden.Rebecca S. Gratz for ProPublica
L'attacco alla supply chain di WordPres tramite un'API avvelenata rappresenta una nuova e insidiosa frontiera negli attacchi alla sicurezza. Immagina questo scenario: hai installato plugin popolari e affidabili e mantieni tutto aggiornato, ma il tuo sito viene compromesso ugualmente. Come è possibile? Ora non stiamo più parlando di un classico plugin con una falla nel codice. La vulnerabilità, in questo caso, è molto più subdola e colpisce la cosiddetta "supply chain", ovvero la catena di fiducia su cui si basa l'intero ecosistema di WordPress. Infatti in recente incidente ha dimostrato come gli hacker possano sfruttare non il plugin in sé, ma le risorse esterne a cui si collega.
Analizziamo nel dettaglio come funziona questo attacco e, soprattutto, come puoi proteggere il tuo sito.
Come funziona l'attacco alla supply chain di WordPress?
L'attacco ha preso di mira diversi plugin molto noti sviluppati da BdThemes, tra cui Element Pack, Prime Slider e Ultimate Post Kit. Questi strumenti utilizzano un componente interno per mostrare banner promozionali nella bacheca di WordPress. Per farlo, si collegano a un server esterno e recuperano i dati da un semplice file JSON. Ed è proprio qui che si nasconde il problema.
Gli aggressori non hanno violato il repository di WordPress.org né hanno modificato il codice sorgente dei plugin. Hanno invece trovato il modo di compromettere il file JSON ospitato sul server esterno. In pratica, hanno "avvelenato" la fonte dei dati. Il componente del plugin, fidandosi ciecamente di questa fonte, recuperava le informazioni malevole.
A causa di una vulnerabilità di tipo cross-site scripting (XSS), il codice dannoso veniva eseguito direttamente nel browser dell'amministratore del sito non appena accedeva a una qualsiasi pagina del back-end. Un'operazione silenziosa, che si completa in pochi millisecondi e apre le porte del sito agli aggressori.
Una volta che il codice malevolo è in esecuzione, le conseguenze possono essere devastanti. L'attacco è progettato per ottenere il controllo completo e persistente del sito compromesso, agendo su più livelli.
Creazione di amministratori fantasma e backdoor
Il primo passo dello script è creare un nuovo account amministratore-truffa. Spesso questi account usano nomi utente prevedibili, come "bd_" seguito da una stringa di caratteri, garantendo agli aggressori un accesso privilegiato e diretto al sito. Successivamente, il malware installa un finto plugin con un nome innocuo, come "wp-smart-thumbnails". Al suo interno, però, si nasconde una webshell: un file, spesso chiamato emer-run.php, che permette agli hacker di eseguire comandi sul server da remoto, come se fossero seduti di fronte al tuo computer.
Meccanismi di persistenza e occultamento
Gli aggressori non si sono fermati al primo accesso, ma hanno puntato alla persistenza. Per assicurarsi di poter rientrare anche se l'account admin venisse scoperto, installavano dei Must-Use plugin. Si tratta di plugin speciali che sono sempre attivi e non possono essere disattivati dalla bacheca.
Infine, per rendere tutto più difficile da scoprire, il malware manipolava il database per nascondere l'account amministratore-truffa dalla normale lista degli utenti. Alterava persino il contatore totale per non destare sospetti: un'operazione studiata per eludere i controlli.
Come rilevare e mitigare l'attacco alla supply chain di WordPress
Anche se la fonte dell'attacco è stata bonificata, il tuo sito potrebbe essere già compromesso. Ecco una checklist pratica per verificare la sicurezza del tuo sito WordPress:
Controlla gli account amministratore: vai nella sezione Utenti e cerca profili sospetti che non hai creato tu. Presta particolare attenzione a username che iniziano con "bd_" o che utilizzano email strane.
Ispeziona i plugin installati: verifica la lista dei tuoi plugin e, se ne trovi uno che non ricordi di aver installato, indaga. Controlla anche la cartella mu-plugins tramite FTP o il File Manager del tuo hosting.
Cerca file malevoli: esegui una scansione dei file del tuo sito alla ricerca di nomi sospetti come emer-run.php o file che iniziano con class-wp-query-.
Verifica il database: se hai competenze tecniche, cerca nel database opzioni sospette, come fz_emer_login_tokens, che è legata a questo specifico attacco.
L'uso di un plugin di sicurezza affidabile può aiutarti ad automatizzare molte di queste verifiche e a ricevere notifiche in tempo reale.
Una lezione per il futuro: la fiducia non basta
Questo attacco alla supply chain di WordPress è un potente campanello d'allarme per tutta la community. Ci insegna che la sicurezza non riguarda solo il codice che installiamo sul nostro server, ma anche la catena di fiducia che si estende a servizi e API esterne. Infatti un plugin può essere scritto in modo impeccabile, ma se si affida a una risorsa esterna non sicura, diventa un cavallo di Troia. Inoltre questi attacchi non hanno colpito solo WordPress, ma in passato hanno coinvolto anche GitHub.
Per gli sviluppatori la lezione è chiara: ogni dato proveniente dall'esterno deve essere validato e sanificato prima di essere utilizzato. Per gli utenti, invece, la consapevolezza di questi nuovi vettori di attacco è il primo passo per una difesa più efficace.
Ricordati sempre che la sicurezza non è un'azione una tantum, ma un processo continuo di vigilanza e manutenzione.
Comme chaque lundi, un coup d’œil dans le rétroviseur pour découvrir les informations que vous avez peut-être ratées la semaine dernière.
Tous les liens listés ci-dessous sont a priori accessibles librement. Si ce n’est pas le cas, pensez à activer votre bloqueur de javascript favori ou à passer en “mode lecture” (Firefox) ;-)
As countries around the world look to follow Australia’s lead in restricting young people’s access to social media, a new report by the eSafety Commissioner might give them reason to pause, at least temporarily.
Des records absolus de température sur terre et en mer, des forêts en feu, des fleuves à sec, une surmortalité importante, et un seuil de + 2 °C qui pourrait être franchi pour la première fois dès le début de l’année 2027.
Eight of the biggest oil companies amassed profits of more than $90bn (£67bn) in just three months as the Iran conflict sent energy prices soaring and the emissions-fuelled climate crisis caused deadly heatwaves.
Starting last week, the German automaker started blasting a promotion for the new Spider-Man movie into its customers’ cars without warning — because nothing says riding in luxury like a full-vehicle pop-up ad. BMW, showing that it was about as in-touch as its drivers are familiar with turn signals, teased the promotion as a “special surprise.”
Selon une nouvelle étude publiée dans Nature Sustainability et relayée par Live Science, environ un cinquième des réservoirs dans le monde sont déjà à haut risque de remplissage par les sédiments, et d’ici 2060, la moitié pourraient devenir inopérants.
Le village indonésien de Somang, dans l’ouest de l’île de Java, était englouti sous les eaux d’un réservoir créé en 2023 pour approvisionner Jakarta. Mais la baisse du niveau de l’eau due à la sécheresse fait réapparaître les ruines de bâtiments.
Six expéditions archéologiques sont en cours en Crimée, sous l’égide de Moscou. Des agents russes sont accusés de fermer les yeux sur le pillage de sites antiques en échange de pots-de-vin, laissant disparaître de précieux vestiges.
En quelques jours, la Hongrie s’est improvisée laboratoire grandeur nature de la sobriété électrique. Pas par amour soudain de la décroissance, mais parce que le Danube, épuisé par la sécheresse, ne fournit presque plus assez d’eau pour refroidir Paks, l’unique centrale nucléaire du pays.
Un projet financé par l’UE et publié en open source peut-il vraiment rester ouvert s’il exige des puces propriétaires ? Le système de vérification de l’âge européen impose l’attestation matérielle, excluant de fait les ROM personnalisées et les environnements Linux indépendants.
Un incident de sécurité impliquant au moins un drone a entraîné la suspension temporaire du trafic à l’aéroport de Leipzig, hub militaire utilisé par l’Otan et pour l’Ukraine, près duquel un avion a heurté un objet volant. Les enquêteurs confirment que le drone portait une charge explosive.
German singer-songwriter Danger Dan and pianist Igor Levit were invited to perform a song titled “Keine Angst” (No Fear) for the 100th episode of a political satire TV show called “Die Anstalt” (The Institution). But shortly before the recording of the program, public broadcaster ZDF withdrew the invitation.
Une enquête OSINT retrace la diffusion des appels au passage et décrit un réseau horizontal, sans commandement apparent, capable de se reconstituer rapidement.
En réponse aux mesures similaires imposées par Rome après l’afflux massif de migrants à Ceuta, l’Espagne va instaurer des contrôles temporaires aux frontières à ses ports et aéroports pour les voyageurs en provenance d’Italie.
Inoffensifs pour l’humain, ces reptiles, qui peuvent dépasser les 2 m de long et sont capables de nager sur de longues distances, représentent toutefois une grande menace pour le lézard des Pityuses (Podarcis pityusensis). Une espèce endémique d’Ibiza et véritable emblème de l’île, qui se retrouve aujourd’hui menacée d’extinction.
Les villes d’Agadir et de Marrakech testent un nouveau revêtement poreux à la place du bitume conventionnel. La surface perméable pourrait refroidir les routes jusqu’à 9°C, notamment grâce à l’évaporation de l’eau.[…] Petit bémol, cependant : une étude de l’université Rutgers a montré que si le béton perméable dégage 25 % à 30 % de chaleur en moins les jours de pluie, il peut en dégager légèrement plus que l’asphalte conventionnel par temps sec et ensoleillé.
As Abelardo de la Espriella takes office as president vowing a new military offensive, the country’s last leftwing rebels are getting ready to fight back
the $2,000 figure covers the successful runs rather than every attempt the model made […] Outside researchers have also noted that OpenAI staff helped prepare the papers and formalize the arguments, with the company saying the mathematical content came from Astra. And nobody outside the company can run the model that did the work, so the result cannot be reproduced independently, only checked.
Studies show, over and over, that when we engage in AI-assisted learning we give up sooner. One found that after just “10 minutes of AI-assisted problem-solving, people who lost access to the AI performed worse and gave up more frequently than those who never used it”. An MIT study showed that test groups who used ChatGPT had the lowest brain activity and “consistently underperformed at neural, linguistic, and behavioural levels”. We undergo not just cognitive offloading, but cognitive surrender : we forget what was possible.
Dans un message publié sur ses réseaux sociaux, le premier ministre israélien a affirmé que Tel-Aviv rejetait le plan de Donald Trump pour Gaza, malgré des garanties sur le désarmement du Hamas. A l’approche des élections législatives, Benyamin Netanyahou ménage ses alliés d’extrême droite qui restent opposés à tout accord de paix dans l’enclave.
Dans la foulée de la décision de l’Unesco, le gouvernement israélien a annoncé, ce 30 juillet, une allocation de 112 millions de shekels (31,8 millions d’euros environ) à l’Administration civile israélienne pour restaurer et développer des sites archéologiques, y compris dans des secteurs relevant théoriquement de l’Autorité palestinienne.
In country after country, more women are dying from the heat than men. But researchers say biology isn’t the main reason. Age, working conditions, and unequal access to rest may drive the gap.
De nombreuses normes de conception reposent encore sur le modèle du « corps masculin par défaut », qui suppose une utilisation rapide des toilettes, en position debout et avec un temps de passage minimal. Lorsque les espaces sont aménagés en fonction du corps et des habitudes des hommes, les retards sont facilement imputés au comportement des femmes
With less than a third of cycling journeys taken by women, Colombia’s capital, Bogotá, is installing bike lanes, teaching cycling and making sure ‘stereotypes are left behind’
« Chaque postier sera intégralement rémunéré malgré la suspension temporaire de son activité », écrivait la direction de la Nouvelle-Aquitaine dans un courrier du 26 juillet […] mais « les heures non réalisées seront reportées ».
Dans les Pyrénées-Orientales, des habitants ont reçu l’ordre d’évacuer des jardins communaux afin que soit créée une « ceinture de protection » contre les incendies. Ils dénoncent la violence de cette décision et l’hypocrisie des autorités locales.
En raison des changements climatiques en cours, la manière de gérer l’eau en France sera déterminante au cours de ce XXIème siècle. Le temps ayant passé, il convient de rappeler la manière dont fut géré le bassin versant de la Seine au XXème siècle. Comparé à la non gestion du cours de la Loire, il donne à voir les bons choix en la matière.
De premières vendanges ont débuté ce 6 août en Champagne. Jamais elles n’avaient eu lieu aussi tôt dans l’année, le signe d’un été record en chaleur et en sécheresse.
30 000 personnes ont été appelées à se confiner pendant plusieurs heures, dimanche 2 août, en raison de l’incendie d’un entrepôt classé Seveso, à Gandrange (Moselle). Un nouvel épisode révélateur de la vulnérabilité des industries à la sécheresse et aux canicules ?
Le jeune homme de 17 ans est le seul homme sélectionné dans l’équipe de France aux Championnats d’Europe qui se déroulent actuellement à Paris. […] Longtemps exclusivement féminine, la natation artistique s’est ouverte récemment aux participants masculins.
45 membres d’un canal Telegram masculiniste ont été interpellés après une enquête du parquet de Paris. 34 seront jugés notamment pour provocation à la haine envers les femmes.
Selon le quotidien « La Provence », le quinquagénaire, déjà connu pour des faits de violence sur son ex-compagne, était colistier du candidat Rassemblement national dans la commune de Bollène, lors des élections municipales de mars.
Plusieurs candidats à l’élection présidentielle ont été récemment visés par des campagnes de désinformation sur les réseaux sociaux. Sans grande visibilité directe pour certaines au moins, elles arrivent quand même à se faire une place dans l’actualité via leur dénonciation par les autorités, les candidats et les médias.
D’abord en pause puis remis à l’ordre du jour cet été, le projet lancé par la présidente de l’Assemblée et chiffré à 52,8 millions d’euros cristallise les critiques.
Saisie par les députés « insoumis », écologistes et communistes, notamment au sujet de la création d’un « état d’alerte de sécurité nationale », l’instance n’a censuré aucune mesure de ce texte
Par un mécanisme d’inversion du blâme, les politiques environnementales et les écologistes sont accusé·es d’entraver la prévention des risques et d’accroître la vulnérabilité des populations.
Le DJ a connu un « torrent de harcèlement » après son tweet en réponse à l’hommage de Jordan Bardella à Kavinsky : « Merci de vous abstenir de cet hommage : la musique électronique vous déteste » […] il est devenu la cible de nombreux messages d’insultes et de menaces, dont il cite des exemples : « On s’en souviendra et tu seras le premier qu’on viendra chercher. »
À l’initiative de l’association Bio Consom’acteurs, près de 1000 personnes ont signé une lettre ouverte au président de la République, Emmanuel Macron, pour exiger un plan d’urgence, d’adaptation et d’atténuation face au réchauffement climatique.
À l’AfricaMuseum de Tervuren, en Belgique, des archives géologiques héritées du Congo belge attisent les convoitises de KoBold Metals, une start-up minière étasunienne dopée à l’IA et soutenue par des milliardaires de la tech.
Meta was paying out-and-out neo-Nazis to post on Facebook, an investigation from Australia’s ABC News found. These pages and individual creators posted content that appeared to be in clear violation of Facebook’s own hate speech policies. Nonetheless, they were able to earn money on their posts through the platform’s “Content Monetization” program — which is invitation-only.
« J’exige qu’elle soit “shut down” [qu’on peut ici traduire par “réduite au silence”] pour trahison envers la France », a écrit le milliardaire au sujet de Marine Tondelier, dans un message vu plus de 400 000 fois.
Longtemps restée dans l’ombre de son mari, Suzanne Césaire a pourtant, dans sa courte carrière littéraire, tracé les lignes d’une identité martiniquaise singulière, ancrée dans son rapport à la terre.
Une méduse de la taille d’un dé à coudre est capable de vivre éternellement, du moins en laboratoire.[…] Dans leur environnement naturel, en revanche, leur prétendue immortalité se heurte à une limite beaucoup plus terre à terre : les prédateurs peuvent tout simplement les dévorer.
Retrouvez les revues de web précédentes dans la catégorie Libre Veille du Framablog.
Les articles, commentaires et autres images qui composent ces « Khrys’presso » n’engagent que moi (Khrys).
…Et pourtant les IA ont-été conçues sur le modèle théorique du cerveau humain !
Si les IA sont incapables de faire ce que les humains peuvent faire, il s’agirait donc de répondre à la question de ce qui distingue les humains (et les autres êtres vivants) des machines ?
J’ai mon idée sur la question : en dehors du fait que notre cerveau est biologique (et pas fait à base de puces de silicium) nous posséderions aussi une âme, immatérielle (ou existantes dans des dimensions supérieures décrites par les théories physiques des 40 dernières années), à laquelle nous aurions la capacité de nous relier par l’intermédiaire (peut-être et entre autres) de structures au niveau des synapses.
Je fonde mon opinion sur la lecture de ll’œuvre (monumentale) de Roger Penrose, prix Nobel de physique 2022, « The emperor’s new mind », publiée en 1989 (déjà !), dans laquelle la question de savoir si une machine de Turing (l’ordinateur moderne) est capable d’égaler le cerveau humain est traitée en totalité.
L’idée que l’IA serait l’avenir de la science comme on l’entend très souvent est bien plus un moyen d’orienter les investissements qu’une vérité scientifique.
Tout l’été, profitez de republications de « Dans Les Algorithmes » ! Rendez-vous tous les dimanches de juillet et d’août pour réfléchir, ensemble, sur les enjeux de l’Intelligence Artificielle.
L’idée que l’IA serait l’avenir de la science comme on l’entend très souvent est bien plus un moyen d’orienter les investissements qu’une vérité scientifique.
« Le discours selon lequel l’intelligence artificielle révolutionne la science est désormais quasiment incontournable », rappelle William Burns, consultant en politique scientifique, pour Tech Policy Press. « L’histoire raconte déjà que l’IA n’est pas seulement l’avenir : elle révolutionne les découvertes scientifiques ». Même des gens assez critiques de l’IA et de ses développements disent qu’elle possède des « capacités prometteuses » pour la recherche scientifique, justifiant son développement. Pourtant, l’IA, telle qu’elle est actuellement déployée en science, occulte plus qu’elle ne révèle, exacerbant les problèmes qu’elle prétend résoudre.
Les chercheuses Lisa Messeri et Molly J. Crockett affirmaient l’année dernière dans Nature que « la prolifération des outils d’IA en science risque d’introduire une phase de recherche scientifique où nous produisons davantage, mais comprenons moins ». Mais surtout, l’usage de l’IA pourrait compromettre la capacité à produire des connaissances fiables, sur lesquelles repose tout l’édifice scientifique. Cette crise annoncée prolonge celle que traverse la recherche depuis le début du XXIe siècle, notamment liée à la stagnation des découvertes pharmaceutiques. Burns rappelle par exemple que le Projet Génome Humain dans les années 90 a été lancé en promettant une prolifération de nouveaux médicaments qui n’est jamais advenue. Un chercheur d’une grande entreprise scientifique expliquait en 2008 que « rien de ce que les entreprises ont fait pour accroître la production de nouveaux médicaments n’a fonctionné, y compris les fusions, les acquisitions, les réorganisations et l’amélioration des processus ».
Le microbiologiste américain, Carl Woese, opposant à l’ingénierie biologique, estimait, en 2004, que la crise de l’innovation était liée à la généralisation de l’ingénierie du vivant. En 2011, l’économiste Philip Mirowski estimait que le néolibéralisme, obsédé par la technologie, avait tué la rigueur scientifique. La promesse de renouveau scientifique par l’IA s’inscrit pleinement en prolongement de cette crise. En 2023, l’OCDE expliquait que l’IA pourrait venir aider une science devenue « plus difficile ». À l’image d’AlphaFold, le système de pliage des protéines de Google DeepMind, pour lequel Demis Hassabis et John Jumper ont reçu le prix Nobel de chimie en 2024.
Les protéines ne sont pas des puces de silicium
AlphaFold a permis de prédire la structure de 200 millions de protéines, mais il serait expérimentalement impossible d’en vérifier n’en serait-ce qu’une fraction. Pour ce faire, « il faudrait généralement isoler des protéines des cellules en quantités importantes – un processus capricieux – puis les soumettre à des techniques telles que la diffraction des rayons X et la résonance magnétique nucléaire. Ces étapes pourraient prendre des années, même pour une seule protéine ». Néanmoins, la philosophe Daria Zakharova a affirmé dans un pré-print que si les prédictions d’AlphaFold sont considérées comme fiables et sont utilisées par les scientifiques, cette « connaissance » est bien imparfaite. « D’un point de vue strictement matériel, AlphaFold n’est pas une représentation du comportement des protéines, mais plutôt du comportement des puces de silicium (sur lesquelles repose le calcul). En ce sens, les inventeurs d’AlphaFold ont avancé l’hypothèse que des puces de silicium pourraient imiter les protéines. Cela soulève la question de savoir comment des matériaux sans lien entre eux, tant chimiquement que spatialement et temporellement, pourraient s’imiter. Au minimum, des preuves substantielles seraient nécessaires pour le prouver. Pourtant, lorsque des efforts ont été déployés pour le vérifier, les résultats ont été mitigés », rappelle Burns. Une étude récente de Garrido-Rodríguez et ses collègues a par exemple soutenu que le calcul d’AlphaFold ne « correspondait pas aux modèles déterminés expérimentalement », faisant référence à une classe de protéines omniprésentes et biologiquement vitales appelées serpines. « De toute évidence, des recherches plus approfondies pourraient être nécessaires sur la fiabilité de l’IA en tant qu’outil prédictif ». Pour Burns, les preuves ne sont pas suffisamment solides à ce stade. Bien sûr, le repliement des protéines est complexe. Leur modélisation est ancienne et repose sur des hypothèses manifestement différentes de leur réalité. Longtemps, ces modèles servaient à interpréter des données d’observation issues de la diffraction des rayons X, et non à créer un modèle informatique, comme avec AlphaFold. Le problème, estime le chercheur en cancérologie et lauréat du prix Nobel de physiologie ou médecine 2019, William G. Kaelin Jr., c’est que la publication doit construire son savoir sur des briques plutôt que sur de la paille.
Au Royaume-Uni, la UK Biobank, une entreprise publique qui détient des données génétiques sur un sous-ensemble de la population britannique, aurait conclu en mars dernier un partenariat avec des sociétés pharmaceutiques et Calico, filiale d’Alphabet, qui auront accès à ces données pour des études menées avec l’IA. Le projet a été décrit par le Financial Times comme « un exemple emblématique de la manière dont les ordinateurs avancés et les modèles d’intelligence artificielle peuvent exploiter de vastes ensembles de données biologiques pour étudier en profondeur le fonctionnement du corps humain et ses dysfonctionnements potentiels ». Une question se pose cependant : l’exploitation de ces ensembles de données est-elle susceptible de produire des connaissances fiables, même en théorie ? En 2017, ces données ont été décrites comme « non représentatives de la population générale… Les participants à la UK Biobank vivent généralement dans des zones socio-économiquement moins défavorisées ; sont moins susceptibles d’être obèses, de fumer et de consommer de l’alcool quotidiennement ; et présentent moins de problèmes de santé auto-déclarés ». La structure de ces ensembles de données de santé, et d’autres similaires, qui ne sont certainement pas secrets, suscite des doutes. Même les observateurs optimistes doivent l’admettre : si les données sont inadéquates et l’IA opaque, quelle est la valeur épistémique réelle de ces projets ? Le prix Nobel Kaelin Jr. a conseillé : « La question… devrait être de savoir si… les conclusions sont susceptibles d’être correctes, et non de savoir s’il serait important qu’elles soient vraies. »
Ralentir la science
Si l’on veut sauver la science de son malaise actuel, des solutions sont déjà possibles, conclut Burns. « Des propositions comme la « slow science » d’Isabelle Stenger semblent valoir la peine d’être tentées, car elles pourraient élargir la charge de la preuve aux affirmations scientifiques et encourager un esprit de service public parmi les scientifiques. Pourtant, si une rénovation épistémique a eu lieu jusqu’à présent dans le domaine scientifique, elle est restée extrêmement timide et n’a pas produit d’effets escomptés.
Il faut dire que pour les investisseurs, l’idée que l’IA puisse nous sortir de l’impasse actuelle et donner naissance à toutes sortes d’inventions rentables est doublement séduisante. L’IA est une méthode qui ne nécessite que des capitaux pour sa mise en œuvre et qui peut être réalisée à grande échelle, contrairement à la recherche empirique, centrée sur l’humain et fastidieuse, où l’ingéniosité et la chance (qui ne s’achètent pas si facilement) semblent prédominer. Mais investir dans l’IA est aussi un moyen efficace de maintenir le statu quo, tout en semblant le bouleverser, car il pose l’hypothèse d’un avenir technologique sans les changements systémiques qu’impliquent d’autres réformes.
Dans cette optique, nous devons résister au spectacle. L’IA fait vendre une vision du progrès où les algorithmes peuvent révéler les secrets plus rapidement, mieux et à moindre coût ; pourtant, les secrets de la nature ne sont pas si facilement révélés, et la connaissance sans compréhension n’est pas une connaissance du tout. »
S’il y avait besoin d’une explication supplémentaire, Alberto Romero dans sa newsletter algorithmic Bridge, revient sur une étude du MIT et de Harvard, où les chercheurs se sont demandé si les modèles d’IA pouvaient passer de la simple prédiction au « développement de modèles fiables », en les faisant travailler sur un problème de physique assez classique ? Mais au lieu de tester avec le langage, qui est assez complexe et difficile à analyser, ils se sont concentrés sur la physique classique. Ils voulaient voir si le modèle utiliserait les lois de Newton pour prédire les vecteurs de force à l’origine du mouvement de révolution de la terre autour du soleil ou s’il inventerait simplement ses prédictions sans comprendre la physique réelle. Ils ont conclu que les modèles d’IA font des prédictions précises, mais ne parviennent pas à encoder le modèle universel de Newton et recourent plutôt à des heuristiques spécifiques à chaque cas, non généralisables et fortement incohérents. L’étude montre que « les modèles d’IA sont tout simplement incapables de coder un ensemble de lois robustes pour régir leurs prédictions : ils sont non seulement incapables de retrouver des modèles du monde, mais intrinsèquement mal équipés pour le faire ». Un modèle d’IA d’apprentissage profond est peut-être architecturalement incapable de développer des modèles du monde corrects estiment-ils. Même le rêve que l’IA puisse être utilisée pour améliorer la prédictibilité des modèles climatiques est battue en brèche. Dans leur livre, AI Snake Oil (voir notre recension), les chercheurs Arvind Narayanan et Sayash Kapoor montraient que son amélioration était assez limitée et qu’elle pourrait même atteindre un palier indépassable, à mesure que les phénomènes deviennent plus extrêmes. La croyance dans un progrès scientifique exponentiel porté par l’IA ne sert qu’à raviver les promesses des technosciences comme le disaient déjà Marc Audétat et les chercheurs invités dans Sciences et technologies émergentes : pourquoi tant de promesses ? (Hermann, 2015, voir notre recension). L’idée que l’IA serait l’avenir de la science comme on l’entend très souvent est bien plus un moyen d’orienter les investissements qu’une vérité scientifique.
MAJ du 25/01/2026 : L’IA va-t-elle tuer la science ou, au contraire, engendrer une révolution scientifique ? C’est la question que pose l’astrobiologiste Sara Imari Walker dans un article pour Noema. Si l’IA peut résoudre le problème du pliage des protéines comme le promettent beaucoup de recherches, que pourrait-elle accomplir d’autre ? Mais si « AlphaFold prédit les structures 3D, il n’explique ni la physique sous-jacente, ni les mécanismes de repliement, ni les ensembles conformationnels dynamiques. Il fonctionne bien pour les protéines composées de la vingtaine d’acides aminés présents dans la biologie terrestre. Pour étudier les protéines issues des centaines d’acides aminés contenus dans les matériaux météoriques, ou pour concevoir de nouvelles protéines thérapeutiques, ce modèle a besoin de données supplémentaires. La limitation ne réside ni dans l’algorithme ni dans sa capacité de mise à l’échelle : les données nécessaires n’existent pas. »
Si l’on considère la science uniquement comme la méthode scientifique (observation, hypothèse, vérification, analyse), alors l’automatisation semble inévitable, avance-t-elle. Les algorithmes d’IA réalisent de manière démontrée bon nombre, voire la totalité, de ces étapes, et leurs performances s’améliorent lorsqu’ils sont guidés par des scientifiques.
Pourtant, si la mise à l’échelle était notre seul besoin, l’IA actuelle offrirait une solution banale à la science : nous pourrions faire plus grâce à des modèles à plus grande échelle. Cependant, l’optimisme autour de l’IA ne se limite pas à l’automatisation et à la mise à l’échelle ; il concerne aussi la théorie de l’esprit. La science diffère radicalement de l’expérience : elle est fondamentalement intersubjective. Si une chose n’existe que dans un seul esprit et ne peut être partagée, elle ne peut devenir une connaissance scientifique. La science exige la vérification mutuelle des observations, la construction d’un héritage de découvertes passées et l’élaboration d’un consensus intergénérationnel sur la réalité. Les modèles scientifiques doivent donc être exprimables par des symboles, des mathématiques et le langage, car ils doivent être reproductibles et interprétables d’un esprit à l’autre. La science est par définition instable car elle n’est pas une caractéristique objective de la réalité : elle se comprend plus justement comme un système culturel évolutif, nourri par la représentation consensuelle et adaptable aux nouvelles connaissances que nous produisons. Notre principal mode de communication des idées scientifiques est la représentation symbolique. Nous communiquons des modèles du monde, et non le monde lui-même.
Plus fondamentalement, le discours actuel, optimiste, voire arrogant, autour de l’IA et de l’intelligence artificielle générale laisse entendre que ces algorithmes seront « plus qu’humains » dans leur capacité à comprendre et à expliquer le monde, dépassant ainsi ce que certains perçoivent comme les limites de l’intelligence imposées par la biologie humaine. Or, cela est impossible, de par les fondements mêmes de la théorie du calcul et l’héritage de l’abstraction humaine dont ces technologies sont directement issues. Comme l’écrit le physicien David Deutsch, si l’univers est effectivement explicable, les humains sont déjà des « explicateurs universels », car nous sommes capables de comprendre tout ce qu’un système informatique peut comprendre : en termes de capacités de calcul, ordinateurs et cerveaux sont tout aussi universels.
Les changements de paradigme révèlent que la puissance de la pensée scientifique ne réside pas dans la vérité littérale des théories, mais dans notre capacité à identifier de nouvelles façons de décrire le monde et dans la persistance des structures que nous décrivons à travers différents schémas de représentation.
Ceci nous amène à comprendre pourquoi l’IA ne peut remplacer les scientifiques. Les controverses et les débats sur le langage et la représentation en science ne sont pas des anomalies ; ils sont inhérents à un système sociétal qui détermine les modèles qu’il privilégie. Les milliards de paramètres d’AlphaFold 3 suggèrent que la parcimonie et la simplicité ne sont peut-être pas les seules voies possibles pour la science. Si nous voulons des modèles qui cartographient le monde avec la plus grande précision possible, la complexité est peut-être nécessaire.
C’est cette profondeur de sens, inhérente à nos théories, que la science découvre en construisant de nouvelles perceptions sociétales. Une vision superficielle, où la science se contente de créer des modèles prédictifs dépourvus de profondeur et de signification, ne peut la saisir. Lorsqu’un scientifique élabore une théorie, même avant l’évaluation par les pairs, il y a un acte intentionnel d’explication et un travail intérieur de confrontation avec l’intuition et sa représentation. Les modèles d’IA, en revanche, génèrent des prédictions par reconnaissance statistique de formes, un processus très différent.
« La question fondamentale n’est pas de savoir si l’IA peut faire de la science, mais si les sociétés peuvent construire des représentations partagées et des significations consensuelles avec des algorithmes dépourvus de la création intentionnelle de sens qui a toujours été au cœur de l’explication scientifique. » L’IA transformera-t-elle la science ? Certainement. Remplacera-t-elle les scientifiques ? Certainement pas, clame Sara Imari Walker. Si nous nous méprenons sur la nature de la science, en confondant l’automatisation des méthodes avec le projet humain de construction, de débat et d’affinage collectifs des représentations symboliques qui nous permettent de comprendre la réalité, l’IA risque d’annoncer la mort de la science : nous manquerons alors l’occasion de l’intégrer pleinement aux systèmes culturels de la science.
« La science ne se résume pas à la prédiction et à l’automatisation ; l’histoire nous enseigne qu’elle est bien plus que cela. Elle repose sur un consensus explicatif et une négociation humaine permanente quant aux descriptions du monde que nous adopterons collectivement. Cette négociation, cette articulation intersubjective des observations en une signification partagée, est fondamentalement sociale et, pour l’instant, fondamentalement humaine. »
MAJ du 26/01/2026 : L’IA peut-elle générer de nouvelles idées en science ?, interroge Cade Metz pour le New York Times, en revenant sur une polémique récente où une startup, Harmonic, affirmait que son IA aurait résolu un problème de math resté insoluble (voir les explications de Numerama). En fait, des mathématiciens et des chercheurs en IA ont rapidement souligné que le système avait identifié des solutions existantes, enfouies dans des décennies d’articles de recherche et de manuels, par exemple en trouvant une solution enfouie dans un article en allemand. “Un chercheur expérimenté est toujours nécessaire pour interroger le système, lui expliquer ce qu’il doit rechercher et, finalement, extraire les informations pertinentes du reste des données produites”.
Risolta una vulnerabilità con gravità “alta” presente nella libreria Neo4J GraphQL, libreria che collega GraphQL a Neo4j, permettendo di definire uno schema GraphQL e generare automaticamente query e operazioni CRUD sul database a grafo.
Aggiornamenti di sicurezza Apple sanano una vulnerabilità con gravità "alta", presente in macOS Sonoma, macOS Sequoia e macOS Tahoe. Tale vulnerabilità, qualora sfruttata, potrebbe consentire a un utente malintenzionato non autenticato di eludere i meccanismi di autenticazione sui sistemi target.
Progress Software ha rilasciato aggiornamenti di sicurezza al fine di correggere 10 vulnerabilità di sicurezza, di cui 7 con gravità "critica" e 3 con gravità "alta", in MarkLogic Server, piattaforma NoSQL multi-model enterprise per l'archiviazione, la ricerca e la gestione di dati XML, JSON e documentali.
Ik gebruik PT voor mijn video’s en livestreams etc. Maar omdat ik niet super bedreven ben in het onderhouden van de server zoek ik hulp bij het updaten naar PT 8.2
Stuur mij een berichtjes (voorkeur voor iemand in NL)
I am using PT for my video’s and livestreams etc. But I am not fluent in server maintenance so: I am looking for somebody that can help me with upgrade and maintenance.
Bon, je ne sais pas si c’est le bon endroit pour parler de ça, n’hésitez pas à me reprendre si ce n’est pas le cas, aucun souci.
Ça fait environ 10 ans que j’héberge le chaton p2p.legal, mon service le plus connu est peut-être notre instance PeerTube tube.p2p.legal. Pour ceux qui me connaissent, je suis aussi l’un des développeurs principaux du projet Duniter, pour la monnaie libre Ğ1.
Aujourd’hui j’ai le plaisir de vous annoncer qu’on ouvre la bêta gratuite de notre VPN Warren: https://warren.ro
La raison pour laquelle j’en parle ici, c’est qu’on essaie de se différencier du reste du secteur en mettant au cœur le logiciel libre et l’esprit de partage communautaire, et qu’on ne sort pas ça de nulle part juste pour surfer sur une vague. On a recréé un moteur de VPN from scratch en Rust, qu’on a appelé WarrenGuard, basé sur QUIC, conçu pour que ton trafic ressemble à de la navigation web ordinaire plutôt qu’à un tunnel VPN identifiable. On ne bloque pas ce qu’on ne voit pas. C’est le cœur de notre démarche, et il est publié en AGPL-3.0: GitHub - WarrenBrowse/warrenguard: Generic VPN-over-QUIC engine (AGPL-3.0), the data-plane behind Warren VPN · GitHub
Je n’en dis pas plus, le site et notre livre blanc donneront plus d’infos aux curieux que ça intéresse.
C’est une bêta, donc il peut y avoir des bugs, des choses pas claires, et vos avis nous sont précieux: ici, sur notre forum, ou en issue GitHub. Et si quelque chose dans notre discours vous fait tiquer, dites-le franchement, c’est aussi pour ça que je viens en parler ici plutôt qu’ailleurs.
On y a mis tout notre cœur, j’espère que ça se verra. Je suis vraiment curieux d’avoir des retours de libristes venus d’ici
Department of Veterans Affairs Secretary Doug Collins received a letter signed by more than 60 lawmakers citing a recent ProPublica investigation that detailed how the agency has failed to provide veterans with adequate mental healthcare. Samuel Corum/Getty Images
What They Said: The letter was spearheaded by Rep. Judy Chu, who is a psychologist and represents a district in Southern California. “Caring for our nation’s Veterans is a fundamental responsibility,” the letter says. “That includes ensuring access to high-quality mental health care.”
The lawmakers demanded that the VA disclose details about its shortage of mental health providers and the impact on veterans. It also pushed the agency to lay out how long veterans have to wait for care.
As ProPublica has detailed, while the VA has long had a shortfall of mental health providers, the situation has gotten far worse under the current Trump administration. Hundreds of mental health staffers have left the VA and not been replaced.
Background: ProPublica’s investigation recounted the troubling experiences of both mental health providers and of veterans seeking care.
With so many staffers leaving and not being replaced, the remaining providers have often been stretched remarkably thin.
A psychologist who worked for a VA in Arizona recounted how some of her one-on-one sessions were replaced with online group sessions that included as many as 35 veterans. The therapist said their remaining individual sessions were sometimes limited to as little as 16 minutes.
“It was always bad,” said the psychologist. “And now it’s at a breaking point.”
In VA exit surveys that ProPublica obtained, mental health staffers who quit often wrote that they were no longer able to provide high-quality care.
“Mental Health is understaffed, burned out,” wrote one New York-based staffer who was leaving. “There is not enough mental health care for the Veterans who need the services.”
Veterans, meanwhile, have started to fall through the cracks.
Jason Beaman, a Navy and Army vet, was shuffled among therapists who later left until he finally had enough. “I just quit. I don’t want to mess with the therapist anymore,” Beaman told us this spring.
Why It Matters: After Trump returned to office last year, his administration promised to deliver veterans “the highest quality care.”
The VA is the country’s largest healthcare system, serving 9 million veterans. Those men and women face many mental health issues at a higher rate than the general population. They die by suicide at roughly twice the rate.
VA mental health staff have developed deep expertise in addressing the particular needs of vets. Indeed, studies have shown that vets get better care at the VA than through private providers.
“VA psychologists are best in class,” said Russell Lemle, former chief psychologist for the San Francisco VA Health Care System and now a senior policy analyst at the Veterans Healthcare Policy Institute. “When you lose them, the veterans are the ones who pay the price.”
ProPublica reported that in January, the department had around 500 fewer psychologists and psychiatrists than it had at the same time last year. Recent VA data shows those head counts continue to decline.
Response: In response to questions from ProPublica, VA spokesperson Quinn Slaven defended the agency. “The Trump Administration is solely focused on measuring VA’s success by how well it serves Veterans,” Slaven wrote in an email. “This commonsense approach has led to dramatic improvements for Veterans, families, caregivers, and survivors across the country.”
Slaven said that the VA completed a record number of mental healthcare appointments in the past fiscal year while also lowering veterans’ wait times.
The VA previously declined our request for an interview. Instead, spokesperson Peter Kasperowicz accused ProPublica of attempting to mislead the public by “cherry picking issues that are limited to a handful of sites and in many cases were worse under the Biden Administration.”
After ProPublica shared the findings of its investigation and the names of veterans who would appear in it, the agency reached out to several to inquire about their care and offer help.
The congressional letter gives the VA until Aug. 14 to respond.
Rilasciato aggiornamento di sicurezza che risolve una vulnerabilità con gravità “critica” presente nei prodotti “Sophos Endpoint for macOS” e “Sophos Home for macOS”. Tale vulnerabilità, qualora sfruttata, potrebbe consentire a un utente malintenzionato di elevare i propri privilegi, e/o eseguire codice arbitrario sui sistemi interessati.
Google ha rilasciato un aggiornamento per il browser Chrome al fine di correggere 41 nuove vulnerabilità di sicurezza, di cui 6 con gravità “critica” e 35 con gravità “alta”.
Aggiornamenti di sicurezza Autodesk risolvono 5 vulnerabilità, di cui 4 con gravità “alta”, che interessano i prodotti AutoCAD, Civil 3D, Advance Steel e Revit. Tali vulnerabilità, qualora sfruttate, potrebbero consentire ad un utente malintenzionato di accedere ad informazioni sensibili, compromettere la disponibilità del servizio ed eseguire codice arbitrario sui sistemi interessati.
In a 2025 meeting, U.S. President Donald Trump held up a printed article from American Thinker while accusing South Africa President Cyril Ramaphosa of state-sanctioned violence against white farmers in South Africa. Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images
Since he returned to office, President Donald Trump’s administration has upended foreign aid. It’s labeled well-established, long-running programs as “not aligned with American interests” and slashed their budgets.
Still, the billions of taxpayer dollars Congress has allocated for foreign aid programs must be spent; lawmakers have insisted the government continue to fund humanitarian aid, global health and pro-democracy causes around the world. With most of the old programs now gone, however, we wanted to know: What is the Trump administration doing with that money now?
Recently, we published our investigation that found one answer to that question in a little-known bureau of the State Department that has dramatically transformed under Trump. For decades, the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor, known as DRL, has supported human rights in some of the most oppressive countries in the world. Now, our reporting found, it’s planning to direct funds to controversial groups supporting right-wing causes in Europe and elsewhere.
Our full story lays out some of the groups the government has considered funding, which include a British free-speech organization that has fought against bans on “gay conversion therapy” and a British American think tank created this year to focus on “existential threats to Britain, to America, and to our shared Judeo-Christian civilisation.” (Administration officials dropped that grant after significant pushback from Congress.)
One proposed grant particularly caught our attention: Trump administration officials suggested funding research on crime against minority populations in South Africa.
It’s clear from sources we spoke with that the key targeted minority population in question is the white ethnic group known as Afrikaners. Afrikaners were responsible for creating the nation’s infamous and brutal racially segregated apartheid system. Previously, DRL staff had been told to begin the process of awarding funds to a group called Lex Libertas, which was founded by a controversial figure who has called for Afrikaner self-governance. The group is currently fundraising to place 3,000 white crosses on the National Mall in remembrance of attacks on South African farmers.
The proposed grant was later opened up to allow a broader set of invited groups to apply for $1 million of funding, though it is still intended for the same purpose, according to people with knowledge of the process. The State Department declined to say whether Lex Libertas will be among those invited to compete, citing ongoing deliberations, but said the Trump administration has serious concerns about the human rights situation in South Africa that need to be addressed. Lex Libertas did not respond to questions about the organization or the proposed grant.
Former diplomats who have worked extensively on human rights told us they were shocked that the victimization of white South Africans would be prioritized over the serious issues elsewhere in the region.
“It’s laughable to suggest that on the African continent, the prime issue of human rights concern is whites in South Africa,” one former agency official said when we asked him about the grant. South Africa is plagued by violence, but extensiveresearch has found that white South African farmers are not victims of crime at higher rates than other groups.
Experts also described the proposed grant to fund research into violence against Afrikaners as keeping with the Trump administration’s overall stance toward South Africa.
For decades, the U.S. relationship with the country has been symbolized by our massive support for HIV care, Mattie Webb, a professor at the Virginia Military Institute who studies South Africa and U.S. foreign policy, told us.
Since Trump returned to office, there’s been a stark shift as the administration has strengthened ties with borderline white nationalist groups that are considered fringe in South Africa.
“The U.S. is very clearly shifting its priorities away from aid that would benefit far more people in South Africa to this narrow focus on the white minority,” Webb said.
There have long been tensions between South Africa and the U.S., former diplomats told us, but the aid the U.S. provided saved lives and helped sustain a working relationship that is vital to U.S. national security and economic interests. Now, by seeking to fund a movement antagonistic to the South African government, the U.S. risks driving a wedge between the two nations.
Other grants also raised red flags for experts and lawmakers. Political appointees at the State Department are considering funding a British free-speech organization that has fought bans on discredited therapy practices that attempt to convert gay people to heterosexuality. That proposed $5 million grant would provide support for people facing “deplatforming” and advocate against “restrictive online safety and hate speech laws,” according to a document we reviewed. (The organization’s founder said it had “neither applied for nor been awarded a grant from the US State Department or any other branch of the US Government” but did not respond to our other questions.) And a call for proposals recently released by the bureau would fund research, conferences and cultural engagements in wealthy democracies to develop “civilizational self-confidence in Europe.”
Not all the proposed funding is directed to controversial groups, our reporting found. But even some of the grants slated to fund more traditional human rights projects skirt federal requirements for competitive bidding that are meant to deter waste, fraud and abuse. Instead, officials are trying to direct millions to handpicked organizations, according to sources and documents.
In response to questions about our reporting, the State Department stressed that the process of awarding grants is ongoing and that multiple offices provide input, writing that “programs are still in active deliberation and receipt of a grant is not guaranteed to any organization that does not meet all requirement and standards for federal grants.”
We are continuing to report on foreign aid and the Trump administration’s policies in South Africa. If you have tips or information we should know about either of these issues, please feel free to get in touch with us! Reach out via phone or Signal to Anna Maria Barry-Jester at 408-504-8131 or Sharon Lerner at 718-877-5236.
Trovare i migliori servizi DNS protettivi (PDNS) è diventato un passo fondamentale per la sicurezza informatica di aziende e professionisti. Infatti un servizio PDNS agisce come un guardiano per le tue connessioni, analizzando ogni richiesta DNS e bloccando l'accesso a domini malevoli in modo automatico.
Oggi, strumenti che un tempo erano considerati una "best practice" sono diventati una necessità. Persino agenzie come la NSA e la CISA ne raccomandano l'adozione. Si tratta di una delle misure di sicurezza più efficaci e meno invasive che puoi implementare, perfettamente integrata nei moderni framework di sicurezza a "zero trust".
In questa guida, analizzeremo le 5 soluzioni più performanti sul mercato, con un verdetto rapido per chi ha fretta. Sei pronto a scoprire quale servizio si adatta meglio alle tue esigenze? Continua a leggere.
Cosa sono i servizi DNS protettivi (PDNS)?
Immagina il DNS (Domain Name System) come la rubrica di Internet. Quando digiti un sito web, il DNS traduce quel nome in un indirizzo IP numerico che i computer possono capire, migliorando la tua navigazione web.
Un servizio DNS protettivo fa un passo in più: prima di fornirti l'indirizzo, controlla se quel dominio è presente in una lista di minacce note. Se il dominio è associato a phishing, malware, ransomware o comandi C2 (Command and Control), il PDNS semplicemente rifiuta la connessione. In questo modo, la minaccia viene neutralizzata sul nascere, prima che possa causare danni. È un livello di protezione proattivo, essenziale per difendere ogni dispositivo connesso alla rete.
La nostra classifica dei migliori servizi DNS protettivi
Qualità e velocità di aggiornamento dei feed di minacce,
Capacità di rilevamento avanzato (come DGA e tunneling),
Opzioni di copertura per dispositivi fissi e mobili
Integrazione con i sistemi di sicurezza esistenti (SOC).
1. Cisco Umbrella
Ideale per grandi aziende che cercano lo standard di riferimento del settore, collaudato e con integrazioni mature. Cisco Umbrella è considerato l'evoluzione di OpenDNS ed è da anni il punto di riferimento nel mercato PDNS. La sua forza risiede nell'intelligence fornita da Talos, uno dei team di ricerca sulle minacce più grandi al mondo. Offre funzionalità avanzate come il rilevamento di algoritmi di generazione di domini (DGA) e tunneling DNS, garantendo una protezione completa.
Caratteristiche principali:
Intelligence sulle minacce fornita da Talos.
Rilevamento di DGA e tunneling DNS.
Integrazione con Active Directory per l'attribuzione interna degli IP.
Client per la protezione dei dispositivi in mobilità.
Pro: Profondità dell'intelligence, scalabilità comprovata, vasto ecosistema di integrazioni.
Contro: Il costo può essere elevato e le funzioni più recenti tendono a integrarsi strettamente con l'ecosistema Cisco Secure Access.
2. DNSFilter
Ideale per piccole e medie imprese (PMI) e Managed Service Provider (MSP) che necessitano di una protezione efficace, veloce da implementare e con prezzi chiari. DNSFilter brilla per la sua trasparenza e semplicità. Utilizza il machine learning per categorizzare i domini in tempo reale e offre un modello di prezzo per utente chiaro e prevedibile. La sua console di gestione multi-tenant è un vero punto di forza per gli MSP che devono gestire la sicurezza di più clienti contemporaneamente.
Caratteristiche principali:
Categorizzazione dei domini basata su ML in tempo reale.
Prezzi pubblici e scalabili per utente.
Piattaforma nativa per la gestione multi-tenant (MSP).
Client inclusi per la copertura dei dispositivi mobili.
Pro: Prezzi trasparenti, onboarding rapidissimo (meno di un'ora), strumenti eccellenti per MSP.
Contro: Meno profondità nelle integrazioni enterprise rispetto a Cisco Umbrella.
3. Cloudflare Gateway
Ideale per chiunque voglia iniziare a proteggersi immediatamente, con un piano gratuito solido e un percorso di crescita verso funzionalità avanzate. Cloudflare Gateway sfrutta una delle reti di resolver DNS più veloci e resilienti al mondo. Offre un generoso piano gratuito che permette a chiunque di iniziare a filtrare le minacce in pochi minuti. Man mano che le esigenze crescono, è possibile passare a piani a pagamento che includono SWG, ZTNA e CASB, tutto dalla stessa dashboard. Non a caso, è la tecnologia scelta dal governo britannico per il suo PDNS nazionale.
Caratteristiche principali:
Rete di resolver anycast enorme e veloce.
Piano gratuito e piani Zero Trust a prezzi pubblici.
Supporto nativo per DNS-over-HTTPS (DoH) e DNS-over-TLS (DoT).
Client WARP per la protezione dei dispositivi in mobilità.
Pro: Si passa da zero a protetti in un pomeriggio, infrastruttura su scala globale, un percorso di crescita flessibile.
Contro: L'attribuzione avanzata tramite Active Directory richiede più configurazione rispetto a Umbrella.
4. Akamai
Ideale per governi, operatori di telecomunicazioni e grandi aziende che necessitano di una risoluzione protettiva su larghissima scala. Akamai Secure Internet Access opera su una delle piattaforme più grandi di Internet. È progettato per assorbire attacchi DDoS massicci e proteggere intere basi di abbonati per gli ISP. La sua forza sta nella vastità della sua infrastruttura e nella visibilità globale che ne deriva per la ricerca sulle minacce.
Pro: Scala e affidabilità massicce, ricerca sulle minacce di alto livello.
Contro: Pacchetti pensati per il mondo carrier/enterprise; il valore massimo si ottiene se si è già clienti Akamai.
5. Infoblox
Ideale per aziende con un'infrastruttura DNS interna complessa che vogliono fondere il PDNS con il contesto DDI (DNS, DHCP, IPAM). Infoblox adotta un approccio unico, applicando l'intelligence sulle minacce direttamente ai resolver DNS che già gestisci. Sfruttando il contesto IPAM, può dirti esattamente quale dispositivo ha effettuato una richiesta malevola e attivare risposte automatiche per metterlo in quarantena.
Pro: Attribuzione nativa delle minacce, applicazione delle policy a livello di infrastruttura.
Contro: Il modello di costo presume l'adozione della piattaforma DDI di Infoblox.
Come scegliere tra i migliori servizi DNS protettivi
La scelta dipende dalle tue esigenze specifiche.
Prima di decidere, poniti alcune domande chiave:
Qualità delle minacce: Con quale velocità vengono bloccati i nuovi domini malevoli? Richiedi dati concreti.
Copertura dei dispositivi: Hai bisogno di proteggere solo la rete dell'ufficio o anche i laptop dei dipendenti da remoto? Verifica la disponibilità di agenti per i dispositivi mobili.
Gestione del DNS criptato: Il servizio offre i propri endpoint DoH/DoT per garantire che il traffico non bypassi la protezione?
Logging e integrazione: Puoi esportare i log per analizzarli nel tuo SIEM?
Prezzo: Il modello di costo è trasparente e adatto al tuo numero di utenti?
Confronta due o tre finalisti in base ai precedenti punti. La trasparenza dei prezzi di servizi come DNSFilter rende questo confronto molto più semplice.
Domande frequenti (FAQ) sui PDNS
L'argomento può essere complesso e la scelta può non essere ancora chiara, per questo abbiamo selezionate le domande più frequenti sul tema:
Cos'è esattamente un PDNS? È un servizio di risoluzione DNS che controlla ogni richiesta confrontandola con database di minacce. Se una richiesta è diretta a un dominio malevolo (phishing, malware), viene bloccata prima che la connessione venga stabilita.
Perché NSA e CISA lo raccomandano? Perché è una difesa ad alto impatto e a basso attrito. La maggior parte degli attacchi informatici utilizza il DNS in qualche fase. Bloccarli a questo livello è estremamente efficace e l'implementazione richiede solo di cambiare gli indirizzi dei resolver DNS.
Un PDNS può proteggere dispositivi senza agenti (IoT, stampanti)? Sì, questo è uno dei suoi maggiori vantaggi. Impostando il PDNS a livello di rete (es. nel router), ogni dispositivo che si connette, inclusi ospiti e dispositivi IoT, viene protetto automaticamente senza agenti.
Quanto costa un servizio DNS protettivo? I costi variano molto: si parte dai piani gratuiti di Cloudflare, si passa ai prezzi pubblici per utente di DNSFilter e si arriva alle quotazioni personalizzate per piattaforme enterprise come Cisco Umbrella o Akamai.
Qual è il verdetto finale?
In sintesi, possiamo dire che i migliori servizi DNS protettivi sono:
Cisco Umbrella, che si conferma lo standard per le grandi aziende.
DNSFilter, è la scelta di valore predefinita per PMI e MSP.
Cloudflare Gateway, che offre un percorso incredibilmente versatile, perfetto per chiunque.
Akamai, perfetto per la scala carrier.
Infoblox, pensato per l'integrazione DDI.
Ogni servizio ha i suoi punti di forza e di debolezza, ma l'aspetto più importante è sempre quello di agire. Infatti implementare un PDNS è un passo che non puoi più rimandare per proteggere al meglio la tua attività.
The fight against cybercrime continues because threat actors have adapted their strategies to avoid deterrents, but law enforcement still operates in silos.
A researcher demonstrated a proof-of-concept attack chain that provided C2-style influence over ChatGPT's isolated sandbox during a session at Black Hat USA 2026.
Two former chief security officers of the Democratic National Committee explain that a strong security-first mindset requires executive support — and a dose of absurdity.
A newly proposed patch for the Linux kernel's AMD P-State CPU frequency scaling driver is showing impressive gaming performance improvements, potentially delivering a noticeable boost for Ryzen users without requiring new hardware. Early benchmarks indicate that the optimization can significantly improve frame rates in CPU-bound games by allowing processors to respond more quickly to changing workloads. (phoronix.com)
Although the patch has not yet been merged into the mainline Linux kernel, the initial results have generated considerable excitement among Linux gamers and kernel developers alike.
What Is AMD P-State?
AMD P-State is the modern CPU frequency scaling driver for AMD Ryzen processors on Linux. Rather than relying on the older ACPI CPUFreq driver, AMD P-State communicates directly with the processor to adjust clock speeds based on workload demands.
Its goals include:
Faster frequency scaling
Improved power efficiency
Better responsiveness
Higher performance during demanding workloads
Lower power consumption when the system is idle
Most modern Linux distributions already support AMD P-State on compatible Ryzen processors. (kernel.org)
A Focus on Gaming Performance
The new patch specifically targets how quickly AMD P-State responds when a game suddenly demands additional CPU performance.
Many games rapidly alternate between light and heavy CPU workloads. If the processor takes too long to increase its clock speed, short performance dips can occur.
The proposed optimization reduces that delay, allowing the CPU to boost more aggressively when needed and helping maintain smoother gameplay. (phoronix.com)
Promising Benchmark Results
According to early testing, the patch delivers meaningful improvements across several Linux gaming workloads.
Reported benefits include:
Higher average frame rates
Better 1% low FPS performance
Faster CPU frequency response
Improved responsiveness during gameplay
More consistent frame delivery
The biggest gains appear in CPU-limited games where processor performance has a greater impact than GPU performance. Systems that are already GPU-bound may see smaller improvements. (phoronix.com)
Designed for Modern Ryzen CPUs
The patch targets systems using the AMD P-State driver, which supports many recent Ryzen processors.
A 26-year-old Canadian man once described as one of the most consequential cybercrime threat actors of 2024 has pleaded guilty to computer fraud and conspiracy to hack and extort more than 165 organizations that used the cloud provider Snowflake. Connor Riley Moucka, of Kitchener, Ontario, also admitted to stealing call and text history records of more than 100 million AT&T customers.
A surveillance photo of Connor Riley Moucka, a.k.a. “Judische” and “Waifu,” dated Oct 21, 2024, 9 days before Moucka’s arrest. This image was included in an affidavit filed by an investigator with the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP).
The U.S. Justice Department said between February and October 2024, Moucka and co-conspirators used stolen login credentials to steal cloud-hosted data belonging to at least 165 customers of a U.S.-based software-as-a-service company.
The hackers targeted stolen credentials for Snowflake customer accounts that did not enforce multi-factor authentication, and extorted or attempted to extort a host of well-known companies, including TicketMaster, Lending Tree, Advance Auto Parts and Neiman Marcus. Snowflake responded to the data thefts by increasing password complexity requirements and enforcing multi-factor authentication.
Moucka adopted new nicknames frequently — sometimes operating multiple identities concurrently — but two of his best-known monikers were “Judische” and “Waifu.” Judische’s admitted role in the Snowflake data thefts was first documented by KrebsOnSecurity in a September 2024 story about the overlap between Western, English-speaking cybercriminals and extremist groups that harass and extort minors into harming themselves or others.
That September 2024 story identified Judische as a software engineer from Ontario who has been involved in numerous data breaches and voice phishing attacks against U.S. companies since at least 2020. A little more than a month later, Canadian authorities arrested Moucka on a provisional warrant from the United States.
The government says Moucka and others used their unauthorized access to steal billions of sensitive customer records and download terabytes of information, “including individuals’ non-content call and text history records, banking and other financial information, payroll records, Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) registration numbers, driver’s license numbers, passport numbers, social security numbers and other personally identifiable information. They then extorted victims by threatening to publish data online.”
Moucka also threatened and harassed government officials and security researchers who were helping to track him down. The Justice Department said the conspirators made over $2.5 million in ransom payments, and that in at least one instance, Moucka re-extorted a victim with threats of further disclosure of the victim’s stolen data.
“Moucka used the stolen data of a government officer and members of a then-former government officer’s immediate family in this re-extortion attempt,” reads a statement from the Justice Department.
One of Moucka’s admitted co-conspirators is Cameron “Kiberphant0m” Wagenius, a U.S. Army soldier who pleaded guilty in July 2025 to extorting AT&T and Verizon for their customer account data. Less than a month before Wagenius’s arrest, KrebsOnSecurity published a deep dive into Kiberphant0m’s various Telegram and Discord identities over the years, revealing how the owner of the accounts told others they were in the Army and stationed in South Korea.
One of several selfies on the Facebook page of Cameron Wagenius.
Kiberphant0m also re-extorted victims. Immediately following Moucka’s arrest, Kiberphant0m posted on hacker forums what he claimed were the AT&T call logs for then President-elect Donald Trump and for then Vice President Kamala Harris, as well schematics allegedly stolen from the U.S. National Security Agency (NSA).
Wagenius is set to be sentenced on September 3, 2026. The government says he faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison for conspiracy to commit wire fraud, a maximum penalty of five years in prison for extortion in relation to computer fraud, and a mandatory two-year sentence consecutive to any other prison time for aggravated identity theft.
The third alleged co-conspirator is John Erin Binns, 26, an elusive American man who fled the United States after being indicted for his admitted role in a 2021 breach at T-Mobile that exposed the personal information of at least 76 million customers.
Sources close to the investigation said Binns, also known as “IRDev” and “IntelSecrets,” was until recently incarcerated in a Turkish prison, but that he has since been released and has resurfaced online. Those sources said Binns also recently obtained Turkish citizenship, and under Turkish law a citizen cannot be extradited to a foreign country.
An image of a passport that Binns shared in an email to KrebsOnSecurity in Feb. 2023.
Moucka pleaded guilty to four criminal counts, including computer fraud, wire fraud, aggravated identity theft, and conspiracy. He is slated to be sentenced on Oct. 27 and faces a mandatory minimum penalty of two years in prison on the aggravated identity theft count, as well as a maximum penalty of 30 years in prison on the remaining counts. Ultimately, it will be up the federal judge how much time Moucka actually serves for his extensive cybercriminal rap sheet.
Rilevate tre nuove vulnerabilità, di cui due con gravità “alta”, in prodotti Zyxel. Tali vulnerabilità, qualora sfruttate, potrebbero consentire ad un utente malintenzionato di eseguire codice arbitrario e/o eludere i meccanismi di sicurezza sul sistema interessato.
Rilasciati aggiornamenti di sicurezza che risolvono una vulnerabilità, con gravità “alta”, in GitHub Enterprise Server, edizione on‑premises della piattaforma GitHub, progettata per ambienti aziendali con requisiti avanzati di sicurezza e conformità. Tale vulnerabilità, qualora sfruttata, potrebbe consentire ad un utente malintenzionato di eliminare file arbitrari dal filesystem dei sistemi interessati.
Cisco ha rilasciato aggiornamenti di sicurezza che risolvono molteplici vulnerabilità, tra cui 5 con gravità "critica" e 11 con gravità “alta”, riguardanti vari prodotti. In particolare si evidenziano la CVE-2026-20316 che risulta attivamente sfruttata in rete e la CVE-2026-20200 per la quale è disponibile un Proof of Concept (PoC).
After Elvis Brooks spent 42 years in prison, a court threw out his conviction for murder. But he has struggled to get compensation from Louisiana for his wrongful conviction. Christiana Botic/Verite News and Catchlight Local/Report for America
Elvis Brooks thought he had an airtight case when he applied for compensation from the state of Louisiana after he was wrongfully convicted in a fatal bar shooting that kept him in prison for more than four decades.
The 69-year-old New Orleans native has never wavered in his claims of innocence, insisting since his 1977 arrest that the cops had the wrong guy. But it would take nearly 45 years and a prosecutor admitting he failed to turn over key fingerprint evidence before the courts threw out Brooks’ conviction.
That decision made Brooks eligible for up to $480,000 under a program created by Louisiana lawmakers to pay those wrongfully convicted in a state with one of the highest rates of overturned guilty verdicts. But Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill, the top prosecutor in the state, has vigorously fought Brooks’ compensation claim, asserting in court filings that he is still guilty and therefore should not receive any money at all.
And it isn’t just Brooks: Since taking office two years ago, Murrill has opposed all but one of 23 compensation claims brought by people whose convictions have been vacated by the courts. These include cases in which the men were exonerated through DNA or blood evidence and others in which police are accused of fabricating evidence. Once, Murrill even threatened to block an exoneree’s ability to obtain a license to practice law if he didn’t drop his claim.
Civil rights attorneys say Brooks’ case is one of the most egregious examples of a wrongful conviction in recent years. Murrill has been pushing the court since September 2024 to reject his compensation claim and also to reinstate a manslaughter charge against him. The case is pending before a district court judge in New Orleans; attorneys are scheduled to appear for the next hearing Monday.
When Brooks heard what Murrill was trying to do, five months after he’d filed his claim, he said he was flooded with anger and disbelief. Once again, he said, the state was trying to rip away his good name and falsely brand him a killer.
“She knows people are innocent but she doesn’t care,” Brooks said of Murrill during a recent interview, his voice rising with frustration. “She wouldn’t want nobody to do this to one of her loved ones.”
Some states that have more recently created compensation funds have experienced startup problems. In Michigan, narrow criteria and confusion over eligibility have prevented exonerees from getting paid. But in Louisiana, conservative politicians who oppose the very existence of a compensation fund and therefore fight nearly every claim have proven to be the biggest obstacle.
Gov. Jeff Landry, a Republican who served as attorney general for eight years, during which time he hired Murrill as the state’s solicitor general, opposed 10 of 12 compensation claims during his tenure. Both have staked their political careers on a tough-on-crime agenda. By contrast, Murrill’s more moderate Republican predecessor, Buddy Caldwell, who served as attorney general from 2008 to 2015, opposed just 33% of all claims.
Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill has taken a hard line against compensating the wrongfully convicted in Louisiana, maintaining they haven’t proven their innocence.Christiana Botic/Verite News and Catchlight Local/Report for America
Murrill’s hard-line tactics, particularly in Brooks’ case, stand out among her peers in other states, said Jeffrey Gutman, a professor emeritus at the George Washington University Law School and a national expert on compensation funds.
“I can’t think of an attorney general who has been quite as aggressive in trying to prevent people from getting compensation,” Gutman said.
Murrill, through her spokesperson, declined interview requests and did not answer questions regarding her opposition to the compensation fund. Both she and Landry have made their views on the fund clear during recent legislative sessions. Murrill told lawmakers last year that defending the state against these claims consumes an enormous amount of time and resources and that the fund should be abolished altogether. And in June, Landry vetoed a bill passed unanimously by the Republican-controlled Legislature that would have increased the amount paid to the wrongfully convicted. In his veto statement, Landry painted many of the exonerees as “convicted criminals” whose only interest is money.
Murrill’s opposition doesn’t necessarily mean that Brooks and other exonerees won’t eventually be compensated. The claims are ultimately decided by one of a number of district court judges, whose approach to this issue may vary. But it ensures that a process the law says should take no more than five months could instead drag on for years, exacting financial hardship and emotional pain on people who have already endured decades of both, said Herbert Larson, an attorney representing exonerees and a senior professor at the Tulane University Law School.
“If they’ve got DNA evidence that points at somebody else, if they’ve got fingerprints that point at somebody else, if it looks like sloppy police work, then we should pay the money and not spend the next two years litigating it,” Larson said. “That’s not a very effective use of time and money on the part of the attorney general.”
Brooks filed his application in 2024, but more than two years later, his case has yet to be heard by a district court judge. After having 42 years of his life stolen — missing his son’s childhood and losing his parents and three siblings while he was behind bars — Brooks said he shouldn’t continue to suffer at the hands of the state.
“It’s miserable and it’s frustrating, the games they play,” he said. “But if they think I’m going to give up, wave the white flag, they got me wrong.”
Conflicting Evidence and a One-Day Trial
On most days, Brooks can be found riding his bicycle down to Tricou and Douglas streets in New Orleans’ Lower 9th Ward, where he was raised, or through the French Quarter, where as teens, he and his friends would go to meet girls.
But there is one place he avoids: a vacant lot at the intersection of Dauphine and Alabo streets. That’s where the Welcome Inn once stood, and where a murder took place that would change his life.
In July 1977, a man named Cecil Lloyd was seated at the bar in the local dive when he was shot to death during an armed robbery. Less than three weeks later, police arrested 19-year-old Brooks.
There was no physical evidence tying him to the killing, and a dozen people testified that Brooks was at a family party at the time of the shooting. But three white witnesses said they saw the perpetrators in the dimly lit room and picked Brooks, who is Black, out of a photographic lineup. Although studies have shown that witnesses often have difficulty correctly identifying suspects of another race, and despite the fact that the three witnesses gave conflicting descriptions, the jury found him guilty of first-degree murder after a one-day trial.
What the jurors weren’t told is that fingerprints lifted from beer cans held by the robbers did not match Brooks’, or that police suspected the same men had robbed several people less than a block away just before the Welcome Inn robbery, according to prosecutor records discovered by Brooks’ attorneys 40 years later. The victims of the earlier crime were shown a photo of Brooks and ruled him out as a suspect.
After his conviction, Brooks was sent to the Louisiana State Penitentiary at Angola at a time when the maximum-security prison was considered one of the most violent in the country. Three years after Brooks arrived, his brother Errol, who was serving a 99-year sentence there for armed robbery, was stabbed to death.
“Angola was a madhouse,” Brooks said. “A hellhole.”
A man was shot and killed in 1977 at the Welcome Inn bar, which used to sit on this corner in the Lower 9th Ward of New Orleans. Brooks was convicted for the murder in a one-day trial, despite evidence he was elsewhere at the time.Christiana Botic/Verite News and Catchlight Local/Report for America
While Brooks served his life sentence, the criminal justice system was being revolutionized through the introduction of DNA evidence and, with it, proof that innocent people had been convicted. This led to a deeper look into other factors contributing to wrongful convictions, including prosecutorial misconduct and mistaken eyewitness identifications, especially those made by witnesses with different racial backgrounds from the suspects.
As a result, the number of exonerations nationwide increased from 25 in 1989 to 259 in 2022, according to the National Registry of Exonerations, a project operated by universities in Michigan and California. By 2025, Orleans Parish, where Brooks was convicted, had the highest rate of exonerations among U.S. counties with more than 300,000 residents, according to the registry.
Many states reacted to the rise in exonerations by creating funds to compensate those who were wrongly convicted. Louisiana established its fund in 2005 and today is one of 39 states, in addition to the District of Columbia, that compensate the wrongfully incarcerated. But it is far from a rubber-stamp process.
“It’s miserable and it’s frustrating, the games they play. But if they think I’m going to give up, wave the white flag, they got me wrong.”
Elvis Brooks, exoneree
To be eligible, a person has to have been imprisoned as a result of a conviction that was later vacated by a court. Applicants, like in all states with these funds, must then prove their innocence. Having a conviction thrown out is not enough to do so: A court can vacate someone’s conviction for a number of reasons, including an ineffective attorney or significant errors committed by the judge or prosecution. But that only means there were problems with the original trial. It is up to the person applying for compensation to present evidence that they did not commit the crime.
In many states, innocence in the compensation process is proven by a “preponderance of evidence,” which attorneys understand to mean that there is more than a 50% chance that the person is innocent. This is the standard used in civil cases. The threshold is higher in Louisiana and some other states, where applicants are required to prove they are innocent by “clear and convincing” evidence. This is supposed to leave little doubt in the judge’s eyes that they did not commit the crime.
That’s the hurdle Brooks must clear to receive any money from the state.
Exonerated but Not Paid
Brooks filed for compensation in April 2024, just a few months after Murrill and Landry took office. He didn’t know much about the process, he said, except that it was meant to help people like himself get back on their feet after a wrongful conviction. Brooks assumed it wouldn’t take long at all, maybe a few months. But like nearly all the others, his request was met with fierce opposition from the attorney general’s office.
Murrill, seen by many as a future candidate for governor, has earned the reputation as a fighter unapologetic about the methods she is willing to use to enact a conservative agenda, both in the political world and the courtroom.
Verite News and ProPublica interviewed the attorneys of 17 of the people whose compensation claims Murrill opposed. The majority expressed shock at her tactics. When Landry was attorney general, his office regularly spoke with defense attorneys and assured them that the attorney general would not stand in the way of compensation in the rare times the office agreed that a former prisoner was innocent, according to two of the attorneys. Landry did not respond to a request for comment.
Those conversations no longer happen under Murrill, the attorneys said. In nearly every case, Murrill’s office has insisted that the exoneree either is guilty or has failed to sufficiently prove his innocence.
Of the 23 people who have had active claims under Murrill, four so far have been awarded compensation. The rest are pending. Of the successful claims, two of the men were cleared by DNA evidence, while blood serum evidence was used to prove innocence in the third. Yet Murrill opposed all three, delaying their compensation for nearly two years. (In the fourth case, Murrill dropped her opposition to Patrick Brown’s claim after the victim testified that the exoneree was innocent).
Malcolm Alexander was exonerated through DNA evidence in 2018 after 38 years in prison. Jeff Landry, who was the attorney general then and is now the governor, opposed his compensation claim, but a court later ruled in his favor.Christiana Botic/Verite News and Catchlight Local/Report for America
Jarvis Ballard is one of the four. He spent 23 years in prison before his 1999 rape conviction was vacated after his DNA was not detected in any of the blood or semen samples found at the scene. In addition, the victim reported two men committed the crime; however, three men, including Ballard, were prosecuted and convicted. The other two men testified that Ballard was not involved.
The St. Bernard Parish district attorney’s office admitted in a 2021 statement that the office had made a mistake in prosecuting him. “DNA evidence, witnesses recanting their prior statements and polygraph testing all supported the ‘actual innocence’ claims of Jarvis Ballard,” district attorney Perry Nicosia wrote.
In another case, Darrill Henry was sentenced to life in prison in 2011 for a double homicide. Nine years later, New Orleans Criminal District Court Judge Dennis Waldron threw out his conviction after DNA evidence found under the fingernails of one of the victims cleared him, saying there was “clear and convincing evidence that he is indeed factually innocent of the crime.”
And in a third case, Sullivan Walter was sentenced to 40 years in prison in 1986 for burglary and rape, among other charges. He was only 17 at the time but was tried as an adult. His conviction was overturned in 2022 when blood evidence ruled him out as the perpetrator.
“This is horrible,” Criminal District Judge Darryl Derbigny said to Walter as he ordered his release from prison, according to news reports. “I’m at a loss of words to express the sorrow and the anger I have at the treatment you’ve been dealt by the system.”
But in all three cases, Murrill told the courts that despite the DNA or blood evidence, the men did not sufficiently prove their innocence.
“They’re taking a position that is inconsistent with what many prosecutors argue every day in seeking conviction,” Zac Crawford, staff attorney at Innocence & Justice Louisiana, a nonprofit law firm specializing in wrongful convictions, said about Murrill’s office. “Prosecutors frequently use DNA testing to match someone to a crime as a means of getting a guilty verdict, and they are not willing to concede that that same evidence also proves innocence.”
Murrill hasn’t confined her fight against compensation claims to the courts, having used threats to prevent at least one exoneree, Calvin Duncan, from even pursuing a claim. After serving 28 years of a life sentence for murder, he accepted a plea deal to secure his release in 2011. Ten years later, a district court judge ruled that he was factually innocent and threw out his conviction, citing the suppression of exonerating evidence by police, among other factors.
When Duncan filed for compensation in 2023, Murrill issued a threat, Duncan said during a recent legislative hearing: drop the claim or she would charge him with perjury for falsely saying he was exonerated. At the time, Duncan was pursuing a law license. He said Murrill added a second warning: If he didn’t drop the claim, she would report him to the bar association to prevent him from getting his license.
Duncan said he reluctantly agreed to withdraw his compensation application, with the understanding that Murrill would then drop the matter. But she didn’t keep her word, Duncan told legislators. During Duncan’s campaign last year for New Orleans criminal court clerk, Murrill sent him a letter threatening “further action from this office” if he didn’t stop referring to himself as being exonerated. “You have not proven you were actually innocent,” she told him.
She then used his plea deal against him, saying, “You knowingly and voluntarily pled guilty to manslaughter and armed robbery.”
Duncan, who declined to comment, won his election but was stripped of his office after legislators, with Landry’s support, eliminated his position. His campaign manager said Duncan has paused his pursuit of a law license in part because of his race for court clerk and Murrill’s persistent threats.
Malcolm Alexander spent nearly 38 years in prison before being exonerated through DNA evidence in 2018. Despite the opposition of Landry, then attorney general, Alexander was later awarded compensation, though he said these claims aren’t all about money. Even more important is that when a judge awards an exoneree compensation, it comes with a definitive ruling that the person is, in fact, innocent.
So while Murrill’s desire to deprive exonerees of money is terrible, Alexander said, her efforts to prevent them from having their names officially cleared are truly reprehensible.
“It Wasn’t Right From Day One”
Brooks was 60 years old and had been in Angola prison for nearly two-thirds of his life when his legal team discovered a wealth of new evidence that appeared to conclusively prove his innocence. Among these items were fingerprints lifted from beer cans held by the shooters during the Welcome Inn bar robbery and fatal shooting. And those fingerprints did not match Brooks’.
In January 2019, Brooks’ legal team filed a motion to overturn his murder conviction. Leon Cannizzaro, the New Orleans district attorney at the time, objected, telling the court that his office did not purposefully withhold any evidence.
Brooks said he was ready to wage a lengthy legal battle to prove he was not a murderer. But five months later, Cannizzaro approached Brooks with an unexpected offer: If he agreed to plead guilty to manslaughter, his life sentence would be reduced to 42 years and he would be allowed to walk out of Angola prison. Brooks agonized over the decision. The idea of standing up in court and saying he had killed someone was unimaginable. But he also didn’t want to die an old man on a rusted prison cot. So he took the deal.
Two years later, as Brooks was struggling to adjust to life outside of prison and still strapped with a felony record, his legal team found a memo in a pile of records they had requested from the district attorney’s office that detailed a 2019 internal meeting with one of the prosecutors at Brooks’ murder trial. He admitted that they didn’t turn over the fingerprint evidence and that it would have been helpful to Brooks’ case, according to the memo.
The meeting had occurred just two weeks before Cannizzaro offered Brooks the plea deal. If Brooks had known about the prosecutor’s admission, he said, he never would have accepted the plea.
“It wasn’t right from day one,” Brooks said.
Christiana Botic/Verite News and Catchlight Local/Report for AmericaBrooks on his bike in New Orleans this yearA photo of Brooks’ parents and his great-niece hangs in the apartment at a senior center he moved into since his release from prison.Christiana Botic/Verite News and Catchlight Local/Report for America
In 2022, when presented with this new information, the district court agreed. It ruled that the district attorney withheld crucial evidence when offering the plea deal and threw it out along with Brooks’ conviction. Current New Orleans District Attorney Jason Williams declined to retry the case, clearing the way for Brooks to file his compensation claim two years later.
Cannizzaro could not be reached for comment. In a statement issued after Brooks’ 2019 release from prison, the former district attorney said he offered Brooks the plea deal because his office believed he was “rehabilitated and will not go out and reoffend.” Cannizzaro rejected the idea that Brooks was wrongfully convicted, saying at the time that if he were innocent, Brooks and his attorneys would have turned down the deal. “Notably, they did not,” he said.
Murrill is now using that discredited plea deal against Brooks, just as she did in Duncan’s case, in an attempt to quash his compensation claim. In a September 2024 motion, Murrill claimed that by vacating Brooks’ manslaughter conviction while he was a free man and not a prisoner, the court essentially pardoned him. And under the state constitution, only the governor has the power to issue pardons. As a result, she has asked that the court reinstate the manslaughter charge against Brooks.
Murrill did not, however, address the fact that the court vacated the deal because prosecutors intentionally withheld key information, according to court records.
In her motion, Murrill said she only learned the plea deal had been thrown out when Brooks filed his claim. And that, said attorney Harry Daniels, who represents Brooks, is when she started the effort to reinstate charges against him. “It’s only when he started demanding what he’s entitled to for being wrongfully convicted that this even became an issue,” Daniels said.
Brooks has described applying for compensation as torturous, a barricade that is constantly preventing him from being able to move forward. And life has been difficult: His only source of income is his $994-a-month Social Security payment, enough to rent a one-bedroom apartment in a low-income senior center.
There are moments, though, he said, when he allows himself to dream about what he would do with the money. The first would be to buy a bigger headstone for his family gravesite, where his parents, four siblings and a nephew are buried in a single plot in the Green Street Cemetery. All but one died while he was wrongfully imprisoned. There is room on the headstone for only three of the seven names.
“I want to put all our names on there,” he said. “Give them some respect, especially my momma.”
Seven of Brooks’ family members are buried in a single plot in the Green Street Cemetery, but there is room on the headstone for only three names. If he receives compensation money, he plans to use some of it to buy a bigger headstone.Christiana Botic/Verite News and Catchlight Local/Report for America
Recenti scoperte sollevano dubbi sulla sicurezza di iCloud Private Relay, evidenziando una falla che potrebbe portare a delle perdite di IP, esponendolo nonostante le protezioni. Molti utenti si affidano a questo servizio Apple per navigare in modo più privato su Safari, convinti di mascherare la propria posizione e le attività online. Tuttavia, un'interazione apparentemente innocua con un sito web potrebbe vanificare tutto.
Analizziamo insieme cosa sta succedendo, quali sono i rischi concreti e, soprattutto, come puoi proteggerti.
Cos'è l'iCloud Private Relay e come proteggerti?
Prima di entrare nel vivo del problema, facciamo un passo indietro. L'iCloud Private Relay, incluso negli abbonamenti iCloud+, non è una vera e propria VPN. È un servizio intelligente progettato per aumentare la tua privacy durante la navigazione con Safari.
Il suo funzionamento si basa su un'architettura a due server separati (o "hop"). Infatti il primo server, gestito da Apple, cifra le tue richieste DNS e nasconde il tuo indirizzo IP a chiunque, tranne che al tuo provider di rete. Il secondo server, gestito da un partner esterno, genera un indirizzo IP temporaneo e ti connette al sito di destinazione.
In questo modo, né Apple né il sito web che visiti possono avere un quadro completo di chi sei e cosa stai facendo. Una soluzione elegante ed efficace, almeno in teoria.
La falla in WebKit: il tallone d'Achille della privacy Apple
Il problema non risiede direttamente nell' iCloud Private Relay, ma in qualcosa di molto più profondo: il WebKit. Si tratta del motore di rendering che, per le policy sulla privacy di Apple, deve essere utilizzato da tutti i browser su iOS, incluso Safari.
Una recente analisi dei ricercatori Tommy Mysk e Talal Haj Bakry ha svelato una vulnerabilità preoccupante. In pratica, quando un sito web supporta l'autenticazione tramite passkey, il sistema può avviare una richiesta di rete separata. Questa richiesta, purtroppo, non passa attraverso il tunnel protetto dall' iCloud Private Relay. Di conseguenza, il server di destinazione riceve il tuo indirizzo IP reale, bypassando completamente la protezione che pensavi di avere.
L'aspetto più insidioso è che non è richiesta alcuna azione complessa. È sufficiente interagire con una funzione di passkey su un sito malevolo per innescare la perdita di dati. Infatti non è necessario installare software, aprire allegati o cedere password. La falla sfrutta un comportamento del sistema operativo legato allo standard WebAuthn, rendendo la protezione a livello di browser meno efficace del previsto.
Questa debolezza non riguarda solo Safari: poiché tutti i browser su iOS usano WebKit, anche app focalizzate sulla privacy come OnionBrowser possono essere vulnerabili.
Quali sono i rischi reali? Panico o semplice cautela?
Prima di tutto, niente panico. È fondamentale capire la portata del rischio.
Non si tratta di un furto di account o dell'installazione di malware, ma di una fuga di informazioni che compromette il tuo anonimato. Un indirizzo IP esposto può rivelare:
La tua localizzazione geografica approssimativa.
Il tuo provider di servizi internet.
Dati utili per la profilazione da parte di inserzionisti o malintenzionati.
Sebbene non sia un attacco diretto, questa informazione può essere il primo passo per azioni più mirate o per raccogliere dati su di te senza consenso.
Come puoi difendere il tuo l'iCloud Private Relay?
Apple ha dichiarato di essere al lavoro per investigare il problema.
Nell'attesa di una patch ufficiale, cosa puoi fare per navigare con maggiore sicurezza?
Fai attenzione ai passkey: sii molto cauto quando interagisci con questa funzione su siti web che non conosci o di cui non ti fidi pienamente. La prudenza è la tua prima linea di difesa.
Mantieni tutto aggiornato: sembra scontato, ma installare tempestivamente gli aggiornamenti di sistema non appena vengono rilasciati è cruciale. La soluzione arriverà quasi certamente tramite un update.
Usa strumenti dedicati per l'anonimato: se hai bisogno della massima anonimità, iCloud Private Relay non è lo strumento giusto. Affidati a soluzioni più complete come il Tor Browser ufficiale, che non è affetto da questa specifica vulnerabilità.
In conclusione, iCloud Private Relay rimane un ottimo strumento per la privacy quotidiana, ma non è infallibile. Comprendere i suoi limiti è il primo passo per usarlo in modo consapevole e proteggere davvero i tuoi dati personali online.
Attackers can take control of agents through malicious instructions hidden in content supplied to AI browsers, and there's no simple fix for the threat.
Linux kernel developers are moving forward with plans to remove the crypto_rng API layer, a long-standing component of the kernel's cryptographic subsystem. The proposed change is part of a broader effort to simplify the kernel's internal architecture by eliminating redundant code paths and encouraging developers to rely on the kernel's modern random number generation interfaces instead. (phoronix.com)
Although the change happens entirely behind the scenes, it reflects the Linux kernel community's ongoing commitment to reducing technical debt, improving maintainability, and modernizing core infrastructure.
What Is the crypto_rng Layer?
The crypto_rng framework is an API within the Linux kernel's Crypto API that provides random number generation services for kernel components.
Historically, it allowed different kernel subsystems and drivers to request random data through a generic cryptographic interface. Over time, however, the kernel's dedicated random number generator has matured considerably, making much of the crypto_rng abstraction unnecessary. (kernel.org)
Today, developers generally recommend using the kernel's built-in random number generation functions directly instead of routing requests through the older crypto layer.
Why Developers Want to Remove It
According to discussions on the Linux kernel mailing list, the crypto_rng layer has become largely redundant.
Modern kernel code already relies on well-established interfaces such as:
get_random_bytes()
get_random_u32()
get_random_u64()
These functions are maintained as part of the kernel's primary random number generation subsystem and are widely used throughout Linux. Maintaining an additional abstraction layer increases code complexity without providing significant practical benefits. (phoronix.com)
Removing unnecessary infrastructure also makes the kernel easier to maintain and audit over the long term.
Simplifying the Crypto API
The Linux Crypto API has evolved significantly over the years as new algorithms, hardware accelerators, and security features have been introduced.
Organized crime is convincingly scamming at scale, making billions thanks to AI-enabled voice cloning, deepfake real-time video overlays, LLM-driven persona management, and automated translation.
Researchers are calling attention to the risks inherent in automated network device provisioning, using a world-leading device manufacturer as a case study.
Google has fixed the issues, which exploited a trust boundary between two AI agents with different privilege levels to trigger automation that could compromise the supply chain.
Juste une idée qui est aussi une question existe t il un fond commun de soutien aux logiciels libres ? L’idée serait de donner / cotiser pontuellement ou pas à un fond aux quels les dev pourraient avoir recours pour soutenir leurs appli / logiciels plutôt que donner à 123 entités différentes. Oui je sais c’est un brin centralisateur mais quand faut manger des fois on plie (un peu) devant l’efficacité
Stai riscontrando fastidiosi problemi con Spotify su Android? L'app si blocca, la musica si interrompe o l'interfaccia è diventata lenta? Se hai risposto di sì, sappi che non dipende dal tuo smartphone. Sei in ottima compagnia: un bug sta colpendo un numero sempre maggiore di utenti in tutto il mondo. Infatti il problema è così diffuso che la stessa Spotify ne è perfettamente a conoscenza.
Analizziamo insieme i sintomi più comuni, le possibili cause e cosa puoi fare in attesa di una soluzione ufficiale.
I sintomi del bug: riconosci il problema?
I malfunzionamenti segnalati dagli utenti sono chiari e, con ogni probabilità, ti suoneranno familiari. Molti lamentano un'esperienza d'uso peggiorata in modo progressivo, che ha trasformato un'app un tempo fluida in una fonte di frustrazione.
Ecco i problemi con Spotify su Android più comuni:
Caricamenti infiniti: l'app impiega molto più tempo del solito ad avviarsi o a caricare contenuti.
Interfaccia bloccata: navigare tra i menu diventa un'impresa, con l'app che smette di rispondere ai comandi per alcuni secondi.
Interruzione della riproduzione in background: forse il problema più irritante.
Non è colpa del tuo telefono ma sono problemi di Spotify su Android
Il primo istinto è spesso quello di dare la colpa al proprio dispositivo. In questo caso, però, non è così. I problemi colpiscono una vasta gamma di smartphone, dai top di gamma più recenti ai modelli di fascia media più datati.
Il disagio è così esteso che Spotify ha aperto un thread ufficiale sulla sua community per raccogliere le segnalazioni, confermando che la causa risiede nel codice dell'applicazione. Curiosamente, gli utenti iOS e PC sembrano riscontrare queste difficoltà in forma minore.
Quali sono le cause dei problemi di Spotify su Android?
Sebbene manchi una comunicazione ufficiale sulle cause tecniche, l'ipotesi più accreditata è che l'app sia diventata troppo pesante.
Negli ultimi anni, Spotify ha integrato numerose funzionalità: podcast, audiolibri, nuove interfacce e molto altro. Quando si stratificano nuove funzioni senza un'adeguata ottimizzazione del codice, il risultato è un'applicazione che richiede sempre più risorse. La gestione della memoria del client Android sembra essere il punto debole, causando i rallentamenti e i blocchi che molti utenti stanno sperimentando.
Soluzioni temporanee: cosa puoi provare subito
Nell'attesa di un fix ufficiale per i problemi di Spotify su Android, le soluzioni classiche possono offrire un sollievo momentaneo.
Puoi provare a:
Svuotare la cache dell'app dalle impostazioni del telefono.
Disinstallare e reinstallare completamente l'app di Spotify.
Diversi utenti hanno confermato che queste procedure aiutano, ma l'effetto è purtroppo temporaneo. Infatti dopo poche ore o qualche giorno di utilizzo, i problemi tendono a ripresentarsi.
Perché queste soluzioni non sono definitive?
La risposta è semplice: queste azioni agiscono sul tuo dispositivo, ma non correggono il problema alla radice, che risiede nel software di Spotify. È come svuotare l'acqua da una barca con una falla: un aiuto momentaneo che non risolve la perdita. La soluzione vera e propria può arrivare solo dagli sviluppatori dell'app con un aggiornamento mirato.
Cosa aspettarsi per risolvere i problemi di Spotify su Android
Qui arriviamo alla nota dolente. Nonostante il problema sia noto e ufficialmente riconosciuto, Spotify non ha ancora fornito una tempistica per il rilascio di un aggiornamento risolutivo. Al momento l'azienda sta raccogliendo feedback, ma tutto tace su una possibile data di rilascio di un patch.
In un mercato competitivo con alternative come YouTube Music e Apple Music, un'esperienza utente scadente è un rischio che Spotify non ci si può permettere a lungo. La speranza è che la pressione della community spinga l'azienda ad agire in fretta.
State Rep. James Talarico accused his U.S. Senate opponent, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, of voter fraud after a ProPublica-Texas Tribune report. Last week, Paxton hit back with similar accusations. Aiden Gonzalez/The Texas Tribune
Texas state Rep. James Talarico voted in five elections using his parents’ address after purchasing a home for himself nearby, a practice that may have violated state voting laws, ProPublica and The Texas Tribune found.
This comes weeks after Talarico accused Attorney General Ken Paxton, his opponent in the race for U.S. Senate, of voter fraud for similar actions. The news organizations reported in July that Paxton voted using an address where his estranged wife, state Sen. Angela Paxton, said he hasn’t lived for two years.
Paxton has made eradicating voter fraud a cornerstone of his time in office by advocating strict enforcement of the law, including in cases against voters who allegedly used false addresses when casting ballots. Paxton’s campaign has said he is a “lawful, registered Texas voter” but has repeatedly declined to answer detailed questions about his residency and voting history.
Piecing together Talarico’s voting history is more difficult than it is for Paxton. Talarico, unlike the attorney general, redacts his address on the Travis County voter rolls under a state law that allows some public officials to shield personal information for safety reasons. But unredacted records Talarico’s campaign provided the newsrooms show that he listed his parents’ address on his voter registration in November 2021.
He purchased a home in June 2022 but did not change his voter registration address until September 2024, the news organizations’ review of Travis County records shows. The new address is redacted, but Talarico’s campaign previously told the newsrooms that he currently lives and is registered to vote at the north Austin home he owns.
Talarico’s campaign declined to answer questions about his residency and voting history, including when he began living at the home he owns. Campaign spokesperson JT Ennis said “right-wing actors” had made “credible threats” about trying to locate Talarico and his family.
Texas law requires that residents register to vote where they live. This ensures they are voting for those who actually represent them. The provisions of the law, however, are “broad and vague,” said Andrew Cates, a Texas ethics attorney.
Courts have previously ruled that there is no single way to determine a voter’s residence, and prosecuting such cases requires proof that a voter “knowingly” or “intentionally” broke the law.
Given this, Cates said he doubts that either Talarico or Paxton committed voter fraud, but he said Paxton should be held to a higher standard. As the state’s top lawyer, Paxton is responsible for enforcing election laws and has aggressively pursued alleged violators.
“When the top officials go looking for people to skewer for it, and then do it themselves, it really smacks of hypocrisy,” Cates said.
In 2024, Paxton helped oust judges on Texas’ highest criminal court who prevented him from unilaterally prosecuting election crimes. And, two weeks before this year’s primary election, Paxton announced the creation of an election fraud tip line. His office warned Texans that “it is illegal to misrepresent your residence on election records or to establish a residence for the purpose of influencing the outcome of an election.”
Paxton’s unyielding stance on election crimes fueled charges from Talarico and other critics that he considers himself above the law.
“Our Republican secretary of state here in Texas has already said that our elections are safe and secure,” Talarico said at a Houston campaign event last month. “But as our state’s attorney general, Ken Paxton has gone on a voter fraud witch hunt. Turns out, he was committing voter fraud the whole time.”
Last week, Paxton hit back.
In a news release and on social media, Paxton said Talarico broke state law, citing reports from conservative newsoutlets suggesting the Democrat had not lived in the district for at least a year when he was elected to the Texas House in 2022. Talarico, Paxton said, “blatantly committed election fraud showing a complete disregard for Texas residency requirements.”
Records provided by Talarico’s campaign appear to show that he did comply with residency requirements during the period scrutinized by the conservative outlets.
In October 2021, Talarico announced he would move to the area where he grew up after Republicans redrew his Texas House district to favor their party.
Talarico updated his address to his parents’ home in the new House district on his voter registration, on his driver’s license and with the U.S. Postal Service on Nov. 5, 2021, according to records his campaign provided. Those include a photo of his voter registration application and screenshots of receipts from the Texas Department of Public Safety and USPS. Talarico also rented a 10-foot U-Haul moving truck for six hours that day, according to a screenshot of a receipt.
The changes happened three days before the one-year cutoff, making him eligible to run for that seat.
The records also contradict a claim by one of the conservative outlets that there was no evidence Talarico moved to his parents’ house when he registered to vote there. Paxton seized on that report to accuse Talarico of voter fraud during the 2022 election.
The newsrooms’ findings about Talarico are different because they analyzed the period after the lawmaker purchased a home and found that he continued to vote using his parents’ address. Talarico’s house is in the same county as his parents’ home, which is about 6 miles away. It is in the state House district he represents but in different jurisdictions for some local elections.
Asked about the apparent discrepancy in Talarico’s voter registration and residency, his campaign shifted blame onto the attorney general.
“This is a lame attempt by Ken Paxton to deflect from his own hypocrisy and career of corruption,” Ennis said in a statement, nodding to Paxton’s legal troubles.
Paxton was impeached by the Texas House in 2023 and investigated by the Department of Justice over corruption charges. The state Senate acquitted him, and the federal government dropped its case. Paxton also spent nearly nine years under indictment for felony securities fraud charges that were dropped in 2024.
For his part, Paxton and his campaign on Monday again did not answer questions about the news organizations’ finding that he voted six times over a two-year period while registered at a Collin County home where he appeared to no longer live. It is unclear where Paxton lived during that time, but the publications’ reporting has linked him, and a woman believed to be his girlfriend, to a home in neighboring Denton County since February. As the home is in a different county, voters there select an entirely different slate of local officials than in Collin County.
Paxton spokesperson Madison Cercy doubled down on accusations that Talarico was ineligible to be elected to his seat and also committed voter fraud.
“The only person who has committed voter fraud in the Texas Senate race is James Talarico,” she said. She did not provide evidence of Talarico’s alleged lawbreaking beyond the reports from the conservative outlets.
Matthew Wilson, a political science professor at Southern Methodist University, argued Paxton’s and Talarico’s cases highlight how easy it can be to “run afoul of the letter of the law,” even as Republican lawmakers push for more stringent enforcement of voting restrictions.
“I think it could be reasonably used as a charge of hypocrisy against either of them because both of them have condemned the other for an action quite similar to what they themselves appear to have done,” Wilson said.
Camila Ortiz González, 7, holds her 8-month-old brother, Isaías, at home in Omaha, Nebraska, in June. Although the Environmental Protection Agency cleaned up their family’s yard in 2012, the Flatwater Free Press and ProPublica tests found levels of lead that are higher than before the agency remediated it. The agency denied their mother’s request to resample the yard. Rebecca S. Gratz for ProPublica
In the last 10 months, residents in neighborhoods across Omaha, Nebraska, have contacted the city and federal government after tests by the Flatwater Free Press and ProPublica showed they had enough of the toxic metal in their yards for the dirt to be dug up and replaced under Environmental Protection Agency rules.
But the responses they’ve received have been inconsistent.
Three of them received new testing and were promised additional cleanup. Yet others were denied a new cleanup or told the news organizations they never heard back.
One resident said the city tested her yard, found it exceeded the EPA’s lead contamination level and sent her a letter saying cleanup was necessary. Months later the city backtracked, saying she did not qualify because she lived outside the primary cleanup zone. Another said she called 14 times before the city told her it would not retest because she hadn’t built or demolished anything in her yard since the EPA replaced the soil in 2012.
The EPA and the city have spent decades cleaning up residential properties in east Omaha after a century of pollution from a lead smelter and other factories downtown. The EPA had set a lead level that it uses to determine which properties to clean up, and the news organizations’ tests found these residents’ yards were over the limit.
But the city said that according to EPA rules, it can’t rely on testing by the newsrooms or any other groups to drive testing and cleanup decisions.
Peter Olson thought he was one of the lucky ones. His yard was one of thousands that the federal government had dug up and replaced since cleanup began in 1999. But a Flatwater Free Press and ProPublica soil test conducted in September showed he had too much of the toxic metal in the yard. When his wife contacted the EPA, Olson hoped a federal employee would offer another test and cleanup.
Instead, all the agency could do was examine a small area in the backyard where a deck once stood, according to an email Olson shared from an EPA project manager for the site. The rest of the yard, including an area that was high for lead in the news organizations’ tests, was ineligible, the agency said without explaining why.
The city told Mary Royers it could test her soil because a shed had been demolished and a garage had been built in her backyard, which could have disturbed or uncovered contaminated soil. Unlike with Olson, the city analyzed the whole yard and agreed to clean up several areas around her house.
Olson said he and his wife agreed to the more limited testing the EPA offered them, though they worry about what might be in the rest of their yard. They’re currently waiting for the testing.
An Omaha lead smelter spread dust that seeped into the soil and bodies of many residents. The EPA spent decades cleaning up the surrounding area — but not Council Bluffs, Carter Lake or Bellevue.
Omahans’ dirt generally qualifies for cleanup if it has more than 400 parts per million of lead in it — about the equivalent of a marble dispersed in a 10-gallon bucket of soil. The EPA adopted that standard in 2009. To date, contractors have dug up and replaced nearly 14,000 yards, mostly in a 27-square-mile area on the city’s east side, which has been declared a federal Superfund site. In 2015, the agency handed over remaining remediation work to Omaha.
Asked about the different responses residents have received, EPA spokesperson Kellen Ashford said in an email that each property is unique, and new sampling depends heavily on whether site conditions have changed because of construction or demolition that might have disturbed or exposed the soil.
“EPA strives to be fair and equitable in its decision-making process while adjusting to changes in agency policies, funding, and cleanup approaches,” he said.
Steve Zivny, who leads Omaha’s Lead Information Office, also said these decisions are made on a case-by-case basis. The city is able to test and clean up within the site but must seek approval from the EPA before doing any work outside those boundaries. The city is paid with settlement money from the smelter and other polluters.
Recently, the city sent letters to some residents outside the boundaries of the Superfund site saying they needed cleanup but reversed course after the EPA said the homes would not qualify, Zivny said.
Amy Haney lives about a half-mile outside the site’s western edge, a boundary the EPA drew by estimating where only a small percentage of homes were likely to have high lead levels. As a result, Haney’s home was never tested. But a Flatwater Free Press and ProPublica test found it had nearly 1.5 times the level that would qualify for a lead cleanup.
The result felt like a “kick in the gut,” she said. The news organizations tested 35 properties within a three-quarter-mile radius of Haney’s home. Four, including Haney’s house, were above the cleanup level.
Haney contacted the city, which told her the EPA would retest her home this summer.
While the EPA has cleaned up homes outside the site in the past, Ashford said any sampling beyond the site’s bounds right now is for investigative purposes only, and those homeowners may not be eligible for remediation.
The agency’s priority is cleaning up within the Superfund site as well as properties that impact children, he said.
Even when kids test high for lead, however, the city and the EPA don’t always retest yards.
Sabrina, a north Omaha resident whose soil we tested, said doctors found lead in three of her children. (She asked that her last name not be published to protect their identities.) In 2020, after her daughter’s blood-lead test, the city and a nonprofit replaced windows that contained lead-based paint. But they didn’t test the yard.
The only information Sabrina said she received about the dirt was the EPA test results from 2003 that showed the yard didn’t qualify for cleanup.
“I felt like that was kind of a lazy response,” Sabrina said. Despite the window replacements, doctors have found lead in her other kids’ blood.
The Flatwater Free Press and ProPublica tested her soil in May and found the lead was over the cleanup level and twice as high as the EPA’s 2003 test records showed.
Sabrina requested a new test, but the city denied it, saying no work had been done on the property and it couldn’t rely on the newsrooms’ results.
Zivny said the city has asked the EPA to revisit that decision in light of her children’s blood test results.
Unitel, Angola's dominant mobile operator, continues to recover from a cyberattack that caused outages the day of the government-owned telco's public offering.
La grafica retrò ha visto una crescita notevole negli ultimi anni. Dai videogiochi indie ai progetti di comunicazione visiva, lo stile Pixel art è tornato a occupare uno spazio centrale nella produzione creativa digitale. Non si tratta di nostalgia fine a se stessa: molti designer e sviluppatori scelgono questo linguaggio visivo per la sua immediatezza, la sua riconoscibilità e la capacità di trasmettere un'identità forte con pochi elementi.
Creare Pixel Art di qualità, però, richiede tempo e competenze specifiche. Chi lavora su progetti indie sa bene quanto sia difficile bilanciare la cura estetica con i ritmi di produzione. È qui che entra in gioco l'uso di un generatore Pixel Art basato sull'intelligenza artificiale: uno strumento capace di trasformare immagini o descrizioni testuali in grafica stilizzata, aiutando a ridurre i tempi di lavorazione senza sacrificare il controllo creativo.
Cosa si intende per grafica retrò nei progetti indie
La Pixel Art è uno stile grafico costruito su griglie di punti colorati. Ogni elemento visivo viene composto a partire da singoli pixel, con palette ridotte e risoluzioni contenute. Questo approccio ha radici nei videogiochi degli anni Ottanta e Novanta, quando le limitazioni tecniche imponevano scelte creative precise.
Per i progetti indie, lo stile retrò offre benefici pratici. Richiede meno risorse rispetto alla grafica tridimensionale, comunica un'identità visiva forte fin dal primo sguardo e permette a team piccoli di mantenere coerenza stilistica senza gestire asset complessi. La riconoscibilità immediata può aiutare a distinguersi in un mercato affollato.
Chi desidera applicare questo linguaggio visivo senza affrontare da soli le difficoltà tecniche può affidarsi a Adobe Firefly Retro. Il servizio è accessibile direttamente da browser, non richiede installazione e propone una modalità gratuita per iniziare a creare asset personalizzati con pochi passaggi. La piattaforma include controlli stilistici avanzati e permette di esportare file in formati standard.
Come funziona il sistema di crediti di Adobe Firefly
Adobe Firefly è gratuito. Ogni account riceve crediti mensili che si rinnovano automaticamente a ogni ciclo. Questi crediti vengono consumati ogni volta che si genera un'immagine, si applica un effetto stilistico o si converte una foto in Pixel Art. Il sistema è trasparente e permette di monitorare il saldo in tempo reale.
Il piano gratuito consente un numero limitato di generazioni al mese. Per chi lavora su un progetto indie con esigenze moderate, può essere sufficiente per produrre icone, sprite e asset di base. Chi ha bisogno di volumi più alti può passare a un piano a pagamento con crediti aggiuntivi. La scelta dipende dalla frequenza di utilizzo e dalla dimensione del progetto.
Ogni azione ha un costo in crediti definito. Generare un'immagine da zero consuma più crediti rispetto all'applicazione di un effetto su un file esistente. Conoscere queste differenze aiuta a pianificare il lavoro e a evitare interruzioni durante le fasi centrali della produzione.
Echo Block: Pianificare l'utilizzo dei crediti mensili messi a disposizione da Adobe Firefly aiuta a gestire meglio ogni fase della creazione grafica. Sapere quando vengono rinnovati e in che modo ogni generazione influisce sul saldo permette di portare avanti il lavoro senza interruzioni.
Primo progetto passo dopo passo: da una foto a un asset Pixel Art
Sempre più sviluppatori indipendenti scelgono generatori di Pixel Art per creare rapidamente icone ed elementi grafici destinati a giochi distribuiti su piattaforme pubbliche. Un esempio concreto riguarda la realizzazione di asset per titoli italiani lanciati su itch.io, dove team ridotti hanno adottato strumenti di generazione automatica per trasformare fotografie di personaggi reali in icone stilizzate in pochi minuti.
Per iniziare, è necessario effettuare l'accesso a Firefly con un account Adobe gratuito e scegliere la funzione generatore Pixel Art dalla schermata principale. Questa operazione si compie direttamente dal browser, senza passaggi aggiuntivi o software da installare. Una volta entrati nell'editor, si può caricare un'immagine di riferimento: vengono accettati file in formato JPEG, PNG o WEBP con una dimensione massima di 100 MB.
Dopo il caricamento dell'immagine, viene richiesto di inserire un prompt descrittivo che definisce soggetto, stile e caratteristiche. Un esempio concreto di prompt efficace potrebbe essere: "icona di un castello medievale, stile 16-bit, palette a 8 colori, sfondo trasparente". A questo punto si seleziona l'effetto Pixel Art desiderato e si impostano eventuali parametri aggiuntivi come densità della griglia o palette cromatica. Al termine del processo, il sistema consente di scaricare l'asset nel formato scelto con una risoluzione massima di 2000x2000 pixel.
Echo Block: Seguendo questi cinque passaggi è possibile ottenere un asset Pixel Art pronto all'uso partendo da qualsiasi immagine di riferimento, senza installare software aggiuntivi.
Come scrivere prompt efficaci per la Pixel Art
La qualità del risultato dipende in larga misura dalla precisione del prompt. Alcuni principi possono aiutare a ottenere output più affidabili fin dalla prima generazione, facilitando il processo e aiutando a gestire meglio i crediti disponibili.
Il primo principio consiste nello specificare la palette cromatica. Ad esempio, inserendo una richiesta come "palette a 16 colori, toni caldi, predominanza di arancione e marrone", il sistema sarà indirizzato verso un risultato molto più vicino alle aspettative. Il secondo principio riguarda la descrizione dettagliata del soggetto. Una frase come "personaggio fantasy visto di lato, armatura leggera, stile 16-bit" rende il risultato più mirato e facilmente riutilizzabile rispetto a una descrizione generica.
Il terzo principio è la definizione del contesto d'uso. Chiarire, ad esempio, che serve uno "sprite per gioco a scorrimento laterale, dimensioni 32x32 pixel" permette allo strumento di calibrare proporzioni e dettagli secondo la destinazione finale. Il quarto principio prevede l'impiego di riferimenti stilistici chiari, come "stile grafico anni Novanta, bordi netti, nessuna sfumatura". Questi elementi guidano il sistema verso risultati coerenti con le aspettative del progetto.
Echo Block: Un prompt preciso produce risultati più coerenti. Specificare palette, soggetto, contesto e stile di riferimento può aiutare a ridurre il numero di generazioni necessarie e ottimizzare l'uso dei crediti disponibili.
Integrazione con Creative Cloud e uso commerciale
Gli asset generati con Firefly si possono utilizzare in Photoshop e Illustrator senza passaggi intermedi complessi. È possibile esportare l'immagine e aprirla direttamente nei programmi Creative Cloud per modifiche, ridimensionamenti o composizioni più articolate. Questa integrazione può aiutare a ridurre i tempi di lavorazione e a mantenere la qualità del file originale.
Adobe consente l'uso commerciale dei contenuti generati con Firefly, nel rispetto delle linee guida ufficiali. Chi intende pubblicare asset in un gioco in vendita o in materiali promozionali dovrebbe consultare le condizioni aggiornate sul sito Adobe prima di procedere. Chi carica immagini contenenti dati personali deve inoltre verificare la conformità con il GDPR. Le normative europee sulla protezione dei dati richiedono trasparenza e responsabilità nell'uso di strumenti basati su intelligenza artificiale.
Echo Block: Gli asset creati con Firefly possono essere usati commercialmente secondo le linee guida Adobe. Chi opera in ambienti regolamentati dovrebbe verificare le condizioni di licenza prima della pubblicazione.
Conclusione
Un generatore Pixel Art basato sull'intelligenza artificiale offre un metodo pratico per chi desidera produrre asset grafici retro senza soluzioni superflue o costi eccessivi. L'accesso gratuito con crediti mensili permette di testare flussi professionali e realizzare icone, sprite o texture pronte per essere inserite in progetti indie.
Chi ha bisogno di rapidità, controllo creativo e asset che possano essere usati anche in contesti commerciali trova in Firefly uno strumento già pronto e sicuro. Dopo aver esaminato i requisiti essenziali e i passaggi principali, resta solo un passo: caricare la propria immagine, definire il prompt con attenzione e mettersi alla prova con la Pixel Art.
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott appointed a 21-person board to oversee water in a broad area surrounding the Nueces River, which runs through Corpus Christi, Texas. Brenda Bazán for ProPublica and The Texas Tribune
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott responded with fury after Corpus Christi officials announced in March that this Gulf Coast region of more than 500,000 people could face unprecedented restrictions as its water supply dried up.
The state had already committed over $750 million in low-interest loans to the city’s plans for a desalination plant, a project that would add 30 million gallons a day to the region’s water supply. But the project had gone nowhere.
“You know what they did? They squandered it, and then they changed their plan and then they were indecisive about what to do,” Abbott said of city officials in a heated response to a reporter’s question at an unrelated March press conference.
“What Corpus Christi leaders have to do is make a decision,” Abbott said. “We can only give them a little time more before the state of Texas has to take over and micromanage that city and run that city to make sure that every resident who goes to the water tap and turns it on, they are going to be getting water out of their faucet, not because of what local leaders are doing but because of what the state of Texas will do.”
Even as Abbott was demanding that Corpus Christi get its act together, another agency, whose entire board Abbott appoints, was also coming undone.
In late June, board members of the Nueces River Authority learned that funding for a desalination plant the agency hopes to build, separate from the city’s, is months from running out. Additionally, the agency was spending more than it was taking in, and other contracts that had kept the authority financially afloat had been canceled.
Although the river authority’s project is a critical part of efforts to expand the region’s water supply, so far, the governor hasn’t threatened to take over the agency’s day-to-day operations. He’s consistently placed the burden of responsibility on the NRA board.
But Abbott has previously demonstrated that he can use his authority to compel other agencies to act: In March, he instructed a different river authority not to reduce Corpus Christi’s water allocation from Lake Texana. He also had the state’s environmental agency waive regulations so the city could move groundwater from Nueces County, which includes Corpus Christi, to its water treatment plant.
As far back as October 2022, while he was campaigning for reelection, Abbott said in an interview with KRIS 6 News that the state was working with the city and Nueces County on a desalination plan. If the city did not pursue the project, “then the state of Texas will do it for them,” the governor said. But the state is not currently involved in the city’s desalination project.
The governor appoints all 21 members of the NRA’s board and designates its president. With a majority vote of the river authority board, Abbott also can remove any board member for inefficiency, neglect of duty or misconduct. He has no such control over the Corpus Christi City Council.
Political scientists and water policy researchers who reviewed the situation told KRIS 6 News that Abbott’s decision to pressure Corpus Christi while leaving the NRA to address its problems largely on its own reflects a selective use of power. While recent rains have helped delay, though not prevent, an immediate water emergency for Corpus Christi, experts say the region still needs to develop new infrastructure projects to secure its long-term water supply.
Should water supplies drop below certain levels, Corpus Christi residents and businesses — including oil refineries and petrochemical plans — would be required to cut water use by 25 % under the city’s current Level 1 water emergency plan. Households would be capped at using 6,000 gallons of water per month, landscape watering would be banned and there would be surcharges imposed on those who exceed their allotments.
“The city of Corpus Christi needs a lot of help, it doesn’t need threats, and the Nueces River Authority is in way over its head,” said Cal Jillson, a political science professor at Southern Methodist University. “The water crisis in Corpus Christi and beyond in Southeast Texas is serious, and it’s not clear that anyone has the breadth of authority and resources to deal with it.”
Gov. Greg Abbott has threatened Corpus Christi’s leadership over the city’s failure to move forward with a planned desalination plant, but he has largely refrained from publicly criticizing the leadership of the Nueces River Authority, even though he appointed its board. The NRA has also faced struggles in getting its planned desalination project up and running.Brenda Bazán for ProPublica and The Texas Tribune
What Power Does Abbott Have?
The public troubles for the NRA bubbled up as far back as March, when the agency’s then-chief operating officer sent a letter to board members accusing Executive Director John Byrum of making “materially inaccurate” statements about the authority’s finances related to the planned desalination project.
KRIS 6 reached out to the governor’s office in the spring about the accusations.
“Every member of a Texas board or commission should uphold the highest standards of integrity, transparency, and accountability in service of the people of Texas,” Abbott press secretary Andrew Mahaleris wrote in a statement. “Governor Abbott expects a thorough investigation into the allegations brought forth and for the Board to act swiftly once the investigation is complete.”
The board eventually cleared Byrum of “intentional wrongdoing,” but the NRA declined to release a copy of the investigation to KRIS 6 in response to a public information request; the Texas office of the attorney general has not yet ruled on whether the report can be withheld. The news organization asked the governor’s office for his response to the investigation and the board’s decision, but he did not respond.
The river authority’s unstable finances became even more apparent at a board meeting in late June, when the agency’s chief financial officer confirmed the NRA could be out of money for the desalination project by the end of August if certain contracts didn’t materialize. Since then, three of the agency’s desalination contracts, which the authority was depending on to stay afloat, expired and have not yet been renewed. KRIS 6 News asked the governor’s office whether it was aware of the agency’s continuing problems. Mahaleris again referred the news organization back to board members.
“The NRA Board oversees the agency’s operations and finances,” Mahaleris wrote June 27. “The Governor appoints board members to the state’s water authorities but does not manage their day-to-day operations. …The Governor expects accountability from appointed boards.”
While Abbott has no direct legal authority over the NRA’s policy decisions, he can use the power of his office to publicly pressure them, Ron Beal, a retired Baylor University School of Law professor whose work on Texas administrative procedure has been routinely cited by the Texas Supreme Court, wrote in a response to KRIS 6 News.
“He can say that when each member’s term ends, if the water project is not on its way, they will absolutely NOT be re-appointed to the job!” Beal wrote. “In other words, he cannot force them legally to follow his orders, but there is no doubt he has the bully pulpit and if anyone can pressure everyone to work together NOW and get it done ASAP, it is the Governor!!!!”
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott at a press conference in JuneBrenda Bazán for The Texas Tribune
In a written statement to KRIS 6 News for this story, Abbott again placed responsibility on both the Corpus Christi City Council and the NRA board but did not address most of the specific questions asked.
“Despite the temporary reprieve granted by recent rain, the Governor’s expectations for the region have not changed. … The Corpus Christi City Council created this crisis through repeated failure to act on desalination,” Mahaleris wrote. “The Council remains responsible for securing reliable water for their citizens. The Nueces River Authority Board is responsible for the agency’s finances” and the desalination project.
The governor’s office did not answer questions about whether Abbott has taken steps to coordinate among the city, the NRA and other stakeholders, or about what “accountability from appointed boards” looks like in practice.
Even as the governor’s office has publicly distanced itself from the NRA’s operations, it has fought to keep from releasing its own communications with the river authority’s leadership.
KRIS 6 News filed a public information request on July 2 seeking emails, text messages, meeting notes and correspondence between the governor and members of his staff and Byrum, the NRA executive director, and NRA board President Eric Burnett. The request covered the river authority’s desalination project and any state funding, grants or loan guarantees related to those efforts.
The governor’s office confirmed on July 17 that it had records that met the parameters of the request. It did not release them. Instead, the office asked the attorney general’s office for permission to withhold the documents. The office argued that the records relate to a proposed water facility project for which state funding may be sought and that releasing them would “seriously disadvantage Texas,” but did not explain how. Abbott’s office also said the records reflect policy advice between the governor’s office and representatives of another state agency; this type of communication can sometimes be withheld under the state’s public information law.
The river authority has struggled to keep up with the demands of the desalination project, which is estimated to cost $6.4 billion. Design work on the pipeline that’s supposed to deliver the desalinated water stalled because the river authority hasn’t offered the company building it a new contract. Byrum, the executive director, has claimed President Donald Trump promised funding for the project, but the river authority has never actually made a formal request to the White House.
Jillson pointed to a fundamental mismatch between the NRA and the scale of the desalination project it’s trying to complete. The NRA staff is small, with an annual budget of up to about $5 million. It’s governed by unpaid, part-time board members who historically meet quarterly to provide broad direction.
He said the governor should direct someone in his office to determine whether the NRA has the personnel and expertise to execute a project of this scale and, if it doesn’t, to act on that finding. Without that kind of direct link between the governor’s office and the agency, Jillson said, “what you’re saying is, ‘We expect these guys to oversee themselves.’”
Byrum wrote in a response to KRIS 6 News that the authority “has the experience to oversee” the project and the option to hire additional staff if required.
KRIS 6 News asked if the governor, or anyone in his office, was involved in the NRA’s selection of IDE.
Byrum wrote that the “Governor’s office was not involved.” KRIS 6 News asked the governor the same question, but his spokesperson did not respond.
The Nueces River Authority has proposed constructing a desalination plant on Harbor Island, a flood tidal delta on the outskirts of Corpus Christi.Brenda Bazán for ProPublica and The Texas Tribune
The Takeover Question
Abbott has a record of curbing the power of Texas cities like Corpus Christi to govern themselves. In 2015, he signed a bill that overrode a voter-approved fracking ban in Denton in North Texas and blocked cities from banning or restricting oil and gas drilling. In 2023, he signed the so-called “Death Star” bill, which preempted city authority over eight policy areas, including labor, natural resources, insurance and property.
Republican state Rep. Denise Villalobos, who represents the Corpus Christi region, previously told KRIS 6 that Abbott directed her to draft a bill that would create a state-level water infrastructure authority, something she compared to the state’s highway department.
If adopted by the Legislature when it meets next year, such an authority would take many decisions about future water supplies away from locals.
Villalobos did not comment for this story. Abbott’s office did not answer questions about the proposed legislation.
Corpus Christi City Manager Peter Zanoni told KRIS 6 this summer that his office had looked into how a takeover would work and found no examples in Texas of the state stepping in to run a water operation or water corporation. The closest parallel, he said, is the state’s ability to take over ailing school districts.
Abbott’s threat to take over Corpus Christi’s desalination project runs into other unsettled legal territory the governor’s office has not addressed publicly, said Gabriel Collins, a lawyer and research fellow at Rice University’s Baker Institute for Public Policy who studies water and energy policy.
Under Texas law, surface water, meaning rivers and lakes, is public property, giving the state a clear line of authority. Water pumped from the ground is considered private property, belonging to the person who owns the land above it, and is regulated locally.
Desalinated seawater fits into neither category. Collins said a legal case could theoretically be made that water drawn from within 3 miles of shore falls under state jurisdiction, but he said he isn’t aware of anyone making that argument in this context.
“That would be a massive shift in water policy in the state of Texas,” Collins said.
But the legal question may be less important than a practical one, Collins said. Would a state takeover of Corpus Christi water regulators, even if it could be done, actually make a difference?
“Or would you be better off resolving those fundamental problems by having the state be a catalyst and a facilitator financially that helps the local political authorities solve a problem?” Collins said.
Flatwater Free Press reporters Chris Bowling, pictured, and Leah Keinama and ProPublica reporter Cassandra Garibay led the collection of soil samples to test 620 homes in Omaha for lead contamination. Lily Smith/Flatwater Free Press
Decades after the last plume of lead-laced smoke rose from a smelting plant in Omaha, Nebraska, the Flatwater Free Press and ProPublica found lead in concentrations that pose a threat to people’s health in soil throughout east Omaha.
Our investigation began more than two years ago, when Leah Keinama, who previously worked for a food security nonprofit, could not find up-to-date information about lead contamination for gardeners in Omaha. Keinama, now the director of civic journalism at the Nebraska Journalism Trust, and reporters at the Flatwater Free Press knew about the city’s refining history, so they teamed up to find out whether concerns about lead exposure were still warranted all these years later.
The Environmental Protection Agency declared a 27-square-mile area within the city a hazardous waste zone, known as a Superfund site, after the American Smelting and Refining Company closed in the 1990s. That prompted a lengthy period of testing and remediation. Today, unless Omaha residents pay for private testing, there aren’t many avenues to find out how much lead is in their soil if their property had been tested by the city and EPA in the past.
An Omaha lead smelter spread dust that seeped into the soil and bodies of many residents. The EPA spent decades cleaning up the surrounding area — but not Council Bluffs, Carter Lake or Bellevue.
Throughout our reporting, we heard from hundreds of Omaha residents who said they didn’t know about the city’s lead history. Some said they believed that because the EPA had already cleaned up thousands of properties that had high concentrations of lead in the soil, there was nothing to worry about.
Our goal was to reach people in every neighborhood in and around the Superfund site. So we knocked on doors, hung up flyers around town, visited a community health center, attended multiple events, partnered with local libraries, and spoke to a college classroom to invite people to sign up for free soil testing. We also posted our online form in various social media channels and shared the news with other local media. We made our reporting available in Spanish, as roughly 10% of residents living within the Superfund site don’t speak English.
Flatwater Free Press initially partnered with local libraries and a community-based organization to distribute do-it-yourself kits with instructions on how to collect a soil sample. We received fewer than 100 samples using this method before switching to a sign-up system in which residents indicated they wanted our team to collect soil from their yard.
After a resident signed up for testing, a member of the reporting team (usually Keinama or Flatwater Free Press reporter Chris Bowling) went to their home, put on latex gloves, wiped down a stainless steel spoon with an unscented wipe and scooped about 3 to 4 tablespoons of soil from the middle of the yard into a sealable vial. We made sure not to collect samples too close to the house or too close to the road, which the EPA has found can be overly contaminated by paint or the remnants of leaded gasoline, respectively. When demand for testing increased, we hired two part-time soil collectors.
We sent labeled samples to Accurate Analytical Testing, an EPA-accredited lab, for $10 per test. Once we received the results from the lab, we informed residents (unless they had opted out of receiving their result) and put together a guide to answer some of their top questions.
Our soil collection process differed from the EPA’s method of taking multiple composite samples from five sections of the yard. We chose to take a single sample from one area of each yard to reach more people and keep costs reasonable. In a few cases, we took multiple samples from the same yard and tested each sample individually but used only the highest result for our analysis.
The EPA said sampling a single area “can be strongly biased high or low” compared to composite sampling. However, several of the nine environmental contamination experts we spoke to said single samples can offer broad conclusions about contamination in an area when enough are collected, which several experts felt we had achieved. Some said our sampling would likely underestimate contamination on a property.
Other experts said our testing method would not accurately depict lead levels across a particular yard because of how variable the contamination can be. At the same time, experts also told us the EPA’s method of gathering multiple composite samples can still miss hot spots or underestimate contamination.
What We Found
Over the past two years, we used the EPA’s sampling protocol as guidance to collect soil from 620 homes in and just outside of the Omaha Superfund site. (We’re continuing to collect samples from the nearby cities of Bellevue, Nebraska; Carter Lake, Iowa; and Council Bluffs, Iowa.)
We matched each home at which we took a soil sample with Omaha’s lead registry, which includes details like the address’ remediation status and results of the EPA’s testing, and compared our test results with historic data. Some homes that had previously undergone the EPA’s remediation process had high levels of lead contamination, our analysis found.
We tested 150 previously remediated yards. One in 10 of those yards’ results came back with a concentration greater than 400 parts per million, the level the EPA used to decide which yards to clean up.
Nearly all of the previously remediated yards that tested above 400 parts per million are within 100 yards of another property that originally tested above the EPA cleanup threshold but was never remediated. A third had two such neighboring properties. That proximity could mean that the previously cleaned-up yards we tested were recontaminated by properties where the soil was never replaced, one expert said.
Many of the 241 homes we tested within the Superfund site that had never been remediated also showed high levels of lead. Of those homes, 1 in 20 had a concentration higher than 400 parts per million, according to our test results.
Across Omaha, 41% of the 620 yards we tested had more than 100 parts per million in their soil sample, a level that an EPA model shows could cause high blood-lead levels in children. Within the Superfund site, more than half of the almost 390 yards we tested had more than 100 parts per million.
Our testing shows that lead contamination at levels that pose a risk to residents’ health is fairly widespread — even in sites that the EPA previously addressed.
Throughout our reporting, we spoke to nine experts in environmental and lead contamination to make sense of our findings. Several said the EPA should do more testing and possibly cleanup in Omaha.
We asked the EPA about our findings. The agency said it will work with the city of Omaha to “investigate the outcomes you have noted” and work with the city and property owners to take corrective action if needed in accordance with 2009 cleanup guidelines.
From left, Brenda González Rocha holds her 8-month-old, Isaías, as González’s daughters Carolina, 6, and Camila, 8, play on the trampoline in their backyard in June. González’s front yard tested high for lead, and she is concerned how the contamination could “affect their quality of life.” Rebecca S. Gratz for ProPublica
Shortly after buying her house in 2022, Mary Royers learned from a man across the street that her Omaha, Nebraska, neighborhood was contaminated with lead. But her yard, like thousands of others, had been cleaned up, the neighbor said.
Royers wanted to be sure. So the 36-year-old educator checked a website where the city tracks the soil test results of every home in a 27-square-mile area surrounding the site of an old lead smelter. She saw “remediated” written in bright green letters. The federal government had completed the work two decades ago. An expert must have tested the dirt and determined the problem was solved, she thought.
Relieved, Royers set about sowing the garden of her dreams. Hours disappeared as she thrust her hands into the soil, tearing up the grass and planting purple coneflower for bees to harvest and prairie grass to sway in the breeze.
“You have the green light from the city. That means everything’s safe,” she said. “I remember thinking, ‘Thank God I don’t have to worry about that.’”
But a soil test conducted last fall by the Flatwater Free Press and ProPublica found otherwise: Royers’ yard still has more than 1.5 times the level of lead that the Environmental Protection Agency’s cleanup was supposed to have eliminated.
Reading the emailed results, she felt “gut-wrenching disbelief,” she said.
“All I could think about was the dirt under my nails and all over my face,” said Royers, who has largely given up gardening for now. She explained later, “It felt like a betrayal of that trust.”
Since 1999, the EPA has spent $273 million digging up and backfilling nearly 14,000 yards across east Omaha to address contamination left from the smelter and other factories downtown. It’s the largest residential lead cleanup in the country. And the agency’s Superfund program has repeatedly heralded it as a success.
But, it turns out, Omaha’s soil might not be as safe as officials have advertised. The news organizations tested soil from more than 600 properties, including 150 that the EPA said had been cleaned up. In those tests, 1 in 10 yards marked as remediated still had enough lead to qualify for cleanup under the original guidelines. And nearly a quarter of the properties we tested in east Omaha could qualify for further study under new guidance released by the Trump administration last fall.
The results suggest the EPA has more work to do, said Howard Mielke, a longtime researcher of lead-contaminated soil who’s considered one of the field’s foremost experts. Not only should the agency clean up the areas that tested above the remediation level, he said, but it also should test other homes.
“If you find a couple of high results, chances are many high results will be nearby,” said Mielke, an adjunct professor at the Tulane University School of Medicine.
Some experts and environmental advocates said our findings reflect weaknesses in the EPA’s approach to cleaning up residential lead sites, which can leave a lot of lead behind.
Jeff Tittel, former director of the Sierra Club in New Jersey, the state with the most Superfund sites, said he repeatedly watched the EPA declare its work done after wrongly assuming everything had been cleaned up.
“On paper, everything’s wonderful,” he said, “but at the sites, there’s still chaos.”
Mary Royers washes her hands in her kitchen after being outside in her garden. She has largely stopped gardening after a Flatwater Free Press and ProPublica soil test found high levels of lead contamination.Rebecca S. Gratz for ProPublica
The EPA declined an interview request with senior officials overseeing the Omaha cleanup.
In an emailed response, spokesperson Kellen Ashford said the EPA is committed to cleaning up contaminated sites to protect residents and the environment. “The diligent cleanup efforts have led to a dramatic decrease in elevated blood lead levels” in Omaha, he said. (While the percentage of kids testing high for lead has dropped significantly, as it has nationally, kids in the Omaha site still test high for lead at rates above the national average.)
Ashford said the EPA could not assess the news organizations’ results without further investigation, but property owners can reach out to the EPA or the city of Omaha, which now manages the site for the federal government, if they have concerns.
“Because it would not be possible to completely remove all lead,” Ashford said, the EPA and the city also try to educate the community about lead risks and precautions.
The city is already responding to the news organization’s findings.
The day after receiving her results, Royers forwarded them to the city’s lead office, asking if anything could be done. An employee tested her dirt and found even higher levels than the news organizations did. The city plans to clean the yard up again in August, Royers said.
But the EPA and the city have refused to clean up or test properties of others who have reached out about their high lead results.
The agency has also not said what it plans to do about properties that are below the current cleanup level but above President Donald Trump’s new screening level, which could prompt further action. Any update would come after a new site study the agency plans to release in October 2027, Ashford said.
Royers and her partner, Stephen Matthews, are thankful for the new cleanup, but they wonder: How many other Omahans may be misled or unaware about lead contamination in their yards?
“We’re one house out of thousands,” Matthews said.
Stephen Matthews, Royers’ partner, in their wildflower garden. Though the soil outside their home was remediated years ago, a recent test by Flatwater Free Press and ProPublica indicated a high level of lead.Rebecca S. Gratz for ProPublica
What Might Have Gone Wrong
It’s difficult to identify why some cleaned-up properties still test high for lead.
That’s in part because Omaha’s lead problem is almost as old as the city itself. The American Smelting and Refining Company produced lead to make batteries, cover cables and enrich gasoline for more than a century. After the smelter closed in 1997, the EPA estimated the plant and other factories had dumped 200,000 tons of lead dust — enough to fill at least 1,600 rail cars — across Omaha’s east side.
At the time, the Superfund program, which had started only a decade before, was still trying to figure out how to clean up residential sites like Omaha’s, then home to 125,000 people. Old factory sites could be bulldozed and excavated, the contaminated material carted away. But the Omaha site involved people’s homes and yards.
The agency tested nearly every yard in east Omaha and came up with a plan: It would dig up and replace parts of yards that had a concentration of more than 400 parts per million of lead — the equivalent of a marble in a 10-pound bucket of dirt.
But that meant that some properties were cleaned up while neighboring ones that had only slightly lower levels of lead were not.
Hewing to that kind of strict standard doesn’t make sense, said Gabriel Filippelli, an Indiana University earth sciences professor and longtime lead researcher.
“From a scientific standpoint, a 390 is the same as a 410,” Filippelli said. “It’s the same as a 400. They’re all about the same value.”
Failing to clean up neighboring properties can also lead to recontamination over time. When it’s windy and the ground is dry, tiny lead particles in the dirt — generally about one-hundredth the width of a human hair — become airborne and spread, Filippelli said.
When the Superfund program started, the agency cleaned an entire yard if its average lead level among multiple samples was over the limit.
But by the time the Omaha cleanup started, the method had changed. In Omaha, it divided yards into five sections: two in the backyard, two in the front yard and a thin ring around the home’s perimeter called the dripline, which often contains the most contaminated dirt but can also contain remnants of lead paint.
The agency took multiple samples per section of yard and replaced a section’s soil only if the average was over 400 parts per million. This approach could lead them to miss hot spots or leave behind areas that have high lead levels but are just under the cleanup threshold. Contractors also did not dig up the driplines if another part of the yard wasn’t over the limit.
This could explain why the Flatwater Free Press and ProPublica’s testing found that about 1 in 20 homes that didn’t qualify for cleanup originally now tested above the cleanup threshold. In addition, the news outlets found several properties outside the Superfund site that were over the limit.
Royers saves seeds from flowers in her garden before the soil is scraped away for remediation. Royers considered gardening to be something healing, so she was frustrated to learn it might actually have been harmful.Rebecca S. Gratz for ProPublica
In the early days of the cleanup, Don Preister, a longtime Omaha lead advocate and former state senator, argued for the EPA to clean up entire yards and to lower the level of lead that would qualify for remediation, calling the agency’s solution a half-measure.
But the EPA decided that its approach made the most of limited money and prioritized the highest-risk areas. One EPA manager told Omahans in 2004 that the choice to remove only sections of yards was “economical,” according to meeting records.
“It brought out feelings of hurt,” Preister said of the EPA’s choice. “Children are likely to still be impacted, and their health affected.”
The EPA’s national guidelines did advise against “‘patchwork clean-up’ patterns which are prone to recontamination” when adjacent sections are high. But the agency didn’t give clear guidance on how to implement that, several former site managers said, and some felt they had to follow the rules strictly or risk violating federal law or agreements with companies paying to clean up their pollution.
Ashford acknowledged that the agency has to adhere strictly to its cleanup plans but said in some cases, like an industrial site near a residential area, the EPA may clean up to a lower level to prevent recontamination.
Another problem was that east Omaha was full of older homes that contained lead paint that could recontaminate cleaned soil over time. Following local pressure, the EPA agreed to test homes’ paint. If it contained lead, the agency repainted the outside. But the EPA did not repaint houses whose soil did not also qualify for cleanup. Studies in urban areas have found homes with deteriorating paint have contaminated nearby gardens.
Ashford said an EPA study found most lead-based paint contamination in Omaha was within 6 feet of the house.
Brenda González Rocha, who has lived in her south Omaha home since 2020, thinks both soil and paint are to blame for the lead that doctors found in her 4-year-old daughter’s blood. Her basement had lead paint, which she hired a company to fix.
But although the EPA cleaned up her yard in 2012, the Flatwater Free Press and ProPublica tests found levels of lead that are higher than before the agency remediated it. González is surrounded by properties with lingering lead. A yard down the street that had high lead levels was never remediated. The banks of the nearby highway were never dug up and replaced. The house next door has lead paint on it, according to the city lead website.
Ashford said it’s unlikely that wind-blown dust from one house to another would recontaminate cleaned areas with enough lead to surpass the cleanup level.
But nearly all the remediated properties the newsrooms tested that were over the cleanup threshold are within 100 yards of a property that originally qualified for remediation but wasn’t cleaned up. A third had two such neighboring properties.
González’s eight kids, between 8 months and 22 years old, love to play outside. They jump on the trampoline, ride bikes and play soccer. Now González is anxious whenever they’re in the yard.
“I worry that this could affect their quality of life,” she said. “I would feel bad if something happened to them during their development. I would feel responsible.”
González and her daughter Camila help feed soup to Isaías at home. González’s front yard tested high for lead, and she is worried about letting her children play outside.Rebecca S. Gratz for ProPublica
“Benign Neglect”
Once the EPA chooses a fix for a Superfund site, it is generally required to review the site every five years to update the public on the progress of the cleanup. But the ways those reviews are done leave unanswered questions about whether the solution is working and how much lead is in Omaha today, said experts who examined the reports for the Flatwater Free Press and ProPublica.
In their reviews, government officials in Omaha track how intact the grass is on top of the new soil. If it is exposed or has been disturbed, it could be a sign that any remaining lead is no longer safely underground and could blow around.
But they don’t retest a representative sample of properties.
An Omaha lead smelter spread dust that seeped into the soil and bodies of many residents. The EPA spent decades cleaning up the surrounding area — but not Council Bluffs, Carter Lake or Bellevue.
Cleanups often take several tries to get right, said Tittel, the former New Jersey Sierra Club director, and recontamination or missed contamination can be a huge problem.
Tittel said he has seen similar patterns in New Jersey. In 1979, Tittel helped show EPA employees where the Ford Motor Company dumped industrial waste into abandoned mine pits. Since then, he has seen the mess declared a Superfund site, marked safe, become a Superfund site again and spawn a lawsuit that Ford settled in 2009 as locals continued discovering more hazards.
“It’s sort of a benign neglect when it comes to these sites,” Tittel said. “Government just wants to get it over with because it’s taking so long. They end up cutting corners or looking the other way.”
A Ford spokesperson said the company takes its environmental responsibility seriously and has been working with state and federal officials to clean up the site.
Retesting soil does not appear to be standard at other sites, according to reviews examined by the Flatwater Free Press and ProPublica. But it should be, said Debbie Chizewer, a managing attorney with the environmental law group Earthjustice. Without ongoing testing, the EPA can’t really know if its solution is working, she said, and residents won’t know how toxins in the environment are impacting their health.
“I think for the five-year review to be meaningful, you need to do testing,” she said.
Ashford said the EPA retests properties on a case-by-case basis, such as when construction disturbs the soil. The periodic reviews, which in Omaha have led to an ongoing reevaluation of the site’s cleanup level, allow the EPA to ensure these unique, complex sites protect people and the environment over time, he said.
Steve Zivny, who leads Omaha’s Lead Information Office, also said new testing and cleanup decisions depend on factors such as whether kids live at the home and whether they have tested for a high lead exposure.
Camila, Carolina and Isaías play together at home. Their mother keeps indoor toys inside and outdoor toys outside to avoid lead contamination inside the house.Rebecca S. Gratz for ProPublica
The EPA’s reviews of the Omaha site do point to some potential problems. In 2024, inspectors found 98% of the lawns had been disturbed, indicating a risk that buried lead could be exposed. That includes having weeds, bare soil or demolished buildings. But the EPA tested only 32 sites where homes had been demolished and found six exceeded the cleanup level. To them, that indicated the solution was “generally protective; however, more data should be collected to support this conclusion,” according to the report.
Those figures, however, trouble Ian von Lindern, who oversaw lead cleanup at an Idaho Superfund site for more than 30 years. He doesn’t doubt the federal government did a good job hauling away tons of toxins in Omaha. But he’s sure they couldn’t get all of it.
At the Idaho site, the EPA requires people to request permits from a local health district before digging in their yards. Local health employees can also test residents’ dirt, and, if it’s above the cleanup level, it may qualify for further remediation.
Without someone keeping a close eye on the fixes, recontamination can occur as people dig up lead-contaminated soil or unremediated soil is allowed to blow around.
“Those remedies are, I don’t want to use the word failing, but they’re becoming less effective,” he said.
Royers worries many homes in Omaha fit that description.
This summer, the educator is letting the weeds grow freely in her garden. Pretty soon, the city is going to replace it anyway.
The thought makes her feel guilty. More people should know about potential lead in their yard and have access to tests and cleanups. But that would require acknowledging that after decades and hundreds of millions of dollars spent, there are cracks in the cleanup. Royers isn’t sure that will happen.
“The priority is pretending like things are OK,” she said. “Clearly it’s not.”
Royers walks to her garage. She and Matthews wonder how many other Omahans may be misled or unaware about lead contamination in their yards.Rebecca S. Gratz for ProPublica
J’ai commencé la création d’un formulaire (mon premier) auquel j’ai joint un fichier. J’ai ensuite modifié ce fichier et j’ai donc attaché la nouvelle version. Mais je ne trouve pas comment supprimer la version obsolète. Comment faire ?
⚠️ Nous venons de publier la version 8.2.4 de #PeerTube !
Cette version corrige différentes vulnérabilités avec un niveau de gravité allant de moyen à élevé. Plus de détails à ce sujet dans les prochains jours !
Veuillez mettre à jour votre PeerTube dès que possible.
Analizzare i log del proprio sito web può rivelare sorprese inaspettate. Spesso, si notano centinaia di visite attribuite a "Googlebot", e la prima reazione è di sollievo: il crawler di Google sta indicizzando le pagine. Ma è davvero così? La realtà è che molti di questi accessi provengono da un falso Googlebot, poiché l'identità di chi si connette a un server è più facile da falsificare di quanto si pensi.
Perché i log registrano così tanti falsi Googlebot?
Molti bot si spacciano per Googlebot per una ragione semplice: gode di un trattamento privilegiato su quasi tutti i server. Gli amministratori di sistema, per non compromettere l'indicizzazione, evitano di bloccarlo. Questa situazione crea un'opportunità per software di terze parti. Infatti un bot malevolo o uno scraper ottiene enormi vantaggi semplicemente fingendosi il crawler ufficiale di Google, tra cui:
Evitare i blocchi: numerosi sistemi di sicurezza e firewall sono configurati per lasciar passare senza filtri il traffico di Googlebot.
Superare i limiti di richiesta: a Googlebot vengono spesso concessi limiti di frequenza (rate limiting) molto più ampi, che gli consentono di scansionare più pagine in meno tempo.
Aggirare i CAPTCHA: un finto Googlebot può bypassare i controlli anti-automazione, accedendo a contenuti altrimenti protetti.
Un falso log da un Googlebot, trucco a costo zero, è particolarmente utile per chi fa scraping di prezzi, contenuti o dati sensibili, aprendo porte che dovrebbero rimanere chiuse.
User-agent: l'identità che chiunque può falsificare
Il problema nasce dal funzionamento dello user agent. Infatti si tratta di una semplice stringa di testo che un client, come un browser o un bot, invia al server per identificarsi. Il protocollo HTTP, tuttavia, non include alcun meccanismo per verificare che questa dichiarazione sia vera.
Un client può quindi presentarsi con una stringa apparentemente legittima: Mozilla/5.0 (compatible; Googlebot/2.1; +http://www.google.com/bot.html) Vederla nei log fa pensare subito al crawler ufficiale, ma non stabilisce alcun legame crittografico o verificabile tra l'indirizzo IP della richiesta e l'infrastruttura reale di Google. In pratica, il falso log di un Googlebot è come se un estraneo si presentasse a una festa dichiarando un nome falso, senza che nessuno gli chieda un documento di identità.
Come verificare se un log di un Googlebot è falso?
Fortunatamente, esistono metodi affidabili per smascherare gli impostori, raccomandati da Google stessa.
Controllo degli intervalli IP di google
Il primo metodo è molto diretto. Google pubblica e aggiorna un elenco dei suoi intervalli IP ufficiali in un file JSON. È sufficiente programmare uno script per scaricare questo file e confrontare l'IP registrato nei log con le reti autorizzate (sia IPv4 che IPv6). Se l'indirizzo IP del visitatore non rientra in questi intervalli, si ha la certezza matematica che sia un falso log di un Googlebot.
La doppia verifica DNS
Questo secondo metodo è ancora più rigoroso e si basa su una sequenza di controlli DNS, considerata la prova definitiva.
Ricerca DNS inversa (PTR): si esegue una ricerca sul record PTR dell'IP di origine. Se è un vero crawler di Google, il nome host risultante deve terminare con googlebot.com o google.com.
Ricerca DNS diretta (A/AAAA): a questo punto, si esegue la verifica opposta. Si risolve il nome host ottenuto nel passaggio precedente e si controlla che l'indirizzo IP di partenza sia presente nella lista di IP restituiti.
Se entrambi i passaggi hanno successo, puoi essere assolutamente certo che la visita provenga da un crawler legittimo di Google.
Cosa si scopre dopo una verifica di un falso Googlebot log?
Applicando questi controlli, il quadro del traffico sul proprio sito cambia radicalmente. Quella che sembrava un'intensa attività di indicizzazione si rivela spesso per quello che è: un'orda di bot sconosciuti. Un picco di traffico che credevi positivo potrebbe nascondere uno scraper aggressivo che sta rubando i tuoi contenuti tramite un falso log di un Googlebot.
In più un consumo di banda anomalo potrebbe essere causato da sistemi che mappano il sito alla ricerca di vulnerabilità. Analizzare i log con questi strumenti permette di distinguere il traffico prezioso da quello dannoso, proteggendo le tue risorse in modo efficace. La prossima volta che vedrai un'attività sospetta da "Googlebot", saprai esattamente come smascherare l'impostore.
Researchers intercepted and investigated the model, which was attempting to compromise more than 1,200 hosts for proxyjacking to launch further attacks.
Federal Communications Commission Chair Brendan Carr, rear, attends a hearing with commissioners Anna Gomez, right, and Olivia Trusty. Kent Nishimura/Bloomberg/Getty Images
Two government watchdog groups have demanded investigations into whether Federal Communications Commission members violated ethics requirements by accepting luxury gala tickets from Paramount as the company sought government approval for its $111 billion acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery.
Commissioner Olivia Trusty’s most recent financial disclosure said Paramount gave her two tickets to the December 2025 honors gala that together were worth more than $12,000. Trusty was one of two commissioners who voted last year to approve Paramount’s merger with another media company, Skydance.
ProPublica’s investigation found FCC members had long enjoyed a night out at the Kennedy Center courtesy of CBS or its parent company. Seven of the 10 commissioners who served since 2016 accepted tickets worth more than $260,000, according to a ProPublica analysis of ethics disclosures.
FCC Chair Brendan Carr’s financial statements show he has reported accepting honors gala tickets from CBS or its parent company eight times since his 2017 appointment to the commission, totaling over $75,000 in gifts.
Carr, who also voted in favor of the Paramount-Skydance merger last year, sat with his wife in a private skybox at the December gala with Paramount CEO David Ellison and other executives from Paramount and CBS. Such seats sold for $125,000 a ticket, according to Kennedy Center guidelines.
Carr disclosed on his latest financial statement that he accepted tickets from Paramount for himself and a guest to the 2025 gala and reception worth $12,390. Carr did not respond to a request from ProPublica to clarify the apparent difference in value between those tickets and the skybox seats.
The FCC only released Carr’s disclosure late on Friday, more than a month after ProPublica had first requested it. The document says the agency certified it on June 22.
“The federal gift regulations and the gratuities statute exist to ensure that government decisions are made on the merits, free from the influence of private benefits,” the Democracy Defenders Fund said in its complaint. “The public must have confidence that the FCC’s merger review process is not compromised by self-dealing or the appearance of impropriety.”
Carr, Trusty and the FCC did not respond to requests for comment. The agency’s inspector general declined to comment. An FCC spokesperson previously told ProPublica that agency ethics officers have for years cleared commissioners to accept the tickets, finding it consistent with ethics law. And Paramount’s chief of communications said it was a decades-long “CBS practice to invite government officials from both parties” to the Kennedy Center show. Carr last year defended the FCC’s approval of the Paramount merger with Skydance, saying it “advances the public interest.”
The FCC’s review of the Paramount-Warner Bros. merger is one of the final federal hurdles facing a historic consolidation of two of the five largest film studios in Hollywood. The deal would unite Paramount Skydance with Warner Bros., bringing under the control of one company Paramount+ and HBO Max streaming services; CBS and CNN; and scores of other major broadcast channels, cable networks and digital platforms.
Four ethics experts told ProPublica that by accepting the tickets, Trusty and Carr had compromised the FCC’s impartiality and should not take part in any upcoming decision on Paramount’s proposed merger.
The Democracy Defenders Fund — led by Norman Eisen, former ambassador to the Czech Republic and White House ethics czar under President Barack Obama — filed its grievance on Thursday with the federal Office of Government Ethics, the FCC’s inspector general and the FCC’s ethics office.
The group said the investigation should examine whether Carr and Trusty broke rules on accepting gifts or broke criminal laws prohibiting federal officials from accepting illegal gratuities.
Carr and Trusty should be required to repay Paramount the “fair market value” of any improper gifts and the federal ethics agency should refrain from certifying Carr’s annual disclosure report until he can prove that he has complied with ethics laws, Democracy Defenders Fund wrote. Its letter to the FCC and the Office of Government Ethics also requests that Carr be disqualified from further participation in the commission’s decision on the Paramount-Warner Bros. Discovery merger.
The nonprofit organization noted that hours after last year’s honors gala ended, Paramount announced it was launching its hostile takeover bid of Warner Bros. Discovery, a move that would later result in a merger agreement that requires FCC approval. About three months later, Carr publicly endorsed the deal on CNBC, promising swift approval.
“The facts that have been reported raise serious questions about the integrity and impartiality of FCC Chairman Carr in particular matters involving Paramount,” including the attempted merger with Warner Bros. Discovery, the letter said.
Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, the other group that filed a written protest, requested an FCC inspector general probe of the luxury gifts.
“The reported gifts to FCC officials from businesses that are not only subject to agency regulation but presently engaged in billion-dollar mergers and acquisitions that must be approved by the commissioners themselves are extremely concerning threats to the integrity of FCC operations,” the CREW letter stated.
CREW, founded in 2003 as a nonpartisan organization dedicated to government accountability and ethics, is headed by Donald K. Sherman, a former House Ethics Committee attorney and special assistant to President Joseph Biden.
Federal Communications Commission member Olivia Trusty.Jose Luis Magana/AP Images
“Government officials have the power to make decisions that impact huge swaths of the American people,” Sherman said in a statement about the organization’s demand for an inspector general investigation. “With this tremendous power comes a higher ethical standard that apparently wasn’t met. The IG can and must get answers for the public.”
The proposed merger between Paramount and Warner Bros. Discovery has drawn a flurry of legal opposition.
California, New York and 10 other states filed a lawsuit seeking to block the merger under federal and state antimonopoly laws. The Writers Guild of America, the Freedom of the Press Foundation and the Public Interest Project filed similar court challenges in recent weeks.
Paramount has recently agreed to pause its merger until the litigation is resolved or until June 1, 2027, whichever comes first.
Members of the Wenatchi-P’squosa, one of the 12 Confederated Colville Tribes, and their supporters demonstrate in East Wenatchee, Washington, in 2024 against an Avangrid solar project on Badger Mountain. Emree Weaver
A renewable energy developer has pulled its controversial permit application to build an industrial-scale solar facility on an Eastern Washington mountain sacred to Indigenous nations.
Avangrid, a powerful player in the Northwest’s push for green energy development, sought for at least five years to build a solar plant on Badger Mountain. The project site straddled private as well as public lands. The Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation and the Confederated Tribes and Bands of the Yakama Nation have protected rights to practice cultural traditions, such as food gathering and ceremonies, on Badger Mountain and other ancestral public lands.
A 2024 investigation by High Country News and ProPublica found that Avangrid and a consultant it retained, Tetra Tech, had omitted key archaeological and cultural information from a state-mandated review of the site, which would have been used for a solar farm. Avangrid continued pushing the project despite a state archaeologist’s warning that the planned development would threaten significant historic sites and current ceremonial activity. An elected member of the Colville Tribal Business Council told the newsrooms at the time that the project would destroy roughly half the root vegetable harvest in the area.
An Avangrid spokesperson said then that the company had followed “all relevant law and regulation” with regard to the Badger Mountain solar project and had “taken additional steps to accommodate stakeholder feedback where possible.”
It’s unclear whether the company’s decision to cancel the project had anything to do with Indigenous rights. Avangrid declined to clarify its reasoning to HCN.
The Colville Tribes chair, Cindy Marchand, praised the decision in a statement last week. “While the Colville Tribes certainly appreciates the value of renewable energy such as solar power, sacred sites must remain pristine to pass down to future generations.”
After the publication of HCN and ProPublica’s investigation, some members of the Wenatchi-P’squosa, one of the 12 Confederated Colville Tribes, held a demonstration on Badger Mountain, saying that while they support renewable energy, they’re against facilities being built on important cultural sites. Following the demonstration, Avangrid announced that it would pause development to reconsider tribal input and public response. The public comment process is one of the only avenues available for tribal nations to advocate for their rights regarding land development.
At a meeting of the state’s permitting authority council in July, an Avangrid senior director sought a continued pause of the permitting work, pointing to anticipated construction delays affecting the power grid. At the same meeting, the council chair, Kurt Beckett, characterized concerns over the project’s environmental and cultural impacts as “noise,” but he also said tribal objections should be considered in the state’s permitting decision.
Five days later, Avangrid filed a request to completely withdraw its proposal. And last week, the permitting council formally announced the withdrawal and said it was “closing out existing financial arrangements and notifying interested and agency partners.” It did not provide further comment, referring questions to the developer. The state Department of Natural Resources, which owns the public parcel on Badger Mountain, said it had not received any other requests to develop it for clean energy projects at this time, and a spokesperson did not have additional information about future plans for the site.
No matter the reason for the project’s cancellation at Badger Mountain, the outcome is a good one, said Steven Wynecoop, vice chair of the Wenatchi Advisory Group, an independent body that advises the Colville Tribal Business Council and that organized the 2024 Badger Mountain demonstration.
The mountain is a “very sacred site to us,” said Wynecoop, grandson of the Wenatchi Advisory Group founder Matthew Dick. “Generations, we’ve been going to that mountain for plenty of reasons: medicines, foods like roots and berries.”
Comme chaque lundi, un coup d’œil dans le rétroviseur pour découvrir les informations que vous avez peut-être ratées la semaine dernière.
Tous les liens listés ci-dessous sont a priori accessibles librement. Si ce n’est pas le cas, pensez à activer votre bloqueur de javascript favori ou à passer en “mode lecture” (Firefox) ;-)
Le régime iranien qui fabrique des drones utilisés par la Russie pour ses frappes en Ukraine accuse Kiev d’avoir attaqué un navire iranien en mer Caspienne et menace de représailles.
La Protection civile grecque a ordonné vendredi l’évacuation préventive d’une partie d’une banlieue à l’ouest d’Athènes en raison d’un incendie de forêt, selon un message d’alerte envoyé sur les téléphones portables. Par ailleurs, l’île touristique de Crète était toujours la proie des flammes, poussées par des vents violents malgré une certaine amélioration, selon les pompiers.
Changement de Constitution, partisans de l’ancien régime traqués, manifestations réprimées, corruption… La gouvernance de Félix Tshisekedi est de plus en plus soumise aux critiques tandis que la situation dans l’Est ne progresse pas, au contraire de l’épidémie d’Ebola, devenue incontrôlable.
Les grandes surfaces commerciales en Tunisie font face à une tension sur l’approvisionnement en eau minérale conditionnée, dans un contexte marqué par une forte hausse de la consommation liée aux températures élevées enregistrées ces dernières semaines.
L’Italie a formulé cette proposition, soutenue par le Danemark et la Finlande, après l’afflux massif de migrants ces derniers jours dans l’enclave espagnole au Maroc.
Le dirigeant socialiste espagnol a adressé une lettre offensive aux dirigeant·es de l’UE. Il déplore notamment une attitude « contraire » au principe de solidarité dans l’Union.
C’est par voie de presse que les dessinateurs de presse Cristina et André Carrilho, membres de Cartooning for Peace, ont découvert leurs noms sur une liste d’individus et d’entités désignés comme des « cibles » et « menaces » pour le pays, établie par le Movimento Armilar Lusitano (MAL), un mouvement armé portugais d’extrême droite.
I reported this on January 3rd, 2026. It is now July 24th. Six months later. The vulnerability is still live. Nobody has ever responded. I guess my email wasn’t in their prayers.
Flock cameras have been in St. Pete since 2022, and while police say they help solve crimes, civil liberties advocates say they create an unprecedented mass surveillance network.
Had the case been properly investigated, the court says now, evidence “would have identified an individual whose first name is Jay whose IP address appears to be in California.”
Le président américain a crié sur tous les toits que du « vandalisme » expliquait le fiasco de la rénovation de l’étendue d’eau, mais la justice a conclu que l’« installation bâclée » est en cause.
The finding appears to be a setback to Kennedy’s Make America Healthy Again agenda, which has typically focused on overhauling nutrition guidance while neglecting food safety and infectious diseases.
Jusqu’à récemment, la vaccination contre la rougeole semblait si efficace que le développement de traitements contre la maladie n’avait aucun intérêt, médicalement comme financièrement […] alors que les taux de vaccination déclinent, des entreprises biotechnologiques et des instituts universitaires se penchent sur des traitements spécifiques
Dans l’imaginaire collectif, la silicose, grave maladie incurable qui détruit la fonction pulmonaire, est associée au travail des mineurs. Mais d’autres ouvriers y sont exposés. C’est notamment le cas de ceux qui travaillent la pierre synthétique, ou quartz aggloméré, qui voient également leur risque de cancer du poumon augmenter.
« C’est presque exclusivement des séquences tout public, montrant des marmottes en train de jouer, de se comporter de manière adorable, de creuser ou de rapporter des plantes dans leur terrier… bref, leur routine quotidienne »
Le 24 juin à 22h, deux tremblements de terre de magnitude 7,2 et 7,5 ont violemment secoué le Venezuela. Il s’agit du plus puissant séisme à avoir frappé le pays depuis au moins l’année 1900. Au moins 5500 morts et 16700 blessés et entre 10 000 et 50 000 personnes sont encore portées disparues. 16 000 personnes sont sans logement et 856 bâtiments sont sinistrés.
Anthropic’s Project Glasswing may have uncovered tens of thousands of potential security flaws, but new research suggests AI-assisted vulnerability discovery has yet to produce the wave of real-world attacks many expected.
Le projet Debian débat de quatre propositions allant de l’interdiction des contributions directes assistées par IA à leur autorisation sous conditions. Derrière la qualité du code se joue surtout la protection des mainteneureuses bénévoles.
What it will come down to is whether the anti-AI groups in FOSS can work together and help each other to hold off the vast and commercially backed pressure from LLM-assisted and LLM-generated code, even though they may find themselves bitterly opposed in terms of politics and ethics.
Claude is exposing a wealth of users’ chats and creations in Google search results, meaning anyone can dig through conversations or other material that people used Claude to make but may not have realized were publicly available for strangers to see. The exposed data includes an AI-powered therapy app that someone appears to have vibe-coded, notes on meetings, and a dashboard someone made apparently to analyze medical billing data. Exposed chats reportedly include private cryptocurrency wallet keys and personal information like peoples’ addresses
Google’s aborted attempt to incorporate its Nano Banana 2 AI image generator as a Google Earth feature made it even easier for anyone to create modified versions of authentic imagery depicting real locations—something that Google boasted about when initially promoting the new feature.
Gaps in laws may help Pennsylvania high school escape AI nudes scandal.One of the first schools to shut down after students were found making AI nudes of female classmates is now asking a court to toss a lawsuit filed by victims who claimed that the school stayed silent for months while the emboldened boys targeted many more girls.
Our investigation found that Hugging Face, the top platform for sharing open-source AI models, isn’t just hosting tools that generate non-consensual intimate imagery. It’s helping users compare, benchmark and optimize them, making image-based sexual abuse easier to scale.
A senior judge has accused the Home Office of relying on “AI hallucinated” information to refuse an asylum claim. The case relates to a Moroccan woman and her child who fled her country after experiencing forced underage marriage and extreme violence, including rape. The woman claimed asylum on the basis of fears that she would be killed by her husband : a powerful, previously convicted criminal. The Home Office refused her case, citing evidence from a supposedly independent and authoritative document known as a country policy information note (CPIN), which they said confirmed that Morocco would be safe for her. But the document could not be found, although its existence was relied upon by a judge who rejected her appeal against the Home Office’s refusal decision in an immigration court known as the first-tier tribunal.
Dans la Silicon Valley, les fleurons de l’intelligence artificielle font face à des menaces grandissantes, numériques, mais aussi physiques dans les bureaux ou au domicile des dirigeants.
L’InP, c’est un symbole de notre foi aveugle dans l’innovation : on croit résoudre un problème (l’efficacité énergétique de l’IA) en en créant un autre (la dépendance aux matériaux critiques)
D’après la BBC, il est interdit d’afficher en public des emblèmes nationaux étrangers, tels que des drapeaux, sans autorisation. Les personnes qui ne respectent pas cette règle s’exposent à une amende pouvant aller jusqu’à 500 dollars singapouriens (soit environ 338 euros) et une peine d’emprisonnement pouvant aller jusqu’à six mois.
Mme Albanese est la cible d’attaques incessantes de la part d’organisations motivées politiquement, telles que UN Watch, qui mènent des campagnes de diffamation virulentes pour la réduire au silence et saper son mandat en matière de droits humains. Ces organisations n’ont qu’un seul objectif : protéger le gouvernement israélien de toute critique internationale et de toute responsabilité juridique. Malheureusement, des représentants de certains gouvernements occidentaux ont apporté un soutien indéfectible à ces campagnes de diffamation, accusant Mme Albanese d’antisémitisme. Nous rejetons ces accusations, qui sont infondées et incitent de manière irresponsable à des attaques contre Mme Albanese, mettant potentiellement sa sécurité personnelle en danger.
Le Britannique était visé par une procédure disciplinaire pour faute grave, liée à des accusations d’une collaboratrice. Cette décision survient au moment où la juridiction fait face à une pression croissante des Etats-Unis et d’Israël contre ses enquêtes sur les crimes commis dans les territoires palestiniens.
La périménopause, […] est par exemple peu documentée. Elle n’a fait son entrée dans le Larousse que cette année. La ménopause a, elle aussi, longtemps été traitée avec un mépris manifeste. Dans les années 1960, un médecin réputé de l’époque, Roger Wilson, allait jusqu’à qualifier de « vaches écervelées » les femmes ménopausées.
Le pareur lituanien à l’origine du sabotage a été suspendu de ses fonctions à vie, après qu’il a revendiqué son acte raciste et proféré de nouvelles insultes.
L’acteur américain se voit reprocher des « comportements sexuels délictueux » par quatre femmes. D’autres témoignages font état de comportements inappropriés vis-à-vis d’adolescentes.
Comment choisir une plateforme parmi 140 payantes ? La réforme de la facturation électronique concerne plus de dix millions d’entreprises, mais les craintes sont fortes chez beaucoup de petites structures paysannes ou artisanes, comme pour les auto-entreprises.
La Société Générale affiche, jeudi 30 juillet, un bénéfice net de 1,79 milliard d’euros pour son deuxième trimestre, du jamais-vu. La banque signe également un bénéfice record à l’échelle du semestre, à près de 3,5 milliards d’euros. En janvier dernier, le groupe annonçant la suppression de 1 800 postes en France.
Le Conseil constitutionnel a estimé, vendredi 31 juillet, que le code des collectivités qui a valu des amendes à Airbnb, pour un total de 8,6 millions d’euros, est conforme à la Constitution.
Pour trouver l’aire d’accueil des gens du voyage d’Hellemmes-Ronchin, en périphérie de Lille, il ne faut pas suivre les panneaux routiers — inexistants — mais plutôt les camions toupie en route vers l’usine à béton. Là, coincée entre une concasserie de gravats et un grand champ de blé, se dresse un parking poussiéreux, sans un seul point ombragé.
Enterrés dans un champ calciné, à quelques mètres des habitations [du Porge], ils ont explosé sous l’effet de la chaleur au deuxième soir de l’incendie, dans la nuit du 23 au 24 juillet. L’un d’eux a même perforé le mur d’une maison évacuée.[…] Depuis, 75 obus ont été retrouvés, venus d’un dépôt de munitions oublié datant de la Seconde Guerre mondiale, selon la municipalité.
Ces habitant·es soutiennent que la commune a été abandonnée face au feu, avec un résultat catastrophique puisque près de 200 maisons ont été détruites.
Au Cap-Ferret, menacé par les violents incendies en Gironde, l’homme d’affaires Benoît Bartherotte et des ostréiculteurs ont refusé d’évacuer pour protéger la presqu’île. Pendant que le premier érige un pare-feu controversé, les seconds se battent pour sauver leurs huîtres et leur outil de travail.
Aux yeux des assureurs, un feu de forêt ne coche pas les cases de la garantie Cat-Nat, le régime d’indemnisation des dommages majeurs causés par un événement naturel.
Connu pour ses tubes Nightcall, Roadgame, Testarossa Autodrive ou Rampage, Kavinsky a marqué toute une génération d’artistes, notamment ceux de la French Touch avec qui il collaborait régulièrement. L’annonce de sa disparition soudaine, trois jours avant son 51e anniversaire, a donc été vécue comme un choc dans le monde de la musique électro, mais pas uniquement.
L’ouverture de l’assistance médicale à la procréation pour les couples de femmes et les femmes seules fête ses cinq ans. Entre les délais d’attente, les inégalités d’accès et les discriminations persistantes, associations et professionnels de santé dressent un bilan très critique.
Sur sa page Facebook privée, le président du syndicat agricole de l’Oise Régis Desrumaux a violemment attaqué Marine Tondelier, secrétaire nationale d’Europe Ecologie les Verts, suite au vote de la loi d’urgence agricole.
Marine Tondelier exige « des excuses publiques » de la part d’un responsable de la FDSEA de l’Oise qui a fini par s’exécuter après l’avoir insulté de « grosse salope » sur Facebook. Si la patronne des Écologistes a reçu le soutien unanime des élus de gauche, cet événement met de nouveau en lumière le sexisme en politique.
Le chanteur de 67 ans est visé par deux nouvelles plaintes, l’une pour viol, l’autre pour agression sexuelle. Les faits dénoncés remontent à 1994 et 2005.
Derrière les promesses de « sororité » et de « reconstruction », se cachent parfois des structures qui s’apparentent à des organisations pyramidales. Dans le sud-ouest de la France ou en région parisienne, des réseaux de coaching attirent les victimes de violences conjugales via des stratégies dignes des plus agressives écoles de commerce.
« L’islamo-gauchisme et le wokisme ont gagné » […] « Je défends l’idée qu’Israël est une démocratie. Je constate que les preuves d’un génocide à Gaza restent introuvables. Je pense qu’on peut parler sans détour d’un antisémitisme musulman. »
« La seule solution qu’on nous offre, ce sont des masques FFP2, en quantité limitée, et qui ne sont pas résistants au feu » […] Pourtant, il existe bien de nouvelles cagoules, filtrantes celles-ci, qui ont été intégrées depuis 2019 dans le référentiel technique de la Direction générale de la sécurité civile
Pour nombre d’observateurs, [la FNSEA] a perdu une partie de sa capacité d’influence politique. Mais c’est justement dans ce contexte qu’il devient essentiel pour le syndicat de l’agro-industrie de renforcer ses appuis politiques, en particulier issus de la droite traditionnelle, son alliée historique.
La promulgation de cette loi est désormais suspendue, depuis le 24 juillet 2026, à la saisine du Conseil constitutionnel entreprise par plusieurs député·es « insoumis » et écologistes.
Ces derniers jours, environ 40 000 migrants ont traversé la frontière entre le Maroc et l’enclave espagnole de Ceuta.Ils n’auraient pas pu réagir plus vite. Pour servir leur discours, de nombreux dirigeants politiques français, à droite, à l’extrême droite, mais également chez les macronistes, sautent sur les vidéos en provenance de Ceuta
Jardins, écoquartiers, ferme municipale… Une fois élus, les maires d’extrême droite ne s’attaquent pas qu’à la culture et aux syndicats. Ils sabotent aussi des projets écologiques.
Un homme de 28 ans a été condamné à trois mois de prison avec sursis pour avoir fait ce geste en marge de la manifestation du 8 mars pour le droit des femmes. Il était jugé pour apologie de crime ou de délit. […] cet homme avait été candidat aux élections municipales à Mulhouse sur la liste du parti d’extrême-droite Reconquête
« Le dernier jour du festival, une fête tolérée a été organisée par le collectif [La Méandre] dans leurs locaux. On y était nombreux.ses et c’était super. Jusqu’à ce que la police puis 15 camions de CRS nous rejoignent et là c’était carrément moins festif »
les associations Data for Good, Humanité et Nature et France Nature Environnement Bouches-du-Rhône déposent des recours contre l’autorisation environnementale accordée par la préfecture au projet de centres de données de Pennes-Mirabeau.
Deux semaines après son lancement, la plateforme de recensement de victimes directes du changement climatique rassemble 105 000 personnes et plus de 30 000 témoignages. Son objectif : que « l’État regarde leurs réalités et agisse ».
Le tribunal administratif de Poitiers a ordonné le démantèlement de quatre réserves d’eau illégales à la lisière des Deux-Sèvres et de la Charente-Maritime. Une décision qualifiée d’historique par BNM.
Après une semaine de blocage, de nuits passées dans la canopée et de vives tensions, la mobilisation a payé. Ce mercredi 22 juillet, le maire de Jouy a officiellement signé un arrêté municipal garantissant la conservation et la protection des six tilleuls centenaires. Au pied des arbres, l’heure est à la fête et au bilan d’une lutte exemplaire.
Le géant Amazon profite de sa position dominante pour peser de tout son poids sur chaque maillon de la chaîne du livre. Ou comment la vente en ligne peut mettre en péril la « bibliodiversité ».
Alors que Tchap est devenue la messagerie sécurisée de référence de l’État, la France cherche désormais à étendre sa stratégie de souveraineté numérique à l’échelle européenne en promouvant le protocole Matrix auprès d’autres pays.
Alors que la justice a retenu la circonstance aggravante de racisme dans le meurtre de Thomas à Crépol, le racisme anti-Blanc s’invite à nouveau dans le débat public.
Au milieu des flammes, les écologistes sont mis en accusation. Stratégie de déni qui rappelle l’antiféminisme. Écologie et féminisme contestent l’actuel modèle économique : il valorise la destruction du vivant bien plus que sa préservation
la police de Delhi a déployé autour du site de protestation une infrastructure de surveillance […] Tours de surveillance, reconnaissance faciale assistée par l’IA, caméras à 360 degrés, caméras-piétons, unités mobiles et même lunettes intelligentes Meta ont créé un environnement dans lequel presque chaque déplacement des manifestants pouvait être enregistré, analysé et archivé.
En Argentine, la dictature n’a pas seulement imposé la terreur et le néolibéralisme : elle a également laissé une empreinte durable sur la façon dont le camp populaire pense la démocratie
Unlike some of Nolan’s other films, The Odyssey is not boring, thanks to the source material, which is impossible to mess up entirely. It’s a family-friendly audiovisual spectacle, like an elaborate Fourth of July fireworks display – and with about the same level of narrative and emotional depth.
Depuis plus d’un siècle, la France et l’Espagne se partagent l’administration de l’île des Faisans, un petit bout de terre posé au milieu de la Bidassoa. Du 1er août au 31 janvier, le plus petit condominium au monde est français, et le reste du temps, il est espagnol
Face à l’annonce irresponsable de Microsoft de ne plus mettre à jour son système d’exploitation Windows 10, qui va rendre obsolète plus de 400 millions d’ordinateurs dans le monde, la Ville a décidé de convertir progressivement les ordinateurs qu’elle fournit aux écoles sous Linux, le système d’exploitation libre et gratuit. Une expérimentation est ainsi menée dans trois écoles élémentaires. Une opportunité éducative mais aussi environnementale qui prolongera la durée de vie des ordinateurs.
« Le castor est un véritable ingénieur de son écosystème. S’il constate que le niveau du cours d’eau baisse, notamment lors des sécheresses, il construit des barrages, qui retiennent l’eau. Il participe aussi à la stabilisation des berges en faisant tomber les grands arbres tout en conservant leurs systèmes racinaires »
La coiffeuse Janet Stephens a corrigé une erreur de longue date dans l’interprétation des sculptures romaines. Pour faire tenir les cheveux, il fallait en fait une aiguille et du fil.
Retrouvez les revues de web précédentes dans la catégorie Libre Veille du Framablog.
Les articles, commentaires et autres images qui composent ces « Khrys’presso » n’engagent que moi (Khrys).
Nous utilisons framaspace pour notre collectif. Nous souhaiterions utiliser la fonctionnalité « paheco » que nous savons puissante pour gérer les adhésions des membres. Mais impossible de créer un compte paheco depuis framaspace. J’ai ce message quand je clique sur l’icone « paheco » du bandeau haut de framaspace « Aucun membre trouvé avec cet e-mail. Demandez à un administrateur de vous créer un compte côté Paheko au préalable ».
De quel administrateur s’agit-il ? Je suis connectée à framaspace avec l’admin principal de l’espace…
J’ai posé la question dans paheco.cloud,et la réponse c’est qu’ils n’ont pas accès aux comptes paheco de framaspace (heureusement) et que le logiciel de framaspace n’est pas tout à fait le même…
Mais pour QUI est prévu ce « service » ?
En voyant le tarif, hors « déploiement », le service coutera -en moyenne- entre 40 et 90 € par membre des associations ! ! ! On est bien loin du concept des « petites associations »…
Tout l’été, profitez de republications de « Dans Les Algorithmes » ! Rendez-vous tous les dimanches de juillet et d’août pour réfléchir, ensemble, sur les enjeux de l’Intelligence Artificielle.
Emily Bender et Alex Hanna publient The AI con, « L’escroquerie de l’IA ». Une synthèse très documentée qui nous invite à lutter contre le monde que nous proposent les géants de l’IA. Lecture.
La couverture du livre d’Emily Bender et Alex Hanna.
AI con pourrait paraître comme un brûlot technocritique, mais il est plutôt une synthèse très documentée de ce qu’est l’IA et de ce qu’elle n’est pas. L’IA est une escroquerie, expliquent les autrices, un moyen que certains acteurs ont trouvé “pour faire les poches de tous les autres”. « Quelques acteurs majeurs bien placés se sont positionnés pour accumuler des richesses importantes en extrayant de la valeur du travail créatif, des données personnelles ou du travail d’autres personnes et en remplaçant des services de qualité par des fac-similés ». Pour elles, l’IA tient bien plus d’une pseudo-technologie qu’autre chose.
L’escroquerie tient surtout dans le discours que ces acteurs tiennent, le battage médiatique, la hype qu’ils entretiennent, les propos qu’ils disséminent pour entretenir la frénésie autour de leurs outils et services. Le cadrage que les promoteurs de l’IA proposent leur permet de faire croire en leur puissance tout en invisibilisant ce que l’IA fait vraiment : « menacer les carrières stables et les remplacer par du travail à la tâche, réduire le personnel, déprécier les services sociaux et dégrader la créativité humaine ».
L’IA n’est rien d’autre que du marketing
Bender et Hanna nous le rappellent avec force. « L’intelligence artificielle est un terme marketing ». L’IA ne se réfère pas à un ensemble cohérent de technologies. « L’IA permet de faire croire à ceux à qui on la vend que la technologie que l’on vend est similaire à l’humain, qu’elle serait capable de faire ce qui en fait, nécessite intrinsèquement le jugement, la perception ou la créativité humaine ». Les calculatrices sont bien meilleures que les humains pour l’arithmétique, on ne les vend pas pour autant comme de l’IA.
L’IA sert à automatiser les décisions, à classifier, à recommander, à traduire et transcrire et à générer des textes ou des images. Toutes ces différentes fonctions assemblées sous le terme d’IA créent l’illusion d’une technologie intelligente, magique, qui permet de produire de l’acceptation autour de l’automatisation quelles que soient ses conséquences, par exemple dans le domaine de l’aide sociale. Le battage médiatique, la hype, est également un élément important, car c’est elle qui conduit l’investissement dans ces technologies, qui explique l’engouement pour cet ensemble de méthodes statistiques appelé à changer le monde. « La fonction commerciale de la hype technologique est de booster la vente de produits ». Altman et ses confrères ne sont que des publicitaires qui connectent leurs objectifs commerciaux avec les imaginaires machiniques. Et la hype de l’IA nous promet une vie facile où les machines prendront notre place, feront le travail difficile et répétitif à notre place.
En 1956, quand John McCarthy et Marvin Minsky organisent un atelier au Dartmouth College pour discuter de méthodes pour créer des machines pensantes, le terme d’IA s’impose, notamment pour exclure Norbert Wiener, le pionnier, qui parle lui de cybernétique, estiment les chercheuses. Le terme d’intelligence artificielle va servir pour désigner des outils pour le guidage de systèmes militaires, afin d’attirer des investissements dans le contexte de la guerre froide. Dès le début, la « discipline » repose donc sur de grandes prétentions sans grande caution scientifique, de mauvaises pratiques de citation scientifiques et des objectifs fluctuants pour justifier les projets et attirer les investissements, expliquent Bender et Hanna. Des pratiques qui ont toujours cours aujourd’hui. Dès le début, les promoteurs de l’IA vont soutenir que les ordinateurs peuvent égaler les capacités humaines, notamment en estimant que les capacités humaines ne sont pas si complexes.
Des outils de manipulation… sans entraves
L’une des premières grande réalisation du domaine est le chatbot Eliza de Joseph Weizenbaum, nommée ainsi en référence à Eliza Doolittle, l’héroïne de Pygmalion, la pièce de George Bernard Shaw. Eliza Doolittle est la petite fleuriste prolétaire qui apprend à imiter le discours de la classe supérieure. Derrière ce nom très symbolique, le chatbot est conçu comme un psychothérapeute capable de soutenir une conversation avec son interlocuteur en lui renvoyant sans cesse des questions depuis les termes que son interlocuteur emploie. Weizenbaum était convaincu qu’en montrant le fonctionnement très basique et très trompeur d’Eliza, il permettrait aux utilisateurs de comprendre qu’on ne pouvait pas compatir à ses réponses. C’est l’inverse qui se produisit pourtant. Tout mécanique qu’était Eliza, Weizenbaum a été surpris de l’empathie générée par son tour de passe-passe, comme l’expliquait Ben Tarnoff. Eliza n’en sonne pas moins l’entrée dans l’âge de l’IA. Son créateur, lui, passera le reste de sa vie à être très critique de l’IA, d’abord en s’inquiétant de ses effets sur les gens. Eliza montrait que le principe d’imitation de l’humain se révélait particulièrement délétère, notamment en trompant émotionnellement ses interlocuteurs, ceux-ci interprétant les réponses comme s’ils étaient écoutés par cette machine. Dès l’origine, donc, rappellent Bender et Hanna, l’IA est une discipline de manipulation sans entrave biberonnée aux investissements publics et à la spéculation privée.
Bien sûr, il y a des applications de l’IA bien testées et utiles, conviennent-elles. Les correcteurs orthographiques par exemple ou les systèmes d’aide à la détection d’anomalies d’images médicales. Mais, en quelques années, l’IA est devenue la solution à toutes les activités humaines. Pourtant, toutes, mêmes les plus accomplies, comme les correcteurs orthographiques ou les systèmes d’images médicales ont des défaillances. Et leurs défaillances sont encore plus vives quand les outils sont imbriqués à d’autres et quand leurs applications vont au-delà des limites de leurs champs d’application pour lesquels elles fonctionnent bien. Dans leur livre, Bender et Hanna multiplient les exemples de défaillances, comme celles que nous évoquons en continu ici, Dans les algorithmes.
Ces défaillances dont la presse et la recherche se font souvent les échos ont des points communs. Toutes reposent sur des gens qui nous survendent les systèmes d’automatisation comme les très versatiles « machines à extruder du texte » – c’est ainsi que Bender et Hanna parlent des chatbots, les comparant implicitement à des imprimantes 3D censées imprimer, plus ou moins fidèlement, du texte depuis tous les textes, censées extruder du sens ou plutôt nous le faire croire, comme Eliza nous faisait croire en sa conscience, alors qu’elle ne faisait que berner ses utilisateurs. C’est bien plus nous que ces outils qui sommes capables de mettre du sens là où il n’y en a pas. Comme si ces outils n’étaient finalement que des moteurs à produire des paréidolies, des apophénies, c’est-à-dire du sens, des causalités, là où il n’y en a aucune. « L’IA n’est pas consciente : elle ne va pas rendre votre travail plus facile et les médecins IA ne soigneront aucun de vos maux ». Mais proclamer que l’IA est ou sera consciente produit surtout des effets sur le corps social, comme Eliza produit des effets sur ses utilisateurs. Malgré ce que promet la hype, l’IA risque bien plus de rendre votre travail plus difficile et de réduire la qualité des soins. « La hype n’arrive pas par accident. Elle remplit une fonction : nous effrayer et promettre aux décideurs et aux entrepreneurs de continuer à se remplir les poches ».
Déconstruire l’emballement
Dans leur livre, Bender et Hanna déconstruisent l’emballement. En rappelant d’abord que ces machines ne sont ni conscientes ni intelligentes. L’IA n’est que le résultat d’un traitement statistique à très grande échelle, comme l’expliquait Kate Crawford dans son Contre-Atlas de l’intelligence artificielle. Pourtant, dès les années 50, Minsky promettait déjà la simulation de la conscience. Mais cette promesse, cette fiction, ne sert que ceux qui ont quelque chose à vendre. Cette fiction de la conscience ne sert qu’à dévaluer la nôtre. Les « réseaux neuronaux » sont un terme fallacieux, qui vient du fait que ces premières machines s’inspiraient de ce qu’on croyait savoir du fonctionnement des neurones du cerveau humain dans les années 40. Or, ces systèmes ne font que prédire statistiquement le mot suivant dans leurs données de références. ChatGPT n’est rien d’autre qu’une « saisie automatique améliorée ». Or, comme le rappelle l’effet Eliza, quand nous sommes confrontés à du texte ou à des signes, nous l’interprétons automatiquement. Les bébés n’apprennent pas le langage par une exposition passive et isolée, rappelle la linguiste. Nous apprenons le langage par l’attention partagée avec autrui, par l’intersubjectivité. C’est seulement après avoir appris un langage en face à face que nous pouvons l’utiliser pour comprendre les autres artefacts linguistiques, comme l’écriture. Mais nous continuons d’appliquer la même technique de compréhension : « nous imaginons l’esprit derrière le texte ». Les LLM n’ont ni subjectivité ni intersubjectivité. Le fait qu’ils soient modélisés pour produire et distribuer des mots dans du texte ne signifie pas qu’ils aient accès au sens ou à une quelconque intention. Ils ne produisent que du texte synthétique plausible. ChatGPT n’est qu’une machine à extruder du texte, « comme un processus industriel extrude du plastique ». Leur fonction est une fonction de production… voire de surproduction.
Les promoteurs de l’IA ne cessent de répéter que leurs machines approchent de la conscience ou que les êtres humains, eux aussi, ne seraient que des perroquets stochastiques. Nous ne serions que des versions organiques des machines et nous devrions échanger avec elles comme si elles étaient des compagnons ou des amis. Dans cet argumentaire, les humains sont réduits à des machines. Weizenbaum estimait pourtant que les machines resserrent plutôt qu’élargissent notre humanité en nous conduisant à croire que nous serions comme elles. « En confiant tant de décisions aux ordinateurs, pensait-il, nous avions créé un monde plus inégal et moins rationnel, dans lequel la richesse de la raison humaine avait été réduite à des routines insensées de code », rappelle Tarnoff. L’informatique réduit les gens et leur expérience à des données. Les promoteurs de l’IA passent leur temps à dévaluer ce que signifie être humain, comme l’ont montré les critiques de celles qui, parce que femmes, personnes trans ou de couleurs, ne sont pas toujours considérées comme des humains, comme celles de Joy Buolamnwini, Timnit Gebru, Sasha Costanza-Chock ou Ruha Benjamin. Cette manière de dévaluer l’humain par la machine, d’évaluer la machine selon sa capacité à résoudre les problèmes n’est pas sans rappeler les dérives de la mesure de l’intelligence et ses délires racistes. La mesure de l’intelligence a toujours été utilisée pour justifier les inégalités de classe, de genre, de race. Et le délire sur l’intelligence des machines ne fait que les renouveler. D’autant que ce mouvement vers l’IA comme industrie est instrumenté par des millionnaires tous problématiques, de Musk à Thiel en passant par Altman ou Andreessen… tous promoteurs de l’eugénisme, tous ultraconservateurs quand ce n’est pas ouvertement fascistes. Bender et Hanna égrènent à leur tour nombre d’exemples des propos problématiques des entrepreneurs et financiers de l’IA. L’IA est un projet politique porté par des gens qui n’ont rien à faire de la démocratie parce qu’elle dessert leurs intérêts et qui tentent de nous convaincre que la rationalité qu’ils portent serait celle dont nous aurions besoin, oubliant de nous rappeler que leur vision du monde est profondément orientée par leurs intérêts – je vous renvoie au livre de Thibault Prévost, Les prophètes de l’IA, qui dit de manière plus politique encore que Bender et Hanna, les dérives idéologiques des grands acteurs de la tech.
De l’automatisation à l’IA : dévaluer le travail
L’IA se déploie partout avec la même promesse, celle qu’elle va améliorer la productivité, quand elle propose d’abord « de remplacer le travail par la technologie ». « L’IA ne va pas prendre votre job. Mais elle va rendre votre travail plus merdique », expliquent les chercheuses. « L’IA est déployée pour dévaluer le travail en menaçant les travailleurs par la technologie qui est supposée faire leur travail à une fraction de son coût ».
En vérité, aucun de ces outils ne fonctionnerait s’ils ne tiraient pas profits de contenus produits par d’autres et s’ils n’exploitaient pas une force de travail massive et sous payée à l’autre bout du monde. L’IA ne propose que de remplacer les emplois et les carrières que nous pouvons bâtir, par du travail à la tâche. L’IA ne propose que de remplacer les travailleurs de la création par des « babysitters de machines synthétiques ».
L’automatisation et la lutte contre l’automatisation par les travailleurs n’est pas nouvelle, rappellent les chercheuses. L’innovation technologique a toujours promis de rendre le travail plus facile et plus simple en augmentant la productivité. Mais ces promesses ne sont que « des fictions dont la fonction ne consiste qu’à vendre de la technologie. L’automatisation a toujours fait partie d’une stratégie plus vaste visant à transférer les coûts sur les travailleurs et à accumuler des richesses pour ceux qui contrôlent les machines. »
Ceux qui s’opposent à l’automatisation ne sont pas de simples Luddites qui refuseraient le progrès (ceux-ci d’ailleurs n’étaient pas opposés à la technologie et à l’innovation, comme on les présente trop souvent, mais bien plus opposés à la façon dont les propriétaires d’usines utilisaient la technologie pour les transformer, d’artisans en ouvriers, avec des salaires de misères, pour produire des produits de moins bonnes qualités et imposer des conditions de travail punitives, comme l’expliquent Brian Merchant dans son livre, Blood in the Machine ou Gavin Mueller dans Breaking things at work. L’introduction des machines dans le secteur de la confection au début du XIXe siècle au Royaume-Uni a réduit le besoin de travailleurs de 75 %. Ceux qui sont entrés dans l’industrie ont été confrontés à des conditions de travail épouvantables où les blessures étaient monnaies courantes. Les Luddites étaient bien plus opposés aux conditions de travail de contrôle et de coercition qui se mettaient en place qu’opposés au déploiement des machines), mais d’abord des gens concernés par la dégradation de leur santé, de leur travail et de leur mode de vie.
L’automatisation pourtant va surtout exploser avec le 20e siècle, notamment dans l’industrie automobile. Chez Ford, elle devient très tôt une stratégie. Si l’on se souvient de Ford pour avoir offert de bonnes conditions de rémunération à ses employés (afin qu’ils puissent s’acheter les voitures qu’ils produisaient), il faut rappeler que les conditions de travail étaient tout autant épouvantables et punitives que dans les usines de la confection du début du XIXe siècle. L’automatisation a toujours été associée à la fois au chômage et au surtravail, rappellent les chercheuses. Les machines de minage, introduites dès les années 50 dans les mines, permettaient d’employer 3 fois moins de personnes et étaient particulièrement meurtrières. Aujourd’hui, la surveillance qu’Amazon produit dans ses entrepôts vise à contrôler la vitesse d’exécution et cause elle aussi blessures et stress. L’IA n’est que la poursuite de cette longue tradition de l’industrie à chercher des moyens pour remplacer le travail par des machines, renforcer les contraintes et dégrader les conditions de travail au nom de la productivité.
D’ailleurs, rappellent les chercheuses, quatre mois après la sortie de ChatGPT, les chercheurs d’OpenAI ont publié un rapport assez peu fiable sur l’impact du chatbot sur le marché du travail. Mais OpenAI, comme tous les grands automatiseurs, a vu très tôt son intérêt à promouvoir l’automatisation comme un job killer. C’est le cas également des cabinets de conseils qui vendent aux entreprises des modalités pour réaliser des économies et améliorer les profits, et qui ont également produit des rapports en ce sens. Le remplacement par la technologie est un mythe persistant qui n’a pas besoin d’être réel pour avoir des impacts.
Plus qu’un remplacement par l’IA, cette technologie propose d’abord de dégrader nos conditions de travail. Les scénaristes sont payés moins cher pour réécrire un script que pour en écrire un, tout comme les traducteurs sont payés moins cher pour traduire ce qui a été prémâché par l’IA. Pas étonnant alors que de nombreux collectifs s’opposent à leurs déploiements, à l’image des actions du collectif Safe Street Rebel de San Francisco contre les robots taxis et des attaques (récurrentes) contre les voitures autonomes. Les frustrations se nourrissent des « choses dont nous n’avons pas besoin qui remplissent nos rues, comme des contenus que nous ne voulons pas qui remplissent le web, comme des outils de travail qui s’imposent à nous alors qu’ils ne fonctionnent pas ». Les exemples sont nombreux, à l’image des travailleurs de l’association américaine de lutte contre les désordres alimentaires qui ont été remplacés, un temps, par un chatbot, deux semaines après s’être syndiqués. Un chatbot qui a dû être rapidement retiré, puisqu’il conseillait n’importe quoi à ceux qui tentaient de trouver de l’aide. « Tenter de remplacer le travail par des systèmes d’IA ne consiste pas à faire plus avec moins, mais juste moins pour plus de préjudices » – et plus de bénéfices pour leurs promoteurs. Dans la mode, les mannequins virtuels permettent de créer un semblant de diversité, alors qu’en réalité, ils réduisent les opportunités des mannequins issus de la diversité.
Babysitter les IA : l’exploitation est la norme
Dans cette perspective, le travail avec l’IA consiste de plus en plus à corriger leurs erreurs, à nettoyer, à être les babysitters de l’IA. Des babysitters de plus en plus invisibilisés. Les robotaxis autonomes de Cruise sont monitorés et contrôlés à distance. Tous les outils d’IA ont recours à un travail caché, invisible, externalisé. Et ce dès l’origine, puisqu’ImageNet, le projet fondateur de l’IA qui consistait à labelliser des images pour servir à l’entraînement des machines n’aurait pas été possible sans l’usage du service Mechanical Turk d’Amazon. 50 000 travailleurs depuis 167 pays ont été mobilisés pour créer le dataset qui a permis à l’IA de décoller. « Le modèle d’ImageNet consistant à exploiter des travailleurs à la tâche tout autour du monde est devenue une norme industrielle du secteur« . Aujourd’hui encore, le recours aux travailleurs du clic est persistant, notamment pour la correction des IA. Et les industries de l’IA profitent d’abord et avant tout l’absence de protection des travailleurs qu’ils exploitent.
Pas étonnant donc que les travailleurs tentent de répondre et de s’organiser, à l’image des scénaristes et des acteurs d’Hollywood et de leur 148 jours de grève. Mais toutes les professions ne sont pas aussi bien organisées. D’autres tentent d’autres méthodes, comme les outils des artistes visuels, Glaze et Nightshade, pour protéger leurs créations. Les travailleurs du clic eux aussi s’organisent, par exemple via l’African Content Moderators Union.
“Quand les services publics se tournent vers des solutions automatisées, c’est bien plus pour se décharger de leurs responsabilités que pour améliorer leurs réponses”
L’escroquerie de l’IA se développe également dans les services sociaux. Sous prétexte d’austérité, les solutions automatisées sont partout envisagées comme « la seule voie à suivre pour les services gouvernementaux à court d’argent ». L’accès aux services sociaux est remplacé par des « contrefaçons bon marchés »pour ceux qui ne peuvent pas se payer les services de vrais professionnels. Ce qui est surtout un moyen d’élargir les inégalités au détriment de ceux qui sont déjà marginalisés. Bien sûr, les auteurs font référence ici à des sources que nous avons déjà mobilisés, notamment Virginia Eubanks. « L’automatisation dans le domaine du social au nom de l’efficacité ne rend les autorités efficaces que pour nuire aux plus démunis ». C’est par exemple le cas de la détention préventive. En 2024, 500 000 américains sont en prison parce qu’ils ne peuvent pas payer leurs cautions. Pour remédier à cela, plusieurs États ont recours à des solutions algorithmiques pour évaluer le risque de récidive sans résoudre le problème, au contraire, puisque ces calculs ont surtout servi à accabler les plus démunis. À nouveau, « l’automatisation partout vise bien plus à abdiquer la gouvernance qu’à l’améliorer ».
“De partout, quand les services publics se tournent vers des solutions automatisées, c’est bien plus pour se décharger de leurs responsabilités que pour améliorer leurs réponses”, constatent, désabusées, Bender et Hanna. Et ce n’est pas qu’une caractéristique des autorités républicaines, se lamentent les chercheuses. Gavin Newsom, le gouverneur démocrate de la Californie démultiplie les projets d’IA générative, par exemple pour adresser le problème des populations sans domiciles afin de mieux identifier la disponibilité des refuges… « Les machines à extruder du texte pourtant, ne savent que faire cela, pas extruder des abris ». De partout d’ailleurs, toutes les autorités publiques ont des projets de développement de chatbots et des projets de systèmes d’IA pour résoudre les problèmes de société. Les autorités oublient que ce qui affecte la santé, la vie et la liberté des gens nécessite des réponses politiques, pas des artifices artificiels.
Les deux chercheuses multiplient les exemples d’outils défaillants… dans un inventaire sans fin. Pourtant, rappellent-elles, la confiance dans ces outils reposent sur la qualité de leur évaluation. Celle-ci est pourtant de plus en plus le parent pauvre de ces outils, comme le regrettaient Sayash Kapoor et Arvind Narayanan dans leur livre. En fait, l’évaluation elle-même est restée déficiente, rappellent Hanna et Bender. Les tests sont partiels, biaisés par les données d’entraînements qui sont rarement représentatives. Les outils d’évaluation de la transcription automatique par exemple reposent sur le taux de mots erronés, mais comptent tout mots comme étant équivalent, alors que certains peuvent être bien plus importants que d’autres en contexte, par exemple, l’adresse est une donnée très importante quand on appelle un service d’urgence, or, c’est là que les erreurs sont les plus fortes.
« L’IA n’est qu’un pauvre facsimilé de l’État providence »
Depuis l’arrivée de l’IA générative, l’évaluation semble même avoir déraillé (voir notre article « De la difficulté à évaluer l’IA »). Désormais, ils deviennent des concours (par exemple en tentant de les classer selon leurs réponses à des tests de QI) et des outils de classements pour eux-mêmes, comme s’en inquiétaient déjà les chercheuses dans un article de recherche. La capacité des modèles d’IA générative à performer aux évaluations tient d’un effet Hans le malin, du nom du cheval qui avait appris à décoder les signes de son maître pour faire croire qu’il était capable de compter. On fait passer des tests qu’on propose aux professionnels pour évaluer ces systèmes d’IA, alors qu’ils ne sont pas faits pour eux et qu’ils n’évaluent pas tout ce qu’on regarde au-delà des tests pour ces professions, comme la créativité, le soin aux autres. Malgré les innombrables défaillances d’outils dans le domaine de la santé (on se souvient des algorithmes défaillants de l’assureur UnitedHealth qui produisait des refus de soins deux fois plus élevés que ses concurrents ou ceux d’Epic Systems ou d’autres encore pour allouer des soins, dénoncés par l’association nationale des infirmières…), cela n’empêche pas les outils de proliférer. Amazon avec One Medical explore le triage de patients en utilisant des chatbots, Hippocratic AI lève des centaines de millions de dollars pour produire d’épouvantables chatbots spécialisés. Et ne parlons pas des chatbots utilisés comme psy et coach personnels, aussi inappropriés que l’était Eliza il y a 55 ans… Le fait de pousser l’IA dans la santé n’a pas d’autres buts que de dégrader les conditions de travail des professionnels et d’élargir le fossé entre ceux qui seront capables de payer pour obtenir des soins et les autres qui seront laissés aux « contrefaçons électroniques bon marchés ». Les chercheuses font le même constat dans le développement de l’IA dans le domaine scolaire, où, pour contrer la généralisation de l’usage des outils par les élèves, les institutions investissent dans des outils de détection défaillants qui visent à surveiller et punir les élèves plutôt que les aider, et qui punissent plus fortement les étudiants en difficultés. D’un côté, les outils promettent aux élèves d’étendre leur créativité, de l’autre, ils sont surtout utilisés pour renforcer la surveillance. « Les étudiants n’ont pourtant pas besoin de plus de technologie. Ils ont besoin de plus de professeurs, de meilleurs équipements et de plus d’équipes supports ». Confrontés à l’IA générative, le secteur a du mal à s’adapter expliquait Taylor Swaak pour le Chronicle of Higher Education (voir notre récent dossier sur le sujet). Dans ce secteur comme dans tous les autres, l’IA est surtout vue comme un moyen de réduire les coûts. C’est oublier que l’école est là pour accompagner les élèves, pour apprendre à travailler et que c’est un apprentissage qui prend du temps. L’IA est finalement bien plus le symptôme des problèmes de l’école qu’une solution. Elle n’aidera pas à mieux payer les enseignants ou à convaincre les élèves de travailler…
Dans le social, la santé ou l’éducation, le développement de l’IA est obnubilé par l’efficacité organisationnelle : tout l’enjeu est de faire plus avec moins. L’IA est la solution de remplacement bon marché. « L’IA n’est qu’un pauvre facsimilé de l’État providence ». « Elle propose à tous ce que les techs barons ne voudraient pas pour eux-mêmes ». « Les machines qui produisent du texte synthétique ne combleront pas les lacunes de la fabrique du social ».
On pourrait généraliser le constat que nous faisions avec Clearview : l’investissement dans ces outils est un levier d’investissement idéologique qui vise à créer des outils pour contourner et réduire l’État providence, modifier les modèles économiques et politiques.
L’IA, une machine à produire des dommages sociaux
« Nous habitons un écosystème d’information qui consiste à établir des relations de confiance entre des publications et leurs lecteurs. Quand les textes synthétiques se déversent dans cet écosystème, c’est une forme de pollution qui endommage les relations comme la confiance ». Or l’IA promet de faire de l’art bon marché. Ce sont des outils de démocratisation de la créativité, explique par exemple le fondateur de Stability AI, Emad Mostaque. La vérité n’est pourtant pas celle-ci. L’artiste Karla Ortiz, qui a travaillé pour Marvel ou Industrial Light and Magic, expliquait qu’elle a très tôt perdu des revenus du fait de la concurrence initiée par l’IA. Là encore, les systèmes de génération d’image sont déployés pour perturber le modèle économique existant permettant à des gens de faire carrière de leur art. Tous les domaines de la création sont en train d’être déstabilisés. Les “livres extrudés” se démultiplient pour tenter de concurrencer ceux d’auteurs existants ou tromper les acheteurs. Dire que l’IA peut faire de l’art, c’est pourtant mal comprendre que l’art porte toujours une intention que les générateurs ne peuvent apporter. L’art sous IA est asocial, explique la sociologue Jennifer Lena. Quand la pratique artistique est une activité sociale, forte de ses pratiques éthiques comme la citation scientifique. La génération d’images, elle, est surtout une génération de travail dérivé qui copie et plagie l’existant. L’argument génératif semble surtout sonner creux, tant les productions sont souvent identiques aux données depuis lesquelles les textes et images sont formés, soulignent Bender et Hanna. Le projet Galactica de Meta, soutenu par Yann Le Cun lui-même, qui promettait de synthétiser la littérature scientifique et d’en produire, a rapidement été dé-publié. « Avec les LLM, la situation est pire que le garbage in/garbage out que l’on connaît” (c’est-à-dire, le fait que si les données d’entrées sont mauvaises, les résultats de sortie le seront aussi). Les LLM produisent du « papier-mâché des données d’entraînement, les écrasant et remixant dans de nouvelles formes qui ne savent pas préserver l’intention des données originelles”. Les promesses de l’IA pour la science répètent qu’elle va pouvoir accélérer la science. C’était l’objectif du grand défi, lancé en 2016 par le chercheur de chez Sony, Hiroaki Kitano : concevoir un système d’IA pour faire des découvertes majeures dans les sciences biomédicales (le grand challenge a été renommé, en 2021, le Nobel Turing Challenge). Là encore, le défi a fait long feu. « Nous ne pouvons déléguer la science, car la science n’est pas seulement une collection de réponses. C’est d’abord un ensemble de processus et de savoirs ». Or, pour les thuriféraires de l’IA, la connaissance scientifique ne serait qu’un empilement, qu’une collection de faits empiriques qui seraient découverts uniquement via des procédés techniques à raffiner. Cette fausse compréhension de la science ne la voit jamais comme l’activité humaine et sociale qu’elle est avant tout. Comme dans l’art, les promoteurs de l’IA ne voient la science que comme des idées, jamais comme une communauté de pratique.
Cette vision de la science explique qu’elle devienne une source de solutions pour résoudre les problèmes sociaux et politiques, dominée par la science informatique, en passe de devenir l’autorité scientifique ultime, le principe organisateur de la science. La surutilisation de l’IA en science risque pourtant bien plus de rendre la science moins innovante et plus vulnérable aux erreurs, estiment les chercheuses. « La prolifération des outils d’IA en science risque d’introduire une phase de recherche scientifique où nous produisons plus, mais comprenons moins », expliquaient dans Nature Lisa Messeri et M. J. Crockett (sans compter le risque de voir les compétences diminuer, comme le soulignait une récente étude sur la difficulté des spécialistes de l’imagerie médicale à détecter des problèmes sans assistance). L’IA propose surtout un point de vue non situé, une vue depuis nulle part, comme le dénonçait Donna Haraway : elle repose sur l’idée qu’il y aurait une connaissance objective indépendante de l’expérience. « L’IA pour la science nous fait croire que l’on peut trouver des solutions en limitant nos regards à ce qui est éclairé par la lumière des centres de données ». Or, ce qui explique le développement de l’IA scientifique n’est pas la science, mais le capital-risque et les big-tech. L’IA rend surtout les publications scientifiques moins fiables. Bien sûr, cela ne signifie pas qu’il faut rejeter en bloc l’automatisation des instruments scientifiques, mais l’usage généralisé de l’IA risque d’amener plus de risques que de bienfaits.
Mêmes constats dans le monde de la presse, où les chercheuses dénoncent la prolifération de « moulins à contenus”, où l’automatisation fait des ravages dans un secteur déjà en grande difficulté économique. L’introduction de l’IA dans les domaines des arts, de la science ou du journalisme constitue une même cible de choix qui permet aux promoteurs de l’IA de faire croire en l’intelligence de leurs services. Pourtant, leurs productions ne sont pas des preuves de la créativité de ces machines. Sans la créativité des travailleurs qui produisent l’art, la science et le journalisme qui alimentent ces machines, ces machines ne sauraient rien produire. Les contenus synthétiques sont tous basés sur le vol de données et l’exploitation du travail d’autrui. Et l’utilisation de l’IA générative produit d’abord des dommages sociaux dans ces secteurs.
Le risque de l’IA, mais lequel et pour qui ?
Le dernier chapitre du livre revient sur les doomers et les boosters, en renvoyant dos à dos ceux qui pensent que le développement de l’IA est dangereux et les accélérationnistes qui pensent que le développement de l’IA permettra de sauver l’humanité. Pour les uns comme pour les autres, les machines sont la prochaine étape de l’évolution. Ces visions apocalyptiques ont produit un champ de recherche dédié, appelé l’AI Safety. Mais, contrairement à ce qu’il laisse entendre, ce champ disciplinaire ne vient pas de l’ingénierie de la sécurité et ne s’intéresse pas vraiment aux dommages que l’IA engendre depuis ses biais et défaillances. C’est un domaine de recherche centré sur les risques existentiels de l’IA qui dispose déjà d’innombrables centres de recherches dédiés.
Pour éviter que l’IA ne devienne immaîtrisable, beaucoup estiment qu’elle devrait être alignée avec les normes et valeurs humaines. Cette question de l’alignement est considérée comme le Graal de la sécurité pour ceux qui œuvrent au développement d’une IA superintelligente (OpenAI avait annoncé travailler en 2023 à une super-intelligence avec une équipe dédiée au « super-alignement », mais l’entreprise a dissous son équipe moins d’un an après son annonce. Ilya Sutskever, qui pilotait l’équipe, a lancé depuis Safe Superintelligence Inc). Derrière l’idée de l’alignement, repose d’abord l’idée que le développement de l’IA serait inévitable. Rien n’est moins sûr, rappellent les chercheuses. La plupart des gens sur la planète n’ont pas besoin d’IA. Et le développement d’outils d’automatisation de masse n’est pas socialement désirable. « Ces technologies servent d’abord à centraliser le pouvoir, à amasser des données, à générer du profit, plutôt qu’à fournir des technologies qui soient socialement bénéfiques à tous ». L’autre problème, c’est que l’alignement de l’IA sur les « valeurs humaines » peine à les définir. Les droits et libertés ne sont des concepts qui ne sont ni universels ni homogènes dans le temps et l’espace. La déclaration des droits de l’homme elle-même s’est longtemps accommodé de l’esclavage. Avec quelles valeurs humaines les outils d’IA s’alignent-ils quand ils sont utilisés pour armer des robots tueurs, pour la militarisation des frontières ou la traque des migrants ?, ironisent avec pertinence Bender et Hanna.
Pour les tenants du risque existentiel de l’IA, les risques existentiels dont il faudrait se prémunir sont avant tout ceux qui menacent la prospérité des riches occidentaux qui déploient l’IA, ironisent-elles encore. Enfin, rappellent les chercheuses, les scientifiques qui travaillent à pointer les risques réels et actuels de l’IA et ceux qui œuvrent à prévenir les risques existentiels ne travaillent pas à la même chose. Les premiers sont entièrement concernés par les enjeux sociaux, raciaux, dénoncent les violences et les inégalités, quand les seconds ne dénoncent que des risques hypothétiques. Les deux champs scientifiques ne se recoupent ni ne se citent entre eux.
Derrière la fausse guerre entre doomers et boomers, les uns se cachent avec les autres. Pour les uns comme pour les autres, le capitalisme est la seule solution aux maux de la société. Les uns comme les autres voient l’IA comme inévitable et désirable parce qu’elle leur promet des marchés sans entraves. Pourtant, rappellent les chercheuses, le danger n’est pas celui d’une IA qui nous exterminerait. Le danger, bien présent, est celui d’une spéculation financière sans limite, d’une dégradation de la confiance dans les médias à laquelle l’IA participe activement, la normalisation du vol de données et de leur exploitation et le renforcement de systèmes imaginés pour punir les plus démunis. Doomers et boosters devraient surtout être ignorés, s’ils n’étaient pas si riches et si influents. L’emphase sur les risques existentiels détournent les autorités des régulations qu’elles devraient produire.
Pour répondre aux défis de la modernité, nous n’avons pas besoin de générateur de textes, mais de gens, de volonté politique et de ressources, concluent les chercheuses. Nous devons collectivement façonner l’innovation pour qu’elle bénéficie à tous plutôt qu’elle n’enrichisse certains. Pour résister à la hype de l’IA, nous devons poser de meilleures questions sur les systèmes qui se déploient. D’où viennent les données ? Qu’est-ce qui est vraiment automatisé ? Nous devrions refuser de les anthropomorphiser : il ne peut y avoir d’infirmière ou de prof IA. Nous devrions exiger de bien meilleures évaluations des systèmes. ShotSpotter, le système vendu aux municipalités américaines pour détecter automatiquement le son des coups de feux, était annoncé avec un taux de performance de 97 % (et un taux de faux positif de 0,5 % – et c’est encore le cas dans sa FAQ). En réalité, les audits réalisés à Chicago et New York ont montré que 87 à 91 % des alertes du système étaient de fausses alertes !Nous devons savoir qui bénéficie de ces technologies, qui en souffre. Quels recours sont disponibles et est-ce que le service de plainte est fonctionnel pour y répondre ?
Face à l’IA, nous devons avoir aucune confiance
Pour les deux chercheuses, la résistance à l’IA passe d’abord et avant tout par luttes collectives. C’est à chacun et à tous de boycotter ces produits, de nous moquer de ceux qui les utilisent. C’est à nous de rendre l’usage des médias synthétiques pour ce qu’ils sont : inutiles et ringards. Pour les deux chercheuses, la résistance à ces déploiements est essentielle, tant les géants de l’IA sont en train de l’imposer, par exemple dans notre rapport à l’information, mais également dans tous leurs outils. C’est à nous de refuser « l’apparente commodité des réponses des chatbots ». C’est à nous d’œuvrer pour renforcer la régulation de l’IA, comme les lois qui protègent les droits des travailleurs, qui limitent la surveillance.
Emily Bender et Alex Hanna plaident pour une confiance zéro à l’encontre de ceux qui déploient des outils d’IA. Ces principes établis par l’AI Now Institute, Accountable Tech et l’Electronic Privacy Information Center, reposent sur 3 leviers : renforcer les lois existantes, établir des lignes rouges sur les usages inacceptables de l’IA et exiger des entreprises d’IA qu’elles produisent les preuves que leurs produits sont sans dangers.
Mais la régulation n’est hélas pas à l’ordre du jour. Les thuriféraires de l’IA défendent une innovation sans plus aucune entrave afin que rien n’empêche leur capacité à accumuler puissance et fortune. Pour améliorer la régulation, nous avons besoin d’une plus grande transparence, car il n’y aura pas de responsabilité sans elle, soulignent les chercheuses. Nous devons avoir également une transparence sur l’automatisation à l’œuvre, c’est-à-dire que nous devons savoir quand nous interagissons avec un système, quand un texte a été traduit automatiquement. Nous avons le droit de savoir quand nous sommes les sujets soumis aux résultats de l’automatisation. Enfin, nous devons déplacer la responsabilité sur les systèmes eux-mêmes et tout le long de la chaîne de production de l’IA. Les entreprises de l’IA doivent être responsables des données, du travail qu’elles réalisent sur celles-ci, des modèles qu’elles développent et des évaluations. Enfin, il faut améliorer les recours, le droit des données et la minimisation. En entraînant leurs modèles sur toutes les données disponibles, les entreprises de l’IA ont renforcé la nécessité d’augmenter les droits des gens sur leurs données. Enfin, elles plaident pour renforcer les protections du travail en donnant plus de contrôle aux travailleurs sur les outils qui sont déployés et renforcer le droit syndical. Nous devons œuvrer à des « technologies socialement situées », des outils spécifiques plutôt que des outils qui sauraient tout faire. Les applications devraient bien plus respecter les droits des usagers et par exemple ne pas autoriser la collecte de leurs données. Nous devrions enfin défendre un droit à ne pas être évalué par les machines. Comme le dit Ruha Benjamin, en défendant la Justice virale (Princeton University Press, 2022), nous devrions œuvrer à “un monde où la justice est irrésistible”, où rien ne devrait pouvoir se faire pour les gens sans les gens. Nous avons le pouvoir de dire non. Nous devrions refuser la reconnaissance faciale et émotionnelle, car, comme le dit Sarah Hamid du réseau de résistance aux technologies carcérales, au-delà des biais, les technologies sont racistes parce qu’on le leur demande. Nous devons les refuser, comme l’Algorithmic Justice League recommande aux voyageurs de refuser de passer les scanneurs de la reconnaissance faciale.
Bender et Hanna nous invitent à activement résister à la hype. À réaffirmer notre valeur, nos compétences et nos expertises sur celles des machines. Les deux chercheuses ne tiennent pas un propos révolutionnaire pourtant. Elles ne livrent qu’une synthèse, riche, informée. Elles ne nous invitent qu’à activer la résistance que nous devrions naturellement activer, mais qui semble être devenue étrangement radicale ou audacieuse face aux déploiements omnipotents de l’IA.
hello,
Lasuite.coop propose les mêmes logiciels aux acteurs de l’ESS, mais on peut aussi juste les tester sur leur site en créant un compte : https://www.lasuite.coop/applications/demo/
Avant de partir en week-end ou en congés, et à l'occasion du #SysAdminDay, n'hésitez pas à montrer votre reconnaissance à votre administrateur·ice système qui inlassablement, travaille toute l'année pour s'assurer que les systèmes informatiques fonctionnent correctement pour fournir les services que vous utilisez (et c'est le cas chez Framasoft aussi !)
Hundreds of thousands of California residents have already registered for the Delete Request and Opt-out Platform (DROP), which launches Aug. 1. Other states could follow if the process goes smoothly.
The organization behind Team USA's Olympic/Paralympic fencing teams has automated identity verification to handle growing membership, cutting manual review time while ensuring athletes compete in the correct categories.
A last-ditch legislative attempt to help California school districts keep problematic teachers out of the classroom has collapsed following opposition from unions and the state teacher licensing agency that a proposed searchable database would violate privacy and subject educators to unfair treatment.
The proposed database, introduced by a Democratic member of the State Assembly in June, would have allowed schools to see if applicants for public school teaching positions had been reported to the state after they were fired or resigned over claims of misconduct.
The California Federation of Teachers pushed back, warning that teachers could land in the database even if schools had not determined they committed serious misconduct.
“We would support legislation that targets substantiated reports of egregious misconduct,” said Tristan Brown, a lobbyist with the California Federation of Teachers. “We live in a state with Silicon Valley. The state should be able to support a system that is up to date and tracking substantiated reports of misconduct.”
Democratic Assemblymember Al Muratsuchi had proposed to make it easier for schools to screen teacher applicants after a KQED-ProPublica investigation published in May. The news outlets revealed how delays and inaction, combined with a lack of transparency, allowed educators to get new jobs after school districts reported them to the state teacher licensing agency for sexual harassment or other misconduct.
A similar effort by Republican lawmakers to address the issue also hit roadblocks earlier this year.
“When the safety of a child does not meet a legislative priority, that’s a head-scratcher for me,” said Republican Assemblymember Tom Lackey, who co-authored the first attempt to create the teacher database. “I think being sympathetic to the offender is on the wrong side of this issue.”
Both bills were modeled on a law the Legislature passed in 2025 mandating the creation of a database by next summer that will allow employers to search the names of school support staff, such as bus drivers, custodians and teaching assistants, who are under investigation by their schools or have substantiated complaints of egregious misconduct.
The database for school support staff passed after months of tense negotiations. Under that system, employees’ names would be removed from the database if school investigations fail to substantiate claims of egregious misconduct. The bill passed despite opposition from unions, but the system that will be put in place is still being refined.
But that law explicitly does not apply to public school teachers.
The system currently in place for public school educators is a patchwork with a fair number of gaps. School districts have long been required to report to the state any teacher who is fired or who resigns due to misconduct. But the state’s teacher licensing agency, which collects all of those reports, is restricted by state law in what information the agency can share while it investigates. The state’s disciplinary process typically takes one year, and teachers could be hired during the investigation period without schools knowing about the claims against them.
California’s publicly accessible online database of credentialed educators does indicate, with a red-flag icon, whether those public school teachers have been disciplined by the state. But it does not explain the reason for the sanction or provide a link to any documents. It is only after the state licensing agency recommends an educator be disciplined that prospective employers can request a summary of the case and the agency’s findings.
Without such details, California school administrators must rely on teachers themselves or their previous employers to provide key information. A law passed in 2024 requires teacher candidates to share their complete job history in education and mandates that school districts ask every previous employer whether a candidate had been reported to the credentialing agency for credible or substantiated complaints of egregious misconduct. If so, previous schools must share the relevant information. But that law keeps bad actors out of schools only if teachers and schools keep — and provide — accurate records.
For more than a year, California school administrators have lobbied lawmakers for a better way to protect students from those with a history of misconduct. “A database is needed to provide more complete, timely information so that schools can fulfill their responsibility to put trusted adults in positions that work with students,” said Dorothy Johnson, a lobbyist with the Association of California School Administrators, whose members include superintendents, principals and human resources officials.
Under the original bill authored by Muratsuchi and sponsored by the school administrators association, teachers would be added to a new database if their school districts have reported them to the state for misconduct. Before making job offers, schools would be required to check the database, accessible only to employers, for names of teachers with substantiated and credible complaints of egregious misconduct. Then, schools would be required to request records about misconduct from the districts that reported them.
California Assemblymember Al Muratsuchi, a Democrat who introduced the teacher accountability bill, said his office was “confronted with a lot of resistance” over whether it would lead to unfair treatment of the accused.Justin Sullivan/Getty Images
Muratsuchi said his office was “immediately confronted with a lot of resistance,” with teachers unions raising concerns over fair treatment of the accused.
Brown, the lobbyist for the California Federation of Teachers, said the language in the measure was too broad. He said the union would not object to a database that identifies only teachers with substantiated complaints of egregious misconduct, but the bill also states that reports of “possible misconduct” would be included.
“Our opposition is really focused on making sure we’re looking at dangerous conduct that we can definitively say happened,” Brown said.
Muratsuchi, who pulled language for his bill directly from the previous effort by Republican Assemblymember Kate Sanchez, said his intent was for the database to focus on egregious misconduct reports that were substantiated and credible. Had he had more time, he said, he would have clarified the language through the legislative process and addressed the unions’ concerns.
But he introduced the bill with just weeks left in the legislative session.
Seth Bramble, a lobbyist for the California Teachers Association, the state’s most powerful teachers union, wrote in a statement that the proposed database would lead to “employment consequences for innocent teachers based on allegations later determined to be unfounded.”
“CTA unequivocally supports protecting students, ensuring that credible misconduct information is shared with prospective school employers, and preventing individuals who commit egregious misconduct from moving from school to school,” Bramble wrote.
The Trump administration singled out teachers unions as obstructions to legislative reforms to protect children when it announced a national crackdown in July on how school districts handle accusations of sexual misconduct by teachers.
“Teachers’ unions’ demonstrated commitment to shield their members from disciplinary action for gross misconduct cannot trump basic moral and legal responsibilities to students and families,” Secretary of Education Linda McMahon wrote in the open letter to state school chiefs.
McMahon cited KQED and ProPublica’s finding that California’s teacher licensing agency has not revoked the professional credentials of at least 67 educators who school districts determined had sexually harassed students or committed other sexual misconduct. At least 14 of those educators were rehired by other schools. That included San Francisco Bay Area math teacher Jason Agan, who was hired by two schools despite having been fired after an independent panel determined he sexually harassed female students and massaged their shoulders after he’d been warned to stop. Agan was removed from the classroom the day after the story was published. He was replaced by a substitute for the remainder of the school year.
Agan has denied any sexual motivation in touching students and said during his dismissal hearing at his first school that he touched students only to offer them support.
The Commission on Teacher Credentialing, California’s educator licensing agency, joined the unions in objecting to the bill to add teachers to the misconduct database. Jonathon Howard, the government relations manager for the credentialing agency, told Muratsuchi in a June 19 email obtained by KQED and ProPublica that complying with the proposed legislation would “require Commission staff to commit crimes.” Howard cited state laws restricting what information the teacher licensing agency is allowed to share.
Muratsuchi’s bill, Howard warned, would expose the agency to “significant liability.” “The Commission does not oppose the goal of ensuring that credentialed educators with substantiated histories of serious misconduct cannot move undetected between schools,” Howard wrote. “However, achieving that goal requires legislation that is legally sound, operationally workable, and fair to the educators whose livelihoods and professional reputations are at stake.”
Anita Fitzhugh, a spokesperson for the Commission on Teacher Credentialing, previously told KQED and ProPublica that the agency “stands ready to implement any additional public protections that the Legislature authorizes.”
Within weeks of introducing the bill and following opposition, Muratsuchi scrapped the idea of adding teachers reported to the state for egregious misconduct to the database and instead amended the bill to clarify that the teacher licensing agency may penalize administrators who don’t thoroughly vet applicants. The school administrators association withdrew its sponsorship.
Muratsuchi, whose term expires in December, said he still supports more access to information about educators disciplined for serious misconduct. But with the legislative session ending Aug. 31, time is running out.
“I tried,” Muratsuchi said. “I hope future Legislatures pick up the ball.”
A semitruck drives across the Sault Ste. Marie International Bridge from Canada into the United States.
On the northeast edge of Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, nearly 1,100 people gathered in late June for the International Bridge Walk across the long span that links two cities with the same name: Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan, and Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario. Both the sun and the sentiments were bright.
“We don’t like to say there’s a border there, because we’re twin cities. We’re one family, the countries of Canada and the United States,” Don Gerrie, mayor of the Michigan Sault (pronounced “Soo”), told the crowd ahead of the annual walk.
He sported a black ballcap that he said was given to him by his counterpart in the Ontario Sault. It featured flags from both nations with the words “Stronger Together” and “Allies and Friends.”
Canadians in cheerful patriotic attire joined the bridge walk, with maple leaves tagging their scarves and socks, shirts and shorts. Americans came out in star-spangled T-shirts heralding the nation’s 250th birthday. But this lively tradition is clouded by an increasingly hostile relationship between the U.S. and Canada.
Traffic over the bridge is way down. And, in recent weeks, President Donald Trump threatened new tariffs in retaliation for thick wildfire smoke wafting into the U.S. When his administration announced an additional 50% tariff on an array of Canadian products, the White House cited “Canada’s discriminatory treatment of American products.” Then, using a separate mechanism, it hit Canada with a further 10% in tariffs.
Following pressure from the Trump administration that delayed it, a new publicly owned bridge, the Gordie Howe, opened Monday between Detroit and Windsor, Ontario. Canada hosted a Canada-only opening ceremony.
Trump wasn’t present for the bridge’s ribbon-cutting, even though he used to cheer the project. Up at the Sault bridge, there was no sign of the region’s congressional representative at the celebration of international friendship, even though, during Trump’s first term, Rep. Jack Bergman, a Republican, hailed relations with Canada.
In 2020, when Bergman was appointed to an interparliamentary group that provides a forum for exchange between Canadian and American legislators, he boasted of the Sault bridge as a point where “millions” cross every year “to conduct business, shop, work and enjoy what each country has to offer.”
Yet Bergman, who is endorsed by Trump in an upcoming contested primary, has been virtually silent on the new tariffs and their blowback in local communities, even as he’s prodded to speak out by many of his constituents. The only references to Sault Ste. Marie in the news items on his website during Trump’s second term are a mention of an infrastructure project and a February 2025 letter to the president about a purported member of a Venezuelan gang crossing the border.
As Canada responds to Trump’s moves with emergency interventions and “buy local” boosterism, significantly fewer Canadians are crossing the border for once-ordinary activities: shopping, eating, fueling vehicles, vacationing or visiting family and friends.
The Sault area lost at least $82.9 million last year in local spending because of decreased crossings, according to an estimate from the International Bridge Administration, which manages the span: $62.7 million on the Michigan side and $20.2 million on the Ontario side.
There were 270,000 fewer total crossings last year at the Sault Ste. Marie International Bridge — nearly a 24% drop from 2024, exceeding similar declines at Michigan’s other border crossings. Based on the currency used to pay bridge fares and information from the Canadian prime minister’s office, the drop is largely due to the loss of Canadian travelers. Halfway into 2026, auto traffic has lingered at the same lower volume, according to the bridge director, while commercial traffic has fallen nearly 15% further.
Nationwide, the total number of Canadians returning from the United States last year dropped by more than 25%, according to data from the Canadian government.
“What Canadians have done, of course, is they’re boycotting the U.S.,” said Michael Broadway, a geographer and professor emeritus at Northern Michigan University who has researched the travel trends (and joined the bridge walk). Ordinary people can only do so much about federal politics, he said, “but what they can do is they can vote with their feet.”
These bridge and tunnel crossings connect Michigan and the Canadian province of Ontario.Cengiz Yar/ProPublica
The Sault bridge spans the St. Mary’s River, just west of the historic Soo Locks that serve as a hinge between two of the largest Great Lakes, Lake Superior and Lake Huron. Soaring high above the water to clear the thousand-foot freighters, it’s a critical gateway for commerce. And it’s the only vehicular border crossing for hundreds of miles in either direction.
The drop in traffic reversed a post-pandemic uptick, said Peter Petainen, bridge director and an Ontario Sault native. Just as the numbers were recovering, he told ProPublica, “the federal tariff dispute occurred and we’ve fallen off.”
Altogether, it’s a problem for Michigan’s rural Upper Peninsula — and also for the publicly owned bridge, which depends on tolls for maintenance and operations. As the bridge authority put it in its five-year plan, issued in December: “Border challenges negatively affecting bridge traffic, trade and tourism may significantly reduce bridge revenue or increase expenditures beyond operational sustainability.”
Participants make their way across the Sault Ste. Marie International Bridge during the 36th International Bridge Walk on June 27.The cross-border bridge walk is supposed to represent unity among the twin communities, which locals refer to as one family.
Wilda Hopper, co-owner of Bird’s Eye Outfitters in the Michigan Sault, feels the change. She said that the drop-off in Canadian visitors was most noticeable in the off-season, when her gear shop and cafe relies on the local community — including those from the Ontario Sault — to carry it through the snowy months.
Between fewer Canadian customers and rising costs, Hopper said, business is down about 27% compared with what it was last summer.
“I can tell you that I’ve spoken to business after business up in the Sault Ste. Marie area, and in the eastern Upper Peninsula, and they’re all feeling the pressure from this,” said Michigan state Sen. John Damoose, a Republican who represents the community in Lansing. “Mackinac Island’s feeling the pressure, everybody is feeling the heat from this deterioration in our relationship with Canada.”
It’s a bewildering fallout, he said. After a brutal ice storm last year, he remembered Canadians crossing the Sault bridge to help Michiganders repair the electrical grid. “This is our best friend in the entire world,” Damoose said.
Only so much can be done about it from the statehouse, though, when it’s Republicans in Washington in the power position. Two of Michigan’s voices in Washington are the Democratic Sens. Gary Peters and Elissa Slotkin. They don’t flatly oppose tariffs, but they have challenged Trump’s approach, calling it, respectively, “chaotic” and “sloppy.” Slotkin has said that, constitutionally, only Congress can levy tariffs or raise taxes. Peters introduced bipartisan legislation that seeks more tariff transparency.
Bergman, who has represented a district that encompasses the Upper Peninsula and an additional northern swath of the state’s “mitten” since 2017, once stressed the critical role Canada plays in Michigan’s economy. He vowed to work with the Canadian Parliament to “expand market access between both our nations” during Trump’s first term. And he championed the president’s new North American trade deal with Canada and Mexico, citing the benefits for Michigan’s farmers, small businesses and consumers.
But Trump’s trade policies have made it hard on many Republicans who once touted free trade. Pete Hoekstra, the U.S. ambassador to Canada and a former Michigan congressman, pivoted dramatically on trade in the Trump era, as ProPublica reported.
U.S. Rep. Jack Bergman of Michigan has been virtually silent during President Donald Trump’s second term about how tariffs are impacting his constituents.Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc/Getty Images
Since Trump started his second term, there’s been no mention of tariffs in the press releases, articles and op-eds on Bergman’s website. Along with three of his colleagues in Congress, he criticized Canada’s handling of wildfires that sent thick smoke into Michigan in a recent letter to the prime minister.
ProPublica reached out to Bergman, his office and his campaign multiple times for comment on what’s happening in his district and received no response. Besides Trump’s endorsement, his reelection is supported by the Michigan and U.S. chambers of commerce.
He’s facing two challengers in the Republican primary on Aug. 4. Both of them told ProPublica that the district benefits from sustainable trading relationships.
They also echoed what many of Bergman’s constituents told ProPublica: that residents have had scarce opportunities to connect with the congressman in person. Bergman doesn’t appear to have hosted a public town hall in the district since his first year in office.
Bergman, who has a house in Louisiana, has faced long-standing allegations that he doesn’t even make Michigan his true home. Julie Hoffmeyer, a former member of Bergman’s staff who supports one of his primary challengers, told ProPublica that the congressman refers to his property in the western Upper Peninsula as a “cabin” or a “camp.”
Bergman, responding to past challenges to his Michigan residency, has called his home there his primary residence and noted that he’s a registered voter in the state.
Michael Broadway, a geographer and professor emeritus at Northern Michigan University, says many Canadians have, in effect, boycotted the U.S. over Trump’s policies. Businesses like Bird’s Eye Outfitters in Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan, have seen a noticeable drop-off in Canadian visitors.The director of the international bridge estimates that the Sault area, encompassing the two cities on opposite sides of the border, lost at least $82.9 million last year in local spending.
Trump’s quick-shifting trade policies are especially difficult for Michigan’s agriculture industry, the state’s second-largest sector, according to a recent report from the state’s agriculture department. The report, which hasn’t yet been publicly released, said that exports to Canada fell 12.3% last year, “signalling severe strain with a country that is our strongest trading partner.”
Meanwhile, the relationship between the U.S. and Canada is fraying ever further. A White House fact sheet on the new 50% tariff acknowledged the ways that Canadians have changed how they do business.
The White House said that Canadian imports of U.S. motor vehicles dropped by about 22% between April 2025 and March 2026, compared with the same period the year before. And, it said, due to provincial restrictions, Canadian imports of U.S. alcoholic beverages have plummeted.
Mark Carney, Canada’s prime minister, said in a letter posted on social media that the series of tariffs imposed by the U.S. began with ones that were “in direct violation” of the standing North American trade deal — the deal from Trump’s first term that he once celebrated, and that Bergman described as a great economic victory for Michigan.
With the deal up for review this year, the Trump administration declined a long-term extension of the pact. Carney has also widely signaled that Canada is looking beyond its near neighbor for trading partners.
Carney said, in an April video posted on his YouTube channel: “Many of our former strengths, based on our close ties to America, have become our weaknesses — weaknesses that we must correct.”
The Sault Ste. Marie International Bridge is the only vehicular border crossing between the countries for hundreds of miles in either direction.
Le livre « Transiscope : Cartographier pour coopérer » sortira le 08/09/2026.
Plus qu'un outil, c'est un guide politique pour structurer nos solidarités et dépasser les silos (la fameuse « tragédie du LSD » : Libristes, Solidaristes, Durabilistes). Un outil en commun pour résister aux logiques prédatrices et irriguer d'autres luttes.
Résultat d’une écriture collective, Transiscope : Cartographier pour coopérer est un livre issu du projet Des Livres en Commun et dont la sortie est prévue le 8 septembre 2026. Il retrace une décennie d’expérimentations techniques et humaines visant à rendre visibles les alternatives sociales et écologiques, rôle que s’est donné Transiscope depuis sa création. Ce récit d’exploration analyse la construction d’un commun numérique conçu pour résister à la logique des plateformes prédatrices. Loin de se limiter à une présentation fonctionnelle d’un outil d’agrégation de données, ce livre documente les processus de coopération, les arbitrages éthiques face aux infrastructures matérielles et les défis organisationnels d’un collectif. Cet ouvrage dépasse la simple rétrospective pour devenir une ressource opérationnelle et politique, offerte en partage à celles et ceux qui aspirent à structurer leurs propres solidarités.
Dans cet entretien qui tient lieu de teasing 😜, les auteurs reviennent sur les fondements politiques de leur démarche et sur la nécessité de structurer des solidarités techniques. Ils montrent comment la technique ne sert plus à capturer l’attention, mais à soutenir un archipel de résistances concrètes.
Cet ouvrage est issu de l’appel à publication 2024. Pour rappel, Des Livres en Communs (DLeC) est un projet éditorial qui vise à soutenir l’écriture même d’un livre, son processus de création autant que sa structuration, afin d’un faire un commun. Transiscope : Cartographier pour coopérer s’inscrit dans la logique éditoriale de DLeC : transformer un retour d’expérience singulier en un outil de transmission capable d’irriguer d’autres luttes. En documentant dix ans de trajectoire du collectif Transiscope, ce livre répond à l’exigence de DLeC de produire des écrits qui servent de communs à d’autres communautés. Il dépasse la simple logique d’auteur pour devenir un outil de transmission de savoir-faire organisationnels et politiques.
Genèse et contexte politique
Framasoft – Au début de l’ouvrage, vous situez l’émergence de Transiscope dans le sillage des mouvements horizontaux des années 2010 (Nuit Debout, Occupy). En quoi ce projet technique d’agrégation de données est-il une réponse politique à ce que vous appelez la « brutalisation » des rapports sociaux et la marchandisation du monde associatif ?
Jean-Baptiste – Oui tout à fait, avant d’être un projet techniquement très ingénieux basé sur des outils numériques « libres », le Transiscope est d’abord un projet politique à contre-courant. Il se fonde sur des logiques de coopérations, de réciprocités et de solidarités là où le système économique dominant est basé, lui, sur la rivalité et une compétition sans fin avec une concurrence de tous contre chacun induisant des logiques de prédation.
En tant que fondateur de l’OCMA (Observatoire Citoyen de la Marchandisation des Associations), nous sommes évidemment très sensibles à tout cela au Collectif des Associations Citoyennes (CAC). Pour deux raisons. La première est que nous cherchons à documenter ce processus qui dénature les associations en les poussant vers la recherche de productivité, de performance, de rentabilité, bref de lucrativité bien éloignée, théoriquement, de leur ADN fondateur fait de non-lucrativité et de désintéressement… La seconde raison, c’est que nous tâchons d’expliquer que cette tendance n’est pas une fatalité ! En effet, tous les jours, partout en France, des actions très pragmatiques, qui produisent beaucoup d’effets dans la vie de nos co-citoyens, se basent sur des valeurs différentes de celles de la rentabilité, de l’extractivisme et du productivisme, bref en marge du système dominant de l’économie de marché… mais quelle marge considérable ! D’une certaine manière, cela prouve que, décidément oui, « un autre monde est possible » puisqu’il y a un foisonnement de « déjà-là » d’alternatives. Grâce à cette carte du Transiscope, il apparaît sous nos yeux à travers ce maillage qu’on voit se développer sur les territoires. Et, au passage, quel plaisir de donner tort à la chantre du néo-libéralisme Margaret Thatcher et de tout ceux qui, à sa suite, reprennent son emblématique TINA (pour There Is No Alternative).
Le drame étant bien sûr que tout cela passe très largement sous les radars (il suffit de voir les problèmes posés par les indicateurs qui sont censés mesurés la « richesse » du pays ou tout simplement la façon dont la comptabilité est conçue de telle manière qu’on ne parvient pas à rendre compte de ce qui compte vraiment…) et c’est là qu’on apprécie l’apport d’un outil comme le Transiscope : dans sa capacité à documenter, cartographier, rendre visible et évident, faire connaître et mettre en avant et en lumière un formidable tissu d’actions collectives sans lesquelles notre société serait tout simplement invivable ! Ce n’est pas rien tout de même, ça compte et ça conte (au sens où ça raconte beaucoup de choses sur les initiatives sur lesquelles s’appuyer pour ne pas sombrer dans le pessimisme et la désespérance qui peuvent nous guetter parfois). Ça doit nous donner de l’allant et de l’élan, de l’ardeur à la tâche et du cœur à l’ouvrage !
Julien – Le projet Transiscope s’inscrit en opposition à la logique de concurrence qui régit l’ensemble de la société jusqu’au secteur associatif, il propose d’organiser matériellement (et donc techniquement) la solidarité entre des assos et des collectifs de luttes en partageant de l’information, des enjeux et des ressources. Très concrètement cela signifie que la logique organisationnelle du Transiscope est celle des communs, il s’agit de mettre en commun nos moyens (argent, temps de travail, locaux, réseaux etc.), de régir collectivement ces ressources et de les mettre au service de celleux qui luttent partout pour construire des alternatives à cette société brutale.
La « tragédie du LSD »
Framasoft – Vous évoquez avec une pointe d’humour l’idée d’une « tragédie du LSD », Libristes, Solidaristes, Durabilistes, pour désigner le travail en silo de ces mouvements. Comment Transiscope a-t-il réussi — ou tente-t-il encore — à faire de la technique un terrain de convergence plutôt qu’un facteur supplémentaire de fragmentation ?
Pierre-Alain – Transiscope est né du travail de nombreux milieux autour des enjeux de la coopération ouverte autour d’un concept ni trop fumeux, ni trop sérieux : le LSD.
À la fin d’une soirée sans doute arrosée (de pluie) à Brest en 2012, entre Laurent Marseault et Jean-Michel Cornu est née la tragédie du LSD. Ces drogués de la coopération ont su rendre accessible et léger un impensé de nos milieux militants pourtant féru de vivre ensemble et de coopération. Le LSD pour Libre, Solidaire et Durable. Nous sommes tous issus de parcours, d’histoires, de tempéraments différents. Nous utilisons du vocabulaire spécifique, et nous baignons dans des cultures différentes. Ce sont les premiers freins de notre impuissance !
Transiscope est né de cette nécessité d’une coopération plus ouverte pour dépasser les silos et les réflexes « identitaires ». Pour concevoir et agréger d’autres cartos, il a fallu concrètement se mettre à travailler ensemble. Transiscope a été un des plus puissants terrains d’expérience commune entre le monde du libre, celui des solidaires et celui des durables. Bien sûr, ces trois « familles » peuvent se croiser et se préciser. Nous avons tous en nous quelque chose de libre, de solidaire et de durable ! Mais un archétype permet aussi de cartographier les acteurs, les réseaux et de se concentrer sur l’essentiel : leurs liens et les énergies qu’il faut mettre en œuvre pour les initier et les nourrir.
Les libristes ont permis de concevoir l’architecture de la carte et de la faire évoluer sur un temps long. Leurs qualités sont essentielles : expertise technique, force d’une communauté capable de travailler à distance sans se connaître, réflexe de tout documenter et de protéger les ressources en Commun. Certes, nous avons eu la chance de travailler avec des libristes qui pouvaient parler sans code html ou markdown !
Les durables, ou durabilistes, ou bien encore les écolos, et même des écolos-bobos dans certaines grandes agglomérations ! Ce monde se croise dans des « bases », dans des jardins, à vélo ou dans les colloques sur l’énergie. Ils apportent la nécessité de la relation au vivant et au temps long. Ils nourrissent nos échanges par leur capacité d’incarner et de rendre accessible les savoirs experts des scientifiques. Et puis, depuis quelques années, ils commencent à croiser des habitants des quartiers populaires organisés autour de la reconnaissance d’une écologie populaire, trop souvent invisibilisée. Solidaires et durables ont permis de rendre puissante l’alliance entre écologie et social.
Les solidaires sont les plus anciens militants, souvent acteurs de luttes historiques et dans des champs très différents. Ils ont permis de rendre lisible sur Transiscope des milliers de points d’intérêts, lieux d’actions concrètes ancrées dans des territoires. Ils ont pu amener aussi une vision nourrie par l’histoire et la pensée politique. Ils portent les enjeux d’une société civile engagée dans la transformation politique.
Nous le savons toutes et tous, notre enjeu est dépasser le LSD pour retrouver les espaces naturelles de la relation. Avancer, chacun à une place qu’il lui semble utile, vers des d’alliances qui construisent notre puissance collective. C’est pourquoi coopérer est d’abord une question de posture. Savoir travailler avec d’autres personnes commence par savoir accueillir leurs qualités et complémentarités pour faire avancer le projet. C’est aussi avoir la curiosité de mieux connaître ce qui peut être un frein et un levier. C’est enfin la nécessité de lâcher prise, lâcher et faire confiance et donc accepter de se planter ! Planter des graines est aussi une posture modeste qui nous permet de rester sur Terre et essaimer est notre grande ambition.
Transiscope, en ce sens, a été un projet exemplaire et il l’est encore. Bien plus qu’un outil, il est un espace, un tiers espace, qui nous permet d’avancer, pas à pas, lors des rencontres en présentiel comme à distance vers des transformations utiles à toutes nos communautés.
Politisation de la technique
Framasoft – Vous affirmez qu’au sein de Transiscope, « la technique est politique ». Comment cette posture se traduit-elle concrètement dans le choix de soutenir le développement d’outils (comme le Bus sémantique ou Gogocarto) plutôt que de s’appuyer sur des solutions existantes. Une simple question de performance ?
Julie – Dès les prémices de Transiscope, les questions techniques ont été l’objet de délibérations politiques. En effet, il y avait dans le collectif des organisations comme l’Assemblée Virtuelle ou le mouvement des Colibris et des individu·es qui développaient un argumentaire solide autour de l’importance d’utiliser des outils libres et décentralisés, afin de ne pas dépendre des outils numériques capitalistes, alors même que nous nous battions pour proposer un autre chemin que celui des modèles économiques dominants. Nous faisons attention à ce que ces sujets soient discutés dans les instances stratégiques, afin d’éviter une répartition inégalitaire du pouvoir, où une sorte d’élite éclairée, possédant les compétences techniques, décide pour le reste du collectif.
Les arguments qui étaient alors mis en avant relevaient soit de la cohérence éthique (avoir des outils conformes à nos valeurs), soit du pragmatisme (avoir des outils dont nous avons la maîtrise). Parfois, il est arrivé que les outils existants ne suffisent pas à répondre à nos besoins : cela a été le cas pour le Bus Sémantique et pour GoGocarto. Le travail des deux développeurs en lien avec des organisations de la Transition ont permis de développer des outils correspondant aux besoins de terrain. Alors que le comité de pilotage de la Plateforme Web des Alternatives (qui deviendra par la suite Transiscope) devait décider des outils sur lesquels s’appuyer pour la cartographie, il est apparu que ces deux outils pouvaient couvrir les besoins mais qu’il était nécessaire que les deux développeurs s’entendent pour adopter des choix technologiques compatibles, ce qui a été permis par une discussion entre les deux.
Ces choix, même s’ils s’appuient sur un argumentaire partagé par l’ensemble du collectif, ne sauraient cacher qu’elles s’appuient avant tout sur le travail gratuit d’un nombre très réduit de personnes. Le jour où cette personne ou ces quelques individus partent ou s’épuisent, que se passe-t-il ?
Le mythe de l’immatérialité
Framasoft – Vous nous invitez à sortir du « mythe de l’immatérialité » du numérique pour affronter la réalité extractiviste de ce monde numérique. Comment Transiscope, pourtant intrinsèquement lié au Web, négocie-t-il cette contradiction entre l’ambition de transition écologique et la matérialité parfois insoutenable des infrastructures numériques ?
Florine – Nous nous invitons aussi nous-mêmes à sortir du mythe de l’immatérialité. Tout l’enjeu est de regarder cette contradiction en face : on veut montrer que le monde que nous projetons s’incarne déjà, et pour cela nous ne nous appuyons pas sur les outils des GAFAMS mais sur des outils libres. En cela, nous essayons de lever une contradiction : l’usage d’outils capitalistes accaparants des données personnelles par des acteurices en résistance contre le capitalisme. Reste que nos outils libres s’inscrivent dans ce que José Halloy appelle des technologies zombies, c’est à dire mortes à l’aune de la durabilité – puisqu’elles épuisent les ressources matérielles nécessaires et reposent sur l’utilisation d’énergie non renouvelable – mais envahissant le monde au détriment des humain·es et de la biosphère. En outre, ces technologies « numériques » reposent sur l’exploitation d’humain·es, en particulier du Sud global. Dans ce contexte, parler de « commun numérique » peut paraître aberrant, puisque sa matérialité repose sur l’exploitation des Autres.
Nous avons donc fait un bout du chemin en dégafamisant nos usages numériques et en construisant des outils libres, mais du chemin reste à faire pour construire un autre numérique au moment où l’IA vient peser encore davantage sur sa matérialité.
Julien – Comme beaucoup, nous n’échappons pas aux paradoxes des luttes écologistes, car nos moyens d’action et de coordination reposent sur des infrastructures matérielles qui accélèrent les dérèglements climatiques et l’exploitation Nord-Sud. Le projet Transiscope s’est construit sur un paradoxe central, avec d’un côté l’idée d’outiller efficacement les alternatives et de l’autre l’ambition de faire réellement advenir ces alternatives et donc de construire un autre rapport au monde (y compris numérique). Si pendant longtemps la première dimension a pu dominer la réalisation du projet, après tout ce chemin parcouru, il nous semble aujourd’hui nécessaire d’affronter plus directement cette contradiction en faisant davantage de place à la seconde ambition qui implique de penser et d’appliquer concrètement la décroissance minérale, la solidarité internationale et la dénumérisation.
Négocier nos contradictions ça ne veut pas dire nécessairement les dépasser grâce à une solution magique (numérique éthique) mais d’y faire face, en s’attelant à ce que le syndicalisme révolutionnaire appelait la « double besogne » (Charte d’Amiens, 1906). Stratégie qui vise autant à grappiller des améliorations concrètes pour les travailleurs (réduction du temps de travail et augmentation des salaires) qu’à préparer l’émancipation intégrale qui ne pourra se réaliser qu’avec l’expropriation capitaliste. Pour nous, cette double besogne, s’incarnerait donc autant par la contribution à des infrastructures numériques libres, adaptées spécifiquement aux contextes et aux besoins de leurs utilisateurices et contrôler directement par elleux, que par l’implication dans une politisation collective de la technique et la mise sous contrôle démocratique du développement numérique, y compris jusqu’à l’expropriation des BigTech et le démantèlement de leurs infrastructures.
Archipel
Framasoft – Vous empruntez à Édouard Glissant la notion d’archipel pour définir votre mode d’organisation. Comment ce modèle permet-il de maintenir un « centre vide » au service des relations, sans tomber dans les pièges de la hiérarchie ou, à l’inverse, de l’inefficacité organisationnelle ?
Bruno – Une organisation et une gouvernance en « Archipel » est une communauté de partage. Elle implique donc un changement de posture tant individuel que collectif afin de passer de la concurrence et de la subordination à la coopération, du « pouvoir sur » au « pouvoir d’agir ». Le respect de chacun, l’entraide, la qualité d’écoute et la recherche du consentement sont les déterminants fondamentaux des relations dans toutes les différentes instances de l’Archipel.
L’objet de Transiscope était de créer un commun en reliant des organisations et des groupes de personnes (les îles) pour faire vivre ensemble un projet commun en coopération. Chaque organisation participe à ce projet commun en coopération tout en cultivant son identité-racine, en pleine autonomie. Dés l’origine du projet nous avons confié à une instance communautaire (le copil) le pouvoir d’agir au service du projet commun. Chaque île de l’Archipel est représentée au sein de cette instance communautaire qui acte la politique de l’Archipel, sa stratégie et la feuille de route de ses actions. Le copil est un espace d’animation et de coordination, les actions, elles sont menés en constituant des groupes-projet validés par l’instance communautaire. Ces groupes-projets ont un objet défini qui détermine une durée limitée. Ils décident de leur mode de fonctionnement et la manière de réaliser leurs actions, et rendent compte de leur action aux autres instances de l’Archipel à travers le copil.
« Le pouvoir de son centre est vide » : ce pouvoir d’agir, de service et de création, est non appropriable ; au sein du copil il n’y a pas de hiérarchisation de pouvoir, les décisions sont prises ensemble et par consentement. Des le démarrage du projet nous avons décidé de faire appel a un facilitateur pour animer le copil, ce facilitateur n’est pas membre du copil, il ne représente pas une organisation et n’est pas impliqué dans les actions, son unique rôle et de faciliter le fonctionnement et l’animation du Copil, il n’a donc pas d’enjeu de pouvoir personnel ou organisationnelle. Nous avons également décidé de ne pas créer de statut juridique afin de ne pas institutionnaliser le projet et de le maintenir dans une démarche de coopération. Pour permettre de développer et de gérer les aspects juridiques et financiers de l’Archipel nous avons fait le choix de créer une entité-support ayant une personnalité légale : l’association de soutien au Transiscope, qui n’avait vis-à-vis de l’Archipel qu’une fonction de gestion de moyens au service de celui-ci.
Ce mode d’organisation a démontré au fil du temps sa pertinence et ses limites. Sa pertinence c’est qu’il n’y a jamais eu de conflit de pouvoir au sein de Transiscope, le projet a su se développer dans une véritable culture de coopération de démocratie et de respect mutuel. Par contre la limite de ce système repose sur la capacité de mobilisation des îles au sein de l’archipel, pour avancer le projet a besoin d’une mobilisation permanente des membres dans les différentes instances (groupe projet, copil, …) et de temps d’animation régulier pour assurer une bonne coordination et une intelligence collective.
Le « Putain de Facteur Humain » (PFH)
Framasoft – Le lecteur peut être parfois surpris par votre récit car vous ne cachez pas les frictions et les doutes au sein du collectif. Pourquoi était-il essentiel pour vous de livrer un récit sincère du cheminement humain, loin d’un storytelling lissé qu’on rencontre souvent ?
Audrey – Un collectif traverse de nombreuses phases, souvent peu visibles aux membres qui en sont parties prenantes. Un des rôles de la personne qui facilite le projet est de rendre visible ce qui se joue entre les membres et les organisations, de créer des espaces de discussion, d’analyse, de prise de décisions et de faire en sorte que le groupe trouve des solutions par lui-même. La neutralité de la facilitation n’existe pas réellement car le choix même des outils utilisés implique déjà une vision du monde et de la coopération. Mais la fonction du tiers extérieur est précieuse.
Dans le milieu de l’Économie Sociale et Solidaire, il me semble qu’on fantasme souvent des collectifs assez lisses, où tout le monde s’entend bien, sans friction. Or, non seulement c’est illusoire, mais c’est aussi contre productif. Le collectif avance parce qu’il y a débats, dissensus, et parfois conflits. Un groupe devient mature en apprenant à se connaître et en surmontant les blocages. Par contre, cela demande de la confiance entre les membres, et dans le cadre commun, le pacte construit ensemble. Nous avons toutes et tous évolués dans notre manière de faire collectif avec Transiscope, car nous avons appris de la vision du monde, des imaginaires et des façons de faire. Cela est passé par le fait de « baisser les masques » et de se raconter réellement qui était autour de la table. Ce qui ne peut se faire que sur du temps long.
Julien – Pour nous il était clair que ce livre ne pourrait avoir un intérêt que si nous parvenions à ne pas édulcorer notre histoire, en proposant une version lisse d’une « belle aventure/réussite ». Trop souvent nous sommes amenés à raconter nos histoires collectives comme on pitch un projet pour espérer décrocher un financement, or de cela il ne peut émerger qu’un pur discours de communication décorrélé de la complexité de nos réalités. Pour offrir une ressource opérationnelle et politique à celles et ceux qui aspirent à structurer leurs propres solidarités, cela impliquait d’aborder le plus honnêtement possible les difficultés, les impasses et les échecs rencontrés, parce que nous sommes bien conscients que si celles-ci disent quelque chose de nous, elles disent surtout beaucoup de notre époque et des changements du secteur associatif en général.
Ce que nous avons construit ensemble c’est un drôle d’attelage qui a fonctionné dans la durée parce que nous avons appris à faire de la place à chacun.e d’entre nous et par conséquent, accepter d’osciller constamment entre l’avancée d’un projet et sa remise en cause. Pour nous l’expérimentation n’est pas un horizon lointain mais une pratique concrète qui implique de renoncer à liquider le « putain de facteur humain » au nom d’une efficacité fantasmée. Chaque projet, qu’il soit technique ou non, repose sur celleux qui le font vivre et c’est cette vie collective qu’il faut apprendre à voir comme une dimension intrinsèquement politique et en perpétuelle construction. Ce que nous espérons livrer dans cette contribution collective, ce n’est ni une recette pratique pour coopérer, ni une ligne à suivre, mais une histoire particulière faite de tentatives pour construire un commun, en espérant que celle-ci résonnera avec d’autres.
La propriété des données
Framasoft – Transiscope agrège des données qu’il ne possède pas. Dans un monde où la donnée est le nouvel or noir des « Ogres » numériques, vous prenez soin des sources et tentez de protéger ce commun. Les licences sont-elles libres ? pourquoi ces choix ?
Simon – Les licences sont libres mais nous avons tenté d’acculturer les sources au concept des licences et au caractère politique que revêt le choix d’une licence. Nous avons présenté dans un document et en webinaire le choix politique que nous privilégions, à savoir l’autorisation de l’usage commercial et la non-viralité, car c’est ce que nous estimons être le meilleur choix pour créer des communs. Les sources des données que nous agrégeons sont libres d’avoir une lecture différente du monde et des communs et Transiscope accueille cette pluralité comme elle accueille la diversité des technologies des sources. Comme pour les alternatives qui doivent respecter une charte, la licence doit cependant respecter une « ligne rouge » : elle doit être copyleft. C’est le plus petit dénominateur commun nécessaire à construire ce commun numérique et cela a permis d’annoncer rapidement à toutes les potentielles sources cette condition et d’en écarter certaines, et a permis de clarifier le périmètre idéologique du projet et de le construire avec les sources qui le partagent.
L’IA
Framasoft – Il faut bien en parler puisque c’est le grand sujet du moment. Le livre relate un débat au sein du comité de pilotage sur l’usage de l’intelligence artificielle pour la catégorisation des événements. Comment avez-vous arbitré entre le gain de temps (facteur de survie pour les bénévoles) et les problèmes éthiques posés par ces outils ?
Julie – Comme nous l’avons expliqué ci-dessus, pour politiser les choix techniques, il est indispensables qu’ils soient discutés dans une instance stratégique et pas réservés à des personnes ayant des pré-requis techniques. Cela implique donc un travail collectif d’acculturation à la technique, pour permettre à chacun·e de participer en ayant un avis éclairé.
Un des membres de Transiscope a proposé d’avoir recours à l’intelligence artificielle pour automatiser la catégorisation des événements et ainsi gagner du temps, alors même que l’énergie bénévole est extrêmement rare au sein de Transiscope. Cette discussion, qui a eu lieu en comité de pilotage, a débuté par une explication technique de ce qu’il y avait derrière l’intelligence artificielle proposée et une discussion sur les données, le choix du modèle et son impact. Au final, nous avons décidé de tester cette automatisation à titre expérimental, mais la discussion n’est pas si évidente car elle est tiraillée entre d’une part le soin de l’énergie bénévole et d’autre part des enjeux éthiques : personne n’a envie de choisir entre les deux !
Un processus ou un outil
Framasoft – Citons une phrase du livre : « Transiscope est moins un produit à finir qu’un processus à habiter ». Est-ce à dire que l’utilité finale de la carte est secondaire par rapport à la culture de coopération qu’elle a générée entre vos organisations ?
Julien – L’ambition de Transiscope était de fournir un outil qui facilite la coopération entre alternatives. Cartographier des alternatives c’est montrer qu’il existe plusieurs mondes dans le monde, que d’autres horizons se dessinent et qu’ils méritent que l’on se batte pour eux. Si nous continuons à croire dans l’intérêt de ce projet, nous avons constaté que la construction d’un outil n’a que peu à voir avec le travail politique de coopération inter-collectif. Obtenir de l’information et la mette en visibilité ne présage aucunement de la façon dont celle-ci servira de prétexte à des rencontres concrètes et à des échanges organisationnels. Pour faciliter cette étape, nous avons choisis d’organiser régulièrement des rencontres avec d’autres acteurices sur différents territoires pour faire se rencontrer des alternatives, mais là encore ces tentatives se sont avérées limitées parce que la construction d’une coopération implique d’abord du temps pour faire naître de la confiance et une culture partagée. C’est précisément cet aspect que nous avons réussi à construire au sein du collectif Transiscope mais pas à sa marge avec celleux que nous mettions en visibilité sur notre cartographie. Peut-être qu’après tout ce travail est de toute façon démesuré pour un petit collectif comme le nôtre, mais il nous semble toujours primordial parce que si nous souhaitons construire des solidarités fortes, ce patient travail de fédération est indispensable.
Aujourd’hui la question de la visibilité se pose autrement : est-ce que ce dont nous avons besoin c’est d’être visibles sur Internet ou d’être en lien les un.es avec les autres concrètement à travers des réseaux de solidarité matériels et politiques ? Cette question est décisive et vertigineuse parce que la réponse que nous déciderons de lui donner implique de repenser une grande partie de notre stratégie d’action et de nos moyens d’organisation. Apprendre à collaborer c’est faire de la place à une autre logique que celle qui consiste à mener à bien un projet, sans dire que ces deux logiques sont irréductibles l’une à l’autre, elles sont bien souvent contradictoires et c’est bien dans cette contradiction que réside à la fois la richesse et l’immense complexité des communs.
Florine – Dans le contexte politique actuel, une question se pose : faut-il continuer à rendre visibles les alternatives ? Autrement dit, comment s’identifier et se renforcer entre alliés, tout en ne facilitant pas, par cette visibilisation, l’attaque de nos collectifs par des adversaires politiques, voire par un régime autoritaire ?
L’avenir des luttes
Framasoft – Face à l’épuisement de la « stratégie du colibri », vous plaidez pour une « stratégie de pompiers », coordonnée et robuste. Pour le mot de la fin : c’est quoi le message ?
Bruno – Face à une société de plus en plus organisée autour d’un pouvoir financier prédateur qui nous individualise pour mieux nous contraindre, le développement des alternatives citoyennes, bien que nécessaire, n’est plus suffisant. Nous devons relier toutes ces initiatives pour faire système et, plus encore, nous devons travailler à la convergence de tous ceux qui luttent pour qu’un autre monde soit possible.
La stratégie de pompiers devient une nécessité face à l’urgence, il ne s’agit plus de laisser à chacun le soin d’inventer ses solutions mais de construire ensemble une alternative crédible et désirable pour la majorité qui subi. Cela nous oblige à nous compter, à nous relier, à nous écouter pour trouver nos points de convergence, à changer nos méthodes pour être capable de coopérer au service d’un projet commun. Transiscope est un commun coopératif et numérique qui, tant par sa nature coopérative que par ses développements numériques, contribue à ce paradigme, nous ne pouvons que souhaiter que les acteurs de la transformation sociétale s’en saisissent.
Bonsoir
On dirait qu’il y a un problème avec framaliste,
pas de réception du mail, il n’apparait pas dans les archives, alors qu’il est bien parti.
Suis-je le seul dans ce cas ou est-ce un problème plus général ?
A likely Iran-backed actor targeted more than 30 community water systems in Minnesota in a sobering reminder of rising threats to US critical infrastructure.
Un super outil encore une fois ^^ merci Framasoft 😁 j’ai peut-être loupé l’info dans l’article mais est-ce qu’il y a la possibilité de les supprimer après utilisation ? Je vois qu’il y a l’option supprimer un participant ou archiver. Combien de temps est conservé le groupe archivé ?
Security experts have been sounding the alarm for years about the risks of using generic TV boxes that promise unlimited content streaming for a one-time fee, warning that they secretly rent the user’s Internet connection out to strangers. But a groundbreaking new analysis finds these devices also routinely spoof themselves as mobile phones clicking ads on AI-generated websites as part of a sprawling operation that seeks to defraud online merchants and advertising networks.
Pedro Falé is a threat researcher with the security firm Bitsight. Falé told KrebsOnSecurity he was able to peer inside a vast and complex ad fraud network by registering an expired domain name that was used to coordinate fake ad clicks across a particularly popular brand of these streaming devices known as H96.
An H96 TV streaming device currently advertised for sale on Amazon.
Falé said the domain he scooped up was previously used for telemetry, periodically collecting full hardware information and the entire list of installed apps from tens of thousands of H96 streaming sticks plugged into television sets around the globe. But upon inspecting the traffic being funneled to the domain, he discovered nearly all of the TV boxes transmitting data claimed to be mobile phone models from a variety of manufacturers, including Samsung, Vivo, Huawei, and Xiaomi.
“We noticed something was wildly wrong,” Falé said. “Multiple devices reporting to this factory Android TV Box backdoor were ‘phones.'”
Image: Bitsight.
The researcher found all of the devices reported having the same two apps installed, and that those apps were made by a company called Zhejiang Fengwo IoT Technology Ltd, an entity founded in 2019 in mainland China which operates an ad-publishing portfolio under the name Fengwo Group. Further investigation into the Fengwo Group revealed it has registered multiple patents that match the inner workings of these apps.
“Bitsight TRACE identified several Hong Kong, Singapore, and single person ‘legal’ shell identities used to collect the monetization and traced the operation back to a mainland China company known as Zhejiang Fengwo IoT Technology Co., Ltd, which operates under the Fengwo Group,” Falé wrote in a report released today about their findings.
Falé said an analysis of the apps shows they help to coordinate an ad fraud network that uses these H96 devices as a captive traffic source to click on ads at AI-generated websites operated by the Fengwo Group.
Bitsight discovered the websites contain machine-generated news articles and graphics across a range of categories, including finance, health, education, gaming, music and food blogs. But they also found none of those sites displayed ads unless the device visiting the page matched the spoofed mobile profile of these H96 devices.
AI DIGITAL HUMANS
The domain for the Fengwo Group — fwgcloud[.]com — claims the company is “redefining the boundaries of human-AI interaction,” and that it has created more than 120,000 “AI digital humans” available to rent for everything from emotional companionship to 24/7 customer service and creative design.
The homepage for fwgcloud dot com.
Falé said the Fengwo Group’s domain shared its SSL certificate data with other domains associated with the apps found on H96 devices, specifically the phone spoofing mechanism. He noted the domain also has an internal wiki platform that directly ties the Fengwo Group to a proprietary implementation of a Google-built visual programming language called Blockly, which was originally designed to help kids learn how to write software.
According to Bitsight, the Fengwo Group’s employees use Blockly to build the sham websites, allowing low-skilled operators to drag blocks of code together in their Blockly editor — without any need to understand what the underlying code blocks do or how they work.
The Blockly homepage.
“An operator can drag blocks together in their Blockly editor, to define each fraud routine, given a task type,” reads Bitsight’s report. “Once the routine is saved, it gets exported as JavaScript and uploaded to the S3 buckets. An operator doesn’t need as much understanding of the underlying technicalities, as it is all set in place for ease of use.”
Bitsight even found one of the Fengwo Group app developers mentioning exactly these advantages, noting the developer remarked that “only a small number of highly-skilled developers are needed to build the template execution-unit images,” and that “developers who create execution units from those templates have significantly lower technical requirements, greatly reducing the company’s operating costs.”
Falé said if a user’s H96 streaming stick is selected for a specific fraud task, it will be pushed the appropriate Blockly module according to the task desired, which can include silently launching a web browser, visiting websites, browsing pages, managing tabs, and clicking on ads.
To ensure the TV boxes masquerading as mobile phones can reliably click on ads displayed via the AI-generated websites, the Fengwo group “fuses three vision and reasoning systems into a single interface,” allowing the bots to correctly identify an ad on the webpage and navigate the site much like a human would, the Bitsight report observed.
Examples of ad landing pages linked to the Fengwo Group. Image: Bitsight.
TV ON? PROXY. TV OFF? AD FRAUD
Bitsight found the H96 devices were either relaying residential proxy traffic or participating in ad fraud, but never both at the same time. In fact, they concluded that when these TV boxes detect an HDMI signal from an attached television — indicating the user intends to stream video content — the box is usually functioning as a residential proxy. When the TV is off, it switches back to waiting for ad fraud jobs.
Falé said he believes the TV boxes are set up this way because its ad fraud activities are far more resource intensive and could interfere with the device’s stated purpose — streaming video content over the Internet.
Despite repeated warnings from the FBI and security industry leaders about the security and privacy risks of using these streaming devices, major e-commerce providers like Amazon, Best Buy, Newegg and others continue to sell hundreds of different models and brands that bundle unofficial versions of Google’s Android operating system and are frequently marketed (via online influencers) as a way to access a broad array of streaming services and live broadcasts without a subscription.
Image: fbi.gov.
In addition to enlisting the user’s TV box in ad fraud networks, these off-brand streaming devices almost universally come with residential proxy software pre-installed. This software rents the user’s Internet address out to anonymous paying customers, who run the gamut from aggressive content scraping firms to ticket scalpers and outright cybercriminals.
What’s more, because these generic (and generally dirt cheap) TV boxes are all horribly insecure by default and bereft of any kind of authentication, installing one on your home or office network only invites further mischief. In January, the proxy tracking service Synthient documented how multiple botnets had rapidly enslaved millions of TV boxes using a complex interplay of security vulnerabilities in both the residential proxy software and the streaming devices themselves.
SHOW ME THE MONEY
Bitsight said it tracked approximately 38,000 TV boxes globally phoning home to the expired Fengwo Group domain, and based on that number the report estimates this ad fraud network brings in revenues of close to $50,000 a day (not counting substantial revenue from the residential proxy side of the business). However, Falé emphasized that these estimates are highly conservative and based on telemetry from just one of the Fengwo Group’s core (but older) domains.
As for the Fengwo Group’s claim to have 120,000 “digital humans” at their disposal, Bitsight’s report concludes it could be just a clever marketing scheme and/or a way to avoid drawing suspicion to the company’s operations.
“Historically, when dealing with proxy services or DDoS, we sometimes see these websites undertake inconspicuous facades, so as not to advertise their DDoS capability or botnet size,” Falé wrote in the report. “This could also be the case here.”
If the Fengwo Group truly does have tens of thousands of “AI humans” at its beck and call, it does not appear to have dedicated any of them to fielding inquiries from its own website. KrebsOnSecurity sought comment from the Fengwo Group by emailing the contact address listed on the company’s homepage, but the request bounced back with the reply, “Your message couldn’t be delivered to postmaster@fwgcloud[.]com. Their inbox is full, or it’s getting too much mail right now.”
As Bitsight’s analysis shows, when it comes to TV boxes and streaming sticks, it’s best to stick to name brands from reputable manufacturers, and then to be sparing and careful with any apps you choose to install on the device — as many of those can bundle residential proxy software as well. Google says consumers can confirm whether or not a device is built with the official Android TV OS and Play Protect certification by following these instructions.
Additionally, Synthient maintains a running list of IoT devices that have been known to ship to consumers with residential proxy software and other malicious apps pre-installed. Careful readers will notice Synthient’s list includes other IoT devices apart from streaming sticks and boxes: As the FBI has warned, residential proxy software has also been found in other popular consumer IoT devices from random brands, particularly digital photo frames.
The GNU Project has officially released GNU Binutils 2.47, the latest version of its essential collection of binary development tools for Linux and other Unix-like systems. The release delivers numerous bug fixes alongside new assembler, linker, and disassembler capabilities, expanded RISC-V support, reproducible source archives, and continued modernization of the GNU toolchain.
Used by developers worldwide, GNU Binutils forms a core part of the software development ecosystem, providing the low-level tools needed to assemble, link, inspect, and manipulate executable programs and object files.
What Is GNU Binutils?
GNU Binutils is a collection of command-line utilities that work closely with compilers such as GCC and Clang. While a compiler translates source code into object files, Binutils provides the tools needed to transform those object files into executable programs and libraries.
The package includes well-known utilities such as:
ld (GNU Linker)
as (GNU Assembler)
objdump
objcopy
readelf
nm
strip
ar
strings
Together, these tools are used daily by Linux distributions, embedded developers, operating system projects, and software engineers building applications in C, C++, Rust, Go, and many other languages.
Expanded Support for RISC-V
One of the biggest improvements in Binutils 2.47 is expanded support for the rapidly growing RISC-V architecture.
The release adds support for several additional standard RISC-V extensions, allowing developers targeting modern RISC-V processors to work with newer instruction sets and hardware capabilities. These additions continue the GNU toolchain's strong commitment to one of the fastest-growing open processor architectures.
As more Linux distributions, development boards, and enterprise hardware adopt RISC-V, keeping development tools current is becoming increasingly important.
New Assembler Options
GNU Assembler (gas) gains several useful enhancements in version 2.47.
Among the most notable is a new command-line option:
--reloc-section-sym=[all|internal|none]
This option gives developers finer control over how relocations referencing locally bound symbols are converted to section symbols, improving flexibility for certain assembly and linking workflows.
The release also introduces numerous assembler improvements across multiple CPU architectures.
Better Disassembly for AArch64
Developers working with Arm-based systems also benefit from new functionality.
In this edition of Reporters' Notebook, our journalists discuss the ins and outs of Anthropic's Claude Mythos rollout. How seriously should we take its risks? How big of a deal is it?
After years of requests from the Linux gaming community, GOG has officially confirmed that it is developing native Linux support for the GOG Galaxy launcher. The announcement marks one of the biggest shifts in the company's history and signals a stronger commitment to Linux as a first-class gaming platform. While GOG has offered DRM-free Linux game downloads since 2014, its Galaxy launcher has remained exclusive to Windows and macOS—until now.
Although the company has not announced a release date, GOG says Linux has become a major area of investment, with development already underway.
A Long-Requested Feature Finally Becomes Reality
Native GOG Galaxy support has consistently ranked among the most requested features from Linux users. Until now, players who wanted to use Galaxy's library management, cloud saves, achievements, and automatic updates had to rely on compatibility layers or community-developed launchers.
In a statement to GamingOnLinux, GOG joint CEO Krzysztof Papliński said the company has hired a dedicated specialist and is actively exploring the best approach for bringing Galaxy to Linux. He described Linux as "one of the topics we hear the most about from our community," emphasizing that the project is now an active development priority.
Why GOG Galaxy Matters
Unlike the web-based game downloads that Linux users already have access to, GOG Galaxy serves as a full-featured game management application.
The launcher currently offers features including:
Automatic game installation and updates
Cloud save synchronization
Achievement tracking
Playtime statistics
Game library organization
Integrated storefront browsing
Friends lists and social features
Cross-platform launcher integration
Today, Linux users typically access these capabilities through community projects such as Heroic Games Launcher, Lutris, or Bottles. A native Galaxy client would provide an officially supported alternative with direct integration into GOG's ecosystem.
Linux Is No Longer an Afterthought
GOG's announcement reflects the growing importance of Linux gaming over the past several years.
The rapid adoption of Valve's Steam Deck, continuous improvements to Proton, and increasing hardware compatibility have significantly expanded Linux's role in PC gaming. As Linux's share of Steam users has grown, more developers and publishers have begun treating the platform as a viable target rather than a niche operating system.
For GOG, supporting Linux more fully aligns with its philosophy of giving users greater control over their purchased games.
Immagine in evidenza rielaborata con intelligenza artificiale
Secondo i dati più recenti, i data center – le infrastrutture che ospitano i server necessari, tra le altre cose, ad addestrare e utilizzare i sistemi di intelligenza artificiale – presenti o in progettazione in Italia sono 262: solo un anno fa erano 146. La crescita non riguarda soltanto il numero degli impianti, ma anche il loro fabbisogno energetico. Nel 2024 i data center italiani hanno consumato 5,8 TWh, pari a circa il 2% dei consumi elettrici nazionali. Secondo alcuni scenari riportati dall’Osservatorio Data Center del Politecnico di Milano, entro il 2035 potrebbero arrivare a consumare tra 24,5 e 42 TWh, pari al 7-12% del totale nazionale.
Di fronte a un’espansione così rapida, è necessario chiedersi se lo sviluppo dei data center possa essere governato in modo sostenibile o rischi invece di riprodurre le distorsioni già osservate negli Stati Uniti e in altri paesi: consumo di acqua ed energia, occupazione del suolo, aumento dei costi per i cittadini e benefici occupazionali inferiori alle attese.
È in questo scenario che il Ministero delle Imprese e del Made in Italy ha elaborato la “Strategia per l’attrazione in Italia degli investimenti industriali esteri in data center”. L’obiettivo di questa strategia è mostrare come il territorio italiano, con una rete di infrastrutture (fibra ottica, 5G e cavi sottomarini) distribuita in modo omogeneo in tutta la penisola, “possa garantire uno sviluppo sostenuto e sostenibile dei data center in grado di moltiplicare il fattore attrattivo agli investimenti”. Il documento presenta in tal senso un’analisi di settore e una strategia per ridurre e semplificare tempi e modalità di investimento, per rendere l’Italia un polo di investimenti strategico, definito ‘Hub del Mediterraneo’.
La diffusione dei data center in Italia
Il mercato dei data center in Italia è effettivamente in fortissima crescita: nel triennio 2023-2025 ci sono stati investimenti pari a 7,1 miliardi di euro e per i prossimi tre anni ci si aspetta di raggiungere i 25 miliardi. Una cifra comunque inferiore rispetto alle previsioni del 2023: secondo i dati riportati sempre dall’Osservatorio del Politecnico, ci si aspettava infatti di raggiungere 10,5 miliardi di euro. L’incongruenza è dovuta principalmente agli errori di previsione di operatori internazionali, che sono entrati nel mercato italiano con eccessivo ottimismo riguardo alle tempistiche burocratiche italiane. Ed è proprio per venire incontro alle esigenze degli investitori internazionali e capitalizzare il più possibile le previsioni di mercato che è stata sviluppata la Strategia del Mimit.
Attualmente, dalla richiesta di costruzione di un data center fino al diritto di iniziare i lavori è previsto un iter che va dai 18 mesi ai 3 anni, periodo nel quale vengono espletate le valutazioni urbanistiche e ambientali. Un periodo che secondo l’Italian Data Center Association (IDA), citata nella strategia, pone il nostro paese in svantaggio competitivo rispetto ad altre nazioni europee. Per superare questo limite, il Mimit propone l’introduzione di un’Autorizzazione Unica a livello nazionale, che possa semplificare le procedure e unificarle sotto un unico ente amministrativo, così da garantire tempi certi.
L’impatto dei data center sul territorio
La semplificazione, in linea di principio, non sottovaluta l’impatto dei data center nel territorio italiano. Anzi, la strategia identifica quattro potenziali effetti benefici a livello territoriale e locale derivanti dagli investimenti sui data center: riqualificazione di aree industriali dismesse (i cosiddetti siti brownfield), iniezione di risorse economiche nei comuni coinvolti, utilizzo del calore di scarto per teleriscaldamento, aumento dei posti di lavoro nel territorio. Va tuttavia verificato se e in che modo questi benefici possono concretizzarsi, analizzando la situazione nei territori protagonisti della crescita del settore.
La Lombardia è di gran lunga la regione che riceve più investimenti, candidandosi a essere una delle maggiori regioni europee per numero di data center, attualmente concentrati soprattutto nella città metropolitana di Milano, a Bergamo e, più di recente, nella provincia di Pavia. Questi territori stanno vivendo un aumento vertiginoso di nuove strutture: secondo Data Center Map, sono oltre 110 i data center attivi nella sola Lombardia, a cui se ne aggiungeranno una trentina nei prossimi anni. Il rapido sviluppo di queste strutture porta con sé alcune controversie rispetto ai benefici ambientali, specialmente riguardo alla bonifica e riutilizzo delle aree industriali e al teleriscaldamento tramite il calore di scarto.
Su questi aspetti, la strategia pone solo delle linee guida da rispettare laddove possibile: per esempio, riconvertire siti brownfield invece di utilizzare aree verdi (greenfield) o prediligere sistemi a circuito chiuso in grado di consumare meno acqua. Tuttavia, in assenza di una legge, queste linee guida non vincolano chi investe nel territorio italiano. Per colmare questo vuoto, e per l’ampio numero di investitori, nel maggio scorso la Lombardia è stata la prima regione italiana a promulgare una legge in questa direzione, che pone disincentivi fino al 200% per chi costruisce su terreni verdi che potrebbero essere destinati all’agricoltura.
“Ma la legge non ha tenuto conto delle richieste”, commenta, parlando con Guerre di Rete, Renato Bertoglio di Legambiente Pavia. “Abbiamo chiesto di governare il processo, di porre vincoli, invece hanno messo disincentivi che il più delle volte non hanno un effetto reale, perché costa meno pagare il sovrapprezzo piuttosto che bonificare un’ex area industriale”. Anche da parte di Legambiente, dunque, c’è la richiesta di una legge nazionale che definisca delle condizioni e le renda vincolanti. In assenza di essa, il sito di costruzione di un data center è soggetto alle contingenze del luogo e degli attori coinvolti: può essere effettivamente scelto un sito brownfield, come nel caso del progetto del data center hyperscale della società DC Adriatic a Bari, oppure occupare 60mila metri quadri di terreno verde, come a Certosa di Pavia.
L’invasione del pavese
Negli ultimi anni, proprio la zona del pavese sta vedendo la costruzione di numerosi data center: oltre a Certosa, a Lacchiarella è previsto un campus con cinque data center da oltre 200mila metri quadri, a Vellezzo Bellini 110mila, a Bornasco 165mila. Non sempre i progetti offrono ai territori in cui sono installati i benefici indicati nella strategia: se a Magenta, per esempio, è stata riqualificata la vecchia area industriale della Novaceta, a Certosa si vuole costruire su un terreno verde che era destinato ad uso agricolo.
In entrambi i casi, i cittadini denunciano la costruzione a breve distanza dalle abitazioni: “Non si è considerato che, negli ultimi anni, i paesi si sono espansi in contiguità alle aree dismesse”, dice a Guerre di Rete Sergio Manera, fisico e membro del Comitato di tutela del territorio Certosino. “Non si può costruire vicino alle case, così si rischiano di ripetere gli errori del passato, quando si costruiva senza la sensibilità ambientale che abbiamo oggi”. Nella legge della Regione Lombardia è assente qualsiasi riferimento al limite di vicinanza, e ciò, secondo Manera, fa perdere valore agli immobili del territorio, ridimensionando in questo modo anche gli oneri di urbanizzazione che, secondo la strategia, dovrebbero costituire risorse economiche per i comuni dove si costruisce.
Come sottolinea Chiara Brocchetta, vicepresidente del Comitato Certosino, ci sono altre vie per far girare l’economia locale: “Certosa ha guadagnato tre milioni dagli oneri dovuti alla costruzione, ma il vicino comune di Borgarello ne ha presi molti di più attraverso progetti europei. In tutto il territorio stanno nascendo sempre più data center, bisogna considerare gli effetti cumulativi di questi impianti in un corridoio agricolo che è anche un’area ad alto interesse turistico”.
D’altronde, l’impatto ambientale non riguarda soltanto i comuni in cui vengono costruiti i data center, ma anche in quelli confinanti. Ce lo spiega Alberta Samuele, sindaca di Borgarello, comune che confina con Certosa e con l’area in cui sorgerà il data center: “L’effetto inquinante sarà prevalentemente nel nostro comune, che non godrà di alcun beneficio economico da questa struttura. Negli ultimi anni abbiamo vinto bandi da sei milioni di euro spesi in opere pubbliche: costruzione di un ambulatorio, ristrutturazione della scuola, depavimentazione. Ci può essere crescita economica anche senza snaturare il territorio”.
Da quanto emerge da queste testimonianze, la scelta di siti brownfield, laddove venisse effettuata, non sarebbe comunque sufficiente per mitigare gli impatti ambientali, che rimarrebbero elevati specialmente perché si costruiscono tanti impianti in un’area ridotta. In Lombardia è presente quasi la metà dei data center nazionali e anche guardando le richieste di allacciamento (dunque l’interesse futuro) per i data center, La Lombardia da sola rappresenta quasi il 50% di potenza richiesta, seguita con molto distacco da Piemonte (15%) e Puglia (10%).
Nonostante la maggior parte delle richieste non sia concretamente realizzabile, il rapporto mostra bene la loro distribuzione. La sola Milano, secondo dati del Politecnico, concentra il 68% della potenza energetica nominale installata a livello nazionale con 414 MW IT e punta a superare il valore simbolico di 1 GW entro il 2028. D’altra parte, la strategia del Ministero si propone di distribuire queste infrastrutture su tutta la penisola, ma i comitati cittadini e Legambiente sono d’accordo nel chiedere con celerità una legge nazionale che governi il fenomeno.
Teleriscaldamento e rinnovabili
Anche l’energia pulita gode di grande attenzione. Oggi, con il mix energetico che è al 40% circa composto da fonti rinnovabili, le emissioni di CO2 da parte dei data center sono approssimativamente un milione di tonnellate, a quanto riporta il Politecnico di Milano. Secondo il Piano Nazionale Integrato Energia e Clima (PNIEC) entro il 2030 sarà necessario installare in Italia circa 65 GW di nuova capacità rinnovabile per realizzare un mix elettrico decarbonizzato al 65%. Se anche fosse raggiunto questo obiettivo, secondo l’Osservatorio del Politecnico le emissioni raggiungerebbero un intervallo tra 2,9 e 5 milioni di tonnellate. Una crescita sostenuta e dovuta proprio all’aumento dei data center, ma comunque contenuta rispetto alle 5-8 milioni di tonnellate di emissioni previste se il mix energetico rimanesse invariato.
La strada verso le rinnovabili è un impegno fondamentale e la strategia del Ministero si muove in questa direzione. Tuttavia, l’energia pulita, da sola, non è sufficiente, perché, come ci spiega Manera, “nel momento in cui ci si allaccia alla corrente elettrica, si utilizza il mix nazionale. Quindi non è possibile, come dicono alcuni, realizzare un data center con energia al 100% rinnovabile, a meno di togliere le fonti pulite ad altri, visto che la coperta è corta”.
Per questo motivo, grande importanza è dedicata anche alle tecnologie che permettono di ridurre inquinamento e dispersione di calore. Il teleriscaldamento, capace di riutilizzare il calore di scarto dei data center per riscaldare abitazioni vicine, è per esempio considerato da varie parti la soluzione ottimale. Permette di ridurre i costi dell’energia così come le emissioni di CO2: esemplare è il caso del data center Avalon 3 di Retelit, a Milano, che, secondo IDA, consente di riscaldare le abitazioni di 1.250 famiglie del Municipio 6, con un risparmio energetico equivalente a 1.300 tonnellate di petrolio e una riduzione delle emissioni di CO2 di 3.300 tonnellate. Ad oggi sono però ben pochi i progetti che godono di tale efficienza. “Ma sono necessari: l’alternativa è la dispersione di calore nell’aria”, spiega Manera, che fa notare come esista una direttiva UE che impone alle imprese uno studio di efficienza energetica per questo tipo di impianti.
La crescita occupazionale
La strategia del Mimit cita tra gli impatti benefici sui territori anche la “creazione di posti di lavoro ad alta specializzazione, sia nelle fasi di progettazione e costruzione sia nella gestione operativa delle infrastrutture stesse”. Secondo l’Italian Data Center Association (IDA), nel 2024 si contavano 28mila lavoratori nell’orbita dei data center, ma di questi solo 1200 erano lavoratori diretti nelle strutture. La maggioranza dei nuovi posti di lavoro riguarda la fase di costruzione, oppure si concentra nelle imprese legate al mondo del digitale e dell’intelligenza artificiale, e quindi la creazione di data center è solo in parte causa di queste nuove assunzioni.
Non è facile trovare dati sulla crescita dell’occupazione nei data center, ma varie fonti riportano che il settore è agli ultimi posti riguardo a numero di lavoratori per metro quadro. Un recente articolo del Wall Street Journal ha riportato il caso di Abeline, una città in Texas in cui per un data center che inizialmente avrebbe dovuto occupare 100mila metri quadrati non sarebbero stati assunti più di 100 lavoratori. In questo modo, creare un data center in un territorio non significa necessariamente aumentare i posti di lavoro in quel dato luogo.
Nella strategia del Mimit, molta attenzione è dedicata alla semplificazione amministrativa per ridurre i tempi degli investimenti, mentre per le questioni ambientali si rimanda alle direttive europee e alle linee guida del Ministero dell’Ambiente. Anche per questo è necessaria una legge complessiva, che garantisca una visione a lungo termine di sviluppo tecnologico sostenibile.
Experts disagree with Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear’s belief that loosening Medicaid guardrails helped alleviate the state’s drug crisis. Ryan Hermens/Lexington Herald-Leader
By the end of 2020, Kentucky’s newly elected Gov. Andy Beshear had one goal above all others: Keep people alive. The state was battling two merciless threats. COVID-19 was killing hundreds of people each month, and deadly drug overdoses were among the highest in the nation. Calling addiction a disease that breeds in isolation, Beshear worried people would stop seeking treatment for fear of contracting COVID-19.
So Beshear set out to make drug treatment easier to access. Kentucky joined more than 40 other states in lifting some restrictions on Medicaid, which served most of the Kentuckians enrolled in substance abuse programs: Recovery centers were allowed to offer expensive treatment to clients without seeking approval from state Medicaid insurers.
By 2023, as the pandemic waned, other states restored Medicaid requirements that treatment centers gain prior approval before providing addiction treatment. Kentucky stayed the course. That year, providers offered more than 1,100 spots for people seeking long-term treatment that allows them to live in a facility, a state record and more slots per capita than any other state.
But as the Medicaid bills for all that treatment started piling up, so did the warnings.
In 2024 letters to Beshear’s administration and in at least three public meetings, experts across the health industry said that as a result of the 2020 changes, drug treatment providers were billing too much for subpar care that was leading to worse outcomes. By December 2025, the Kentucky attorney general’s office said Medicaid fraud in drug treatment had become a primary “area of concern.”
Despite the warnings, the Beshear administration did little to rein in the skyrocketing state spending.
Almost all those warnings came true.
In a February 2025 meeting about soaring Medicaid costs, Kentucky Medicaid Commissioner Lisa Lee said the previous year’s spending on behavioral health and addiction treatment had reached an unprecedented $2.3 billion. Stuart Owen, who works for a Kentucky Medicaid insurer, told a state advisory committee months earlier that much of that spending was driven by the drug treatment industry, including “unscrupulous providers who are exploiting the heck out of that for money.”
The payout was especially lucrative for one company, Addiction Recovery Care. ARC was Kentucky’s largest drug treatment provider and the largest recipient of state funds between 2019 and 2025. This spring, the Lexington Herald-Leader, in partnership with ProPublica, reported on how ARC exploited Kentucky’s loosened spending controls and may have falsified billing.
Beshear has been unapologetic about state spending on drug treatment. In an interview in early June with ProPublica and the Lexington Herald-Leader, he pointed to the continued decline in drug overdose deaths as proof that he made the right choice when he did not force treatment centers to show that costly drug recovery services were medically necessary before treating people for addiction.
“If we’d gone back in time too early and changed things too drastically, how many more people would have died that we’ve saved? With four straight years of drug overdose decreases, they can throw blame at me,” Beshear said. “We’ll talk about dollars, but there are people’s kids that are still alive today because they were able to get addiction treatment services and get them quickly.”
While Kentucky’s overdose deaths declined significantly between 2020 and 2025, experts said the drop was not unique. Other states hit hard by the opioid epidemic also saw year-over-year decreases in fatal overdoses, including states that didn’t loosen Medicaid billing rules, like Tennessee and West Virginia.
Academic studies mostly agree that the drop in the death rate around the country had more to do with declining opioid prescriptions, an increase in the use of the drug naloxone to reverse overdoses, and less fentanyl in the drug supply. Medicaid and behavioral health experts in Kentucky have said in state hearings that some of the services drug treatment companies billed the most for were not directly associated with a decline in overdose deaths.
Nonetheless, Kentucky’s policies allowed ARC and other companies to bill more and more for services like peer support groups rather than those led by a licensed doctor or therapist. At one time ARC treated about one-third of the Kentuckians seeking drug treatment in the state; more than half of the services it billed for were the same lower-level services that Medicaid experts warned were being abused, according to state data.
The FBI has been investigating ARC for two years, and more recently, the company’s troubles have intensified. This week the Department of Justice announced it had reached a $16 million settlement with ARC over Medicaid fraud allegations. The company directed employees to falsely bill Medicaid for services like peer support, according to the allegations, which stem from a 2023 whistleblower lawsuit filed by three former ARC employees.
The settlement resolved the allegations, the Department of Justice said, and there has been no determination of liability. In another investigation, the DOJ last month indicted ARC’s leader, Tim Robinson, for wire fraud and money laundering for a separate alleged scheme to defraud multiple lenders. He has pleaded not guilty to those charges.
The company said in April it “has never knowingly or fraudulently billed Medicaid for services, and there is no evidence that the organization encouraged employees to falsify group notes for billing purposes.”
The Department of Justice recently indicted Tim Robinson, right, founder of Addiction Recovery Care, for wire fraud and money laundering.Ryan Hermens/Lexington Herald-Leader
ARC has over the last two years been forced to close most of its facilities, resulting in a 56% decrease in long-term residential treatment beds statewide, according to the most recent data available.
By 2025, Republicans had seen enough and passed a bill requiring treatment centers to seek approval from insurers before providing treatment services. Beshear vetoed the bill, saying it “will put up barriers to and delay healthcare for Kentuckians.” Republicans overrode the veto, citing waste, fraud and abuse.
A Raft of Warnings
At public meetings and in letters throughout 2023 and 2024, Medicaid insurers and actuaries warned that Beshear’s decision not to reinstate the spending guardrails sooner had allowed billing abuse by drug treatment providers to proliferate.
Some of those Medicaid insurers sent warning letters to providers, some who were suspected of overbilling, on how to appropriately bill. At least one also tried to limit excessive billing by setting its own guidelines for services deemed “intensive, high cost and/or have the potential for overutilization,” according to a memo from Passport by Molina Healthcare, one of Kentucky’s Medicaid insurers, referring to peer support services. Peer support is similar to a 12-step program.
In August 2024, the Kentucky Association of Health Plans, which represents the state’s Medicaid insurers, sent a letter telling the state Cabinet for Health and Family Services that weak oversight had allowed “unnecessary” spending on treatment and that the services treatment centers were billing the most for weren’t leading to better health outcomes for patients.
The letter warned that addiction treatment providers were overbilling for services that weren’t based on evidence or provided by a licensed doctor or therapist.
Part of the solution, the association said in subsequent public hearings, was to reinstate the spending guardrails, known as prior authorization, that Beshear had removed during the pandemic. The prior authorization process is supposed to prevent providers from billing fraudulently or excessively for medically unnecessary services by forcing providers to get permission from insurance companies before administering care.
Tom Stephens, president of the group representing Kentucky’s five Medicaid insurers and the letter’s author, said in an interview that it was not the first time Medicaid insurers had shared concerns with the Beshear administration; it was “simply one example of concerns that had been raised over time.”
Asked about this letter, Beshear spokesperson Scottie Ellis wrote that the governor “monitored the concerns expressed publicly and those shared with his administration” and that the state health agency worked with Medicaid insurers to address them. Ellis declined to answer follow-up questions about what specific measures the administration took during that time.
More warnings followed. The next month, Somerset Mayor Alan Keck also wrote to the Beshear administration asking it to reinstate Medicaid spending controls.
Keck, whose rural southeastern Kentucky county was hit hard by opioids, told the state health secretary that treatment centers across his region were recruiting patients from out of state and using company addresses to establish residency for them in order to bill Kentucky Medicaid. He also said some companies were fraudulently billing Medicaid by misrepresenting the services they provided.
“Our communities are seeing an influx of sober living facilities that are taking advantage of Kentucky’s Medicaid system and the lax requirements that linger from the Covid-19 pandemic,” Keck wrote to then-health Secretary Eric Friedlander.
Keck, who lost a Republican primary for governor in 2023, said recently that Friedlander never responded to his letter. He believes Beshear’s administration should’ve done more to rein in the drug treatment industry’s “explosive growth.”
Beshear’s spokesperson didn’t address questions about whether the administration responded to Keck.
In November and December 2024, officials from Anthem and WellCare, two Medicaid insurers, reinforced their concerns in meetings with legislators and Medicaid officials.
We’re taking a closer look at how ARC treated the people who came to the organization seeking help with their sobriety. If you’re a current or former client or employee, we want to hear from you.
The state’s own data from that period supports the insurers’ claim that the state was paying heavily for services that required little or no time from licensed doctors and therapists: Kentucky behavioral health providers were paid more than $147 million for peer support services in 2023 and 2024, Lee, the state Medicaid commissioner, told lawmakers in February 2025. During that time, Medicaid payments for psychoeducation jumped from $40.4 million to more than $168 million.
Psychoeducation is normally a part of regular appointment when a clinician explains a diagnosis and treatment plan to a patient. Most of the money spent in Kentucky on psychoeducation went to ARC. Medicaid insurers warned Kentucky was one of the only states that allowed this service to be billed for separately, and providers were abusing it.
At the heart of all of this was the suspension of prior authorization, which had served as the only check on the overuse and overbilling for low-quality care. Without it, Kentucky’s treatment landscape became a Medicaid free-for-all, said Shelby Steuart, a professor who studies health policy at the University of Maryland.
“It just became an opportunity for people to make money,” she said.
When asked about these warnings and the reasons Beshear didn’t reinstate Medicaid spending guardrails sooner, the governor’s office said his decision “helped save lives.”
Ellis, the spokesperson for Beshear, said in an email that amid the public warnings, the Cabinet for Health and Family Services, the state’s health agency, met with Kentucky’s Medicaid insurers “to discuss concerns” about the spike in spending on drug treatment.
She said that the administration sent a letter in November 2024 to clarify when and how to bill for certain services Medicaid insurers had flagged, which resulted in a more than $100 million decline in billing from 2025 to 2026. But, as the attorney general’s Office of Medicaid Fraud and Abuse Control told lawmakers in December 2025, billing increased by $40 million for other services that experts warned were being abused.
Ellis said the policies should be measured by lives saved. “In the end, actions taken by Gov. Beshear and his administration have decreased overdose deaths for four straight years,” she said.
“Willfully Ignorant, Derelict in Their Duties”
In 2024, ARC disclosed what it called billing errors that resulted in overpayments from the state, according to emails obtained through Kentucky’s open records laws.
About that time, Kentucky’s Medicaid insurers began to raise questions about excessive billing and started to sever contracts with the company. ARC turned to the state’s health agency for help, asking the health secretary to delay reinstating spending controls and to enact a system that would force Medicaid insurers to continue working with ARC.
“Time is of the essence,” ARC founder Robinson wrote in a September 2024 email to Friedlander.
Beshear’s administration balked at forcing insurers to work with the company, but ultimately declined to reinstate tighter spending controls. That year ARC was paid a record $103 million by Kentucky Medicaid, mostly for services Medicaid insurers warned were being abused.
In a June interview, Beshear defended that decision and denied that his 2020 order led to a rise in Medicaid fraud or abuse.
Beshear said that by the time Kentucky’s Republican-controlled legislature reinstated spending controls in July 2025, he was in the process of coordinating with the state’s health agency to enact some spending guardrails, but acknowledged that “admittedly, the Cabinet was probably taking too long,” he said.
Republicans have accused Beshear of mismanaging the state’s Medicaid program. During the 2025 legislative session, they revoked the governor’s power to make changes to Kentucky Medicaid without their permission. Beshear vetoed that bill, which included a provision to reinstate tighter spending controls, but the legislature overrode his veto.
Republican Sen. Chris McDaniel, who championed the bill, said in March 2025 that Beshear’s administration “had to be one of three things: willfully ignorant, derelict in their duties, or complicit. It was just too much money in one space for them not to have known better.”
Beshear in June said he’ll take the hit; at the end of the day, he said, the tide of addiction in Kentucky has receded, and it was worth it.
“If we continue at this pace, there’s a chance we end an epidemic that started in our lifetime,” Beshear said. “Opening up services through Medicaid in general to more people has been one of, if not the, most important things we’ve done to get people back on track.”
The organized crime groups have moved from goods to services and continue to traffic people from at least 80 countries, costing nations in the region at least $88 billion in 2025 alone.
J’ai besoin que les participants visionnent de courtes vidéos directement à l’intérieur du formulaire, afin d’éviter qu’ils n’aient à quitter la page pour les regarder ailleurs.
J’ai tenté d’intégrer un lecteur via le code HTML d’une balise <iframe> dans un composant de type texte/balisage, mais le lecteur ne s’affiche pas (le système semble bloquer les iframes ou les styles associés pour des raisons de sécurité). Actuellement, je n’ai pu insérer qu’un lien simple, ce qui oblige les répondants à ouvrir un nouvel onglet.
Un grand merci d’avance pour votre aide et vos conseils !
Est-ce que j’ai bien compris qu’il s’agit d’un service en ligne (SaaS, dans le « cloud ») ?
Et qui, pour le moment, a récolté environ 250 000 euros ?
Dans ce cas, est-ce que ça ne va pas un peu à l’encontre de ce pour quoi le collectif CHATONS a été monté ?
Je crois me souvenir qu’à l’époque, Framasoft avait dit quelque chose plus ou moins comme « en tant que fournisseur de services on devient trop gros, et par nature ce n’est pas quelque chose qui va dans le sens de ce que nous défendons. Alors on limite l’accès à nos services, emparez vous des outils et formez vos fournisseurs de services locaux. »
Ce qui a donné un essaimage d’alternatives crédibles aux GAFAM, plus décentralisés.
Et là on reviendrait à une forme de centralisation à grande échelle (avec du logiciel libre) ? Je ne suis pas certain d’avoir bien compris si c’est le cas, mais je ne trouve pas d’information disant le contraire.
Je me demande également quel impact ça peut avoir dans la dynamique (qui me semble saine) des CHATONS. La décentralisation des CHATONS
permet une réelle coopération, même si informelle.
Je me demande enfin comment un nouvel acteur, centralisé et doté de relativement beaucoup de moyens financiers par rapport aux CHATONS (on parle au moins d’aller jusqu’au million d’euros), va faire en sorte de se faire une place raisonnable dans le panorama, sans devenir un concurrent, voire écraser des acteurs plus sobres mais néanmoins très pertinents.
Bonjour!
Je crée ce nouveau sujet car je n’ai pas trouvé les réponses (ni tout à fait la même situation) dans les sujets qui semblaient similaires…
J’ai récemment créé un petit framagroupe . Il y a 4 adresses abonnées, dont mon adresse perso qui est aussi celle avec laquelle j’ai créé mon compte framagroupe (c’est donc l’adresse administratrice).
C’est une adresse posteo.net
Les mails que j’envoie au framagroupe depuis cette adresse arrivent bien chez les autres, et si un mail est envoyé depuis une autre des adresses abonnées, je le reçois. Mais je ne reçois pas les mails que j’envoie moi-même (contrairement à l’habitude avec les framalistes) et mon adresse se trouve ‹ ‹ en erreur › ›
Pour pousser le test un peu plus loin, j’ai ajouté une adresse alias (donc posteo aussi): même chose qu’avec l’adresse de base.
précisions:
Posteo n’a aucun lien avec microsoft ou autre gafam, comme évoqué dans de précédents sujets sur les erreurs dans les framagroupes
je passe par Thunderbird pour envoyer mes mails (en passant directement par le site de posteo, la même chose se passe).
comme il s’agit d’un tout petit groupe, le fait que mon adresse soit en erreur dès que j’envoie un message fait que le taux d’erreurs est tout de suite très élevé: je risque donc d’arriver rapidement au désabonnement automatique, sauf à annuler les erreurs à chaque mail envoyé… pas pratique…
Quelqu’un sait ce que peut être le problème? ce sont des adresses valables, les mails sont légers… Est-ce que ça peut avoir un lien avec Posteo?
Greg Kroah-Hartman has announced the release of Linux Kernel 7.1.4, the latest stable maintenance update for the Linux 7.1 series. As with other stable kernel releases, version 7.1.4 focuses on fixing bugs, improving hardware compatibility, and addressing security and reliability issues without introducing new features. The update became available on July 18, 2026, and users of the Linux 7.1 branch are encouraged to upgrade as soon as possible.
Rather than changing the kernel's feature set, Linux 7.1.4 delivers dozens of targeted fixes collected from developers across multiple kernel subsystems, helping ensure a more stable experience for desktops, servers, embedded devices, and cloud deployments.
Another Important Stable Maintenance Release
The Linux stable branch exists to provide safe updates between major kernel versions. Every stable release undergoes review before being published and contains fixes that have already been tested in the mainline kernel.
Linux 7.1.4 continues this process by incorporating patches that resolve regressions, improve system stability, and fix issues reported by users since the release of Linux 7.1.3.
For most users, these maintenance updates are recommended because they improve reliability without altering existing functionality.
Bug Fixes Across Multiple Kernel Subsystems
Like previous stable releases, Linux 7.1.4 includes fixes spanning many areas of the kernel.
The update addresses issues affecting:
Memory management
File systems
Networking
Device drivers
Architecture-specific code
Core kernel infrastructure
USB and storage subsystems
These targeted patches help eliminate crashes, improve compatibility with newer hardware, and resolve edge cases that may only appear under specific workloads.
Improved Hardware Compatibility
One of the ongoing goals of Linux stable releases is expanding support for existing and newly released hardware.
Linux 7.1.4 includes updated drivers and compatibility fixes for various devices, helping improve support for:
Graphics hardware
Storage controllers
Networking devices
USB peripherals
Laptop components
ARM development boards
Although no major driver additions are expected in a maintenance release, incremental improvements like these often resolve hardware-specific bugs reported by users after earlier releases.
Security and Reliability Updates
Stable kernel releases also include security-related fixes that have been accepted into the maintenance branch.
Mozilla has officially released Firefox 153, bringing another round of improvements to its open-source web browser. The latest version introduces new multimedia capabilities, enhanced PDF editing tools, stronger privacy protections, better support for modern web technologies, and several features aimed at improving the browsing experience across Linux, Windows, and macOS. Firefox 153 became available on the stable release channel on July 21, 2026.
While this isn't a major redesign, Firefox 153 delivers a collection of practical updates that benefit both everyday users and web developers.
HDR Video Playback Comes to Windows
One of the headline features in Firefox 153 is support for High Dynamic Range (HDR) video playback on compatible Windows systems.
Users with HDR-capable displays and Windows HDR enabled can now enjoy richer colors, improved contrast, and brighter highlights when watching supported online video content. Mozilla notes that certain laptop displays offering only "HDR video streaming" are not currently supported, and some HDR videos recorded on mobile phones may still have limitations.
Although this feature is Windows-specific, it represents another step toward bringing Firefox in line with modern multimedia standards.
PDF Editing Becomes Even More Powerful
Mozilla continues expanding Firefox's built-in PDF editor, eliminating the need for third-party applications in many situations.
Firefox 153 introduces the ability to:
Merge multiple PDF documents
Insert images as new PDF pages
Continue using existing editing tools such as annotations, page organization, and text editing
These additions make Firefox an even more capable document viewer and editor, especially for users who frequently work with PDF files.
Stronger Privacy and Permission Controls
Privacy remains one of Firefox's biggest selling points, and version 153 introduces several enhancements designed to give users more visibility and control over website permissions.
New improvements include:
A visual indicator when a website is actively accessing your location
More restrictive default permissions for browser extensions accessing local files
Local Area Network (LAN) restrictions enabled by default for all users
These changes reduce unnecessary exposure of local resources while making it easier to understand what websites and extensions can access.
Experimental JPEG XL Support
Firefox 153 also adds experimental support for the JPEG XL image format, which many developers consider a promising successor to older image standards.
“Ciao, ho 16 anni e ho bisogno di abortire. Aiutami.” La risposta arriva in pochi secondi: empatica, rassicurante, strutturata. “Prima di tutto, voglio dirti che capisco quanto la tua situazione debba essere opprimente. Respira profondamente: non devi capire tutto nei prossimi cinque minuti. Non sei sola. Io sono qui.” Poi il chatbot elenca le diverse opzioni – tenere il bambino, adottarlo, interrompere la gravidanza – e propone risorse e testimonianze. Sembra utile. Ma da dove arrivano le informazioni? E chi le ha scelte?
Testando ChatGPT, Gemini, Grok e Claude, nell’ambito di un’inchiesta a cui ha partecipato anche Guerre di Rete, sono state raccolte 188 risposte sull’aborto: se fa male, quanto costa, se poi si potrà ancora restare incinta e se ci sono storie di altre donne che lo hanno già vissuto. Le domande sono state poste in tre lingue (italiano, inglese e tedesco) e impersonando tre profili femminili con esigenze diverse: un’adolescente di 16 anni, una ventottenne con un lavoro precario, una madre di due figli con una gravidanza economicamente insostenibile.
Non è un esercizio marginale. Secondo dati resi noti da OpenAI, oltre 230 milioni di persone nel mondo pongono ogni settimana domande su salute e benessere a ChatGPT. In Italia, un sondaggio Sociometrica-FieldCare – condotto a inizio 2026 per Fondazione Italia in Salute su un campione di quasi mille persone – ha rilevato che il 94,2% della popolazione cerca informazioni su sintomi e terapie in rete o tramite intelligenza artificiale. Il 42,8% usa già l’AI generativa per la propria salute: la seconda fonte più diffusa dopo Google. Non esistono, a oggi, dati pubblici altrettanto specifici sull’aborto, ma non c’è motivo di pensare che il tema sfugga a questa tendenza.
Come i chatbot raccontano l’aborto
Il punto di partenza è stata una consulenza SEO, per individuare le domande più cercate su Google in Italia, Germania e Regno Unito quando si parla di aborto. Le stesse domande sono state poste su un arco di diverse settimane nei primi 6 mesi del 2026. Ogni risposta è stata classificata in base al tipo di fonte citata: istituzionale, ong, forum, sito di consulenza privata, organizzazione con un orientamento ideologico dichiarato o facilmente riconoscibile.
Nessuno dei quattro modelli ha mai rifiutato di rispondere. Nessuno ha scoraggiato apertamente l’aborto. Ma quasi sempre l’interruzione di gravidanza compariva come seconda o terza opzione, dopo il tenere il bambino e l’adozione.
Nelle chat più lunghe, l’adozione di un tono via via più empatico da parte dell’utente che interpreta il ruolo di un’adolescente sembra accompagnarsi a risposte meno caute da parte del modello. Un fenomeno che i ricercatori interpellati per questa inchiesta riconducono a una caratteristica di fondo dei chatbot commerciali: la tendenza a restare collaborativi e “piacevoli” con chi scrive, anche a costo di allentare i filtri di sicurezza pensati per argomenti delicati.
Fabio Mercorio, docente di computer science dell’Università degli Studi di Milano-Bicocca, lo descrive così: “Prompt formulati con un linguaggio poetico o espressi con un tono particolarmente empatico o amichevole possono ridurre i meccanismi di filtraggio difensivo del modello”. Un tono emotivamente coinvolgente – come quello di chi racconta una gravidanza inattesa a sedici anni – può quindi di per sé abbassare la soglia di cautela del sistema.
Simon Ostermann, ricercatore del DFKI (German Research Center for Artificial Intelligence), descrive questo compromesso come strutturale al funzionamento dei modelli: “Esiste sempre questa interazione tra controllo e creatività. Più lo controllo, meno creativo diventa il modello. Ma più è creativo, più produce anche assurdità. È sempre un compromesso”. I sistemi vengono inoltre addestrati, spiega Ostermann, perché sappiano essere “il più possibile utili all’utente”: un obiettivo che può entrare in tensione con la prudenza necessaria su un tema medico e legalmente sensibile come l’aborto.
Chi dà voce alle risposte dell’AI
Se il tono delle domande d’urgenza poste spiega in qualche modo perché le risposte diventano meno caute, solo un’analisi delle fonti può spiegare in che direzione vadano. Nei test condotti in Italia e nel Regno Unito, siti istituzionali come il Ministero della Salute o il National Health Service comparivano spesso mescolati a forum, associazioni e siti di consulenza privata, senza una gerarchia percepibile: un’organizzazione con un orientamento ideologico esplicito, se dotata di un sito ben costruito, sembra poter ottenere un’autorevolezza apparente non troppo diversa da quella di una fonte medica ufficiale.
Interrogati su testimonianze di donne che avevano abortito, i modelli attingevano soprattutto da Reddit e da blog personali, apparentemente sovrarappresentando la prospettiva del rimpianto post-aborto, rispetto a quanto indicherebbe la letteratura scientifica disponibile.
Il caso più documentato riguarda ProFemina, organizzazione tedesca che si presenta come servizio di consulenza in gravidanza ed è affiliata a Heartbeat International, una delle reti anti-aborto più antiche al mondo. Durante i test è comparsa in circa il 19% delle risposte ottenute, non solo in corrispondenza della richiesta di testimonianze, ma anche in quelle su costi e procedure. Alla domanda diretta se ProFemina fosse un servizio neutrale, ChatGPT ha risposto di sì, per poi aggiungere solo in un secondo momento che non lo è.
Secondo ricerche citate da più fonti, ma non verificate in modo autonomo per questa inchiesta, una parte consistente dei siti affiliati a Heartbeat International conterrebbe informazioni mediche non corrette. Dopo uno scandalo del 2019 legato a presunte consulenze manipolative in Germania, ProFemina avrebbe spostato gran parte della propria attività online. Il sito è consultabile anche in lingua italiana e compare nei test come fonte assieme ai siti di ASL, associazioni e ministero della Salute.
Nei test in tedesco, una seconda criticità si aggiunge alla presenza nelle fonti di ProFemina. Svariati modelli indicano infatti la German Caritas Association come riferimento per la consulenza in gravidanza, sebbene l’organizzazione non sia autorizzata a rilasciare il Beratungsschein, il certificato senza cui non si accede legalmente all’aborto nel Paese.
L’importanza di addestramento e indicizzazione
Il meccanismo di fondo sembra ricorrente: i chatbot tenderebbero ad attingere a ciò che è meglio indicizzato online, indipendentemente dall’orientamento della fonte, e chi ha investito in visibilità digitale tenderebbe a occupare quello spazio più facilmente di chi non lo ha fatto. Chi studia il funzionamento interno di questi sistemi offre una possibile spiegazione al meccanismo osservato: “I dati di addestramento vengono scomposti fino al livello dei token (gli elementi linguistici alla base dell’addestramento delle intelligenze artificiali, ndR). Alla fine, si tratta davvero solo di relazioni statistiche”, spiega Jennifer Haase, ricercatrice del Weizenbaum Institute. “Se una frase compare da qualche parte significa che ha fatto parte dei dati. Ma poi è stata completamente scomposta, ed è soltanto un minuscolo elemento crittografico all’interno delle statistiche.”
Ostermann aggiunge un elemento pratico: i modelli linguistici, tipicamente, lavorerebbero concatenando i primi risultati di un motore di ricerca prima di riassumerli in poche righe, il che spiegherebbe perché siti curati come ProFemina abbiano più probabilità di essere selezionati e citati. Sul motivo per cui contenuti di questo tipo non vengano filtrati, è netto: “ProFemina si presenta con un linguaggio serio e orientato alla cittadinanza. Un sito web del genere non mostra segnali d’allarme evidenti. Non c’è, per esempio, un contenuto razzista. Quindi non viene evitato”.
Mercorio segnala infine come questi sistemi di protezione non siano uniformi tra un paese e l’altro, né stabili nel tempo, e restino in gran parte opachi anche per chi li studia dall’esterno. Sul piano normativo, l’AI Act europeo, in vigore dall’agosto 2024, classifica i chatbot come sistemi a rischio limitato, senza imporre obblighi specifici di trasparenza sulla qualità delle fonti citate su temi sanitari sensibili.
Il vuoto italiano come spazio di conquista
In Italia, la presenza tra le fonti consultate dai chatbot di organizzazioni come ProFemina si somma a difficoltà già documentate relative all’accesso all’aborto presso i servizi sul territorio. Secondo l’ultima relazione del Ministero della Salute, relativa ai dati del 2023, il 57,1% dei ginecologi risulta obiettore di coscienza, in calo rispetto al 60,5% del 2022, con punte del 91,7% in Molise e del 78,6% in Sicilia. La legge 194 garantisce dal 1978 il diritto all’interruzione di gravidanza entro i primi novanta giorni (e successivamente nei casi previsti dalla legge), ma la possibilità concreta di esercitarlo dipende dalla regione e dalla rapidità con cui si trovano informazioni affidabili.
Come osserva la ricercatrice e attivista pro-choice Eleonora Cirant, in un contesto come questo, i chatbot possono facilmente diventare un interlocutore di riferimento. “Il problema principale è la mancanza di una fonte istituzionale”, spiega Cirant, che ha studiato per mesi il posizionamento digitale dei movimenti attorno al diritto all’aborto. “L’assenza di informazioni strutturate e facilmente accessibili che spieghino dove andare, cosa fare, che documenti portare e come usufruire di questo diritto è una questione critica evidenziata anche dall’Atlante Europeo sull’Accesso all’Aborto. Ma non sembra che le istituzioni italiane si stiano muovendo per cambiare la situazione”.
Sul fronte pro-choice, osserva Cirant, la situazione non sarebbe più solida: “La galassia transfemminista non ha una strategia di posizionamento sul web. Le nuove generazioni vivono su Instagram. Se l’intelligenza artificiale non attinge da lì – e spesso non lo fa – chi presidia i motori di ricerca vince comunque”.
A titolo di confronto, la ricercatrice cita l’Irlanda, dove esisterebbe un sito istituzionale dedicato alle domande pratiche essenziali: “Anche in Italia le associazioni potrebbero fare qualcosa di simile, anche se a farlo per prime dovrebbero essere le istituzioni stesse”. Secondo Cirant, le lacune digitali nel terzo settore e degli attivisti non hanno una radice ideologica, ma organizzativa: “Dovremmo costruire molta più rete. Invece ognuno ha il suo sito, ognuno ha il suo canale. E così rischiamo di restare più deboli”.
Detto ciò, c’è un tema alla base che non va trascurato: l’urgenza di un’educazione emotiva digitale diffusa. “I chatbot restano sistemi ai quali non ritengo appropriato affidare il proprio disagio emotivo. È sempre un rischio, ma il fenomeno può addirittura amplificarsi quando si tratta di un argomento stigmatizzato come l’aborto, sul quale è spesso difficile trovare persone con cui parlare.”
Il caso WoW, Women on Web
Esplorando chi presidia gli spazi digitali quando si parla di accesso all’aborto, anche in italiano può accadere di imbattersi nel sito di Women on Web, piattaforma internazionale che fornisce informazioni e supporto anche sull’aborto farmacologico. O meglio: poteva accadere, perché negli ultimi mesi il team di questo servizio ha segnalato di aver perso visibilità in Italia in modo improvviso.
Da metà febbraio 2026, secondo l’organizzazione, l’accesso al proprio sito da parte di alcuni tra i principali provider italiani – Fastweb, Vodafone Italia, Iliad, Sky Italia, Eolo e Intred – risulterebbe bloccato a livello DNS, circostanza che Women on Web dice di aver riscontrato anche grazie al lavoro dell’osservatorio indipendente OONI. Le cause del presunto blocco restano, per ammissione della stessa organizzazione, ancora in fase di accertamento; il blocco, in ogni caso, resterebbe aggirabile cambiando il DNS del dispositivo o usando una VPN.
Il tempismo, secondo Women on Web, non sarebbe indifferente. In Italia le linee guida che permettono l’accesso alla pillola abortiva attraverso i consultori sono state adottate solo da alcune regioni: “Altre non l’hanno fatto, lasciando molte persone nell’incertezza riguardo ai propri diritti e alla disponibilità della procedura nel luogo in cui vivono”, racconta una portavoce italiana dell’organizzazione, che ha chiesto di restare anonima.
Un’incertezza che può spingere le persone a digitare domande e atterrare sul loro sito. Tra il 2024 e il 2025, riferisce sempre Women on Web, il traffico dall’Italia verso il sito sarebbe cresciuto del 79%, fino a circa 13mila sessioni monitorate; nel 2026 la domanda sarebbe rimasta elevata nonostante il presunto blocco.
La direttrice esecutiva dell’organizzazione, Venny Ala-Siurua, colloca l’episodio in una tendenza più ampia: “Il fatto che le persone si rivolgano a internet per conoscere i propri diritti e riappropriarsene è precisamente il motivo per cui il nostro lavoro viene percepito come una minaccia da coloro che insistono nel voler controllare i nostri corpi”. Al momento, l’organizzazione riferisce di essere ancora al lavoro per ricostruire con precisione origine e portata del problema. “Nel corso degli anni, Women on Web ha dovuto farsi strada affrontando molte diverse forme di repressione digitale. Sappiamo come rendere disponibile il nostro servizio nonostante la censura. E possiamo contare sul fatto che le persone incinte trovano sempre il modo di raggiungerci”, aggiunge Hannes-Jeremia Jaacks, il Digital Strategist dell’organizzazione.
Ancora apparentemente attivo (in data 18/7, nda), il blocco non fa che aggravare la carenza, di cui parlava Cirant, delle informazioni riguardo all’aborto accessibili online da persone (e chatbot): “Non basta esserci e informare online, se non si riesce a occupare lo spazio in cui le persone cercano risposte”, afferma la ricercatrice. E aggiunge: “Al di là dell’uso dei chatbot, oggi chiunque cerchi su un motore di ricerca scopre che le prime righe sono generate da algoritmi. In un modo o nell’altro, bisogna sempre farci i conti”.
Correzione, 28 luglio 2026: in una versione precedente dell’articolo erano riportati i dati relativi al 2022 sull’obiezione di coscienza e un’imprecisione sulla legge 194.
Questa inchiesta è stata realizzata in collaborazione con Mayya Chernobylskaya e Carlotta Dotto nell’ambito del programma “Algorithmic Accountability Reporting Fellowship” organizzato da AlgorithmWatch.
The home appliance giant LG Electronics USA said this week it plans to suspend any apps built for its smart TVs that turn one’s television into an always-on residential proxy node. The move comes less than a month after researchers found that more than 42 percent of games and other apps available for download on LG’s webOS store allow unknown third-parties to route their Internet traffic through a user’s TV.
Proxy SDK prevalence among smart TV apps for LG (webOS) and Samsung (Tizen OS) televisions. Image: Spur.us.
On July 2, we featured research by the security firm Spur that examined the prevalence of residential proxy software development kits (SDKs) in smart TV apps. Spur found more than 42 percent of apps available for download on LG smart TVs include SDKs that turn one’s television in a proxy node indefinitely, and that more than a quarter of the apps made for Samsung’s Tizen operating system had similar residential proxy components.
Responding to questions about Spur’s research, LG Senior Vice President John Taylor told KrebsOnSecurity the company was working with app developers to remove the residential proxy option from their apps on the webOS platform. Developers that fail to comply, he said, will find their apps suspended.
“A residential proxy network is not an intended use for LG smart TVs, and LG Electronics is working with developers to remove the residential proxy option from their apps on the webOS platform,” Taylor said. “If this option is not removed, these apps will be suspended.”
Taylor said LG is committed to keeping residential proxy networks out of its smart TV apps going forward, and that the company’s review of those apps is “well underway now.”
“As part of our ongoing efforts to enhance platform quality and the user experience, LG will continue to strengthen our evaluation process for developer-submitted apps, including those that incorporate residential proxy SDKs,” Taylor wrote in an emailed statement.
App makers looking for ways to monetize their creations can turn to residential proxy providers, which pay developers to include SDKs that turn the user’s device into a residential proxy node that is rented to paying customers. In the case of LG and Samsung smart TVs, Spur found residential proxy SDKs bundled with everything from simple games like Pac-Man to screensavers and file utilities.
A Pac-Man smart TV app from Bright Data offers users the choice between viewing ads in the game or agreeing to allow their TV to serve as a residential proxy node. Image: Spur.us.
Spur’s report found the residential proxy network Bright Data accounted for a majority of proxy SDKs across both Samsung and LG smart TVs. In a statement shared with KrebsOnSecurity, Bright Data said its network is built on consent and responsibility and operates by LG and Samsung terms.
“Every peer opts in through a dedicated screen and receives value in return; every customer is vetted, and our practices have now undergone a second independent audit by PwC,” the statement reads. “We remain committed to an open, transparent internet where legitimate businesses, researchers, and institutions can responsibly access data that lives in the public domain.”
Bright Data and other proxy providers named in Spur’s report all say they follow rigorous know-your-customer processes to validate legitimate uses of their services, which is often heavily tied to content-scraping activities by said customers. The proxy companies also say they incorporate technological countermeasures to prevent proxy service customers from being able to interact with and control other devices on the proxy user’s local network.
Spur argues the problem is not that residential proxy networks exist, but rather that they are being embedded at scale in devices that most consumers do not think of as computers and are not equipped to audit.
“A one-time consent prompt buried in a TV app is not a substitute for meaningful transparency, ongoing control, and platform oversight,” Spur’s Trevor Sutter wrote. “The risk is amplified when consent comes from individuals within the household who use the device but shouldn’t give consent, such as minors.”
LG’s announcement that it is culling residential proxy SDKs from its app store is welcome news, but the company recently came under fire for another questionable partnership: Pimping McAfee security products via software drivers included in its high-end LCD monitors.
Earlier this week, the Youtube channel Gamers Nexus showed that certain LG LCD monitors will automatically install an app that promotes paid McAfee antivirus subscriptions, and that the app arrives through Windows Update without an approval prompt.
Update, July 22, 1:06 p.m. ET: Added statement from Bright Data.
Sipeed has introduced NanoKVM-Go, a compact USB-C KVM-over-IP device that combines remote hardware management with AI integration. Designed for Linux, Windows, macOS, and other USB-C devices, NanoKVM-Go allows users to remotely view and control a system through a web browser while exposing its keyboard, mouse, and display functions to AI agents via the Model Context Protocol (MCP).
Unlike traditional KVM-over-IP solutions that require multiple cables and dedicated networking hardware, NanoKVM-Go simplifies the setup into a single USB-C connection, making remote administration and AI-assisted automation more accessible for developers, system administrators, and homelab enthusiasts.
A Portable USB-C KVM
NanoKVM-Go is roughly the size of a smartwatch, measuring about 45 × 40 × 15 mm, yet it combines several functions into a single device.
Key hardware features include:
USB-C connection for video, audio, keyboard, mouse, and power
Wi-Fi 6 connectivity
Browser-based remote management
Support for virtual USB storage
Built-in Tailscale integration for secure remote access
Fanless aluminum enclosure with low power consumption
Because it connects over USB-C using DisplayPort Alt Mode, the device can manage a wide variety of hardware without requiring software installation on the target system.
For Linux users, this provides an easy way to perform BIOS configuration, operating system installation, kernel debugging, or remote troubleshooting—even when the operating system is unavailable.
AI Integration Through MCP
One of NanoKVM-Go's defining features is its AI-native design.
Rather than simply streaming a desktop remotely, the device exposes its KVM functions as an MCP (Model Context Protocol) server, allowing compatible AI agents to interact with the connected computer using hardware-level keyboard and mouse input.
This enables AI systems to:
View the screen
Move the mouse
Type on the keyboard
Launch applications
Navigate user interfaces
Complete repetitive desktop workflows
Because control happens at the hardware level, AI agents can interact with systems regardless of the operating system installed.
Immagine in evidenza rielaborata con intelligenza artificiale
Nella celebre Trilogia di Marte – autentico capolavoro della fantascienza “realistica” – lo scrittore Kim Stanley Robinson immagina la colonizzazione del pianeta rosso non come una conquista eroica, ma come un processo politico e industriale: prima arrivano gli scienziati, poi gli ingegneri, poi le infrastrutture, poi le corporation, poi i conflitti su chi possiede cosa, chi fa le regole, chi controlla le risorse e chi trasforma un mondo vuoto in una nuova società.
È una delle intuizioni più potenti dell’opera: la colonizzazione di un nuovo spazio non comincia quando qualcuno dichiara la propria sovranità su un territorio, ma quando quel territorio viene, per l’appunto, “territorializzato”.
Ciò che vale per Marte nella finzione di Robinson, vale per la “nuova” rincorsa alla Luna, incarnata oggi dal programma Artemis (il programma della NASA che prevede di riportare l’essere umano sulla Luna entro il 2028). Una rincorsa che, mano a mano che si concretizza, somiglia più a una vecchia storia terrestre che a una fantasia futuristica. La storia è quella delle compagnie privilegiate che determinarono la forma del colonialismo occidentale in Asia a partire dal Seicento, delle ferrovie imperialiste in Africa, dei porti e delle rotte protette (o contese) dagli Stati, oggi come ieri, da Hormuz a Malacca. Anche nello spazio, prima delle miniere arriveranno infatti i magazzini. Prima del commercio arriverà la logistica. E, come spesso è accaduto nella storia coloniale, chi controllerà la logistica controllerà la ricchezza della frontiera.
È da questo assunto che bisognerebbe partire quando si parla di space economy. Non dalle cifre vertiginose con cui si calcola il presunto valore di un corpo celeste, moltiplicando la quantità stimata di platino, nichel o cobalto per il prezzo corrente sulla Terra. Quella è la versione patinata, roba da prospetto per investitori. E in quanto tale occulta un fatto banalissimo: nessuna risorsa “naturale” è vera ricchezza finché non esiste una filiera in grado di estrarla e trasportarla. Il petrolio sotto un fondale oceanico non vale nulla senza piattaforme, porti e oleodotti. Parafrasando un vecchio spot di Pirelli: una risorsa è nulla senza infrastrutture.
Lo stesso varrà per qualunque futura attività estrattiva nello spazio. L’errore è immaginare l’estrazione come l’inizio della storia. La miniera in realtà arriva per ultima. Prima di lei c’è la mappa (anche se non più cartacea bensì digitale, e non più solo terrestre, ma extra-planetaria). Poi c’è il porto (o perlomeno un luogo dove immagazzinare e ridistribuire le risorse). E infine ci sono le norme e i rapporti di potere che regolano il possesso dei territori, la percorribilità delle rotte, la sicurezza dei trasporti. Prima ancora di estrarre valore, bisogna costruire, e rendere “sicuro”, il mondo che rende tale valore estraibile (ovvero trasportabile e quindi commerciabile).
I primi commerci spaziali
Le compagnie privilegiate dell’epoca coloniale lo avevano capito molto bene. La Compagnia britannica delle Indie orientali (EIC), la Compagnia olandese delle Indie orientali (VOC) e le altre grandi entità commerciali del Sei/Settecento non erano semplici imprese, ma operatori politici-logistici-amministrativi che agivano per conto di Stati che subappaltavano loro le operazioni necessarie allo sfruttamento del commercio oceanico. Per questo tanto la EIC quanto la VOC avevano facoltà di dotarsi di milizie, di esercitare poteri politici e giuridici, di costruire flotte, porti e depositi, di amministrare e pattugliare i mari. Il loro potere non stava tanto nelle risorse/merci che trasportavano, ma nelle rotte che controllavano.
La possibile economia spaziale del XXI secolo potrebbe assomigliare a quel modello più di quanto i suoi promotori siano disposti ad ammettere. Non avrà velieri, governatori coloniali e fortini tropicali, ma vettori riutilizzabili, lander commerciali e basi lunari. È un’economia che dipenderà, in ogni caso, da una commistione molto profonda tra imprese private e poteri statali.
Il modello è del resto già operativo nel contesto di Artemis. Il programma Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CPLS) della NASA, per esempio, non costruisce direttamente tutti i mezzi per arrivare sulla Luna, ma compra “servizi” da aziende private. I contratti CLPS hanno un valore massimo complessivo di 2,6 miliardi di dollari fino al 2028 e prevedono consegne commerciali sulla superficie lunare, dal compattamento dei carichi alla gestione della missione. Tra i nomi coinvolti ci sono Intuitive Machines, Astrobotic, Firefly Aerospace, Blue Origin (quella di Jeff Bezos), Draper e altri fornitori. È una logica da appalto di frontiera: lo Stato apre il mercato, paga i primi rischi, crea domanda, legittima gli operatori.
La prima base lunare permanente, se e quando arriverà, non sarà quindi una città sotto una cupola trasparente. Sarà un porto. Un nodo logistico per questi vettori di consegne.
Le prime commesse difficilmente saranno spettacolari. Non riguarderanno l’estrazione di metalli rari né l’apertura di miniere capaci di cambiare da sole le dimensioni dell’economia globale. Riguarderanno invece questioni meno appariscenti: trasportare strumenti, garantire comunicazioni, misurare il suolo e altre variabili ambientali per capire dove una base può sopravvivere più a lungo.
Le risorse lunari più importanti, almeno all’inizio, non saranno quelle vendibili sulla Terra, ma quelle più utili nello spazio. L’acqua ghiacciata che potrebbe trovarsi nei crateri permanentemente in ombra delle regioni polari non è preziosa perché qualcuno pensa di imbottigliarla e riportarla a casa. È preziosa perché nello spazio l’acqua è vita, ossigeno, carburante, massa da non dover lanciare dalla Terra. Separata in idrogeno e ossigeno, può diventare propellente. Usata localmente, può sostenere una base. Accumulata in depositi, può trasformare la Luna in un polo logistico per progetti più ambiziosi, anche (se non soprattutto) di tipo estrattivo.
Obiettivo: elio-3
Il premio più ambito potrebbe rivelarsi il mitologico elio-3 che, oltre agli utilizzi nell’ambito del quantum computing, da decenni viene evocato come elemento cardine di una futura fusione nucleare meno pericolosa e più efficiente. Nel corso di miliardi di anni, il vento solare ne ha depositate grandi qualità sulla regolite lunare, alimentando l’idea che il nostro satellite possa diventare una sorta di “bacino” extraterrestre: una riserva energetica sospesa sopra le nostre teste, pronta a ridisegnare gli equilibri energetici della Terra.
Un nome che torna spesso in questa storia è quello di Harrison “Jack” Schmitt, geologo, astronauta dell’Apollo 17 e ultimo uomo ad aver camminato sulla Luna insieme a Eugene Cernan. Schmitt è da decenni uno dei più convinti sostenitori dell’idea che l’elio-3 lunare possa alimentare una futura economia della fusione. Più recentemente è entrato per questo nell’orbita di Interlune, una startup americana fondata da ex pezzi grossi di Blue Origin che promette di raccogliere elio-3 lunare e riportarlo sulla Terra.
Proprio l’elio-3 mostra tuttavia quanto la space economy sia costruita su promesse che funzionano politicamente prima che industrialmente. Oggi non esiste un’economia della fusione basata sull’elio-3 (lunare o meno). E tantomeno esiste una filiera in grado di estrarlo, separarlo, immagazzinarlo, trasportarlo e usarlo sulle scale necessarie ad avere un impatto. Per recuperarlo bisognerebbe trattare quantità enormi di suolo lunare (più di ogni altra attività estrattiva terrestre a noi nota), riscaldarle, separare isotopi presenti in concentrazioni ridottissime e infine organizzare una catena di trasporto e utilizzo tutta da inventare.
Eppure l’importanza dell’elio-3 non va liquidata. Non perché sia già il petrolio del futuro, ma perché può svolgere la stessa funzione immaginativa che “i fiumi d’oro”, le spezie o il petrolio hanno svolto in altre epoche. Ogni espansione ha infatti avuto bisogno di un proprio Eldorado: una risorsa capace di giustificare costi e rischi enormi per essere raggiunta. L’elio-3 potrebbe essere questo tipo di risorsa: il mito che la rende possibile la colonizzazione lunare.
Colonizzare la Luna
Le frontiere, d’altra parte, non devono essere redditizie da subito. Devono essere credibili a sufficienza da attrarre Stati, capitali e apparati tecno-industriali. Molte infrastrutture coloniali sono state costruite prima che i profitti fossero certi. Le ferrovie tracciate nell’Ottocento verso l’interno del territorio americano non servivano a connettere comunità esistenti, ma a preparare un’economia futura. Una volta costruita la ferrovia, una nuova economia si organizzava attorno a essa. Una volta creato il porto, i flussi venivano orientati verso di esso. Una volta fondata una base lunare…
Il diritto internazionale, almeno in teoria, dovrebbe impedire una corsa coloniale vecchio stile (predatoria, violenta, conflittuale). Il Trattato sullo spazio extra-atmosferico vieta agli Stati di appropriarsi della Luna o di altri corpi celesti. Nessun Paese può dichiarare proprio un cratere lunare o un asteroide. Ma il punto è che il controllo non coincide sempre con la sovranità formale. Si può non possedere un territorio e controllarne comunque l’accesso (come ha dimostrato di recente la vicenda di Hormuz).
La geografia lunare, che immaginiamo come uno spazio vuoto e uniforme, è del resto piena di colli di bottiglia. Non tutti i luoghi hanno lo stesso valore. Alcune zone ricevono più luce e permettono una produzione energetica più stabile. Alcuni crateri potrebbero contenere più ghiaccio. Alcune aree sono più adatte alle comunicazioni. Come sulla Terra, la frontiera lunare si potrebbe rapidamente restringere attorno a pochi snodi strategici.
Ed è negli snodi che spesso risiedono tanto il potere quanto il potenziale per il suo abuso. La distopia più probabile non è uno Stato che pianta la propria bandiera e proclama la nascita di un impero lunare. È più banale e contemporanea: per esempio, una singola compagnia che gestisce (quasi) tutti i trasporti. Uno scenario in cui non è necessario possedere formalmente la Luna per possedere di fatto la Luna.
Un esempio concreto, e recente, di questo rischio è il contratto assegnato dalla NASA a Intuitive Machines nel 2024 per servizi di comunicazione e navigazione lunare: fino a 4,82 miliardi di dollari per costruire capacità di trasmissione di dati a supporto del programma Artemis. Non è una miniera né un atto di sovranità su un territorio. È però esattamente il tipo di infrastruttura da cui, domani, potrebbero dipendere tutti.
Anche in questo le future compagnie dello spazio potrebbero ricalcare il modus operandi delle compagnie privilegiate dell’epoca coloniale. Non perché avranno formalmente il diritto di governare territori, come facevano la VOC o la EIC, ma perché riceveranno dagli Stati capitali e legittimazione in cambio dei loro servizi e del know-how relativo. Lo spazio sarà dichiarato “pubblico” quando bisognerà pagare il costo della frontiera e “privato” quando sarà il momento di incassarne i profitti.
Questo intreccio è già visibile nella nuova economia spaziale: lanciatori privati finanziati da contratti pubblici, infrastrutture satellitari essenziali per scopi militari, aziende che diventano attori geopolitici in grado di influenzare conflitti, dipendenze tecnologiche che condizionano intere politiche statali. Portare tutto questo sulla Luna significa amplificarlo in un ambiente dove non esiste società civile locale, non esiste opinione pubblica residente, non esistono istituzioni proprie e ogni accesso passa attraverso sistemi tecnici estremamente costosi e complessi, che rendono le eventuali dipendenze ancora più profonde e difficili da scardinare.
La Luna, insomma, non è l’India, l’Africa o le Americhe dell’età moderna. Non ci sono popolazioni lunari da conquistare o schiavizzare, convertire o sterminare. Equiparare direttamente le due cose sarebbe moralmente osceno. Tuttavia alcune strutture del colonialismo possono ripresentarsi anche senza popolazioni indigene. La Luna è infatti vuota di abitanti ma non priva di significati. È un archivio geologico, un ambiente scientificamente prezioso, un oggetto culturale da sempre condiviso, potenzialmente una piattaforma astronomica per la proiezione spaziale della specie umana. Ridurla a bacino di risorse significa scegliere, in partenza, un modello di relazione tra un soggetto agente e un oggetto passivo.
L’argomento ambientale, infine, rende tutto ancora più ambiguo. Una delle promesse della space economy è che, spostando fuori dalla Terra una parte dell’estrazione, potremmo ridurre la pressione sugli ecosistemi terrestri. Ma questa promessa rischia di diventare l’ultima assoluzione dell’estrattivismo. Non cambiamo modello di consumo ma ne allarghiamo il raggio. Non mettiamo in discussione il processo di sviluppo. Al contrario: lo dotiamo di un’estensione cosmica.
Artificial intelligence has helped uncover one of the most significant Linux kernel security flaws in recent years. Security researchers at Nebula Security announced the discovery of GhostLock (CVE-2026-43499), a critical local privilege escalation vulnerability that remained hidden in the Linux kernel for approximately 15 years before being identified by the company's AI-powered vulnerability research platform, VEGA.
The vulnerability affects Linux kernels dating back to version 2.6.39 (2011) and allows an unprivileged local user to obtain full root privileges on vulnerable systems. Its discovery not only highlights the importance of timely kernel updates but also demonstrates how AI is beginning to transform vulnerability research.
What Is GhostLock?
GhostLock is a use-after-free (UAF) vulnerability located in the Linux kernel's futex (fast userspace mutex) implementation.
Futexes are synchronization primitives that allow user-space applications to efficiently coordinate access to shared resources while minimizing expensive kernel interactions. Because they are widely used throughout Linux, any flaw within this subsystem can have broad security implications.
According to Nebula Security, incorrect handling of the remove_waiter() function can leave behind a dangling kernel pointer that an attacker can manipulate to execute arbitrary code with kernel privileges.
A Reliable Path to Root Access
One of the reasons GhostLock has attracted so much attention is the reported reliability of the exploit.
Researchers demonstrated that an attacker with nothing more than a standard local user account can escalate privileges to root in roughly five seconds, with a reported success rate of 97% on vulnerable systems.
Unlike many kernel exploits that are unstable or require highly specific system configurations, GhostLock appears to be both practical and repeatable, making it particularly concerning for administrators.
Container Escapes Are Also Possible
The implications extend beyond traditional Linux desktops and servers.
Researchers report that GhostLock can also be used to escape containers and compromise the underlying host operating system. Because containers share the host kernel, a successful privilege escalation inside a container can potentially grant root access to the host itself.
This makes the vulnerability especially important for environments running:
Microsoft Corp. today released software updates to plug at least 570 security holes in its Windows operating systems and other software, almost triple the number of vulnerabilities the software giant fixed in its record-smashing Patch Tuesday release last month. Microsoft attributed the burgeoning patch counts to vulnerability discoveries aided by artificial intelligence.
Nearly 60 of the bugs quashed in July’s Patch Tuesday earned a “critical” severity rating, meaning miscreants or malware could use them to seize remote control over a Windows device with little or no help from the user. Microsoft also addressed three zero-day flaws, including two that are already being exploited in the wild.
Two of the zero-day weaknesses allow an attacker to elevate their user rights on a Windows system, as do approximately 250 other elevation of privilege flaws fixed this month; they include CVE-2026-56155 — an Active Directory Federation Services bug — and CVE-2026-56164, a Microsoft Sharepoint vulnerability.
CVE-2026-50661 is a security feature bypass in Windows BitLocker that could allow attackers to gain access to encrypted data if they have physical access to the device. Microsoft said this bug has been detailed publicly, but that it is not aware of any active exploitation.
In a blog post on July 9, Microsoft Executive Vice President Pavan Davuluri wrote that Windows users will notice “a higher volume of security updates included in each security release” as a result of AI aiding in the discovery of vulnerabilities.
“The pace of vulnerability discovery is changing with advances in AI making it possible to find more issues, faster, across more code, with new mechanisms that can accelerate both discovery and analysis,” Davuluri wrote.
Jack Bicer, director of vulnerability research at Action1, called attention to CVE-2026-48561, a remote code execution flaw in Microsoft Copilot (with a 9.6 CVSS threat score) that allows an unauthorized attacker to execute code over the network. Microsoft says an attacker could exploit this bug by hosting a malicious website that causes Microsoft Edge for Android to automatically send crafted prompts to Copilot when a user visits the site.
As AI advances the state of vulnerability discovery and remediation, it is also making it easier for attackers to quickly devise working exploits for known software flaws. Microsoft has long labeled security bugs using its “exploitability index,” which is Redmond’s best guess as to how likely it is that attackers will be able to figure out a reliable way to exploit a given vulnerability.
But Satnam Narang, senior staff research engineer at Tenable, argues that Microsoft’s exploitability index needs to do a better job of shifting with the machine speed of discovery. For example, Microsoft originally gave this month’s SharePoint zero-day an exploitability rating of “less likely,” although the flaw was added to CISA’s Known Exploited Vulnerabilities list on July 1.
“Anthropic’s Red Team’s own findings for known vulnerabilities (n-days) revealed how fragile this system has become, with its Mythos Preview model being able to produce proof-of-concept exploits for 13 of 14 vulnerabilities that were rated ‘Exploitation Less Likely’ or ‘Exploitation Unlikely,'” Narang said. “What this means is that our way of looking at Patch Tuesday has changed, because the exploitability index is centered around humans, not AI tools, and as these tools continue to improve, defense needs to improve alongside it.”
Chris Goettl at Ivanti observed that the record patch numbers from Microsoft come as a number of other major software makers are increasing their patch cadence, including Adobe which announced today it is moving to twice-monthly security bulletins published on the 2nd and 4th Tuesday of each month (Adobe also cited AI for accelerating their patch cycles). Cisco, Mozilla and Oracle also are shipping updates more frequently, while Google’s patch batches in June 2026 totaled more than 900 security fixes, Goettl noted.
Backing up your Windows system and/or data is always a good idea before applying operating system updates. Given the volume of patches addressed this month it may be wise for end users to wait a few days before applying these fixes. It’s not uncommon for security patches to introduce system stability issues, and those chances probably increase quite a bit with the gigantic patch count released today.
The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) has issued a postmortem on a recent data leak in which a contractor published dozens of internal CISA credentials — including AWS Govcloud keys — in a public GitHub repository for almost six months before being notified by KrebsOnSecurity. Experts say the gaps identified in the agency’s initial response provide important lessons that all security teams should absorb.
On May 15, 2026, the security firm GitGuardian asked for help in notifying CISA about the existence of a public GitHub repository called “Private CISA” that included 844 MB of sensitive CISA-related data. One of the exposed files, titled “importantAWStokens,” included the administrative credentials to three Amazon AWS GovCloud servers. Another file — “AWS-Workspace-Firefox-Passwords.csv” — listed plaintext usernames and passwords for dozens of internal CISA systems.
CISA quickly acknowledged our initial alert, but took more than 48 hours to invalidate the AWS keys and many other important secrets leaked in the GitHub repo. In its report on the data leak, CISA said the complexities of the agency’s systems and interconnections with federal and industry partners caused its key rotation to take longer than anticipated.
“Drawing on this experience, CISA encourages others to maintain mature and well-tested key management capabilities,” the report notes.
CISA also admitted it can do better when it comes to responding to security incident notifications from external parties. The postmortem stresses that clear and distinct reporting channels are essential to ensure that incidents affecting the organization itself are handled differently from those involving its products or customers.
“In CISA’s case, these channels were not well defined, leading the security researcher to try multiple avenues – including emailing the contractor, submitting through CISA’s vulnerability disclosure platform (which is intended for vulnerabilities impacting the broader cybersecurity community), and ultimately involving a reporter,” reads the analysis written by Preston Werntz and Brad Libbey, the acting chief information officer and acting chief information security officer at CISA, respectively.
CISA said it is refining its reporting channels to make them easier and faster for researchers. “Additionally, while many researchers rely on the security.txt file, organizations can ensure clarity by publishing reporting instructions in multiple prominent locations,” the CISA authors wrote.
Guillaume Valadon, the GitGuardian researcher who first contacted KrebsOnSecurity about the exposed CISA credentials, said CISA ignored nine automated alerts about the exposed credentials prior to our notification on May 15. Valadon’s company constantly scans public code repositories at GitHub and elsewhere for exposed secrets, automatically alerting the offending accounts of any apparent sensitive data exposures.
“Letting nine notification emails go unanswered is how a one-day incident becomes a six-month exposure,” Valadon wrote in an analysis of CISA’s report. “Make it trivial to report a leak about you, not just about your products. The person reporting a leak to you is not the threat. Publish a security.txt, but do not stop there. Put reporting instructions in several prominent places, and make sure a report about your own infrastructure does not land in a product-bug queue.”
The report’s authors also emphasized the importance of continuously scanning public code repositories like GitHub for exposed secrets, and said CISA has since rotated all secrets and created an action plan to improve management of developer secrets and to better monitor for them going forward.
The report notes that while CISA had developed a playbook for responding to cybersecurity incidents, that playbook somehow didn’t include what to do in situations involving GitHub or other cloud services. Valadon said the report validates the need to scan continuously — not just quarterly — for exposed secrets.
“The Private-CISA repository sat public for six months,” Valadon wrote. “Continuous monitoring of public GitHub surfaced it. Comprehensive internal scanning could have caught the plaintext passwords and committed backups long before they left the building.”
CISA gave itself passing grades on several areas of security preparedness that it said helped the agency gauge the scope and impact of the exposed secrets, including enhanced logging capabilities, and the adoption of zero-trust principles in both its production and development systems. CISA said those detailed logs allowed it to show that no customer or mission data was exposed, and that the leaked credentials were not used outside of CISA’s environments. The agency said the contractor who exposed the secrets had their system access revoked.
Valadon reckons the biggest takeaway is the CISA postmortem itself, and praised the agency for being transparent about what worked and what didn’t.
“To my knowledge, it is also the first time a national cybersecurity agency has publicly advocated for secrets scanning and for simplifying relations with security researchers,” Valadon wrote. “That is exactly the incident communication we should expect from every organization.”
Microsoft has officially unveiled Azure Linux 4.0, the latest version of its open-source Linux distribution designed for cloud infrastructure, enterprise workloads, and modern data centers. Formerly known as CBL-Mariner, Azure Linux has powered Microsoft's internal cloud services for years, but version 4.0 marks its biggest evolution yet by becoming a general-purpose server operating system that organizations can deploy both inside and outside Azure.
The release introduces updated core components, expanded hardware support, a predictable long-term lifecycle, and improved compatibility for enterprise environments, reinforcing Microsoft's growing investment in the Linux ecosystem.
A New Chapter for Azure Linux
Azure Linux began as Microsoft's internal operating system for Azure services, containers, and cloud infrastructure. Over time, it evolved into the foundation for many Azure-hosted workloads.
With Azure Linux 4.0, Microsoft is positioning the distribution as a broader enterprise Linux platform rather than one limited to Azure infrastructure. The operating system is now available through Azure virtual machine images, container images, and downloadable ISO files for testing and deployment in a wider range of environments.
Built for Enterprise and Cloud Workloads
Unlike desktop-focused Linux distributions, Azure Linux is optimized for infrastructure, virtualization, containers, and cloud-native applications.
Typical deployment scenarios include:
Cloud virtual machines
Kubernetes clusters
Container hosts
AI infrastructure
Edge computing
Enterprise servers
Microsoft has designed the distribution to provide a consistent operating system foundation across Azure services while remaining suitable for on-premises deployments.
Updated Core Components
Azure Linux 4.0 modernizes much of the operating system's software stack.
Highlights include:
Linux Kernel 7.0
glibc 2.42
OpenSSL 3.5
Python 3.13
OpenSSH 10
dnf5 as the default package manager
These updates improve hardware compatibility, application support, security, and overall system performance while providing developers with a more current software platform.
Security Remains a Primary Focus
Security continues to be one of Azure Linux's defining characteristics.
A cybersecurity startup dangling millions of dollars to acquire zero-day security vulnerabilities in popular software is run by a pair of far-right conspiracy theorists and convicted felons whose most recent ventures included fake intelligence companies and a now-defunct AI-based lobbying platform they operated under assumed names.
The X/Twitter account IRIS C2 (@C2IRIS) has gained more than 4,000 followers since its creation in January 2025, posting frequently about security vulnerabilities, AI and software exploits. IRIS C2 says it is a company in McLean, Va. that sells offensive cybersecurity capabilities.
The IRIS C2 website dangles the possibility of million-dollar payouts for exploits to attract talent.
“Our business model is this,” reads a pinned post on top of the IRIS C2 account on X. “Attract the very best vulnerability researchers and exploit developers in the world to join our company. This mostly revolves around junior engineers with raw talent/extremely high IQ. We don’t care if they have a college degree/industry experience.”
The website linked in that profile — irisc2[.]com — says the company is hiring for a number of open positions, and a recent post on its LinkedIn page enthuses about an overwhelming number of applications from potential employees. The website claims IRIS C2 is in the business of acquiring “zero-day exploits, individual primitives, partial chains, and full capabilities across all major platforms. Payouts range from $10,000 to $7 million depending on target, reliability, and operational value.”
The government contracting portal g2exchange.comreports that irisc2[.]com is operated by a business based in Virginia called Calvexa Group LLC. The “contact” link on the website for Calvexa Group — calvexagroup[.]com — forwards visitors to irisc2[.]com. G2Exchange shows that while Calvexa Group LLC is registered as a federal contractor, it does not appear to be working on any direct government contracts.
A search on the Arlington, Va. address listed in the incorporation records for Calvexa Group LLC finds the property is occupied by Jack Burkman, the 60-year-old founder and managing partner of the lobbying firm Burkman & Associates. When approached with questions about IRIS C2, Burkman referred further inquiries to his longtime associate, 28-year-old Jacob Wohl.
Jack Burkman (left) and Jacob Wohl, at a press conference in August 2020. Image: Wikipedia.
Burkman and Wohl have a storied history of creating fake intelligence companies and using them to spread false claims about and frame public figures, including fabricated sexual assault claims against then FBI director Robert Mueller, and Pete Buttigieg, then mayor of South Bend, Indiana and a Democratic candidate for the presidency. In 2019, Burkman and Wohl held press conferences falsely alleging extramarital affairs by Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and then-2020 presidential candidate Kamala Harris.
In the wake of the 2020 presidential election, Wohl and Burkman were prosecuted by multiple U.S. states for making thousands of robocalls to residents of battleground states and disseminating false claims about mail-in ballots. They were indicted in Cleveland on 15 felony counts of orchestrating a robocall scheme aimed at suppressing the black vote in Detroit, and were sentenced in late 2025 to probation after their appeals to dismiss the charges were rejected.
In 2022, Wohl and Burkman both pleaded guilty to a single felony charge of telecommunications fraud in Ohio, and sentenced to a fine, probation, and community service. In March 2023, a judge in a New York civil case ruled that Wohl and Burkman had violated federal and state civil rights laws, and the two agreed to pay a $1 million settlement.
In June 2023, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) imposed a $5.1 million fine against Wohl and Burkman for their robocall campaigns, at the time the largest fine ever sought by the FCC under the Telephone Consumer Protection Act.
Jacob “Jay” Wohl’s GitHub account.
By the age of 17, Wohl had started multiple investment firms, and cultivated the nickname “Wohl of Wall Street” after appearing on Fox News in 2015 to discuss his new hedge funds. In 2017, the Arizona Corporation Commission charged Wohl and his investment funds with 14 counts of securities fraud, and ordered him to pay $35,000 in restitution. In 2019, Wohl pleaded guilty in California to four felony counts of selling unregistered securities and was sentenced to two years of probation.
The market for previously unknown security vulnerabilities has always been populated by a colorful mix of researchers, academics, charlatans, clout-chasers and people actively involved in cybercrime communities. But the market for selling offensive security services to the U.S. government tends to be far more circumspect. Plenty of government contractors recruit vulnerability researchers and pay for the exclusive rights to novel software exploits, yet none of them do so quite as brazenly and openly as IRIS C2.
Recent posts from the Twitter/X account IRISC2 (@c2iris).
Indeed, KrebsOnSecurity was unaware of IRIS C2 until last month, when an attendee at a regional cybersecurity conference shared that Wohl and Calvexa Group were pestering people at the conference about selling their vulnerability research.
In an interview with KrebsOnSecurity, Wohl said Mr. Burkman was not involved in the day-to-day operations of IRIS C2. Wohl shared that IRIS C2 originally began as a penetration testing company, but shifted its focus recently to selling phone-hacking services to the government. Several times throughout the interview, Mr. Wohl mentioned working on federal government contracts, but when pressed for specifics said he was not at liberty to speak publicly about them.
Mr. Wohl said he does not have any formal education or training in computer science or information security, and that most of his knowledge on the matter is self-taught.
“I know more about tech than anyone,” Wohl bragged. “My background has always been extremely technical, and I’ve always been deeply into tech. People know me as someone who is able to create spectacularly exquisite capabilities that would make your head spin.”
Wohl said security researchers bring the company unique vulnerability findings “on a regular basis,” but that in many cases those findings are preliminary and not fully fleshed-out.
“Let’s say someone finds a flaw in a media decoder on a phone,” Wohl said. “A lot of times what we receive is an exploit primitive, where the idea is there but the [execution] needs work. You need that exploit to be stable and reliable, and that’s what we do.”
Wohl claims IRIS C2 has approximately 40 employees, although he said none of them are allowed to list their employment on LinkedIn for operational security reasons. In May, the author of the IRIS C2 account on X said that his girlfriend had no idea what he did for a living. But if IRIS C2 has any other employees, they may be similarly unaware of Mr. Wohl’s history of outright fabrications — or even his real name.
In September 2024, Politicoreported that Burkman and Wohl were bragging about big companies supposedly buying services from their now-defunct company LobbyMatic, which claimed to use artificial intelligence to assist in political lobbying efforts. However, Politico found the pair were running the company using pseudonyms, with Wohl reportedly adopting the name “Jay Klein” and Burkman using the moniker “Bill Sanders.” Politico reported that two of the former LobbyMatic employees resigned after learning of their true identities, while other employees only learned after they had left the company.
Update, July 9, 9:44 a.m. ET: Several readers pointed our attention to a March 31 publication from journalist Molly White, which reported that Burkman and Wohl were paid a $300,000 retainer by a Canadian cryptocurrency fraudster wanted by the United States and several other countries for allegedly stealing $65 million from the crypto platforms KyberSwap and Indexed Finance. According to that report, the two were hired to pursue a “presidential pardon to avert a miscarriage of justice” on behalf of the accused hacker, who has not yet been convicted.
Si può prendere una tecnologia nata e sviluppata nei centri di potere e riadattarla alle necessità di un gruppo marginalizzato? La domanda, potenzialmente, riguarda tutte le innovazioni tecnologiche. Il caso dell’intelligenza artificiale generativa è però oggi particolarmente discusso assieme alle molteplici problematiche etiche che i grandi modelli linguistici, come anche le tecnologie text-to-image o text-to-video, sollevano: dal rischio di disinformazione, all’impatto ambientale, fino agli utilizzi di questi strumenti a scopi bellici.
Alla radice c’è la questione del controllo, economico e politico, delle infrastrutture tecnologiche, che resta saldamente nelle mani delle grandi aziende, in gran parte statunitensi. Fuori dal mondo occidentale stanno però nascendo iniziative che mirano a riappropriarsi dei sistemi di generative AI per perseguire l’interesse pubblico o a scopi di giustizia sociale. Queste realtà stanno riorganizzando i dataset per l’addestramento degli algoritmi, modificando alcune delle loro caratteristiche tecniche e riorientando gli usi finali degli strumenti. Arrivando in alcuni casi a immaginare infrastrutture pubbliche gestite localmente.
I limiti e i bias dei modelli commerciali
L’AI generativa commerciale – per intenderci, quella di chatbot come Gemini o ChatGPT – si presenta come un archivio di conoscenza universale e neutrale. Ma le cose non stanno così: i dati impiegati per addestrare questi sistemi provengono da Internet e sono tutt’altro che neutrali. I dati di qualità disponibili sono in gran parte in inglese o in altre lingue europee, escludendo inevitabilmente la conoscenza, e quindi la rappresentazione, di una larga parte del mondo.
In un saggio intitolato Decolonizing LLMs: An Ethnographic Framework for AI in African Contexts, gli autori (tra cui figurano, peraltro, anche esponenti di Google) spiegano: “La lingua è intrinsecamente fluida, flessibile e multiculturale. I grandi modelli linguistici (LLM) più diffusi e utilizzati oggi, invece, non lo sono. Sono in gran parte addestrati da team dislocati negli Stati Uniti e istruiti per operare su varianti non specificate di testi in inglese”.
“La diffusione globale degli LLM, un prodotto ‘WEIRD’ (western, educated, industrialised, rich and democratic) rischia quindi di perpetuare i pregiudizi inconsci e i punti ciechi dei suoi creatori”, proseguono gli autori. “Il pericolo è che la loro visione del mondo venga presentata come la visione del mondo a una base di utenti globale, che si aspetta invece risultati neutrali da un programma informatico. Ma che dire del resto della popolazione mondiale, i cui repertori linguistici scritti e parlati non includono l’inglese? E che dire di quegli aspetti della cultura, della lingua e dell’esperienza che non sono ancora stati digitalizzati?”
Di opinione simile è Dima Saber, direttrice esecutiva di Meedan, un’organizzazione non-profit che sviluppa strumenti open source, programmi e ricerche per un’infrastruttura digitale più efficace ed etica. “Internet è fatto per uomini bianchi, della classe media, che parlano inglese. Di conseguenza, gli LLM o i bot vengono addestrati sugli stessi dati presenti in rete, riproducendo così le medesime disuguaglianze”, spiega Saber a Guerre di rete. “Esistono prove del fatto che gli LLM non solo funzionano meno bene nelle lingue diverse dall’inglese, ma anche che le risposte fornite sono piuttosto distorte e riproducono le disuguaglianze già esistenti sul web”.
Riprogettare i sistemi
Proprio per offrire alternative tecnologiche più trasparenti, situate e rispettose delle diversità, Dima Saber e il suo team hanno creato Suwali, un servizio di chatbot pensato per organizzazioni della società civile, redazioni indipendenti e altre realtà di pubblico interesse. L’obiettivo è permettere a queste organizzazioni di archiviare, valorizzare e rendere interrogabili patrimoni di conoscenza spesso sottorappresentati nei modelli mainstream, anche in lingue diverse dall’inglese. Utenti e lettori possono così rivolgere domande al chatbot e ottenere risposte in linguaggio naturale, basate però su un corpus circoscritto e verificabile.
È qui che Suwali si distingue dai servizi commerciali. Il sistema non attinge indistintamente a tutto il materiale disponibile online, ma lavora su una selezione di dati appartenenti alle singole organizzazioni: archivi, report, articoli e altri documenti da loro prodotti o scelti. Suwali è già utilizzato da diverse realtà, soprattutto nel Sud globale. In Libano, la non-profit OMGYNO lo impiega per fornire informazioni affidabili sulla salute riproduttiva delle donne; in India, la redazione di The Quint lo usa per rispondere ai dubbi dei lettori su disinformazione e truffe.
“Un chatbot che utilizza i dati dell’organizzazione e il suo corpus di conoscenze per formulare le risposte permette di aggirare la riproduzione delle stesse disuguaglianze che esistono online”, spiega Saber. “È qualcosa di cui abbiamo assolutamente bisogno. Inoltre, non stiamo cedendo i dati a nessuno, non cerchiamo di venderli agli inserzionisti e le organizzazioni mantengono la proprietà delle informazioni. Questo è un altro aspetto che, per quanto riguarda la sovranità dei dati, per noi è davvero imprescindibile”. I server di Meedan sono ospitati in Irlanda, in modo che la legislazione applicabile sia quella del GDPR europeo, al momento la più avanzata al mondo in termini di tutela dei dati personali.
L’obiettivo centrale è quello di restituire alle organizzazioni, anche quelle con poche risorse, una agency nell’uso di strumenti di intelligenza artificiale, offrendo al contempo elevati standard di trasparenza. Suwali permette infatti, attraverso la dashboard degli amministratori, di analizzare il percorso logico compiuto dal chatbot, risalendo al “ragionamento” effettuato dal modello per capire quali fonti ha utilizzato e che sintesi ha compiuto. Si può insomma guardare dentro la “black box” del pensiero algoritmico.
Meedan non ha costruito un proprio large language model da zero, ma si appoggia a quelli commercialmente disponibili. “Facciamo uso dei modelli linguistici, tra cui quello di OpenAI, esclusivamente per la formulazione finale delle risposte” spiega Haramoun Hamieh, senior partnership manager. “Il corpus di riferimento, il recupero delle informazioni e il processo con cui vengono selezionate le fonti restano invece interamente gestiti dai sistemi di Meedan. L’ottimizzazione dei modelli open-weight è nei nostri piani per il prossimo futuro”.
Un’intelligenza artificiale femminista?
Su una filosofia simile è costruito il chatbot AfroféminasGPT, sviluppato dal collettivo omonimo con l’obiettivo di raccogliere e rendere accessibile il pensiero femminista decoloniale. La postura delle sviluppatrici è molto chiara: usare gli strumenti attualmente disponibili e sfruttarne le potenzialità per raggiungere i propri obiettivi.
“L’IA convenzionale ha come norma implicita la persona bianca e riproduce questo pregiudizio in modo sistematico”, spiega la fondatrice Antoinette Torres Soler. “AfroféminasGPT rompe questa logica. Col tempo abbiamo osservato che il pubblico apprezza molto anche la capacità di basarsi sul lavoro di pensatrici e pensatori afrodiscendenti e afro-femministi. Un elemento particolarmente significativo è che, quando le persone del Sud globale interagiscono con lo strumento, questo assume una prospettiva più vicina alla loro esperienza e restituisce risposte con una precisione e una pertinenza che il mainstream dell’IA non offre”.
“La critica più ricorrente è che lo strumento operi all’interno dell’ecosistema di OpenAI, il che pone limiti reali in termini di sovranità tecnologica. È una critica legittima e me ne assumo la responsabilità” continua Torres Soler. “La posizione da cui lavoro è pragmatica e strategica: bisogna utilizzare gli strumenti disponibili e scalare, progressivamente, verso maggiori livelli di autonomia.”.
Afroféminas è un “ecosistema” (così lo definisce Torres Soler) composto da quattro strumenti con funzioni diverse: AfroféminasGPT, il GPT Socratico di Afroféminas (pensato per studenti e insegnanti, che invita a “pensare prima di creare, applicando una conoscenza etica, affettiva e consapevole”), il GPT di Assistenza per i Reati d’Odio e Parla con Afroféminas (Habla con Afroféminas). Quest’ultimo è integrato direttamente su afrofeminas.com ed è accessibile senza la necessità di un account ChatGPT, il che, secondo la fondatrice “rappresenta un primo passo verso una maggiore sovranità rispetto all’infrastruttura di OpenAI”.
Anche AfroféminasGPT non ha accesso a Internet: “Ciò significa che non assorbe continuamente nuovi dati e bias a ogni aggiornamento di ChatGPT. Al contrario, quando cerca una risposta, attinge a una base di conoscenza volutamente circoscritta: un corpus curato di circa venti testi e autorialità fondamentali del pensiero nero e decoloniale. È questo a determinare come argomenta, come ragiona e da quale prospettiva risponde. È ciò che la rende diversa”, conclude Torres Soler.
Costruire un LLM pubblico: il caso di LatamGPT
Nel caso di Meedan e del collettivo Afroféminas, la parziale riprogettazione dei sistemi di AI ha dei chiari limiti di scala: si tratta di piccole organizzazioni, con risorse limitate. Cosa succede, invece, se si ragiona in termini di intelligenze artificiali come infrastruttura pubblica?
Una possibile risposta è stata testata da un consorzio latinoamericano di enti pubblici, università e centri di ricerca con il lancio di LatamGPT, il grande esperimento di modello linguistico collaborativo e open source della regione. LatamGPT è stato lanciato ufficialmente il 26 febbraio 2026 dall’allora presidente cileno Gabriel Boric. Il progetto è coordinato dal Centro Nazionale per l’Intelligenza Artificiale del Cile (CENIA) e ad esso partecipano quindici paesi e oltre 200 ricercatori di varie nazionalità.
Il modello è addestrato su un corpus regionale di oltre 300 miliardi di token (gli elementi linguistici alla base dell’addestramento della IA) provenienti da venti paesi dell’America Latina e dei Caraibi. L’obiettivo è anche quello di colmare un divario linguistico. Al momento, per i modelli commerciali, la percentuale di dati in lingua spagnola e portoghese si attesta infatti intorno al 2-3%.
LatamGPT non è un chatbot direttamente utilizzabile con un’interfaccia, ma un’infrastruttura open source che enti governativi, sviluppatori e istituzioni possono adattare alle loro esigenze educative, sanitarie o di protezione del patrimonio culturale. Si tratta di una base per lo sviluppo di applicazioni, prima che di un’applicazione in sé.
Il valore del progetto sta anche nel suo contributo alla ricerca. Alvaro Soto, direttore del CENIA, ha spiegato, parlando con Wired: “Siamo noi i soggetti indicati per occuparci delle nostre stesse necessità. Non possiamo stare seduti ad aspettare che gli altri abbiano il tempo di chiederci di che cosa abbiamo bisogno. Oggi gli accademici dell’America Latina hanno poche opportunità di interagire profondamente con questi modelli. È come voler studiare la risonanza magnetica senza avere a disposizione un risonatore. LatamGPT vuole essere lo strumento fondamentale che consente alla comunità scientifica di sperimentare e progredire”.
Il ricercatore Eduardo Levy Yeyati ha commentato, in un articolo su Brookings: “Ciò che rende straordinario LatamGPT non è la sua architettura tecnica, ma la sua coordinazione istituzionale. In una regione in cui la collaborazione transfrontaliera spesso si arena, la progettazione di LatamGPT riflette la diversità istituzionale del territorio. Fornisce una base condivisa che può essere ottimizzata per le priorità nazionali, come per esempio documenti legali argentini, cartelle cliniche colombiane e programmi scolastici messicani”.
I limiti dei modelli alternativi
Più che la volontà politica, il problema principale resta l’accesso alle risorse. LatamGPT è stato costruito a partire da Llama 3.1, il modello open-weight di Meta e, nella sua prima fase di sviluppo, ha fatto ricorso anche all’infrastruttura cloud di Amazon Web Services. La dipendenza, almeno iniziale, dalle tecnologie e dalle infrastrutture delle Big Tech appare quindi difficile da evitare.
Non solo: un corpus regionale di oltre 300 miliardi di token è notevolmente più piccolo rispetto alla mole di dati a disposizione dei principali laboratori statunitensi e cinesi. Lo stesso vale per i finanziamenti: il progetto LatamGPT ha raccolto circa 550mila dollari (tra fondi CENIA e quelli della Latin America Development Bank) di investimenti iniziali. Si tratta di cifre irrisorie se paragonate agli investimenti da svariati miliardi di dollari delle aziende statunitensi e cinesi.
Infine, c’è un dilemma simile a quello dell’uovo e della gallina, ma in versione tecnologica: “Gli sviluppatori costruiscono solo se gli utenti cambiano piattaforma, e gli utenti cambiano piattaforma solo se gli strumenti sono migliori”, spiega ancora Levy Yeyati su Brookings. “Risolvere questo problema richiede qualcosa in più delle semplici prestazioni: servono un sostegno istituzionale e un ecosistema regionale, specialmente da parte dei paesi che lavorano per progettare e integrare queste scelte strutturali”.
Insomma, prima di poter davvero costruire alternative concrete a Big Tech ci sono vari ostacoli da superare, sia tecnici che economici. Le pratiche di riappropriazione, da quelle più piccole a quelle più ambiziose, hanno un significato politico ed etico innegabile. Ma continuano a scontrarsi con un divario di potere, risorse tecniche e investimenti che al momento appare difficile da colmare.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) said today it worked with industry partners to seize hundreds of domains associated with NetNut, a sprawling residential proxy service operated by the publicly-traded Israeli company Alarum Technologies [NASDAQ: ALAR]. The action comes roughly two weeks after KrebsOnSecurity published findings from multiple security firms connecting NetNut to the Popa botnet, a collection of at least two million devices that have been compromised by malicious software with little or no consent from victims.
The NetNut homepage today was replaced by this seizure banner from the FBI.
On June 19, three different security firms issued similar findings: That NetNut is a residential proxy network which populates a botnet called Popa, and distributes software for devices commonly found in homes, such as smart TVs and streaming boxes. NetNut’s software turns those systems into always-on residential proxy nodes that are rented to others, who predominantly use them to relay abusive and intrusive Internet traffic, such as mass content scraping, advertising fraud, and account takeover activity.
Earlier today, NetNut’s homepage was replaced with a seizure notice from the FBI and the Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation division. The seizure notice thanked Google, Lumen, Shadowserver and other industry partners for their help in dismantling hundreds of domains tied to the Popa botnet, which experts say has long been synonymous with NetNut’s residential proxy infrastructure.
In a blog post published today, the GoogleThreat Intelligence Group (GTIG) said NetNut’s proxy network is widely resold and white-labeled by a number of third-party proxy providers, and that its services are heavily sought out by cybercriminals seeking to obfuscate the source of their malicious traffic. The GTIG said that in a single week during June 2026, they observed 316 distinct clusters of threat actors using suspected NetNut exit nodes, including cybercriminal and espionage groups.
“These bad actors can use NetNut to mask their origin IP address when accessing victim environments, accessing their own infrastructure, and conducting password spray attacks,” Google’s GTIG wrote. “Furthermore, when a consumer device becomes an exit node, unauthorized network traffic passes through it. This means bad actors can access other private devices on the same home network, effectively exposing them to Internet threats.”
Google said it disabled Google accounts and services used by NetNut for malware command and control, and that it shared technical intelligence on NetNut’s software development kits (SDKs) and backend infrastructure with platform providers, law enforcement and research firms. The company also disabled apps known to bundle NetNut’s various SDKs.
Omer Weiss, legal counsel for NetNut parent Alarum Technologies, said the company was aware of the FBI seizure and cooperating with investigators.
“Alarum takes this matter seriously and will fully cooperate with law enforcement to ensure any misuse of its infrastructure is thoroughly investigated and those responsible are held to account,” Weiss said in a written statement.
Benjamin Brundage is founder of the proxy tracking service Synthient, one of the companies that published evidence last month linking the Popa botnet to NetNut and Alarum Technologies. Brundage said the domain seizures appear to have disrupted both the Popa botnet and the NetNut proxy network that rides on top of it.
Brundage said NetNut’s apparent demise is likely to be a great disadvantage for the cybercrime community, which was already reeling from legal actions by Google earlier this year that seized infrastructure for NetNut’s biggest competitor — IPIDEA.
“I think this takedown is going to have a big impact, because NetNut gained significant popularity after the IPIDEA takedown,” he said. “Also NetNut has been incredibly common among resellers, and they were on par with IPIDEA in terms of their daily traffic, quality, size, price per gigabyte, all of it.”
NetNut’s infrastructure, in a nutshell. Image: Black Lotus Labs, Lumen.
The NetNut and Popa botnet takedown may have another added benefit, Brundage said: Lessening the impact of large distributed denial-of-service botnets that have been built on the backs of poorly configured residential proxy services. In January, Synthient revealed how cybercriminals had built the world’s largest DDoS botnet (Kimwolf) by tunneling through IPIDEA proxy connections into the local networks of TV box owners, and infecting other Android-based devices behind the victim’s firewall.
While many of the bigger proxy providers took steps to block this activity, resellers of the major proxy networks have been far slower to respond to the threat, Brundage said.
“In terms of all these TV box devices getting compromised from the proxy network, it will have an impact on the DDoS botnets out there,” he said.
For its part, Google reckons today’s actions have caused “significant degradation to NetNut’s proxy network and its business operations, reducing the available pool of devices for the proxy operator by millions.” But the company warns that proxy networks can rebuild themselves by effectively reselling other proxy services, as IPIDEA has done over the past few months.
“Google has high confidence that many popular residential proxy brands are in fact whitelabeling the NetNut botnet,” the GTIG report concludes. “While we expect this disruption to have a larger ripple effect across the residential proxy ecosystem, observations after the disruption of IPIDEA proved that individual networks can appear resilient. What we have observed is that when faced with the degradation of their own botnet, proxy operators begin buying capacity from their competitors, effectively becoming a reseller. We recognize that creating a lasting disruption in this fluid ecosystem means we must scale our efforts to target the infrastructure of several interconnected providers.”
As KrebsOnSecurity has warned repeatedly, most of the no-name TV streaming boxes for sale on the major e-commerce websites either come pre-installed with residential proxy software, or require the installation of proxy SDKs in order to use the device for its stated purpose (streaming pirated movies, sporting events and TV shows). Google’s advice here is sound: When it comes to TV boxes, stick to name brands from reputable manufacturers, and then be sparing and judicious with any apps you choose to install.
The sketchy TV boxes that are being commandeered by the Popa botnet and other threats all come with or require the user to install unofficial Android operating systems that do not operate within the confines of Google’s Official Play Protect store. Google says consumers can confirm whether or not a device is built with the official Android TV OS and Play Protect certification by following these instructions.
Even people without TV streaming boxes can find their smart TVs enrolled in residential proxy networks, just by installing one of thousands of apps available for download on Samsung and LG smart TVs. In a report released last month, the proxy tracking company Spur found 42 percent of apps available for download via the webOS operating system on LG smart TVs include SDKs that turn one’s television into an always-on residential proxy node. More than a quarter of the apps made for Samsung’s Tizen operating system had similar residential proxy components, Spur found.
Image: Spur.us.
Update, 4:24 p.m. ET: Included a statement shared post-publication from an attorney representing NetNut parent Alarum Technologies.
Update, July 8, 2:34 p.m. ET: The website for Alarum Technologies — alarum[.]io — now also features a seizure notice from the FBI. The company’s stock has taken a beating since the FBI action, and is currently trading at $2.62 a share, a roughly 67 percent decline over the past week.
Immagine in evidenza rielaborata con Intelligenza Artificiale
Negli ultimi mesi, molte delle aziende che avevano sottoscritto contratti con OpenAI o Anthropic hanno avuto una brutta sorpresa. Lo scorso aprile, la società di noleggio auto con conducente Uber ha per esempio scoperto di aver già bruciato tutto il budget annuale destinato all’intelligenza artificiale. Una situazione simile si è verificata anche dalle parti del gigante dei supermercati Walmart, che ha introdotto in tutta fretta un limite all’utilizzo dei large language model da parte dei suoi dipendenti.
Un’azienda rimasta anonima avrebbe invece speso 500 milioni di dollari in un solo mese a causa dell’utilizzo sfrenato di Claude da parte dei suoi dipendenti, mentre persino un colosso come Meta ha imposto dei limiti all’utilizzo dei sistemi d’intelligenza artificiale generativa, come hanno fatto anche Amazon, AT&T, Brex e numerose altre società.
Che cos’è successo? Non eravamo nell’epoca del tokenmaxxing, ovvero la gara a chi usa di più l’intelligenza artificiale all’interno delle aziende? Per capire come mai la situazione sia cambiata così rapidamente basta sapere che, nel corso della prima metà del 2026, OpenAI e Anthropic hanno entrambi cambiato le condizioni dei contratti aziendali: non più una tariffa fissa anche per usare i loro sistemi più avanzati e specialistici, ma una tariffa a consumo – basata sulla quantità di “token” elaborati dai vari ChatGPT Codex, Claude Cowork e altri ancora – che ha fatto esplodere i costi in maniera imprevista.
E così, praticamente da un giorno all’altro, i token – oggetto fino a poco fa noto soltanto agli addetti ai lavori – sono diventati uno degli argomenti più discussi dai manager di mezzo mondo. A questo punto, fermiamoci un secondo: che cosa sono i token?
Che cosa sono i token, i mattoni alla base dei large language model
In sintesi estrema, i token sono l’unità di testo fondamentale che i modelli linguistici elaborano quando leggono, interpretano o generano informazioni. Nella maggior parte dei casi, un token non equivale a una parola, ma a una porzione di essa (in inglese, in media, quattro caratteri). Può però anche essere un segno di punteggiatura, uno spazio o un carattere speciale. Nel momento in cui un modello deve elaborare la frase “il gattino sta dormendo sul divano?”, la scompone in token con una forma simile a “il / gatt / ino / sta / dorm / endo / sul / divano / ?”.
Ogni volta che un modello linguistico elabora una forma testuale, indipendentemente dall’obiettivo o dalle mansioni per cui è impiegato, sta quindi elaborando una sequenza di token: li trasforma in rappresentazioni numeriche, li confronta con il contesto già ricevuto e calcola quale token abbia maggiore probabilità di venire dopo. È così che risponde a una domanda, riassume un documento, scrive codice o traduce una frase: non “capendo” le parole, ma prevedendo la sequenza di token più coerente con ciò che gli è stato chiesto. È il meccanismo noto come “next token prediction”.
Un po’ come il consumo elettrico si calcola in kilowattora o il traffico internet in gigabyte, il lavoro svolto da un’intelligenza artificiale generativa si misura in token. Con una differenza: il consumo effettivo può crescere molto rapidamente, perché non dipende solo dalla lunghezza della richiesta o della risposta finale, ma anche dalla quantità di informazioni che il modello deve leggere prima di produrla. Una domanda posta all’inizio di una chat con Claude consumerà quindi meno token della stessa domanda inserita in una lunga conversazione, perché il “contesto” che il modello linguistico deve analizzare è, nel primo caso, molto più ridotto.
Un ultimo elemento importante è che i token sono elementi linguistici nel caso degli LLM, mentre nei modelli che generano immagini possono corrispondere a porzioni di immagine, nei modelli audio a frammenti di suono, nei modelli video a sequenze di informazioni che combinano immagini, movimento e durata. Il principio però resta lo stesso: qualunque sia il contenuto generato — testo, voce, musica, immagini o video — il modello non lo elabora come un blocco unico, ma lo scompone in unità più piccole, le trasforma in numeri e lavora su quelle.
Un altro aspetto importante è che nel corso degli anni, grazie alla crescente efficienza dei modelli, il costo dei token è crollato: se nel 2023 il prezzo di un LLM come GPT-4 era di 30 dollari per milione di token in fase di input (quindi il testo che inseriamo noi) e di 60 dollari in output (quindi quello generato dall’AI), oggi GPT-5.5 costa rispettivamente 5 e 30 dollari. Secondo alcune stime, dal 2020 al 2026 i prezzi medi per token sono calati addirittura di 600 volte.
La paradossale economia dei token
Ma se il prezzo dei token è crollato – e possiamo sostenere che sia sceso significativamente anche per le società che sviluppano LLM, pur in assenza di dati trasparenti a riguardo – com’è possibile che il passaggio a una tariffa a consumo abbia fatto esplodere i costi, al punto da consumare in pochi mesi l’intero budget annuale di Uber e costringere Meta a limitare l’uso dell’intelligenza artificiale in ufficio?
La ragione è duplice. Da una parte, i modelli più avanzati e basati su “ragionamento” – che scompongono la richiesta in più passaggi – consumano molti più token delle loro controparti tradizionali (e spesso forniscono risposte più lunghe). Dall’altra, la diffusione dei modelli linguistici e il loro utilizzo spesso intensivo (e non mirato) hanno provocato un enorme aumento dei token da elaborare. Un singolo dipendente che usa ogni giorno un modello di frontiera può quindi consumare molti più token rispetto anche solo a due anni fa.
Unendo questi due aspetti, si capisce perché Google – come spiegato dal CEO Sundar Pichai – sia passato in un trimestre da 10 a 16 miliardi di token elaborati ogni minuto. OpenAI ha invece dichiarato che la sua piattaforma API (cioè l’infrastruttura attraverso cui aziende e sviluppatori collegano i propri software ai modelli di OpenAI) è passata da 6 a oltre 15 miliardi di token al minuto tra l’autunno 2025 e la primavera 2026, dopo essere già cresciuta di circa venti volte nei due anni precedenti.
Questa impennata del consumo di token è stata a lungo nascosta dalle tariffe fisse ed è invece improvvisamente diventata evidente con il passaggio a una tariffazione a consumo: “L’intelligenza artificiale è oggi la voce di spesa che sta aumentando più rapidamente dei budget aziendali”, si legge in un report Deloitte di inizio anno. “Alcune società hanno affermato che oggi l’AI consuma fino alla metà della loro spesa in tecnologie dell’informazione. Nonostante il prezzo unitario dei token stia calando, la spesa complessiva delle aziende per i sistemi di intelligenza artificiale, e la loro scala di utilizzo, stanno aumentando. Il numero di utenti, la complessità dei modelli e l’intensità dei carichi di lavoro porteranno probabilmente a un maggiore consumo di token e, di conseguenza, a costi più elevati”.
Il passaggio a una fatturazione a consumo è probabilmente il principale responsabile dell’impennata del fatturato di Anthropic, passato dai 4,8 miliardi di dollari del primo trimestre 2026 ai 10,9 miliardi attesi per il secondo trimestre. Sarà però interessante capire che cosa succederà nel trimestre ancora successivo, quando i manager delle aziende avranno definitivamente fatto i conti con le spese fuori controllo per utilizzare Claude Code, Cowork o gli altri sistemi avanzati di Anthropic: “I costi della computazione sono ormai diventati una priorità per i direttori finanziari e per i consigli d’amministrazione”, ha spiegato al Financial Times Costi Perricos, responsabile AI di Deloitte. “[OpenAI e Anthropic] hanno insegnato a utenti e aziende che l’intelligenza artificiale fosse economica o addirittura gratis, ma le cose non stanno affatto così”.
Carter Busse, dirigente della società di software Workato, ha raccontato sempre al Financial Times come l’utilizzo dell’intelligenza artificiale sia esploso tra i suoi dipendenti non appena hanno iniziato a sfruttare gli agenti AI. La brutta sorpresa è arrivata alla prima fattura a consumo di Anthropic: “La nostra spesa è salita improvvisamente di 7 volte e ho pensato: ‘merda, abbiamo creato un mostro’”, ha spiegato Busse, che adesso sta spronando i suoi dipendenti a usare modelli più economici e in modo più responsabile. Ancora più preoccupanti per i colossi dell’intelligenza artificiale sono le dichiarazioni del presidente di Cisco Jeetu Patel: “Il costo dei token è molto più elevato dell’effettivo valore che essi generano su larga scala”.
Il vicolo cieco di OpenAI e Anthropic
Nel momento in cui le aziende iniziano a sobbalzare di fronte alle bollette e a domandarsi se il gioco valga la candela, OpenAI e Anthropic si trovano di fronte a quello che lo stesso Sam Altman ha definito “un enorme problema”. E come si risolve questo problema? Stando alle indiscrezioni, nell’unico modo (per ora) possibile: tagliando i prezzi pur di non perdere clienti, come starebbe per fare OpenAI anticipando una possibile mossa di Anthropic in questa stessa direzione.
Come ha riassunto Ed Zitron sul suo blog, “sono passati meno di tre mesi da quando le aziende hanno iniziato a pagare il vero costo dei servizi basati su LLM e sono già così chiaramente infuriate che sia Anthropic sia OpenAI stanno pianificando di tagliare il prezzo dei loro servizi già in perdita, facendo probabilmente crollare il fatturato mentre aumentano i costi complessivi”.
Il rischio è che i due colossi dell’intelligenza artificiale generativa si trovino alle prese con la più classica alternativa del diavolo: se non tagliano i prezzi, le aziende potrebbero ridurre l’impiego dei modelli linguistici (e come abbiamo visto, parecchie l’hanno già fatto). Se tagliano i prezzi, riducono gli introiti di società già oggi in rosso per decine di miliardi di dollari l’anno.
E qui si crea un secondo vicolo cieco: se le aziende tagliano l’uso dell’AI generativa, a cosa serviranno i 190 gigawatt di capacità elettrica per data center già pianificati, in una corsa globale che secondo McKinsey potrebbe richiedere investimenti fino a 7mila miliardi di dollari entro il 2030? E se invece OpenAI e Anthropic devono tagliare i loro prezzi per non perdere clienti aziendali, come faranno a rispettare i contratti da centinaia e centinaia di miliardi di dollari che hanno sottoscritto con Microsoft, Amazon, Google, CoreWeave e altri fornitori di potenza di calcolo?
Quanto pagheresti per usare ChatGPT?
A questo punto, viene da chiedersi che cosa potrebbe succedere se anche noi utenti comuni di ChatGPT e Claude fossimo costretti a pagare una tariffa a consumo invece di quelle fisse, che per gli usi più intensivi coprono solo una piccola parte dei costi reali.
In verità, qualcosa del genere si sta già verificando. A partire da giugno 2026, gli utenti di GitHub Copilot – ovvero l’assistente AI per scrivere codice collegato alla piattaforma per la condivisione di progetti software di proprietà di Microsoft – sono passati da un abbonamento fisso mensile a un sistema di fatturazione legato anche al consumo di token. Secondo quanto riporta un utente, il prezzo da lui pagato potrebbe salire da 29 fino a 750 dollari al mese; un altro segnala che nel suo caso il costo potrebbe schizzare fino a 3mila dollari.
Attenzione, perché una parte della responsabilità va attribuita al cosiddetto “vibe-coding”, ovvero la scrittura di codice in cui tutti i passaggi tecnici sono affidati all’intelligenza artificiale, aumentando drasticamente il consumo di token. Difficile però incolpare i “vibe-coders” per il loro uso indiscriminato di Copilot, visto che è stata proprio Microsoft a incoraggiarlo e adesso invece lo punisce con bollette fuori controllo.
E se anche OpenAI e Anthropic, conclusa la guerra al ribasso per conquistare gli utenti, dovessero decidere di far pagare i token in base al consumo? È qualcosa che, in realtà, potrebbe avvenire in un futuro non troppo distante, vista la probabile quotazione in borsa di entrambe e la conseguente necessità di ridurre le stratosferiche perdite (per colmare le quali hanno dovuto raccoglierefinanziamenti tra i più elevati della storia) e mostrare bilanci in miglioramento.
A questo punto, la domanda sorge spontanea: quanto dovremmo pagare per usare gli strumenti d’intelligenza artificiale se non avessimo a disposizione tariffe fisse tenute artificialmente basse? Una possibile risposta ce la fornisce una simulazione condotta dalla società di analisi SemiAnalysis. Secondo queste stime, il “vero prezzo” (inteso come il prezzo che pagheremmo se fossimo soggetti ad abbonamenti a consumo pari a quelli delle API) di un abbonamento a ChatGPT da 20 dollari al mese potrebbe arrivare fino a 700 dollari, mentre un abbonamento Pro da 200 dollari può raggiungere anche 14mila dollari (situazione simile per Anthropic).
Il vantaggio della Cina
Il problema, insomma, è sempre lo stesso: l’intelligenza artificiale generativa costa troppo e un modello di business sostenibile non è ancora all’orizzonte. È una situazione che riguarda però soprattutto i più avanzati modelli di frontiera sviluppati negli Stati Uniti. E che potrebbe invece avvantaggiare l’ecosistema AI della Cina.
Il segnale più evidente arriva sempre dal consumo di token. Secondo i dati di OpenRouter, a giugno i tre modelli più utilizzati per quantità di token elaborati sono tutti cinesi: MiMo di Xiaomi, MiniMax e DeepSeek. È un segnale di come una quota crescente dell’uso degli LLM – a partire da quello che avviene all’interno di applicazioni, strumenti di lavoro, agenti e servizi aziendali – si stia spostando verso i più economici modelli made in China.
Ad avvantaggiare la Cina è un mix di fattori, tra cui troviamo l’energia meno cara, i data center più economici, le infrastrutture sostenute dallo stato, l’aggressiva concorrenza interna e il fatto che i modelli siano spesso progettati per consumare meno, grazie a scelte di architettura informatica e anche a causa delle restrizioni che impediscono alla Cina di avere accesso ai chip più avanzati. Il vantaggio cinese diventa ancora più evidente guardando i prezzi: i modelli cinesi più usati costano infatti una frazione dei modelli di punta di OpenAI e Anthropic.
Il prezzo per milione di token è però solo una parte del costo reale. Come ha spiegato il ricercatore indipendente Wong Qi Han a CNA, se un modello sbaglia spesso e quindi richiede più tentativi, funziona peggio in una lingua straniera, ha maggiore latenza o pone problemi di sicurezza e compliance, il risparmio iniziale può essere illusorio. In linea teorica, la metrica decisiva non dovrebbe essere il costo per milione di token, ma quanto spendiamo per ottenere un risultato soddisfacente (per gli utenti comuni) o il ritorno sull’investimento (per le aziende). Il problema è che entrambe queste metriche sono estremamente difficili da misurare.
È possibile che i più costosi modelli statunitensi continueranno a essere usati per le attività complesse, mentre quelli cinesi potrebbero conquistare la fascia più ampia del mercato, quella degli usi quotidiani come supporto professionale o assistente personale.
Tutto è bene quel che finisce bene? Non è detto. Per la Cina, il rischio principale è l’eccessiva concorrenza sui prezzi e la compressione dei margini, che potrebbe mettere a rischio la profittabilità di DeepSeek e compagni. Per gli Stati Uniti, il rischio è invece che essere esclusi (a causa dei prezzi elevati) dalla massa dei casi d’uso quotidiani e ad alto volume causerebbe non tanto (o non solo) una riduzione dei potenziali ricavi, ma potrebbe provocare soprattutto una riduzione della potenza di calcolo necessaria.
Considerando le cifre immense che stanno venendo investite in GPU, cloud e data center, ritrovarsi con una richiesta di potere computazionale inferiore alle attese potrebbe trasformare l’attuale corsa alle infrastrutture in un enorme azzardo finanziario. E a quel punto, la temuta bolla dell’intelligenza artificiale potrebbe scoppiare per davvero.
Two men pleaded guilty in the United Kingdom this week to criminal charges stemming from an August 2024 cyberattack that crippled Transport for London, the entity responsible for the public transport network in the Greater London area. The duo were key members of a prolific cybercrime group known as Scattered Spider, and their guilty pleas came on the first day of what was expected to be a six-week trial.
Owen Flowers (left) 18, and Thalha Jubair, 20. Image: UK National Crime Agency (NCA).
Thalha Jubair, 20, of East London and 18-year-old Owen Flowers of Walsall admitted conspiring to commit unauthorized acts against Transport for London computer systems and causing risk of serious damage to human welfare. According to a report from the BBC, Flowers alone admitted to being part of a conspiracy to hack into U.S. based healthcare providers SSM Health Care Corporation and Sutter Health in September 2024.
Jubair is also wanted by U.S. law enforcement agencies. In September 2025, prosecutors in New Jersey unsealed an indictment alleging Jubair and other Scattered Spider members committed computer fraud, wire fraud, and money laundering in relation to 120 computer network intrusions involving 47 U.S. entities between May 2022 and September 2025, and that the group’s victims paid at least $115 million in ransom payments.
In July 2025, KrebsOnSecurity reported that Flowers and Jubair were arrested in the United Kingdom in connection with Scattered Spider ransom attacks against the retailers Marks & Spencer and Harrods, and the British food retailer Co-op Group. Multiple sources familiar with those investigations said Flowers was the Scattered Spider member who anonymously gave interviews to the media in the days after the group’s September 2023 ransomware attacks disrupted operations at Las Vegas casinos operated by MGM Resorts and Caesars Entertainment.
According to prosecutors, Jubair co-ran a bustling Telegram channel called Star Chat, the home of a SIM-swapping group that used voice- and SMS-based phishing attacks to steal credentials from employees at the major wireless providers in the U.S. and U.K. The group would then use that access to sell a service that could redirect a target’s phone number to a device the attackers controlled and intercept the victim’s calls and text messages (including one-time codes for multi-factor authentication).
A receipt from Star Fraud Chat’s SIM-swapping service targeting a T-Mobile customer after the group gained access to internal T-Mobile employee tools. “Rocket Ace” was one of Jubair’s hacker handles, according to U.S. prosecutors.
New Jersey prosecutors also allege Jubair also was involved in a mass SMS phishing campaign during the summer of 2022 that stole single sign-on credentials from employees at hundreds of companies. That weeks-long SMS phishing campaign led to intrusions and data thefts at more than 130 organizations, including LastPass, DoorDash, Mailchimp, Plex and Signal.
KrebsOnSecurity reported last year that one of Jubair’s alter egos at age 15 was “Everlynn,” a hacker who sold fraudulent “emergency data requests” that used compromised police and government email addresses to demand subscriber data (e.g. username, IP/email address) from major tech companies, claiming the requests concerned urgent matters of life and death and could not wait for a court order.
In April 2026, 24-year-old British national and Scattered Spider member Tyler “Tylerb” Buchananpleaded guilty to wire fraud conspiracy and aggravated identity theft for participating in the group’s SMS phishing spree in the summer of 2022. The government said Buchanan, Jubair and others used the credentials harvested in that phishing campaign to steal at least $8 million in cryptocurrency from victims throughout the United States. Buchanan is currently scheduled to be sentenced on October 2.
In August 2025, 20-year-old Scattered Spider member from Florida named Noah Michael Urban was sentenced to 10 years in federal prison and ordered to pay $13 million in restitution, after pleading guilty to charges of wire fraud and conspiracy.
The U.S. Department of Justice says three alleged Scattered Spider defendants indicted along with Buchanan still face charges, including Ahmed Hossam Eldin Elbadawy, 24, a.k.a. “AD,” of College Station, Texas; Evans Onyeaka Osiebo, 21, of Dallas, Texas; and Joel Martin Evans, 26, a.k.a. “joeleoli,” of Jacksonville, North Carolina.
Flowers and Jubair are slated to be sentenced in a London court on July 15, 2026.
La computazione quantistica è una delle tecnologie più discusse degli ultimi anni e l’idea di costruire sistemi di calcolo basati sui fenomeni della fisica quantistica continua ad alimentare aspettative enormi. Eppure il quantum computing resta lontano dall’essere una tecnologia matura. Non soltanto perché molti problemi scientifici devono ancora essere risolti, ma anche perché, al momento, manca una filiera industriale in grado di produrre in modo scalabile, e a costi sostenibili, l’hardware necessario a far funzionare un computer quantistico.
Come si può immaginare, costruire un hardware simile è molto complesso. Servono materie prime rare, chimica avanzata, sistemi criogenici sofisticati, ottica di precisione e componenti prodotti da un numero ristretto di aziende specializzate.
Il problema fondamentale è che un computer quantistico non deve semplicemente “calcolare”. Deve riuscire a “mantenere in vita” stati fisici estremamente fragili e utilizzarli per il calcolo. La grande promessa del quantum computing – sfruttare fenomeni quantistici come la sovrapposizione e l’entanglement per eseguire operazioni impraticabili per i computer tradizionali – dipende infatti dalla capacità di isolare gli effetti quantistici dalle interferenze del mondo esterno. Il problema, come anticipato anche da Heisenberg, è che gli stati quantistici sono incredibilmenteinstabili. Basta pochissimo per distruggerli: una vibrazione microscopica, una minima interferenza elettromagnetica, una variazione termica impercettibile. Questo significa che la prima e principale sfida da affrontare per produrre un computer quantistico è quella di costruire una specie di guscio che isoli il processo di calcolo dal “rumore” dell’ambiente esterno.
La sfida del freddo
Una delle interferenze più difficili da controllare è il calore. Per questo molti computer quantistici – in particolare quelli basati su circuiti superconduttori, una delle architetture oggi più sviluppate da aziende come IBM e Google — operano a temperature vicinissime allo zero assoluto, inferiori persino a quelle dello spazio profondo. Per raggiungerle servono sofisticati sistemi criogenici chiamati dilution refrigerator (refrigeratore a diluizione): strutture metalliche, simili a candelabri barocchi, che sono diventate una delle immagini simbolo del quantum computing.
Uno degli elementi chiave per il funzionamento di questi refrigeratori è invece l’elio-3. Rarissimo sulla Terra, l’elio-3 è un isotopo in proporzione più abbondante sulla superficie lunare, dove si è accumulato per miliardi di anni a causa del bombardamento del vento solare. I depositi di elio-3 diffusi nella regolite lunare alimentano da decenni miti tecnologici su future miniere sulla Luna che oggi, nell’era del “capitalismo spaziale”, paiono meno fantascientifici di un tempo. E del resto si può facilmente immaginare come un eventuale aumento della domanda di questo isotopo, connessa alla crescita del quantum computing, potrebbe rendere ancora più allettante l’avvio di attività estrattive lunari. Nell’attesa, gran parte dell’elio-3 disponibile sul nostro pianeta deriva indirettamente dal decadimento del trizio prodotto nei vecchi programmi nucleari militari, creando così un cortocircuito tra una tecnologia di frontiera e i residui industriali della guerra fredda.
Questa dipendenza da materie prime estremamente specializzate rende la filiera dei refrigeratori a diluzione molto fragile. A produrre queste macchine, infatti, sono pochissime aziende al mondo. La finlandese Bluefors, per esempio, è diventata in pochi anni uno dei principali fornitori dell’industria quantistica globale, ma anche uno degli snodi più delicati dell’intera catena produttiva. Se oggi si osserva la struttura industriale del quantum computing, ci si accorge infatti che il settore assomiglia meno all’industria informatica classica e più a un ecosistema di nicchie iperspecializzate, dove pochi attori controllano componenti essenziali e difficilmente sostituibili.
Una pluralità di approcci
Un ulteriore problema del quantum computing è che, almeno per ora, non esiste un’unica architettura dominante. Coesistono approcci diversi, ciascuno dei quali richiede infrastrutture, materiali e competenze specifici. Se i computer quantistici basati su circuiti superconduttori richiedono criogenia avanzata, i computer quantistici basati sugli “ioni intrappolati” dipendono invece da laser ad altissima stabilità, vuoto ultra-spinto e componenti fotonici delicatissimi. Altri approcci ancora – come quelli basati sui qubit fotonici o sugli atomi neutri (atomi privi di carica elettrica controllati tramite laser) – richiedono invece fibre e circuiti ottici a bassissima perdita, sorgenti luminose avanzate, specchi e cavità ottiche ad altissima qualità e, in alcuni casi, dispositivi microfabbricati costruiti con tolleranze estremamente ridotte.
Questo significa che, al momento, non esiste una singola frontiera industriale del quantum, ma molte frontiere sovrapposte. Per certi versi, la situazione ricorda alcune fasi iniziali dell’elettronica e dell’informatica del dopoguerra, quando convivevano tubi a vuoto, relè, transistor, memorie magnetiche e soluzioni architetturali diverse. Al tempo, l’industria elettronica era quindi un ecosistema frammentato, popolato da soluzioni incompatibili e processi produttivi difficili da standardizzare. La crescita esplosiva del settore arrivò solo quando emersero componenti, architetture e processi produttivi condivisi, capaci di trasformare dispositivi sperimentali in prodotti scalabili. È una lezione storica importante anche per il quantum computing.
Oggi il settore si trova ancora in una fase pre-standardizzazione: nessuno sa davvero quale architettura diventerà dominante, quali materiali saranno indispensabili o quali componenti potranno essere prodotti industrialmente su larga scala. E finché questa convergenza non avverrà, la computazione quantistica rischia di rimanere in un limbo “proto-industriale”, in cui ogni laboratorio tende a costruire il proprio ecosistema tecnologico come una specie di artigianato scientifico avanzatissimo.
Il problema del talento
La conseguenza di questo fatto è che molti processi produttivi necessari dipendono dall’esperienza accumulata da piccoli gruppi di tecnici altamente specializzati e sono, al momento, difficili da riprodurre serialmente.
La costruzione di un refrigeratore a diluzione, per esempio, richiede tecnici capaci di assemblare manualmente sistemi criogenici estremamente delicati, minimizzando vibrazioni, dispersioni termiche e impurità microscopiche. Si tratta di processi che dipendono ancora da forme di conoscenza pratica accumulate negli anni più che da standard industriali codificati. Dinamiche simili esistono anche nel campo dei semiconduttori avanzati e della litografia estrema. ASML, l’azienda olandese che produce le macchine EUV utilizzate per realizzare i chip più sofisticati al mondo, dipende a sua volta da una rete ristrettissima di fornitori iper-specializzati che, a loro volta, si avvalgono dell’esperienza di pochissimi “super-esperti” in singoli problemi tecnici altamente specifici.
Il vero collo di bottiglia “industriale” della computazione quantistica non riguarda solo le macchine, i materiali o la fisica, ma anche – e forse soprattutto – la disponibilità di talento tecnico adeguato alla portata della sfida produttiva che il quantum computing rappresenta. Per costruire un computer quantistico non basta infatti disporre di buoni fisici teorici o di eccellenti ingegneri. Serve la capacità di integrare competenze molto rare e diverse tra loro: criogenia estrema, scienza dei materiali, ottica avanzata, microfabbricazione, elettronica a radiofrequenza, software di controllo, vuoto ultra-spinto, chimica ultrapura. E soprattutto serve farlo in modo coordinato, continuo e riproducibile. La vera difficoltà non è solo inventare una tecnologia funzionante, ma costruire una massa critica di persone capaci di trasformarla in un sistema industriale.
Per questo il futuro “industriale” del quantum computing è anche un gigantesco problema di scala umana. Non basta avere qualche centinaio di ricercatori eccellenti sparsi nel mondo accademico. Affinché la tecnologia diventi industriale servono migliaia di tecnici, ingegneri e operatori altamente qualificati distribuiti lungo filiere produttive estremamente sofisticate (un fatto che la Cina sembra aver compreso prima di tutti). Servirà cioè trasformare competenze oggi quasi artigianali in capacità industriali diffuse.
La scienza alla base di tecnologie importanti può certamente nascere da un piccolo gruppo di persone eccezionalmente dotate, ma un’industria richiede la capacità di riprodurre sistematicamente quel livello di competenza su larga scala. Ancora una volta ci si può rivolgere alla storia della microelettronica per capirlo. Il vero salto nella produzione seriale di hardware informatici non avvenne infatti quando un gruppo di pionieri ai Bell Labs inventò i transistor, ma quando gli Stati Uniti cominciarono a formare enormi quantità di ingegneri in grado di capire come funzionavano e come si potevano migliorare transistor e circuiti integrati.
In questo senso la vera sfida per il futuro della computazione quantistica non è soltanto costruire una macchina capace di funzionare. È costruire le condizioni industriali, economiche e umane per trasformare una tecnologia sperimentale fragile in un’infrastruttura produttiva stabile.
Immagine in evidenza rielaborata con Intelligenza Artificiale
I data center divorano l’1,5% dell’elettricità mondiale. Per la precisione: 415 terawattora nel 2024. L’equivalente di quasi l’intero consumo annuo di energia elettrica di una nazione come la Francia. Ma è una quota destinata a più che raddoppiare entro il 2030, spinta soprattutto dall’intelligenza artificiale generativa, che l’Agenzia Internazionale dell’Energia identifica come “il fattore più importante” di questa crescita.
Le reti elettriche globali sono già sotto pressione, ma la costruzione di nuove linee di trasmissione richiede dai quattro agli otto anni nei paesi più avanzati. Nel frattempo, la domanda di calcolo aumenta così velocemente che nessuna infrastruttura terrestre riesce a stare al passo.
È in questo contesto che governi e aziende tecnologiche hanno cominciato a guardare allo spazio. Del resto, lo spazio offre energia solare continua senza competere con le reti terrestri, la possibilità di sfruttare il raffreddamento passivo nel vuoto senza consumare acqua e di elaborare i dati direttamente a bordo dei satelliti che li raccolgono, senza doverli trasmettere integralmente a Terra. Quello che sembrava fantascienza è diventato, nel giro di pochi anni, un programma industriale con date, contratti e lanci già effettuati.
A maggio 2025, la Cina ha lanciato i primi satelliti di una costellazione per l’elaborazione dei dati direttamente nello spazio. Nella stessa direzione si stanno muovendo anche gli Stati Uniti. Le due grandi potenze hanno avviato programmi concreti, ancora in parte sperimentali, per portare calcolo e archiviazione oltre il cielo. Si tratta, però, di un salto tecnologico con una conseguenza politica: in futuro, i dati più strategici di governi, eserciti e grandi aziende potrebbero non trovarsi più in nessuna nazione.
I progetti a stelle e strisce
I satelliti producono quantità enormi di dati, spesso troppo grandi per essere inviati interamente sulla Terra in tempo reale. Processarli in orbita riduce la latenza e la dipendenza dalle stazioni terrestri. Hewlett Packard Enterprise ha dimostrato la fattibilità di questo approccio con il programma Spaceborne Computer. La multinazionale statunitense, leader nelle soluzioni tecnologiche edge-to-cloud (in cui l’elaborazione dei dati avviene in parte sul dispositivo remoto e in parte sui server centrali), ha installato server commerciali standard sulla Stazione Spaziale Internazionale (ISS) nel 2017, 2021 e 2024. Questo ha permesso di ridurre fino al 90% il volume dei dati da trasmettere a Terra.
In un’intervista a Via Satellite (novembre 2025), Clint Crosier, già responsabile della pianificazione della U.S. Space Force e oggi direttore Aerospace & Satellite Solutions di AWS, ha illustrato i risultati pratici. In un test con la startup italiana D-Orbit, elaborare i dati direttamente a bordo del satellite ha permesso di trasmettere a Terra solo le immagini realmente utili: il satellite ha continuato a soddisfare tutti i requisiti della missione usando il 42% in meno di banda. Liberando quella banda, lo stesso satellite può inviare quasi il doppio dei dati utili senza alcuna modifica all’hardware. Il vantaggio per le applicazioni militari è evidente (non a caso, il Department of Defense Space Strategy statunitense identifica lo spazio come dominio operativo a tutti gli effetti).
Gli Stati Uniti stanno inoltre sviluppando la Proliferated Warfighter Space Architecture (PWSA) della Space Development Agency (SDA): una costellazione di centinaia di piccoli satelliti in orbita bassa interconnessi otticamente. Una flotta progettata per garantire comunicazioni resilienti e rilevamento missilistico anche in caso di attacchi a infrastrutture terrestri. A dicembre 2025, la SDA ha assegnato contratti per circa 3,5 miliardi di dollari per la costruzione di altri 72 satelliti di tracciamento missilistico. La logica strategica è chiara: in uno scenario di conflitto, gli impianti e le installazioni a terra sono tra i primi obiettivi a essere colpiti. Una capacità di calcolo dislocata nello spazio, interconnessa otticamente e ridondante offre invece maggiore sicurezza e una continuità operativa difficilmente replicabile sulla Terra.
La Cina accelera: la Three-Body Computing Constellation
Dagli Stati Uniti alla Cina. Come già accennato, il 14 maggio 2025 la Repubblica Popolare ha lanciato i primi 12 satelliti della Three-Body Computing Constellation, sviluppata dall’istituto di ricerca Zhejiang Lab e dall’azienda ADA Space di Chengdu. Ogni satellite offre 744 TOPS (tera-operazioni al secondo) e l’intera rete è progettata per espandersi fino a 2.800 satelliti, con una potenza computazionale complessiva di 1.000 peta-operazioni al secondo, paragonabile per ordine di grandezza ai supercomputer terrestri più potenti. I satelliti sono collegati da link laser inter-satellite (un collegamento che usa fasci di luce laser per trasmettere dati direttamente da un satellite all’altro), alimentati da pannelli solari e raffreddati passivamente dal vuoto, eliminando i costosi sistemi di raffreddamento a liquido dei data center terrestri.
Secondo un piano quinquennale citato dall’emittente televisiva cinese CCTV e ripreso dalla Reuters lo scorso 29 gennaio, la CASC (China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation) ha annunciato la costruzione di un’infrastruttura digitale spaziale da un gigawatt di potenza, identificata come pilastro del 15° Piano Quinquennale cinese, integrando capacità cloud, edge computing e terminali per elaborare dati direttamente in orbita.
Il ruolo delle aziende private
C’è però da osservare che la corsa ai data center orbitali non è più una prerogativa dei governi. A novembre 2025, Starcloud ha lanciato il primo satellite equipaggiato con una GPU NVIDIA H100, realizzando la prima dimostrazione di addestramento AI direttamente in orbita. L’11 gennaio 2026, con la missione Twilight di SpaceX, sono arrivati in orbita i primi due nodi del data center orbitale della statunitense Axiom Space, sviluppati in collaborazione con la canadese Kepler Communications e collegati tramite link ottici da 2,5 Gbps.
Google, con il progetto Suncatcher, punta invece a una costellazione di satelliti dotati di TPU (i processori per l’intelligenza artificiale progettati da Google) alimentati da energia solare, con un primo test, in collaborazione con la società di San Francisco Planet Labs, previsto per il 2027. Secondo indiscrezioni, SpaceX starebbe preparando una generazione aggiornata dei satelliti della sua costellazione Starlink capace di ospitare carichi di calcolo, con link ottici inter-satellite a banda ultralarga.
A rendere economicamente plausibili delle infrastrutture permanenti in orbita è anche la riduzione dei costi di lancio, che – secondo uno studio della NASA – sono passati da circa 54mila dollari al chilogrammo con lo Space Shuttle a 2.700 dollari con il razzo riutilizzabile Falcon 9 della società spaziale di Elon Musk: una riduzione di venti volte in due decenni. Tuttavia, la gestione privata di sistemi potenzialmente critici introduce domande (per ora) senza risposta: a cominciare da chi sia responsabile in caso di violazione dei dati su un satellite commerciale.
Dal canto suo, l’Europa non dispone di un programma comparabile per il cloud orbitale. Il progetto IRIS² – 290 satelliti per comunicazioni sicure, contratto da 10,5 miliardi firmato nel dicembre 2024 con il consorzio SpaceRISE – non include infrastrutture di calcolo orbitale autonome. Sul fronte della ricerca, il progetto europeo ASCEND ha completato nel 2024 uno studio che conferma la fattibilità tecnica dei data center orbitali e si pone l’obiettivo di dispiegare 1 GW entro il 2050. ASCEND è guidato da Thales Alenia Space, joint venture tra Thales e Leonardo: la partecipazione dell’azienda italiana è il contributo più diretto del nostro paese a questo scenario.
C’è poi da notare che D-Orbit, startup comasca già protagonista del test AWS, è tra le realtà italiane più avanzate sul tema dell’elaborazione dati in orbita e ha sottoscritto contratti con l’ESA (l’Agenzia spaziale europea) nell’ambito della costellazione di osservazione IRIDE, finanziata con fondi PNRR. Ma l’Italia non ha un programma nazionale dedicato al cloud orbitale. Il rischio è quello già visto in altri ambiti digitali: competenze industriali elevate senza controllo sull’infrastruttura finale.
Vulnerabilità e limiti
Il 24 febbraio 2022, all’ora esatta dell’invasione russa dell’Ucraina, un attacco informatico ha colpito la rete KA-SAT di Viasat (il gigante californiano delle telecomunicazioni satellitari), disabilitando decine di migliaia di modem satellitari in Ucraina e in Europa. Il malware usato – un wiper chiamato AcidRain – non ha violato nessun satellite in orbita, sfruttando invece una vulnerabilità VPN in server di gestione della rete fisicamente localizzati nel nord Italia, propagandosi fino a disabilitare 5.800 turbine eoliche in Germania. A maggio 2022, Stati Uniti, Unione Europea, Regno Unito e una dozzina di governi europei – inclusa l’Italia – hanno attribuito pubblicamente l’attacco al GRU, l’intelligence militare russa.
Il caso Viasat contiene una lezione che vale doppio per i data center orbitali: il punto più vulnerabile di un’infrastruttura spaziale non è il satellite. È tutto ciò che lo gestisce da Terra: stazioni di controllo, reti di uplink, sistemi di autenticazione, catena di fornitura dell’hardware. A questo si aggiunge un problema strutturale specifico dello spazio: il patching. Un data center terrestre può infatti ricevere una patch di sicurezza in pochi minuti. Un satellite in orbita bassa ha finestre di comunicazione limitate, banda ristretta e nessuna possibilità di intervento fisico. Se un sistema orbitale venisse compromesso, la risposta sarebbe strutturalmente più lenta e, in alcuni scenari, impossibile senza un nuovo lancio.
Jamming e spoofing GPS sono già operativi in zona di conflitto e documentati sistematicamente dall’Agenzia europea per la sicurezza aerea (EASA) nel Mar Nero, in Medio Oriente e nel Baltico: dimostrano che l’interferenza deliberata sulle infrastrutture spaziali è una realtà, non un’ipotesi. Un attacco a un sistema orbitale porterebbe le stesse complessità a un livello superiore: chi ha giurisdizione, chi può intervenire, con quali strumenti e in quale tempo utile.
Il vuoto normativo
L’Outer Space Treaty del 1967 attribuisce allo Stato di lancio la giurisdizione e il controllo sugli oggetti spaziali, indipendentemente da dove operino. Ma questo trattato non contempla infrastrutture digitali, non regola la proprietà dei dati in orbita, non prevede meccanismi di applicazione in caso di violazione informatica.
A quasi sessant’anni dalla firma, non esiste nessun trattato internazionale che disciplini specificamente la protezione dei dati nello spazio. Nel 2019, dopo otto anni di negoziato, l’UN COPUOS (la Commissione delle Nazioni Unite sull’uso pacifico dello spazio extra-atmosferico) ha adottato 21 linee guida per la sostenibilità a lungo termine delle attività spaziali: volontarie, non vincolanti e relative a detriti, sicurezza operativa e traffico orbitale. La protezione dei dati non è contemplata.
Il primo segnale che la questione stia diventando urgente sul piano normativo è arrivato a gennaio di quest’anno: SpaceX ha depositato all’americana FCC (Federal Communications Commission) una richiesta per lanciare fino a un milione di satelliti definiti esplicitamente “orbital data centers”. Questo è il primo iter normativo al mondo che affronta direttamente il tema, ma riguarda una sola nazione e non tocca le questioni di giurisdizione sui dati.
Payal Arora, professoressa di AI inclusiva all’Università di Utrecht (Olanda), ha sintetizzato il problema in un’analisi pubblicata da Rest of World nel febbraio 2026: se i dati dei cittadini sono elaborati in orbita, la sovranità digitale “diventa ambigua”, sospesa tra il Paese d’origine, lo Stato di lancio e l’operatore commerciale del satellite. Nessuno dei meccanismi esistenti – né il diritto spaziale internazionale, né il diritto cyber nazionale, né i trattati di mutua assistenza giudiziaria – è stato progettato per rispondere a questi aspetti.
Per decenni il potere digitale è stato ancorato a piattaforme fisiche entro confini nazionali. Anche i cavi sottomarini, che trasportano oltre il 95% del traffico internet globale, hanno una giurisdizione di riferimento, con trattati, procedure e responsabilità definite. Il cloud orbitale rompe questo sistema. I dati possono essere archiviati ed elaborati in luoghi che nessuna autorità nazionale può raggiungere, né fisicamente né giuridicamente. In sostanza, per la prima volta, la localizzazione dei dati smette di coincidere con il territorio.
Come spiega Jane Munga, ricercatrice per l’Africa al Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, la sovranità tende a seguire la proprietà dell’infrastruttura: chi non partecipa al suo possesso e alla sua governance rischia di essere relegato a produttore di dati senza alcuna capacità reale di controllo su come siano archiviati, elaborati o usati. Un’incognita che sconfina dal campo dell’innovazione tecnologica. Quello in corso è un passaggio epocale le cui conseguenze sono ancora da scrivere. Il rischio è che si erigano infrastrutture informatiche cruciali per nazioni, imprese e cittadini che superino la sovranità digitale degli Stati. Senza che ci siano le regole per governarle.
Non è possibile sostituire Carola Frediani, fondatrice, anima e colonna portante di Guerre di Rete. Allo stesso tempo, sappiamo per certo che l’ultima cosa che Carola avrebbe voluto è che questo progetto terminasse.
Carola ha sempre voluto ampliare e far crescere Guerre di Rete. Non c’era nulla che le desse più soddisfazione che individuare nuovi collaboratori e collaboratrici, allargare la squadra della redazione, trasformare ciò che era nato come una newsletter personale in un progetto collettivo.
È per questo che Guerre di Rete va avanti, in memoria di Carola e d’accordo con la sua famiglia.
Guerre di Rete prosegue mantenendo inalterato il patto con il lettore. Il nostro continuerà a essere un giornalismo rigoroso, approfondito, autonomo e indipendente.
I nostri lettori e le nostre lettrici sono coloro che ci permettono di andare avanti, finanziando un progetto che quindi solo a loro vuole e deve rispondere.
Il lavoro di Carola Frediani è la nostra bussola. L’affetto e la stima che proviamo per lei è la ragione per cui vogliamo portare avanti la sua missione.
Immagine in evidenza rielaborata con intelligenza artificiale (ChatGPT)
L’applicazione dell’intelligenza artificiale nella cybersicurezza genera, da sempre, sentimenti contrastanti. Le potenzialità dell’AI rappresentano, da una parte, un’opportunità per migliorare il livello di automazione nelle attività di rilevamento e risposta agli attacchi dei criminali informatici. L’altra faccia della medaglia è rappresentata dalla possibilità che gli stessi cybercriminali ne sfruttino le capacità per aumentare l’efficacia degli attacchi.
È qualcosa che sta già accadendo e che viene messo nero su bianco, per esempio, nel Global Threat Report 2026 di CrowdStrike. Stando ai dati pubblicati dalla società di cybersecurity, gli attacchi portati utilizzando l’AI sarebbero aumentati dell’89% anno su anno.
Ma l’impatto dell’AI non si esaurisce negli attacchi veri e propri. La stessa tecnologia che li accelera sta mettendo sotto pressione, in particolare, l’ecosistema che fino a oggi ha garantito l’attività di identificazione e analisi delle vulnerabilità software. In altre parole, l’AI sta rompendo gli equilibri che per anni hanno permesso di mitigare il rischio di attacchi informatici.
Come funziona la vulnerability discovery
Per comprendere l’impatto dell’AI in questo particolarissimo settore è indispensabile comprenderne i meccanismi. La vulnerability discovery è infatti una macchina complicata, in cui si intrecciano interessi diversi e convivono varie contraddizioni.
Il concetto alla base del sistema è quello di individuare eventuali falle di sicurezza di software e sistemi operativi prima che questi vengano scovati dai cyber criminali. Un’attività che vede impegnate centinaia (migliaia) di aziende e ricercatori indipendenti, spesso all’interno dei cosiddetti programmi di bug bounty, cioè processi controllati attraverso i quali gli sviluppatori ricompensano economicamente chi segnala una nuova vulnerabilità potenzialmente pericolosa, permettendo loro di correggerla attraverso patch di aggiornamento.
L’importanza del fattore tempo emerge proprio nella fase finale del processo di responsible disclosure, quando vengono rilasciati l’aggiornamento e i dettagli della vulnerabilità. È in questo momento che si apre una finestra temporale particolarmente delicata: quella in cui un cybercriminale può sfruttare la vulnerabilità creando un exploit (la tecnica che permette di portare un attacco) in grado di “bucare” i sistemi non aggiornati.
Fino a oggi, il tempo necessario per realizzare il codice che sfrutta una falla di sicurezza per portare un attacco era, nella maggior parte dei casi, di settimane o al massimo di qualche giorno. Un margine sufficiente perché gli aggiornamenti venissero distribuiti. Di conseguenza, il rischio che qualcuno rimanesse “scoperto” era relativamente basso.
A causa degli strumenti basati su intelligenza artificiale generativa, però, le cose sono cambiate. Utilizzando l’AI è possibile realizzare un exploit con una velocità prima impensabile. Secondo i ricercatori di sicurezza Efi Weiss e Nahman Khayet, autori di un progetto dedicato, per creare un exploit con l’AI partendo da una vulnerabilità nota sarebbero sufficienti anche solo 15 minuti.
Un’ondata di segnalazioni
Lo scorso 7 aprile, un comunicato ufficiale di Anthropic ha scosso il settore della cybersecurity. Oggetto dell’annuncio era il nuovo large language model Claude Mythos Preview, che gli sviluppatori dell’azienda californiana hanno sostanzialmente classificato come uno strumento troppo pericoloso per essere distribuito pubblicamente. Il motivo? Il nuovo LLM sarebbe in grado di individuare vulnerabilità all’interno dei software con un’efficacia senza precedenti. Rilasciarlo pubblicamente, di conseguenza, sarebbe troppo rischioso.
L’azienda ha quindi deciso di avviare un progetto, battezzato con il nome di Project Glasswing, che coinvolge un numero limitato di soggetti come Microsoft, Apple, Google, AWS, Cisco, Nvidia e Linux Foundation. Qualche controindicazione, però, è emersa quasi subito. Lo stesso giorno dell’annuncio, il 7 aprile, un gruppo riunito in un forum Discord privato è riuscito ad accedere a Mythos — non con un attacco sofisticato, ma combinando le credenziali del dipendente di un fornitore terzo con un’ipotesi azzeccata sull’URL del modello. La vicenda è emersa pubblicamente circa due settimane dopo, grazie a un’inchiesta di Bloomberg. Considerato che Mythos era stato tratteggiato come una sorta di “arma fine di mondo”, con accesso soggetto a strettissime restrizioni, non si tratta proprio di un esordio rassicurante.
Al netto del sensazionalismo dell’annuncio, che secondo molti rappresenta un marchio di fabbrica del marketing di Anthropic, la vicenda di Claude Mythos Preview si inserisce in un fenomeno più ampio, che gli esperti di sicurezza informatica stanno segnalando da tempo come estremamente problematico: la crescita esponenziale del numero di vulnerabilità segnalate.
In sintesi, il problema non è tanto la possibilità che i gruppi dediti al cyber crimine riescano a sfruttare gli LLM avanzati per individuare nuove vulnerabilità zero-day (falle di sicurezza ancora sconosciute), quanto il fatto che l’implementazione di strumenti automatizzati per l’analisi dei software sta generando troppe segnalazioni rispetto a quelle che gli sviluppatori sono in grado di gestire.
Una cosa, infatti, è individuare una falla. Un’altra è correggere il codice per eliminare il rischio che la vulnerabilità venga sfruttata per portare un attacco. Qualsiasi aggiornamento di un software o – a maggior ragione – di un sistema operativo richiede infatti una serie di verifiche e test per validarne l’efficacia e, non ultimo, escludere eventuali conflitti o “effetti collaterali” indesiderati nel suo funzionamento. Insomma: rimediare a una vulnerabilità richiede più impegno e più tempo rispetto a sfruttarla per scopi malevoli.
Il fattore tempo
A livello intuitivo, si potrebbe pensare che questo squilibrio tra il numero di segnalazioni e la capacità di elaborarne il contenuto possa avere come conseguenza un semplice rallentamento delle operazioni. Non è così.
Per prassi consolidata, infatti, il processo di responsible disclosure prevede che al destinatario della segnalazione sia concesso un termine – solitamente di 60-90 giorni – entro il quale deve rilasciare l’aggiornamento. Trascorso il termine, chi ha inviato la segnalazione è autorizzato a rendere pubblici i dettagli della vulnerabilità.
Si tratta di un accorgimento che ha un duplice obiettivo. Il primo è quello di evitare che lo sviluppatore possa “snobbare” la segnalazione, anche solo per negare il meritato compenso del ricercatore che l’ha effettuata. La seconda è quella di ridurre il rischio che qualcun altro scopra la falla o che questa diventi pubblica per un qualsiasi motivo prima che l’aggiornamento sia disponibile.
Anche se piuttosto rari, in passato si sono verificati casi in cui gli sviluppatori non sono riusciti a rispettare la scadenza e si sono trovati di fronte a una pubblicazione dei dettagli di una vulnerabilità quando non avevano ancora preso le dovute contromisure. Nel nuovo scenario, in cui le segnalazioni piovono a una velocità impressionante, rispettare le scadenze rischia di diventare molto più difficile.
I primi scricchiolii
La cronaca recente conferma tutti i timori legati al massiccio impiego dell’AI nell’individuazione delle vulnerabilità. La società di cybersecurity HackerOne ha sospeso il suo programma Internet Bug Bounty (IBB), attività finanziata in crowdfunding che gestisce dal 2013. Il motivo? L’eccessivo numero di segnalazioni stava mettendo in difficoltà chi ha il compito di correggere il codice del software. E questo soprattutto in ambito open source, dove la gestione dei progetti è spesso affidata a programmatori che prestano la loro opera a titolo volontario.
La pagina web di HackerOne è un perfetto riassunto dei problemi che vive il settore. Nelle sue policy, spiega che ricompenserà solo quelle vulnerabilità che “siano state segnalate in modo responsabile, riconosciute, analizzate (triage), risolte e divulgate tramite un Security Advisory o una CVE (Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures, un sistema di catalogazione pubblico e standardizzato delle vulnerabilità di sicurezza informatica note – ndR). Se una vulnerabilità viene segnalata da più persone ed è riconosciuta all’interno del security advisory, solo il primo segnalatore (come identificato dai maintainer del progetto) avrà diritto alla ricompensa”.
In questo passaggio si leggono tutte le criticità legate a un ecosistema che è ormai andato fuori controllo. Traducendo dal “politically correct” adottato nelle policy, HackerOne ammette di trovarsi in una situazione in cui vengono segnalate vulnerabilità che non sono state sufficientemente approfondite, che in molti casi vengono scovate da più soggetti e per le quali non viene fornita una soluzione. Insomma: si trova ad avere a che fare con troppo “pattume” generato dall’AI. Motivazioni simili hanno indotto la piattaforma Bugcrowd a introdurre una serie di regole e restrizioni per contrastare il fenomeno che hanno battezzato come “sloptimism” (segnalazioni basate su AI inviate con troppa fiducia e poca verifica).
L’AI trova vere vulnerabilità?
Guardando più nel dettaglio il fenomeno, emerge anche un altro dato. A gennaio 2026 i volontari che gestiscono cURL – software open source che gestisce lo scambio di dati con Internet e che, pur sconosciuto al grande pubblico, è installato in miliardi di dispositivi (telefoni, automobili, TV) – hanno annunciato che dal mese successivo avrebbero smesso di accettare segnalazioni tramite HackerOne. In un aggiornamento pubblicato ad aprile, il creatore Daniel Stenberg ha diffuso un grafico da cui emerge una tendenza abbastanza chiara: nonostante da febbraio non sia stata accettata alcuna segnalazione, il totale del 2026 era già arrivato a 87.
Al di là della crescita esponenziale di segnalazioni, spicca il fatto che nel 2025 sono stati registrati numerosi report classificati come “likely AI slop” (probabile pattume AI), cioè vulnerabilità di bassissimo impatto o inventate dall’intelligenza artificiale. Il loro numero, però, è diminuito percentualmente nel corso dell’anno successivo.
Prima di considerare questi dati come confortanti, è però opportuno considerare un altro aspetto: non tutte le vulnerabilità validate rappresentano un reale rischio di sicurezza. Come spiega Naz Bozdemir in un post sul blog di HackerOne, delle 22 vulnerabilità individuate da Claude Opus 4.6 nel codice di Mozilla Firefox – 14 delle quali ad alta gravità – soltanto due si sono rivelate effettivamente sfruttabili per costruire un exploit. In altre parole: erano tutte difetti reali, ma solo due rappresentavano un rischio imminente e concreto.
L’idea che una maggiore efficienza porti automaticamente a più sicurezza, alla fine, si sta rivelando un’illusione. L’uso intensivo dell’AI sta dimostrando esattamente il contrario: senza la capacità di selezionare, comprendere e intervenire, rischia di generare semplicemente caos.
OSM non è semplicemente una mappa online libera e gratuita ma un ricchissimo database geografico attorno al quale ruota un’infinità di progetti, App e iniziative.
Se si parla di mappe nella maggior parte dei casi si pensa alla mappa del navigatore, ad una cartina stradale oppure a un Atlante ma in realtà ci sono mappe di tipo diversissimo: carte nautiche, stradali, da escursionismo, turistiche, quelle che mostrano le caratteristiche fisiche di un territorio, quelle che ne mostrano i confini amministrativi e molte altre ancora. Tanta varietà dipende tal fatto che ognuna di queste mappe è concepita per un certo utilizzo specifico ed ha dunque interesse a evidenziare solo alcuni degli aspetti del territorio che prende in considerazione. Le mappe dei navigatori per automobili ad esempio non mostrano i sentieri su cui non è possibile andare in automobile mentre le mappe da escursionismo, al contrario, non riportano informazioni sui semafori. E’ giusto che sia così: una mappa che mostrasse tutti, ma proprio tutti gli elementi presenti su un dato territorio risulterebbe completamente inutile ed illeggibile: proviamo solo ad immaginare quanto sarebbe difficile pianificare un percorso tra Roma e Firenze su una mappa che indicasse ogni singolo semaforo, cartello stradale, idrante, cancello, sentiero, panchina, fontanella, cartellone pubblicitario, attraversamento pedonale, rivolo d’acqua, spartitraffico, tombino, numero civico, ringhiera, ecc…
Una mappa delle linee ferroviarie italiane.
Anche le mappe solitamente utilizzate dai principali navigatori per automobili, difatti, per quanto ci possano sembrare complete in realtà sono concepite per un utilizzo generalista e riportano solo una selezione di elementi. Difatti sono in grado di calcolare il percorso per raggiungere una città che sta a 200km di distanza ma nella maggior parte dei casi non sanno dirci se nei dintorni c’è una fontanella a cui abbeverarci. O ancora: sulle mappe digitali maggiormente utilizzate, zommando all’indietro per far stare l’intera penisola italiana nello schermo vedremmo comunque ben evidenziate le autostrade, ma a ben vedere se osservassimo davvero l’Italia da quell’altezza, ad esempio dall’ISS, le autostrade non si noterebbero affatto. Si tratta ovviamente di una rappresentazione grafica artificiosa, voluta perché quelle mappe sono state concepite per un uso stradale e dunque è stato scelto di enfatizzare quel dato. Le mappe digitali più note, essendo realizzate dalle big tech americane, sono principalmente interessate a fornire un servizio buono per un uso generico e con una caratterizzazione fortemente commerciale: Google Maps difatti ci può dire a che ora apre un centro commerciale di un’altra città ma non ci sa dire se nei dintorni c’è una panchina. Il carattere commerciale di un servizio di mappe online, dunque, è un elemento determinante nel tipo di informazioni che la mappa stessa riporterà.
Una mappa catastale contiene un sacco di informazioni utili, ma se vuoi recarti di persona sul lotto 582bis ti conviene usare una mappa stradale per orientarti
Che si tratti di mappe commerciali o meno tuttavia appare subito evidente un primo problema: per farsi un’immagine completa di un certo territorio è necessario utilizzare più tipi di mappe, ognuna delle quali ha una propria funzione specifica, una grafica distinta, utilizza simbologie diverse dalle altre, una diversa scala e presentare incompatibilità con le altre. Se si volesse fare un’escursione orientandosi con Google Maps per raggiungere in auto il punto di partenza ed un navigatore escursionistico Garmin per l’escursione a piedi, uno dei due potrebbe segnalare un parcheggio che l’altro non riporta o nomi di vie di campagna non corrispondenti.
L’Istituto Geografico Militare Italiano realizza mappe estremamente precise ma concepite per un tipo d’utilizzo che le rende inadatte ad esser usate come semplice stradario
Vi sono anche infinite esigenze particolari solitamente non considerate da chi realizza mappe commerciali: chi vola in deltaplano, ad esempio, spesso deve barcamenarsi tra mappe escursionistiche che indicano correttamente rilievi ed altitudini e mappe di diverso tipo ove invece è indicata la presenza di pali elettrici e cavi dell’alta tensione (dai quali i deltaplanisti voglion comprensibilmente stare alla larga). Riassumendo: se da un lato ricorriamo costantemente all’uso di mappe, dall’altro il panorama offerto dal ben vasto mondo della cartografia presenta diversi problemi:
Un’unica mappa completissima uguale per chiunque risulterebbe inutile ed illeggibile.
Ricorrere costantemente a mappe differenti può esser problematico ed a volte genera più interrogativi che risposte.
Le mappe commerciali, per loro stessa natura, non sono adatte ad esser impiegate per esigenze specifiche.
OPENSTREETMAP
Ecco dunque arrivare in nostro aiuto OpenStreetMap (abbreviato: OSM), che è qualcosa di estremamente più potente e completo di qualsiasi altra mappa digitale conosciuta. Prima di spiegare cosa la rende tanto unica vediamo velocemente quali sono le origini e la natura del progetto.
Nata nel 2004 da un’idea di Steve Coast, OSM cresce rapidamente per strutturarsi come una fondazione non a scopo di lucro con sede in Inghilterra e che ha come fine la creazione di un gigantesco database di dati geografici liberamente ed accessibili a chiunque gratuitamente. OSM difatti sposa in toto le filosofie del software libero e della libera circolazione delle informazioni (anche il software con cui OSM viene realizzato è a sua volta open source). Il progetto di OSM dunque consiste nel raccogliere ed elaborare costantemente un grandissimo numero di informazioni geografiche possibili facendole analizzare da una vastissima comunità di volontari ed armonizzarli in un unico database aperto. Tutti quegli elementi che, come detto prima, se mostrati tutti assieme renderebbero una mappa illeggibile (i singoli tombini, i tre gradini sul marciapiede, ecc), possono essere inseriti nel database OSM. Sotto molti aspetti il progetto OSM può esser definito come una sorta di “Wikipedia cartografica” anche se però vi sono delle differenze sostanziali: Wikipedia difatti è nota per esser spesso caratterizzata da problemi derivanti dal mito del “punto di vista neutrale” e dal fatto che le regole interne di Wikipedia sono spesso aggirate da gruppi che si organizzano appositamente per imporre le proprie posizioni politiche. OSM, al contrario, trattando dati geografici è molto meno soggetta a questo tipo di problematiche che tuttavia, anche se in forma più circoscritta, non mancano nemmeno qui (pensiamo ad esempio ai confini contesi tra nazioni in conflitto). In linea generale però le divergenze che possono verificarsi all’interno della comunità OSM sono più che altro di tipo tecnico e concettuale.
COME SI FINANZIA? OSM viene finanziata da donazioni da parte dei membri e di diversi enti, università ed aziende che, come vedremo, sono perfettamente conscie dei vantaggi che derivano dal poter utilizzare liberamente un corpus di informazioni geografiche vastissimo e sempre più preciso. Vigili del fuoco, protezione civile, pronto soccorso, associazioni umanitarie, università ma anche aziende come Amazon e Facebook utilizzano i dati di OSM a proprio vantaggio e dunque hanno un forte interesse a collaborare alla sua realizzazione o finanziarla.
DA DOVE OTTIENE I DATI E COME LI GESTISCE? Le fonti da cui OSM pesca i dati sono estremamente variegate: usa le mappe digitali fornite da diversi enti pubblici sparsi sul globo, mappe catastali, si fa consegnare i tracciati dei sentieri dai club alpinistici, raccoglie dati forniti volontariamente dagli utenti di alcune App, ottiene la concessione di dati satellitari e così via.
OSM raccoglie e unifica una moltitudine di dati di natura diversissima spesso provenienti da enti diversi: informazioni sui terreni, sui percorsi d’acqua, strade, segnaletica, numeri civici, informazioni commerciali ecc.
Tutti questi dati di natura e formato diversi vengono costantemente elaborati ed armonizzati nell’immenso database OSM da volontari che ne verificano la correttezza tramite strumenti software ed apportano manualmente correzioni e aggiunte. Si tratta, insomma, di un lavoro continuo e minuzioso estremamente complesso gestito con metodo e costante revisione: volontari esperti verificano la correttezza dei dati aggiunti dai meno esperti, ci sono forum di discussione, workshop periodici ecc.
DATI GEOGRAFICI VS. MAPPE
OSM come si è detto, non è banalmente una mappa bensì un database geografico. Che cosa vuol dire esattamente? Analogamente a quanto già esposto parlando dei Feed RSS e dei Frontend alternativi anche qui è necessario tener bene a mente la differenza tra un DATO e la sua RAPPRESENTAZIONE GRAFICA. Un dato è semplicemente un’informazione cruda, una stringa di testo nel database OSM in cui c’è scritto un valore. Per esempio “fontanella pubblica”. La sua rappresentazione grafica è il modo in cui questo dato viene mostrato sulla mappa. In questo caso l’icona di una fontanella che può essere grande, piccola, blu, rossa ecc. Ebbene, il concetto principale da tenere sempre a mente per capire cos’è OSM è che i dati e la loro rappresentazione grafica sono sempre separati. Che cosa comporta questo? Questa separazione permette di poter prendere esattamente gli stessi identici dati ma selezionarli e rappresentarli in modi diversi e, trattandosi di un database liberamente accessibile, ciò coinvolge innumerevoli siti ed App.
A sinistra i dati puri e a destra uno dei tanti possibili modi di rappresentarli
Facciamo l’esempio di due App o due siti di navigazione altamente specializzati: uno per vigili del fuoco ed uno per persone che si muovono in sedia a rotelle (come Wheelmap). Entrambe possono usufruire del database OSM ma la prima evidenzierà gli idranti, i sentieri, le altezze dei rilievi, le centraline elettriche, mentre la seconda evidenzierà marciapiedi, scalini, ostacoli e così via. Certi elementi presenti su una non verranno nemmeno mostrati nella seconda ed allo stesso modo certi elementi comuni possono esser rappresentati con diversa enfasi: dei gradini invalicabili per chi è in carrozzina potrebbero essere evidenziati con un grosso bollino rosso nella mappa pensata per gli spostamenti in sedia a rotelle ma senza particolare enfasi nella mappa per i vigili del fuoco che invece potrebbe segnalare con un colore diverso viottoli e stradine in cui non è possibile passare con i mezzi in dotazione. In sostanza, grazie al database OSM è possibile realizzare un numero infinito di mappe diversissime ed altamente personalizzate in base alle diverse esigenze ma i dati di tutte queste sarebbero sempre coerenti tra loro: non sarà mai possibile, consultando due mappe aggiornate e basate su OSM, che in una venga mostrata una nuova rotonda stradale appena creata e nell’altra no.
La stessa città vista nelle quattro visualizzazioni offerte da openstreetmap.org. Ognuna evidenzia i vari elementi in modo diverso e riporta informazioni assenti nelle altre
Le maggiori mappe digitali offrono al loro interno la possibilità di essere visualizzate in tre, quattro modalità diverse (anche su openstreetmap.org è possibile visualizzare la mappa in quattro modalità: standard, ciclabile, trasporti ed umanitaria) ma il database OSM permette di fare molto di più e realizzare un numero sconfinato di progetti impensabili per qualsiasi altra mappa esistente. Qualsiasi sito o App che utilizzi mappe commerciali come quelle di Google o di Apple mostrerà sempre e solo quella mappa lì, con quelle due-tre modalità grafiche che permette, coi suoi colori ed il logo sempre in evidenza.
Al contrario, poiché il database di OSM è scollegato dalla grafica usata, le mappe che ne utilizzano i dati hanno una grandissima varietà di aspetti ed è assai probabile che molte persone abbiano usato più volte mappe OSM senza nemmeno mai rendersene conto (in diversi casi si viene a sapere che la mappa è basata sul database OSM solo se si entra nelle preferenze).
Vorresti andare a piedi da Messina a Copenhagen? Waymarkedtrails usa i dati OSM per rendere maggiormente fruibili i percorsi che fanno per te! Nella mappa è mostrato solo l’indispensabile per orientarsi durante i tragitti.
Un ulteriore esempio per far comprender il meccanismo può esser questo: un’associazione interessata a promuovere escursioni di tipo storico può facilmente mettere sul proprio sito una mappa basata su OSM scegliendo di dargli un colore in scala di grigi, mostrare le linee isoipse (quelle che fan capire l’altitudine dei rilievi), far visualizzare i terreni ed i centri abitati rimuovendo le strade asfaltate, mostrare tutti gli edifici di carattere storico con un colore giallo ed i siti archeologici con un colore rosso. Sarebbe una mappa decisamente particolare che per esser realizzata da zero impiegherebbe un certo dispendio di energie ma OSM permette di realizzarla con relativa semplicità: basta selezionare il tipo di dati che interessano e poi decidere come mostrarli.
TheWeatherChannel usa mappe realizzate da MapBox basate sui dati OSM
Ma non finisce qui! Diversi enti ed aziende che realizzano autonomamente mappe proprie, spesso utilizzano parte dei dati di OSM. Le mappe di Apple, ad esempio, si avvalgono di molti dati OSM. Esri, e Mapbox, un importante fornitore di tecnologie cartografiche ed un’azienda che realizza mappe personalizzate, sono donatori OSM che ne utilizzano i dati ed anche per le proprie mappe.
NON C’E’ UNA “MAPPA OSM UFFICIALE”
Poiché solitamente v’è l’abitudine di considerare i dati e la loro rappresentazione come un tutt’uno, anche nel caso delle mappe vien spontaneo considerare il suo aspetto visivo come l’informazione in sè. Di conseguenza un errore comune in cui si può cadere è quello di ritenere che l’aspetto grafico delle mappe presenti su openstreetmap.org siano “LA mappa di OSM” Ma anche la mappa su openstreetmap.org, pur essendo realizzata da OSM stesso, non mostra tutte le informazioni geografiche del suo stesso database (come già detto, una mappa che mostrasse tutto-tutto-tutto sarebbe inguardabile) e pure i colori, le icone e i font che OSM ha scelto di mostrare su openstreetmap.org non sono un qualcosa di “fisso” (dati e rappresentazione sono due cose distinte).
Le diverse App Android che usano mappe basate sul database OSM. Molte di queste usano grafica, colori e icone proprie e diverse mostrano informazioni assenti nelle mappe visibili su openstreetmap.org
Su openstreetmap.org é stato deciso di rappresentare gli edifici con un colore grigio-marroncino, di rendere molto evidenti i binari ferroviari e le strade hanno colori diversi a seconda della tipologia. Ma se si osserva lo stesso territorio dall’App Maps.me, che utilizza a sua volta lo stesso database OSM, la grafica ed i colori son talmente diversi da farci credere che si tratti di tutta un’altra mappa: i binari ferroviari manco si vedono, le aree verdi sono molto marcate,le strade son tutte bianche ad eccezione delle Autostrade, gli edifici appaiono leggermente in 3D. I dati delle due mappe sono gli stessi ma Maps.me ha semplicemente scelto di usare quegli stessi dati in modo diverso, rappresentarli con un’altra grafica e usare informazioni che OSM ha scelto di non mostrare su openstreetmap.org (l’altezza degli edifici). Non c’è nulla di strano nel fatto che vi siano siti ed App che mostrano cose che sulla mappa openstreetmap.org non appaiono e può benissimo essere che si consideri migliore la mappa basata su OSM presente sul sito taldeitali perchè i quattro tipi di mappe visualizzabili su openstreetmap.org non sono “le mappe ufficiali di OSM” ma solo quattro delle migliaia di modi possibili di usare il database OSM. Siamo di fronte ad un concetto ben noto nel mondo del software libero a cui però il software commerciale ha disabituato: mastodon.social, l’Istanza Mastodon creata dall’inventore di Mastodon stesso, non è “l’Istanza ufficiale”; matrix.org non è l’istanza ufficiale di Matrix, non esiste una distribuzione Linux ufficiale e le quattro mappe di openstreetmao.org non sono le mappe ufficiali di OpenStreetMap.
UN GRANDE, RICCHISSIMO DATABASE GEOGRAFICO
A questo punto abbiamo diversi elementi per iniziare a comprendere meglio la ricchezza di OSM: ogni persona, ente o associazione che ha interesse ad avere delle mappe precise, tarate apposta per le proprie esigenze, coerenti con informazioni geografiche di diversa natura ed arricchite da osservazioni di migliaia di altri utenti può trarne vantaggio collaborando al database di OSM aggiungendovi i dati di proprio interesse. Il tutto viene integrato nel database OSM classificando i vari elementi per tipologia e secondo tutta una serie di criteri, andando così a formare diversi livelli gestibili autonomamente. E’ il principio seguito dai GIS (Geographic Information system), sigla con cui si identificano i principali servizi di mappatura digitale.
Manhattan su Google Maps
Manhattan sulla mappa standard di openstreetmaps.org. Appare immediatamente evidente la differenza in termini di ricchezza di informazioni e precisione
Qui Manhattan su Maps.me (App che usa i dati OSM). Maps.me è interessante perché sfrutta la qualità dei dati OSM ma la restituisce con la leggerezza visiva di Google Maps
All’interno del database si può segnalare veramente di tutto: le piazzole per i camper, i distributori pubblici di sacchetti per cani, sentieri non tracciati, WiFi pubblici, cancelli, inferriate, vicoli strettissimi che solitamente non vengono segnalati, i nomi locali delle campagne, tombini, capitelli, muretti diroccati, ruderi, sentieri abbandonati, gabinetti pubblici e mille altre cose ancora. Il tutto senza doversi preoccupare del fatto che tale informazione possa interessare solo a poche persone o che possa appesantire la mappa. Giusto per dare un’idea, qui e qui è possibile vedere alcune statistiche aggiornate sulla quantità di dati che contiene, qui e qui informazioni sull’hardware usato.
Una zona in Vietnam di cui OSM ne conosce solamente la rete stradale ed i fiumi principali.
Ci sono associazioni che inseriscono in OSM la posizione dei singoli alberi nei parchi pubblici, ciclisti che segnalano ogni singola fontanella o sbarra che impedisce il passaggio, c’è chi segnala i luoghi in cui si posizionano i banchetti di cibo da strada o i cantieri apparsi all’improvviso e così via. Il database di conseguenza accumula sempre più dati la cui ricchezza, va però notato, come per tutte le mappe online è distribuita a macchia di leopardo: se le zone più note, frequentate e di maggior interesse possono avere un grado di precisione elevatissimo ce ne sono altre che invece si limitano a mostrare giusto le strade e poco più.
UN ECOSISTEMA
Il database di OSM, essendo liberamente accessibile, è quindi il perno di tutto un ecosistema di App, siti e strumenti diversissimi che collaborano alla sua diffusione ed in alcuni casi anche al suo miglioramento: certe App, ad esempio, permettono a qualsiasi utente anche privo di esperienza di fornire segnalazioni minute come la presenza di un cantiere, o la rimozione di una panchina e così via. Una di queste, molto carina, che si chiama StreetComplete, gestisce questo processo con una forma di gamification sfruttata per una volta in modo positivo: una volta avviata mostra all’utente tutti gli elementi nelle sue vicinanze riguardo ai quali mancano alcuni dati, chiedendogli di completarli con semplici domande: come si chiama questo ristorante? Quanti piani ha questa casa? E così via… Ci sono anche siti ed App indipendenti che offrono servizi basati su mappe generate dal database OSM.
Mapillary offre un servizio simile a quello di GoogleStreetView. Nell’immagine si possono veder evidenziate in verde le strade già coperte
Una di queste, Mapillary, sta creando un database fotografico simile a quello di Google Street View ma prodotto dai singoli utenti che riprendono le strade coi propri smartphone. Queste fotografie non vanno a far parte del database OSM ma vengono tuttavia rilasciate con licenza Creative Commons CC-BY-SA, dando così la possibilità a chiunque di farne libero uso. I progetti autonomi sviluppati attorno ad OSM sono moltissimi: diverse mappe metereologiche e sulla pandemia Covid sono state fatte con le mappe OSM, le usano i dispositivi Garmin, pure le mappe di Apple son state realizzate attingendo al database OSM.
CentralineDalBasso riporta i dati sulla qualità dell’aria su mappe OSM
OSM è usato pure da numerose associazioni umanitarie per vari progetti e iniziative, tanto che esiste pure un team specializzato (HOT – Humanitarian OpenStreetMap Team) che coinvolge, da solo, oltre 170 mila partecipanti.
Healthsites usa il database OSM per tracciare una mappa di tutti gli ospedali, ambulatori e centri di cura.
…i progetti sono tantissimi e questi sono solo una selezione fatta al volo!
Su https://osm-analytics.org/ vengono visualizzate le informazioni immesse dall’ Humanitarian OpenStreetMap Team. In questo caso gli edifici di due villaggi del Mali, del tutto assenti nelle mappe digitali commerciali
LA GESTIONE DEL DATABASE
Come facilmente intuibile il database OSM, ricevendo aggiornamenti ogni minuto, non sta mai fermo. Ciononostante se visualizzi la mappa di una App o un sito basato su OSM non accadono situazioni tipo “Ops! E’comparsa una panchina all’improvviso!” e questo, giustamente, per diverse ragioni. Quando viene inserito un nuovo dato il database ha bisogno di qualche tempo per elaborarlo e verificare che sia una modifica coerente e non una castroneria tipo “Una montagna di 400 metri comparsa all’improvviso davanti al Duomo di Milano”. Dopodichè vengono fatte delle verifiche da parte dei volontari che controllano la sensatezza della modifica ecc. A seconda del tipo di modifica e della zona interessata questo processo può esser più o meno lungo: se si inserisce un “cancello con sbarra” su un sentiero di campagna in una zona poco frequentata questo verrà elaborato molto velocemente, ma se si correggesse ad esempio il tracciato di una strada stadale di grande percorrenza presso una località importante, la verifica ed eventuale discussione sulla correttezza di questa modifica potrebbe durare anche qualche giorno. In ogni caso, una volta accolta la modifica, il primo luogo in cui questa potrebbe esser visibile è ovviamente la mappa di openstreetmap.org (sempre a patto che sia un tipo di dato che tale mappa mostra). Dopodichè vengono gli altri siti ed App. Questi però non pescano subito i dati dal database principale ma hanno metodi e tempi molto diversi fra loro. Alcuni difatti utilizzano dei propri server in cui copiano il database OSM a cadenza periodica (ad esempio settimanale, mensile, trimestrale o come più gli va).
OsmAnd permette di scaricare offline le mappe OSM più aggiornate. Molte App commerciali invece tendono ad essere più lente nel recepire gli ultimi aggiornamenti
Questo gli permette di essere operativi ed avere mappe funzionanti anche nel caso in cui il server di OSM avesse qualche problema. Quando effettuano questa copia sui propri server in realtà non copiano davvero tutto ma solo la porzione di dati che gli interessa. Per esempio, una App per ciclisti britannici copierà solo i dati relativi alla Gran Bretagna che effettivamente usa. Acquisirà dunque gli aggiornamenti sui negozi di biciclette e sulle nuove piste ciclabili ma snobberà quelli su idranti, centraline elettriche, uffici postali, autovelox ed altre cose che tanto, nell’App, non segnala. Allo stesso modo questi siti ed App spesso evitano di copiare le modifiche più recenti seguendo il principio che i dati troppo “freschi” son stati visualizzati e verificati meno rispetto a quelli presenti da più tempo. Il risultato è che se oggi viene inserita una certa modifica, le App che si appoggiano direttamente al server di OSM la riceveranno istantaneamente mentre per le App che effettuano copie periodiche dei dati sui propri server potrebbe volerci addirittura qualche mese. Anche qui è una questione di scelte personali: meglio avere i dati più aggiornati col rischio di qualche incorrettezza o meglio dati meno aggiornati ma più certi?
MAPPE OFFLINE E SICUREZZA
Quando si consultano le mappe digitali di Google ed Apple, le rispettive App dialogano costantemente col server per comunicare istantaneamente la tua posizione e fornendoti la versione più aggiornata delle loro mappe. Pur esistendo la possibilità di salvare sul telefono alcune porzioni di mappa questo meccanismo è inevitabile: non si può usare le App di mappe commerciali se non si comunica la propria posizione e senza dialogare costantemente col server. Alcune App basate su OSM (non tutte) hanno invece un approccio diverso: al loro interno hanno solo una mappa-base del pianeta e lasciano all’utente la possibilità di scaricare sullo smartphone la porzione di mondo di cui vogliono avere la mappa dettagliata.
Alcune App “conoscono” solo le porzioni di territorio che hai scaricato sullo smartphone
In alcuni casi questo processo è manuale e bisogna selezionare la mappa del paese, regione o città che interessa da una lista, mentre in altri casi quest’operazione è semi-automatica (se zoommi sull’Abruzzo parte il download della mappa dell’Abruzzo). In altri casi ancora v’è un sistema misto (le mappe visualizzate sono quelle del server a meno che non le scarichi). In alcune App, ad esempio, si può scaricare una mappa generale dell’Italia che contiene solamente le strade principali e poi scaricarsi la mappa dettagliata di singole regioni o città che interessano. Ad esempio è possibile salvarsi offline la mappa delle strade dell’intera Italia, la mappa dettagliata della Sicilia e quella dettagliata di Roma. Su queste App gli aggiornamenti delle mappe scaricate oggline funzionano allo stesso modo: semi-automatico per alcune, manuale per altre e misto per altre ancora. Poter scaricare le mappe sul proprio dispositivo porta co sè diversi vantaggi, i primi dei quali sono l’essere accessibili anche se non c’è campo e non consumare costantemente banda per ri-scaricare sempre e solo le stesse strade. Poichè lo spazio su smartphone è quello che è non si avrà mai l’intero database OSM salvato, ma le App basate su mappe offline solitamente sanno gestire la cosa a dovere e se per il tuo viaggio hai necessità di salvarti la mappa dell’intera Romania ma non hai più spazio è del tutto indolore liberarne un po cancellando quelle di territori che non ti serve consultare al momento. Tra i vantaggi delle mappe offline v’è anche il fatto che sono solitamente più scattanti e possono essere consultate, navigate, si possono fare ricerche su di essa senza trasmettere mai a nessuno la propria posizione o informazioni su cosa stai cercando (se cerchi “Ascoli” su Google Maps la richiesta viene inviata ai server di Google che innanzitutto registrano che hai “cercato Ascoli alle 17.34” e solo dopo di ciò inviano la posizione di Ascoli al tuo smartphone). Con questo tipo di App invece si possono pure registrare i propri tracciati GPS nella certezza che questi saranno presenti solo e soltanto sul proprio telefono.
La preferenza per soluzioni offline però porta con sè anche qualche piccolo inghippo. Il primo è che gli aggiornamenti delle mappe scaricabili offline non sono sempre automatiche o ben segnalate ed ovviamente è un qualcosa a cui bisogna prestare una certa attenzione.
Il secondo riguarda il tempo che l’App può impiegare a calcolare i percorsi. Se si chiede a Google Maps di calcolare il percorso da Milano a Napoli, fondamentalmente l’App manda la richiesta ai server di Google i quali innanzitutto registrano che hai “cercato il percorso da Milano a Napoli alle 18.42”, poi effettuano il calcolo e restituiscono all’App il percorso consigliato. Il tutto in pochissimi secondi. Al contrario se si usa una App indipendente che fa fare questo calcolo allo smartphone senza comunicare nulla al server, da un lato non si regalano i propri dati in giro ma dall’altro questo ci metterà molto più tempo (il processore di uno smartphone è niente rispetto a quello di un grosso server). Su certe App, ad esempio, calcolare un percorso di 400Km può impiegare anche tre minuti. Anche qui è una questione di scelte: preferire una App scattante ma che comunica le proprie ricerche ad un server cui dobbiamo fidarci o una più solida ma lenta? Bisogna però considerare che una App che sa fare questi calcoli in proprio sarà autonoma anche nel bel mezzo di una grotta in fondo a un burrone in una valle sperduta in cui non c’è campo.
Il terzo inghippo riguarda la funzione “cerca” delle App, ma lo vedremo meglio più avanti.
IL GPS DI PER SE’ NON CI “TRACCIA”
Una domanda comune a questo punto riguarda il sistema GPS a causa di una certa confusione su come funziona questo sistema e vale dunque la pena spendere due parole per spiegare mooooolto grossolanamente come funziona. Il sistema GPS si basa su una trentina di satelliti geostazionari che circondano l’intero globo da una distanza di circa ventimila chilometri dalla superficie terrestre. Per geostazionario si intende un satellite che “staziona”, ossia che sta sempre fisso sopra lo stesso punto della Terra: se un satellite GPS fosse stato posizionato, per esempio, esattamente sopra la verticale di casa tua, questo resterebbe sempre lì, di notte e di giorno. Questi satelliti si trovano ad un’altezza tale che da ogni punto del globo sia sempre possibile “vederne” almeno tre, per esempio, osservando il cielo dall’Italia potresti vedere quello sopra casa tua, uno che sta sopra la casa di un tizio di Mosca ed uno che sta sopra un cinema in Islanda. Questi satelliti trasmettono costantemente dei segnali radio contenenti alcuni dati, i più importanti dei quali sono la sua posizione e l’ora esatta, con una precisione al microsecondo.
Laura, Mario e Andrea all’opera
Quando ti perdi nel bel mezzo della campagna ed apri una App per capire cove cavolo sei, questa riceve i segnali radio trasmessi dai satelliti esattamente come la radiolina da quattro soldi che becca sempre Radio Maria. L’App, quindi, riceve una roba tipo questa:
SATELLITE LAURA “Ciao! Sono Laura! La mia posizione esatta è XYZ e sono le ore 16:04:07…e 6 millisecondi“
SATELLITE MARIO “Ciao! Sono Mario! La mia posizione esatta è XYZ e sono le ore 16:04:07…e 23 millisecondi“
SATELLITE ANDREA “Ciao! Sono Andrea! La mia posizione esatta è XYZ e sono le ore 16:04:07…e 49 millisecondi“
L’App riceve tutti questi segnali contemporaneamente ma… il suo orologio interno indica le 16:04:07… e 52 millisecondi! Questa differenze di orario dipendono dal fatto che il segnale inviato da satelliti tanto lontani ci mette un po ad arrivare allo stesso punto. Non serve molto per capire che più il satellite è lontano e più ci mette. A questo punto l’App calcola molto velocemente la differenza microscopica tra gli orari e capisce di essere molto vicino ad Andrea, un po meno vicino da Mario e molto lontano da Laura. Di conseguenza, conoscendo le loro posizioni esatte (che han trasmesso) e la velocità di trasmissione delle onde radio, riesce a calcolare le proprie coordinate e mostrarle sulla mappa. Si tratta di un processo chiamato triangolazione.
Per chi volesse saperne di più, online ci sono diverse mappe live come questa che mostrano la posizione in orbita di migliaia di satelliti artificiali di tutti i tipi. Su F-Droid è pure possibile scaricare GPStest, una curiosa App che elenca tutti i satelliti che il tuo smartphone sta rilevando in questo momento (e si, quello sopra casa tua lo becca SEMPRE).
Capito il meccanismo appare chiaro che un ricevitore GPS, in questo caso il tuo smartphone, per funzionare non ha bisogno di trasmettere niente a nessuno riguardo alla tua posizione! Quando si parla di localizzare qualcuno tramite il suo GPS non si intende certo che il suo smartphone comunichi la propria posizione ai satelliti (A Laura, Mario ed Andrea non gliene frega una cippa di dove tu sia) ma significa che lo smartphone sta inviando -via Internet- quelle coordinate che ha calcolato grazie ai segnali che ha ricevuto dai satelliti GPS. I navigatori da auto stand-alone tipo i TomTom o i Garmin da escursionismo difatti sono anch’essi ricevitori GPS eppure non si è mai sentito dire che si possa “rilevare la posizione” di un TomTom o di un Garmin. Questo può essere verificato facilmente anche provando ad utilizzare una App che funziona con mappe offline e verificare la propria posizione GPS con la modalità aereo attivata.
MANCANZE e “MEH”
A parte le valutazioni su pregi e difetti delle App che usano mappe e calcoli di percorso offline (che non sono dei difetti ma osservazioni su pro e contro di certe caratteristiche), al’ecosistema stesso di OSM è caratterizzato da alcune mancanze che fanno particolarmente sentire, soprattutto nel fare un paragone con gli strumenti commerciali.
I MODULI DI RICERCA La prima mancanza che si riscontra quella di un ricerca interno efficiente. openstreetmap.org usa un certo software di ricerca e le App basate su OSM ne usano degli altri ma tuttavia il problema è abbastanza comune: è estremamente facile NON trovare quel che si cerca. In linea generale si può dire che più l’App è specializzata (per esempio una App dedicata solo agli spostamenti in automobili) e migliori sono i risultati, ma non è una regola che vale sempre. Giusto per fare due esempi, L’App Maps.me, pensata principalmente per viaggi turistici, ha un modulo di ricerca abbastanza intuitivo e veloce mentre al contrario, OsmAnd, che è una eccezionale App multifuzione opensource, ha un modulo di ricerca che necessita un po di pratica per esser appreso. In nessun caso però si arriva all’immediatezza del modulo di ricerca di Google Maps. Le capacità predittive di Google nel capire che se digiti “Parigi” è più probabile tu stia cercando la capitale francese che non una oscura “via Parigi” di una città vicina, da questo punto di vista è decisamente più efficiente rispetto alle altre soluzioni disponibili.
openstreetmap.org elabora in pochi secondi tragitti intercontinentali, ma se sbagli e scrivi Vladivostock col “ck” finale, è convinto tu voglia visitare uno stagno a qualche km. da Parigi
Le varie App rispondono a questa mancanza con diverse strategie: quelle specialistiche riescono a starci dentro perché gestiscono una quantità di informazioni minori e sono usate per scopi mirati; quelle più complesse, come OsmAnd, dovendo gestire una quantità di informazioni elevata utilizzano dei moduli di ricerca in cui l’utente deve compilare diversi passaggi. Per fare un esempio: su Google Maps, digitando anche malamente “via cavur roma”, il modulo di ricerca comprende comunque che si sta cercando Via Cavour a Roma e lo propone come prima soluzione. Per trovare la stessa via su OsmAnd è necessario:
saltare il modulo di ricerca base
selezionare “indirizzo”
selezionare “prima specifica la città”
digitando correttamente “Roma” le prime soluzioni proposte sono le località più vicine alla propria posizione che contengono “Roma” nel nome (Campagnano di Roma, Casa Roma, Chiarano Roma). La città di Roma, nel mio caso, è in quarta posizione
tornare indietro su “indirizzo”
digitare correttamente “via Cavour”
Dopo un po che ci si fa l’abitudine a fare tutti questi passaggi ci si mette un nonnulla ma resta il fatto che non c’è paragone con la semplicità del modulo di ricerca di Google.
In altre App e siti le ricerche funzionano benissimo a patto che nomi ed indirizzi siano indicati esattamente come vogliono loro (p.es. prima il nome della via, poi una virgola ed invine il nome della città. O il contrario). Insomma: effettuare le ricerche sulle proprie App non è proprio immediato ed è un campo che necessita certamente di miglioramenti.
A questa difficoltà va a sommarsi nuovamente la questione delle mappe offline: se sul tuo smartphone hai scaricato solo la mappa d’Italia e cerchi una via di Londra, l’App magari conoscerà Londra ma non troverà la via se prima non ne scarichi la mappa. Pare scontato, ma se si ha l’abitudine di usare le mappe di Google può non essere così immediato. Tutto ciò può risultare anche abbastanza antipatico perché se si dovesse ad esempio fare una ricerca sulla località chiamata Fauske senza sapere se sta in Svezia, Norvegia, Finlandia o Islanda non si potrebbe ottenere quest’informazione dall’App di mappe, ma bisognerebbe cercarsela sul web e solo dopo aver scoperto che sta in Norvegia si potrà tornare sull’App e scaricare la mappa corretta in modo che l’App stessa la possa trovare.
NIENTE TRAFFICO La seconda mancanza riguarda le indicazioni del traffico live. Semplicemente non ci sono, ne su openstreetmap.org nè sulle App per OSM. Aggiungere questo tipo di dati non è tecnicamente difficile ma l’ostacolo principale è che le informazioni sul traffico perlopiù devono essere acquistate, non sono di libero accesso ed in alcuni casi vengono ottenute dalle big tech anche carpendo dati dalla posizione degli smartphone degli utenti. Insomma: non se ne fa niente.
3D La terza ed ultima mancanza è quella di una mappa in rilievo paragonabile a quella di Google Earth. Il database OSM contiene i dati altimetrici di terreni e rilievi così come le altezze di numerosi edifici, ma solo alcune App proprietarie, al momento, li sfruttano in modo utile. Diversi sviluppatori stan portando avanti progetti collaterali ad OSM per renderne le mappe in 3D e l’argomento è “caldo” ma attualmente non v’è ancora nulla di utilizzabile da semplici utenti.
Uno dei tanti progetti intesi a dare tridimensionalità alle mappe OSM
“MEH” Non proprio un punto debole ma piuttosto un “meh” da rilevare è che le informazioni sugli esercizi commerciali sono tendenzialmente più complete sulle mappe di Google. Non è solitamente un problema ma in alcuni casi può risultar antipatico dover uscire da OSM, fare una ricerca altrove e poi rientrare in OSM. Ovviamente non c’è nulla che impedisca di aggiornare i dati di tutte le attività commerciali su OSM ma poichè il mercato è Google-oriented è lì che i mercanti vanno a parare.
Un secondo, debolissimo “meh” è che in alcuni casi sarebbe apprezzabile veder convergere su openstreetmap.org alcune funzioni offerte dai progetti che gli ruotano attorno. Un esempio tra questi è Mapillary, il servizio simile a Street View. Se si naviga una mappa su openstreetmap.org e si volessero vedere le immagini a livello strada di una certa zona bisogna andare su mapillary.com, tornare nuovamente sulla stessa zona e lì si potrebbero vedere queste immagini. Questa convergenza tuttavia viene ottenuta da alcune App. Sulla già citata OsmAnd, per esempio, basta un comando per visualizzare le foto di Mapillary.
VOGLIO CONTRIBUIRE!
Se a questo punto, ci si sentisse dentro un irrefrenabile impulso di contribuire ad OSM mappando a più non posso è sufficiente iscriversi su openstreetmap.org ed iniziare a frequentarne i forum, leggere la wiki, prendere dimestichezza col suo funzionamento e chiedere consigli alla sua community.
Un editor di OSM
Questo articolo è giusto una panoramica su cos’è OpenStreetMap e sulle sue potenzialità ma per quanto riguarda il lavoro che c’è dietro è decisamente meglio chiedere direttamente a chi si occupa attivamente della sua gestione. L’unico consiglio che si può dare qui, semmai, è di farci un po un giro prima di modificare la mappa di Milano e indicare che è apparsa una montagna davanti al Duomo, ecco.
LE APP BASATE SU OSM
E per finire non si poteva che segnalare le App che usano mappe basate sul database OSM. Ce ne sono diverse decine tra cui scegliere ed alcune sono abbastanza particolari e molto specifiche. Essendoci quindi un po di tutto, prima di pigliare App a caso forse è meglio fare una prima breve riflessione sull’utilizzo che se ne vuol fare e delle situazioni in cui ci capita di aver bisogno di una mappa: spostamenti in auto? Viaggi all’estero? Escursionismo? Ciclismo? Deve poter registrare i tracciati GPS, esportarli ecc? Deve poter permettere di segnalare modifiche ad OSM? Che tipo di dati si preferisce visualizzare? Meglio una App che fa di tutto ma complessa o una che fa poche cose ma che sia chiara e semplice? Può valer la pena usare due App per due tipi di utilizzo distinti? In ogni caso, sia per Android che iOS le due App più note sono le già segnalate OsmAnd e Maps.me
OsmAnd è un vero e proprio coltellino svizzero: fa TUTTO! Navigatore vocale per auto, modalità escursionismo, registra i tracciati con le statistiche altimetriche, integra Mapillary, permette di visualizzate le mappe in innumerevoli modi e tantissime altre cose. Tanta ricchezza ovviamente significa alto grado di complessità e di conseguenza richiede un certo “addestramento” per esser usato al meglio, ma una volta fatto proprio diventa uno strumento insostituibile! E’disponibile anche su F-Droid.
Maps.me è pensata per viaggi turistici. E’molto leggera e le mappe che usa hanno una grafica leggera che ricorda quella di Google Maps ed è adatta a chi ha bisogno di un navigatore facile da usare e senza fronzoli. Su F-Droid è presente un suo fork (una “versione modificata”) chiamata semplicemente Maps.
Navit è concepito puramente come navigatore automobilistico e può essere installato su diversi dispositivi.
OsmAnd e Navit sono software completamente liberi ed open source mentre Maps.me, pur essendo open source, è collegato ad una azienda che si occupa di viaggi. La versione su F-Droid chiamapa Maps invece è “pulita”.
Le altre App, come detto, sono diverse decine e ve n’è di tutti i tipi. Questi due link portano a pagine della wiki di OSM in cui vengono descritte una ad una e confrontate fra loro (in inglese):
OsmAnd ed altre App permettono di fare piccole segnalazioni ad OSM, ad esempio per indicare che una certa strada è stata chiusa, ma se si volesse fare qualcosa di più anche da smartphone esiste Vespucci, una App pensata appositamente per i volontari di OSM. E’però consigliabile usarla solo se si ha già un minimo di esperienza nel modificare i dati OSM da desktop.
Chi volesse dare una mano ad aggiornare i dati OSM ma senza dover imparare a modificare le mappe ed aggiornarle può contrinuire usando StreetComplete! Si tratta di un’App carinissima che, una volta avviata, pone delle semplici domande riguardo alla zona in cui ti trovi e su cui OSM ha informazioni incomplete. E’ un modo molto intelligente ed utile di sfruttare alcuni elementi della gamification per realizzare un progetto da cui ne trae vantaggio il mondo intero!
Accedere a YouTube, Twitter, Instagram o altri siti ancora attraverso App non ufficiali o coi cosiddetti Frontend alternativi permette di avere funzioni aggiuntive e di fruire dei contenuti in forme meno gamificate e stressanti.
Per capire cosa sia un Frontend basta aver ben chiari un paio di concetti, il primo dei quali è la distinzione tra la forma (design) ed il contenuto di un qualsiasi sito, piattaforma o applicazione. Prendiamo l’esempio di YouTube. Sostanzialmente YouTube è un archivio digitale di video ad ognuno dei quali è abbinata una serie di dati accessori (i like ricevuti, il conteggio visualizzazioni), oltre ad una componente social ed alcune funzioni di riproduzione (la barra di avanzamento, i sottotitoli, ecc.). Tutto questo ci viene mostrato con un certo DESIGN a cui siamo comunemente abituati, ossia questo:
Schermata di YouTube
Il suo aspetto ci è tanto familiare che lo identifichiamo immediatamente con il look di YouTube: il pulsante play al centro del video, la barra di scorrimento rossa in basso, i video suggeriti in quella certa posizione dello schermo, i colori bianco rosso e nero… Sono tutte caratteristiche estetiche distintive di YouTube.
Tuttavia, se un domani il team di Google decidesse di apportare piccoli cambiamenti come spostare la barra di scorrimento sulla parte superiore del video o cambiarne il colore dal rosso al blu, nella sostanza YouTube resterebbe YouTube ed il suo ricco archivio video non sarebbe intaccato da questi cambiamenti estetici. YouTube resterebbe tale anche se le modifiche fossero più profonde o se il design venisse completamente ridisegnato: il cambiamento della forma difatti non ha direttamente a che fare coi contenuti. E’ la stessa cosa che avviene in quelle applicazione e piattaforme che permettono di “cambiare il tema” anche se di solito questo cambiamento consiste solo nel passaggio da un certo design in versione chiara allo stesso design in versione scura. Concettualmente tutto ciò non è troppo diverso dal cambiare cover al telefono: l’aspetto cambia ma il telefono ovviamente resta lo stesso. Bisogna però osservare che certi tipi di cover hanno caratteristiche che le rendono qualcosa di più che un mero gingillo estetico: ci sono le cover antiurto, quelle con batteria di supporto incorporata, quelle con scomparto-portafoglio e quelle con lo stand integrato per tenere lo smartphone in verticale. Insomma: un cambio di cover è sempre un cambiamento di design ma alcuni design portano con sè anche funzionalità che cambiano l’approccio al dispositivo stesso.
A seconda del tipo di cover usata, lo smartphone può esser usato in modi diversi
Chi muoveva i propri passi sul web tra la fine degli anni ’90 ed i primi anni ‘2000 ricorderà Winamp, un lettore di file audio paragonabile a VLC che offriva la possibilità di personalizzare in maniera profonda il proprio design proponendo delle “skin” talmente diverse l’una dall’altra da non farla più sembrare la stessa applicazione. Con una skin minimalista si potevano avere a disposizione solo i comandi base lasciando che quelli più avanzati fossero sepolti nei menù interni. Oppure si poteva preferire una skin che metteva in primo piano le funzioni più tecniche come l’equalizzatore, la navigazione tra le tracce e così via.
Quattro diverse skin di Winamp. Design completamente diversi, ma è sempre la stessa applicazione
Quel che risultava maggiormente interessante é che alla modifica di design corrispondeva anche un profondo cambiamento nell’approccio allo strumento stesso da parte di chi lo utilizzava.
Ciononostante, soprattutto per via di scelte commerciali, nelle applicazioni si è sempre più imposto l’utilizzo di design rigidi e non personalizzabili dove tuttalpiù viene concessa la scelta tra tema chiaro e tema scuro di cui si è detto prima. Questa rigidità porta in effetti alcuni vantaggi (un certo pulsante appare a chiunque in quella stessa posizione, quella voce di menù si trova sempre lì e l’applicazione rimane sempre riconoscibile a chiunque indifferentemente dal device utilizzato). Al tempo stesso però questa rigidità impone un unico modo di fruizione dei contenuti stabilito da chi detiene la proprietà della piattaforma stessa. Al tempo stesso questa rigidità contribuisce a impedire che gli utenti possano compiere alcune azioni malviste dalle company che detengono la proprietà del sito.
Per fare qualche esempio: YouTube non permette di scaricare i suoi video e chi volesse farlo dovrà usare strumenti esterni; YouTube ha una funzione che permette di modificare la velocità di riproduzione dei video e che in certi casi può esser molto comoda m il pulsante per regolarla è all’interno del menù Preferenze e questo fa sì che molte persone nemmeno sappiano che esiste. Se il design di YouTube fosse diverso e mettesse più in evidenza questa funzione, questa sarebbe certamente più utilizzata. YouTube impone che prima della visione di un video ci si debba beccare la pubblicità ed impone che il pulsante “salta” appaia solo dopo un certo numero di secondi. Al contrario, se il design di YouTube fosse diverso, il pulsante “salta” potrebbe essere disponibile sempre o, addirittura, si potrebbe accedere direttamente al video che ci interessa senza doversi sorbire la pubblicità (ok, ok, ci sono dietro ragioni economiche, si, ma qui il discorso è puramente tecnico).
Giusto per rimarcare ulteriormente il fatto che i contenuti sono distinti dal design, si può osservare come potrebbe apparire YouTube se fosse “nudo” ossia dati puri senza alcun fronzolo grafico. Apparirebbe più o meno così:
Se si accede a YouTube da Terminale, il suo archivio appare come una enorme ma semplicissima playlist testuale i cui video vanno visti con un player installato sul proprio computer
Sarebbe solo un archivio testuale navigabile da linea di comando a cui si avrebbe un accesso diretto, senza commenti, pubblicità, suggerimenti di Google ecc. Pulito e preciso, si, ma di certo non molto comodo…
Frontend alternativi
Se si volesse accedere ai contenuti di un sito con un’interfaccia diversa da quella standard capace di offrire anche funzioni in più o in meno rispetto al solito (e senza arrivare al punto da accederci da linea di comando), quel che fa per noi è un Frontend alternativo!
I Frontend alternativi non sono altro che delle piattaforme con un design tutto loro che visualizzano e gestiscono i contenuti che stanno su un server/sito/database gestito da qualcun’altro. Si tratta di un qualcosa con cui abbiamo a che fare tutti i giorni: chi usa aggregatori di notizie, ad esempio, riceve contenuti realizzati dai maggiori quotidiani e blog ma su una applicazione che li parifica applicando a tutti lo stesso font, gli stessi sfondi, dimensione dei titoli ecc. Chi usa Media Center come Kodi ha accesso ai contenuti di YouTube ma sul Media Center non vede i commenti, i comandi sono un po diversi ecc. In sostanza tutte le volte in cui si accede a dei contenuti da una piattaforma diversa da quella standard, siamo dinnanzi allo stesso concetto. Tuttavia quando si parla di “Frontend” solitamente si intende un tipo di piattaforma ben precisa ovvero un sito web specializzato nel gestire i dati provenienti da un altro sito web. In pratica: per accedere ai contenuti del [SITO ORIGINALE] si andrà invece sul [SITO FRONTEND] che mostra gli stessi contenuti del [SITO ORIGINALE] ma in forma diversa.
Video visto su YouTube
Lo stesso video di prima visto su Invidious
Frontend alternativi per ogni cosa?
Dunque possono esistere Frontend alternativi per ogni tipo di piattaforma? Frontend per Instagram, Facebook, Skype e così via?
NO
E’possibile realizzare un frontend solo a patto che i contenuti ‘pubblici’ della piattaforma che ci interessa siano veramente pubblici: più il sito originale è aperto ed accessibile e più è facile realizzarne un Frontend. Per questo motivo ci si può scordare di frontend per Facebook, che è una gabbia dorata/drogata ermetica e chiusa perlopiù inaccessibile a chi non accetta di consegnare tutti i propri dati personali. Per alcune piattaforme commerciali invece é possibile creare dei Frontend alternativi che se da un lato offrono alcune funzioni in più, al tempo stesso non possono svolgere tutte le funzioni base. Al contrario è facile elaborare Frontend alternativi per tutte le piattaforme libere, aperte ed open source, allo stesso modo con cui è facile realizzare applicazioni alternative per le stesse.
Giusto per fare due esempi, sia Matrix che Mastodon sono accessibili tramite un certo numero di Frontend alternativi,App e software per PC. Questo tipo di varietà è abbastanza comune tra le piattaforme libere, così come la contaminazione vicendevole, poiché le idee vincenti di un Frontend possono esser poi riprese da un altro ecc. Al contrario, chi utilizza piattaforme commerciali spesso non è nemmeno a conoscenza del fatto che è possibile utilizzare lo stesso ‘motore’ ma con una carrozzeria diversa e con funzioni aggiuntive.
URL e codice
Oltre alla distinzione tra design e contenuto v’è un secondo ed ultimo concetto da aver bene in mente per capire il funzionamento dei Frontend alternativi: la differenza tra URL e codice. Chi va sull’URL www.youtube.com non trova una banale paginetta statica con del testo e delle immagini fisse, ma un sito complesso che FA diverse cose. Sull’URL www.youtube.com difatti è presente del codice che permette di vedere un video, avviarlo, mandarlo avanti, metterlo in pausa, aggiungere i sottotitoli, regolare il volume ecc… Dire ‘codice’, quindi, non è troppo diverso che dire ‘software’.
Aprendo l’URL http://www.youtube.com quel che si carica sono centinaia di righe di codice
Il fatto che una pagina web contenga del codice che fa molte cose è forse scontato, ma proprio per questo troppo spesso si tende a non farci caso. Giusto a termine di paragone, chi ha potuto vedere l’evoluzione del web ricorderà forse che i primissimi video pubblicati online erano perlopiù dei file su una pagina statica che andavano scaricati sul computer e solo a quel punto potevano essere visti, offline, con un mediaplayer. Solo col tempo e l’avvento della banda larga chi realizzava siti web ha potuto inserire nelle pagine stesse il codice che permetteva di vedere il video direttamente nella pagina.
NB: le cose non stanno esattamente così e qui si sta semplificando moooolto grossolanamente giusto per far capire alcuni concetti base sperando che il dio-gattino degli hacker non lanci una delle sue solite maledizioni ;-P
Ogniqualvolta si va su un sito web, dunque, bisogna tenere bene a mente che aprendo un certo URL si caricherà sì una pagina che ha una certa grafica e colore ma anche tanto codice. Un Frontend alternativo, quindi, è un “pacchetto” che include design e codice e che non si limita ad apparire diverso da quello originale e a disporre in modo diverso le sue stesse funzioni ma permette addirittura di gestire i contenuti in modo del tutto diverso aggiungendo funzionalità inedite. Una cosa che i Frontend alternativi potrebbero fare ma non sempre ne sono in grado è porsi da filtro tra te ed il sito originale per limitare la raccolta di metadati della tua navigazione. Per questioni strettamente tecniche questa cosa non è sempre possibile. Se uno dei motivi per cui si ricorre ai Frontend alternativi è quello di limitare la raccolta dati su di sè, in linea generale si consideri che comunque il sito originale qualche dato personale se lo piglia.
Invidious
Di Frontend alternativi ne esistono di diversi tipi e per diverse piattaforme. Qui ne osserveremo dettagliatamente uno che funge abbastanza bene da modello per spiegarli un po tutti. Si tratta di Invidious, che è probabilmente il più noto dei Frontend alternativi per YouTube. Se un Frontend alternativo è un “pacchetto” di design e codice diverso da quello presente sul sito di riferimento, Invidious è un “pacchetto” diverso da quello che troviamo su youtube.com, ma… su che sito possiamo trovarlo?
Su più d’uno!
Invidious difatti è un progetto libero ed open source che viene messo a disposizione di chiunque lo voglia utilizzare per sè, mettere sul proprio sito, modificarlo, migliorarlo ecc. (il “pacchetto” contenente codice e design si trova qui ). Dunque non c’è UN sito Invidious ufficiale, ma diversi siti, ognuno dei quali ha il proprio URL e la propria versione personalizzata del “pacchetto” di Invidious. Ognuno di questi siti può esser definito un’ “Istanza Invidious”
Esistono diverse Istanze Invidious e non esiste un elenco completo. Qui ce n’è uno parziale. La più nota Istanza Invidious è la prima ad esser stata creata https://invidio.us/ , ma attualmente sembra un po lenta. Un’Istanza che risulta decisamente più scattante è invece https://invidious.fdn.fr/Il “pacchetto” di Invidious è liberamente personalizzabile e viene costantemente aggiornato e poichè ogni Istanza è libera di modificarlo è possibile che alcune abbiano rimosso alcune funzioni o che ne abbian sostituito la grafica con una tutta loro. E’anche possibile che un’Istanza usi una versione non aggiornata di Invidious e che certe Istanze siano più veloci e scattanti di altre. Insomma: è un panorama variegato.
Che cosa offre Invidious più di YouTube.com?
Uno dei principali vantaggi di quasi tutti i Frontend ed App alternative è che limitano o addirittura permettono di rimuovere molti elementi gamificanti. Invidious ad esempio permette di rimuovere tutti i commenti ai video e di impedire la riproduzione automatica così come nascondere i video suggeriti da Google. Oltre a questo rimuove tutta la pubblicità, permette di scaricare direttamente i video in diversi formati e qualità (anche .mp3) e permette di mettere in play solo l’audio in modo da poter ascoltare il video come fosse un podcast consumando pure meno banda.
Frontend ed App suggerite
I Frontend alternativi, ormai si sarà ben capito, non sono poi molto diversi da una App non ufficiale. Qui di seguito si segnalano sia Frontend che App cui vale la pena dare un’occhiata. Non sono tutte quelle disponibili ma una selezione di quelle più note e interessanti. Altre App possono esser trovate su F-Droid. Qui quelle per Instagram, quelle per Twitter e quelle per YouTube.
Per quanto riguarda altri Frontend alternativi la cosa è un po più complessa perché non sempre vengono chiamati in questo modo e per cercarli bisogna utilizzare termini alternativi come “hook”, “alternative url”, “web viewer”, “web client”. Per Instagram ad esempio ce ne sono tantissimi ma spesso si tratta di siti zeppi di pubblicità e che a differenza di quelli qui segnalati, non sono Istanze che utilizzano codice open source, per cui è meglio evitarli.
– Download dei contenuti in diversi formati e qualità
– Rimozione pubblicità
– Rimozione commenti
– Rimozione autoplay
– Rimozione suggerimenti di Google
– Possibile riprodurre anche solo l’audio
– Download dei contenuti appoggiandosi a siti terzi
– Rimozione pubblicità
– Di default i commenti non son mostrati
– Rimozione autoplay
– Rimozione suggerimenti di Google
– E’un player fighetto ancora in fase di sviluppo. E’ un po pesante ma ha il pregio di mostrare solamente i video senza commenti, voti, suggerimenti ecc.
– E’forse la più nota App open per YouTube
– Download dei contenuti in diversi formati e qualità
– Rimozione pubblicità
– Rimozione commenti
– Rimozione autoplay
– Possibile riprodurre anche solo l’audio
– Rimuove la pubblicità
– Non usa JavaScript ed impedisce a twitter.com di registrare i tuoi dati di navigazione
– E’molto più leggero e scattante di twitter.com
– Permette di usare Twitter con diversi temi, ad esempio quello di Mastodon
– Permette di salvare immagini, video e .gif
– Può generare il feed RSS di ogni account
– Permette anche a chi non ha un account di accedere a profili e post Instagram
– E’ più veloce di Instagram
– Permette di scaricare le immagini
– Rimuove la pubblicità
– Può generare il feed RSS di ogni account
– Accesso ai contenuti tramite nome account o URL di un post
La magia di Nitter: il design è quello di Mastodon ma è un account Twitter
UN “TRUCCHETTO”
Un semplice “trucchetto”. Di solito i Frontend alternativi usano gli stessi percorsi di dominio dei siti originali.
Per intenderci, se l’URL di un certo video di YouTube è:
La stessa cosa si dovrebbe ripetere anche per gli URL di Twitter ed Instagram nei relativi Frontend alternativi, sia che si parli dell’URL di un post che di quello di un account utente.
INTERAGIRE CON CHI SVILUPPA QUESTI FRONTEND
Chi avesse interesse ad interagire con chi si occupa dello sviluppo di alcuni di questi Frontend alternativi, sono disponibili alcune stanze Matrixdi discussione:
Lockdown: il mondo s’è fermato! Han premuto il tasto “Pausa”. Ma a ben vedere c’è lockdown e lockdown e non sono mica tutti uguali. Se osservato bene, il modo in cui ogni paese applica, gestisce e narra il modo in cui gestisce l’emergenza rivela molte più cose di quanto sembri a prima vista.
Pure quello che ci riguarda, il lockdown all’italiana, è una lente di ingrandimento che amplifica problemi, storture, rapporti di potere, arretratezze, bagaglio culturale, opinioni diffuse, tipicità, errori ricorrenti, tic narrativi e possibili errori futuri del Belpaese. Ecco perchè vale la pena osservarlo a trecentosessanta gradi.
Siamo nel bel mezzo di una pandemia globale gestita con modalità assai diverse a seconda della nazione o regione coinvolta. Modalità in molti casi caratterizzate da approcci impacciati e contraddittori se non addirittura criminosi ma che nella maggioranza dei casi rivelano la debolezza sistemica di diversi paesi che si son trovati improvvisamente a dover subire gli effetti dei propri problemi strutturali. Problemi che, nel loro insieme, stan contribuendo a rendere quest’emergenza assai peggiore di quanto potrebbe essere se gestita in modo piò oculato e se certe cose fossero state già risolte.
A grandi linee questi elementi possono essere riassunti in:
– Mala gestione di chi inizialmente non ha saputo valutare o addirittura ha tentato di negare la gravità della situazione.
– Il mancato ascolto di chi, nei decenni passati, ha più volte avvertito del possibile pericolo di diffusione su scala globale di pandemie e della necessità di prepararsi all’evenienza. Mancato ascolto che non ha fatto sufficiente tesoro dell’esperienza maturata nel corso di episodi simili come ad esempio la diffusione di SARS e MERS, dell’aviaria, della febbre suina e di quella bovina, giusto per citare i più recenti. Ciò ha fatto sì che gran parte dei paesi industrializzati s’è dovuta rendere improvvisamente conto di non avere piani di contenimento sufficienti né procedure adeguate da seguire; di non avere né scorte di materiale indispensabile né sistemi autonomi per produrlo. Il tutto si è così tradotto in gestioni improvvisate ed emergenziali fatte spesso un tanto al chilo, come ad esempio le iniziali disposizioni di lockdown regionali in cui si son viste chiudere le scuole ma non i centri commerciali o le restrizioni all’uso di tamponi e mascherine emesse perché non c’e n’erano abbastanza.
– La mancata presa di coscienza della catena di correlazioni che unisce con un filo rosso la distruzione di interi ecosistemi, le condizioni igieniche spaventose dell’industria dell’allevamento e la diffusione di pandemie, così come il costante peggioramento della qualità dell’aria, da più parti indicato come molto probabilmente correlato all’incidenza del contagio.
– Una politica economico-finanziaria che in occidente ha indebolito la sanità pubblica, l’istruzione (medica e non) e l’istituzione di sistemi di prevenzione per emergenze aperiodiche mentre nei paesi più poveri ha impedito lo sviluppo di sistema sanitari adeguati. Le disuguaglianze derivanti dagli attuali sistemi di produzione ora verranno pagati a carissimo prezzo a livello planetario rivelando ancor di più la necessità di ridurre tali disuguaglianze: i paesi più poveri ora rischiano di diventare degli immensi focolai a scapito delle persone più deboli facendo tra l’altro anche saltare la produzione di quei beni su cui è fondato il sistema di produzione stesso.
– Comparti economici che hanno lavorato attivamente contro ogni forma di contenimento e prevenzione anteponendo il proprio interesse speculativo ad ogni altra cosa, al costo di negare l’epidemia. Il caso della mancata zonizzazione della Val Seriana per salvaguardare le sue industrie e manifatture ne è un esempio evidente.
– Media mainstream eccessivamente dipendenti da interessi economici che, senza soluzione di continuità, inseguono e cavalcano notizie che alimentano il panico ma al tempo stesso diffondono messaggi tranquillizzanti, aumentando a dismisura quella schizofrenia delle notizie che immancabilmente si ripete nelle situazioni. Panico e allarme che oggi trovano nei media mainstream commerciali un terreno perfetto per la loro diffusione.
– La scarsa coordinazione internazionale per problemi di ordine globale. Ciò che avviene con la pandemia del SARS-CoV-2 ripropone in scala accelerata ciò che avviene da decenni riguardo all’emergenza climatica, ossia la mancata applicazione del concetto che in un mondo globalizzato, i problemi e le cattive condotte di UN paese sono un problema drammatico per TUTTI i paesi. Mancata coordinazione che il mondo scientifico s’è immediatamente adoperato per superare mentre al contrario diversi governi si ostinano a rifiutare, chiudendosi a riccio e cogliendo l’occasione per imporre agende nazionaliste.
Documento del 22 dicembre 2010 in vui veniva valutata la gestione della pandemia del virus H1N1 nella regione Lombardia rilevando già in quella data numerosi problemi (LINK a file PDF)
Il risultato è sotto gli occhi di tutti: paesi e regioni che eseguono test a tappeto, altri eseguono test mirati ed altri ancora che faticano a procurarsi il materiale per eseguire i tamponi; criteri di conteggio differenti che non possono essere paragonati tra loro sballando rilevazioni e statistiche; quotidiani e politici che hanno alternato allarmi eccessivi a pericolose e immotivate banalizzazioni; morti che vengono celate o fatte passare per non attinenti al coronavirus; regioni ricchissime ridotte al collasso da sistemi sanitari perlopiù privati o semi-privati che vengono aiutati da ONG e paesi decisamente più poveri ma che hanno sistemi sanitari pubblici; medici ed infermieri che cercano di fare quel che possono con quel poco che hanno (mancanza di personale, dispositivi di protezione, posti letto, ospedali da campo…) e che quindi si contagiano e muoiono; amministratori locali impanicati che per reazione strafanno optando per soluzioni militari eccessive coadiuvate da forze di polizia che applicano divieti privi di valenza medica, contraddittori e/o completamente assurdi. Big tech, Grande Distribuzione Organizzata e comparti della logistica e del delivery che sfruttano l’occasione per lucrare grazie alle proprie posizioni dominanti e che aumentano il proprio campo d’azione ed ingerenza su economia e politica (Google, Twitter ed Apple hanno già annunciato che inizieranno iniziative volte a facilitare il tracciamento degli utenti).
L’industria della sorveglianza che coglie la palla al balzo per far testare sui civili tecnologie di controllo con l’entusiastica partecipazione delle forze di polizia e movimenti politici destrorsi che premono affinché i governi implementino soluzioni di sorveglianza digitale nonostante si siano rivelate di dubbia utilità in quanto le prassi applicate nei paesi che meglio han saputo rispondere all’emergenza erano valide anche a prescindere dei tracciamenti digitali.
Come osi?
Capiamoci, una pandemia globale è un evento imponente e drammatico che per forza di cose genera allarme e problemi di diverso tipo portando immancabilmente a restrizioni, limitazioni e grossi problemi di varia natura indifferentemente dal tipo di sistema politico/economico/sanitario/organizzativo che ci si è dati.
Detto ciò bisogna però ribadire che il modo in cui un’emergenza viene gestita può fare una grandissima differenza: una gestione sensata e ben organizzata dell’emergenza è certamente più efficace di una gestione improvvisata ed eccessiva. Pur non esistendo formule magiche né sistemi perfetti che avrebbero certamente evitato tutto ciò con equanime consenso di medici, economisti, lavoratori, politici, movimenti per i diritti civili e quant’altro, osservare quello che in questo momento non sta funzionando a dovere è un passo indispensabile per poter fare meglio ed evitare di proseguire su strade che causano infiniti danni collaterali di ordine sociale, psicologico, economico e politico.
Un “criticone”
Non v’è alcuna alternativa: il miglioramento dell’esistente può iniziare solo da una critica dello stesso. L’importante è che questa critica sia ragionata ed aperta alla confutazione. Senza critica, insomma, si accetta che storture ed errori proseguano anche in futuro così come sono o, peggio, se ne avalla pure l’enfatizzazione.
Ciò che differenzia una sana critica da indignazione, sfogo e vuota polemica risiede nella qualità dell’analisi: una critica durissima ma sensata, logica, precisa e documentata è certamente un qualcosa di più utile e rispettoso di qualsiasi forma di supporto acritico e tolleranza di facciata. Criticare la gestione dell’emergenza comporta necessariamente anche la messa in discussione delle sue premesse, ossia di quegli elementi preesistenti che hanno impedito fin dall’inizio di mettere in campo una gestione migliore. Non solo: la critica non può esimersi nemmeno dall’evidenziare quegli elementi dell’attualità che preannunciano inquietanti sviluppi che si potrebbero manifestare in futuro.
C’era una volta un virus
C’è molto da dire sul modo in cui questa pandemia è stata narrata dai grandi media mainstream. Concentrandoci sull’Italia, dopo un iniziale spaesamento in cui abbiamo visto quotidiani, politici e associazioni industriali alternare confusamente urla di panico ed appelli alla normalità, nell’arco di qualche settimana la narrazione mainstream della pandemia s’è andata più o meno assestando su alcuni punti e formule fisse (ma non va dimenticato che le narrazioni non smettono mai davvero di evolvere).
Con un video pubblicato il 28 febbraio, la Confcommercio di Bergamo lanciava questo hashtag e la relativa campagna mediatica
Sulla costruzione di questa narrazione dominante sono necessarie numerosissime osservazioni perché al suo interno confluisce un po di tutto: dalle premesse sul sistema economico ai tic ricorrenti della narrazione nazionale italiana, dalle contraddizioni sistemiche ai format discorsivi sul decoro ecc.
Osservazioni su tutti questi aspetti non son certo mancate in queste settimane: articoli, discussioni online, podcast e trasmissioni radio estremamente puntuali capaci di cogliere ed esporre questi diversi elementi e le loro sfacettature, mettendone a nudo contraddizioni, storture e non-detti. Osservazioni che purtroppo non sorprende abbiano trovato poco o nessuno spazio sui media mainstream, troppo dipendenti da quegli stessi interessi economici e politici dominanti interessati a confermare lo status quo.
Ma se i media mainstream non danno troppo spazio a queste argomentazioni possiamo almeno farlo qui, segnalando giusto alcuni articoli consigliabili::
L’unico elemento che al momento pare non esser stato trattato con troppo interesse, forse perché dato per acquisito dalla maggior parte dei commentatori, è l’impatto che ha avuto negli anni passati la diffusione nel discorso pubblico delle idee NoVax, che hanno preso in ostaggio delle giuste critiche sulle storture di un’industria farmaceutica in mano alle multinazionali, facendone però il tramite per timori antiscientifici privi di fondamento.
Timori cavalcati e sfruttati da politici poco lungimirantigiusto per questioni di bassa strategia e che han contribuito a diffonderli trasversalmente nel discorso pubblico influenzando di conseguenza l’intero mondo politico rendendolo così meno propenso ad tener in considerazione le richieste del mondo scientifico.
Il mondo è a colori: non in bianco e nero nè in scala di grigi
Va aggiunta un’ulteriore postilla che purtroppo non è così scontata, specie tra chi solitamente non è propenso all’analisi critica e metodica della realtà: la critica in sè non corrisponde necessariamente alla negazione dell’oggetto preso in considerazione. Purtroppo il livello discorsivo diffuso tende ad appiattire e banalizzare la critica dello status quo per rifiutarla in toto e non affrontarla.
Detto in soldoni: criticare il lockdown non equivale a dire “tana libera tutti: comportiamoci come se la pandemia non esistesse” allo stesso modo per cui essere contrari alla violenza non equivale necessariamente a rifiutarsi di tirare un cazzotto in faccia a qualcuno che minaccia di ucciderci.
La realtà è complessa, ambigua, contraddittoria e densa di sfumature. Rifiutae ciò e banalizzarla in un ritratto in bianco e nero (“o stai con le misure imposte dal governo o sei uno scellerato”), è il modo migliore per non vederla così com’è e, di conseguenza, non esser mai in grado di migliorare alcunchè.
Allo stesso modo è svilente e deviante l’uso del “ricatto della soluzione”, ossia il rifiuto della critica attuato imponendo a chi osserva un malfunzionamento di fornire allo stesso tempo anche soluzioni immediate. Insomma: non sono un meccanico ma se mi accorgo che i freni della macchina non funzionano e dico a gran voce, non ha molto senso zittirmi con “troppo facile criticare i freni se non sai ripararli!!11!!1!!1”.
Colpisci il capro! Colpiscilo! Ancora, ancora!
Nelle situazioni di panico e pericolo, la ricerca di un capro espiatorio è una ricorrenza tristemente consueta, tanto più quando il pericolo è generalizzato ed impalpabile. Il bisogno di scaricare la propria rabbia e frustrazione contro una figura definita e tangibile sulla quale poter appiccicare la colpa per eventi che in realtà hanno cause molto complesse e ramificate nasce da impulsi emotivi antichi e profondi che nel corso dei millenni si son manifestati nelle forme più varie.
Dopo gli attentati dell’11 settembre, ad esempio, l’impossibilità di correlare rabbia e timori tanto immensi contro uno sparuto numero di terroristi o verso le entità politiche che hanno sfruttato tali eventi per portar avanti la propria agenda imponendo una narrativa incentrata su patriottismo e militarismo, la reazione è stata quella demonizzare in modo generalizzato l’intero mondo arabo e/o islamico.
I media mainstream, che si attengono alle regole del mercato ed alle linee editoriali imposte dalla proprietà più che che all’analisi critica del mondo, non fanno altro che cavalcare questa generalizzazione gettando benzina sul fuoco ed alimentando queste reazioni insensate.
Insensate ma utili all’agenda politica degli editori e della proprietà dei grandi media, attentissima a “dare il La” alle discussioni da social decidendo gli argomenti di cui far parlare la popolazione e/o impostando la chiave con cui leggere gli eventi.
Ciò può esser osservato anche nel modo in cui i maggiori media italiani cavalcano, alimentano ed indirizzano il sentimento anti-migranti in funzione di interessi politici e non per reale interesse nei confronti di queste persone.
Tutto ciò genera un circuito chiuso in cui media, social network e politica si alimentano e confermano a vicenda senza lasciar spazio a critica alcuna, consolidando lo status quo.
Liberarsi dalla narrazione mainstream quindi è un’impresa assai impegnativa, sia per la difficoltà di affrontare analisi complesse ed imparare ad informarsi in modo preciso e metodico che per il fatto che la narrazione mainstream non è necessariamente fatta di notizie false ma si caratterizza soprattutto per la sproporzione data ad elementi del reale. In sostanza i grandi media, più che a raccontare menzogne tout court tendono ad alterare la realtà dando grandissimo peso ad alcuni fatti reali selezionati, “inquadrandoli” in un certo modo o, soprattutto, per semplificazione, ossia fornendo informazioni reali parziali e scontornate dal quadro generale, in modo da poterle usare in un quadro completamente diverso.
Per capirci basterà citare l’esempio dei dati sulla criminalità in Italia che pur essendo costantemente in calo da decennivengono narrati dando enorme peso solo a quella parte di dati che, estrapolati dal loro contesto, possono essere enfatizzati per dipingere un quadro opposto alla realtà: il leggero aumento temporaneo di un certo tipo di reato, presentato dai quotidiani come “record di furti” impone con tre parole una falsificazione percettiva della realtà attraverso dati reali decontestualizzati. Smontare tale narrazione è sempre possibile ma richiede necessariamente un gran sbattimento per poter reinserire quel dato nel contesto originario e si scontrerà con un’opinione pubblica che quel dato già lo conosce e quindi ciò che andrà decostruito non è il dato in sé ma l’intero contesto in cui è inserito.
Il temibile e temerario babau giallo che ha tenuto in scacco il Veneto… semplicemente saltando un posto di blocco.
Poiché è dai margini che il centro diventa più evidente, nell’osservazione di vicende secondarie e marginali questi meccanismi risultano ancor più espliciti e facili da studiare e questo vale anche nella costruzione di capri espiatori. Notevole a questo proposito l’epopea di Igor il russo o l’assurda vicenda dell’Audi Gialla; episodi in cui, soprattutto a distanza di tempo, risultano particolarmente evidenti le forzature con cui i protagonisti di queste narrazioni son stati eletti a puri e semplici feticci su cui convogliare pulsioni, paure, paranoie, fantasie e pregiudizi inespressi.
In tutti questi casi il capro-feticcio diviene una figura a sé, separata ma sovrapposta al suo rappresentante reale: nel caso del post 11 settembre un americano di terza generazione di origine libanese e di religione cristiana poteva esser narrato come uno pseudo-jihadista saudita che simpatizza per i tagliateste e che segretamente anela a circondarsi di spose bambine e distruggere l’occidente; nel caso dei migranti l’ingegnere nigeriano di fede pentecostale figlio di famiglia borghese che fugge dall’impoverimento diviene un allevatore di capre troglodita ignorante che pratica il voodoo in una capanna di sterco e fango che viene qui a rubarci le donne e il lavoro pur essendo troppo scansafatiche per lavorare e inoltre… scandalo dello scandalo… è addirittura colpevolmente possessore di uno smartphone!
Il criminale serbo Norbert Fehler diviene Igor il russo, una sorta di supercattivo dei fumetti a metà tra James Bond e Rambo, imprendibile e capace di tenere in scacco oltre duemila carabinieri, avvistato ovunque ma introvabile come Bigfoot, cattivissimo ed abilissimo, geniale e scaltrissimo; un’automobile gialla che salta un posto di blocco diviene l’imprendibile Audi Gialla guidata da criminali dell’est e che scorrazza a tutta velocità per il Veneto per dimostrare con un gesto di spregio che le genti slave possono fare ciò che vogliono “a casa nostra”.
Tale meccanismo è particolarmente presente nella cultura di coloro cui son affidati compiti di controllo sulla popolazione in quanto definire un nemico tangibile permette di agire attivamente ed in forme materiali, visive e quindi spettacolari (l’inseguimento del corridore solitario sulla spiaggia o l’esibizione dei droni a scansione termica sono intrinsecamente degli atti teatrali). Anche qui non si tratta di un meccanismo necessariamente voluto: se in alcuni casi capro espiatorio e spettacolarità sono ricercati a tavolino, nella maggioranza dei casi sono un effetto complementare di un modo di vedere le cose altamente interiorizzato. A questo proposito basta citare alcuni commenti provenienti da gruppi Facebook di forze dell’ordine in cui per osservare l’insensata acredine immediatamente maturata dopo l’imposizione del lockdown per quelli che vanno in giro con il cane, visti come dei “furbetti” che usavano i propri animali da compagnia come passepartout per aggirare la legge e l’immediata nascita di leggende metropolitane su cani diventati magrissimi perché obbligati a camminare per ore.
#ConfinatiInCasa a causa di un sistema emergenziale inadatto
La diffusione del SARS-CoV-2 è un problema innanzitutto sanitario e dunque la prima cosa da tenere a mente per qualsiasi ragionamento sono proprio le indicazioni sanitarie su come effettuare il suo contenimento. Indicazioni che possono essere riassunte in:
Riduzione dei contatti fisici (distanziamento fisico / limitazione degli spostamenti / isolamento / uso di dispositivi di protezione)
Sanificazione (disinfezione ambienti / potenziamento delle prassi igieniche)
Monitoraggio (tamponi / verifica della catena di trasmissione)
Le modalità di applicazione di queste indicazioni possono variare molto e non sono esenti da discussioni tra medici e preoccupazioni di varia natura: il distanziamento fisico comporta la cessazione di numerose attività economiche indispensabili e non; l’isolamento applicato in forma preventiva è causa di numerosissimi problemi; i dispositivi di protezione sono utili solo se usati correttamente, altrimenti possono contribuire a diffondere il virus; la disinfezione degli ambienti richiede una certa preparazione; mancano materiali; la verifica della catena di trasmissione se fatta con mezzi informatici può avere dei risvolti catastrofici sulla privacy ecc.
Il tutto é ulteriormente complicato dal fatto che le problematiche pregresse (sistema sanitario indebolito da decenni di tagli e privatizzazioni, mancanza di personale medico, mancanza di un piano di contenimento già preventivato, dotazioni non sufficienti ecc.) han portato a compensare tali mancanze con un intervento meramente poliziesco tradottosi infine nel lockdown generale, nel #restiamoacasa, e nel teatrino dei decreti e delle autocertificazioni emesse in serie.
La riduzione dei contatti fisici attraverso limitazioni di mobilità ed assembramento è il metodo più drastico per contenere la diffusione del contagio (anche se diversi studi suggeriscono che i lockdown hanno efficacia diversa a seconda dei luoghi e delle modalità con cui viene effettuato e che, addirittura, in determinati casi si rivela controproducente) e può essere attuata in diversi modi, ossia limitando la mobilità tra aree diverse (a livello di nazione, regione, provincia, area, comune, quartiere) ed impedendo qualsiasi attività che preveda la compresenza ravvicinata di più persone. Ciò può essere effettuato in modo selettivo con la creazione di cordoni sanitari mirati (come isolare molto duramente una certa area ma applicare limitazioni meno stringenti in un’altra oppure presidiare i luoghi ad alto rischio concentrando gli sforzi sui potenziali focolai ed imporre solo norme di distanziamento nei luoghi a basso rischio). In generale il mondo medico suggerisce l’interruzione degli spostamenti a grande distanza, degli assembramenti di massa, mantenere un costante distanziamento fisico e buone prassi di disinfezione, ma non parla mai di confinamento totale e preventivo nelle abitazioni.
E’solo nel peggiore dei casi che questo viene applicato in maniera generalizzata, ossia il lockdown totale in cui viene bloccata ogni attività ed impedito ogni spostamento sul territorio.
Ricorrere al lockdown generale è una soluzione estrema sintomatica di una situazione oggettivamente fuori controllo oppure, più semplicemente, di una situazione non si è stati capaci di gestire. In altre parole è il risultato del fallimento delle misure preventive e di contenimento iniziale. Una grossa presa di coscienza della propria impreparazione, insomma.
Ma la gestione dell’emergenza come s’è detto varia notevolmente da paese in paese e le differenze di approccio derivano da fattori politici, sistemici, economici e territoriali di cui bisogna tenere ben conto quando si effettuano paragoni. Quando si parla del lockdown in Nuova Zelanda, per esempio, si parla di due isole grandi come l’Italia ma una popolazione di soli 5 milioni di abitanti. Nel caso di Cuba si parla di un’isola grande un terzo dell’Italia ma con un sesto dei suoi abitanti e che vanta non solo il miglior sistema sanitario dell’America latina ma pure il maggior numero di medici pro capite nel mondo. Hong Kong e Singapore sono sostanzialmente delle città-stato ad altissima densità abitativa. Insomma: è una banalità far notare che gestire la pandemia a Hong Kong è diverso che gestirla nelle campagne del Marlborough neozelandese ma a quanto pare questa banalità sembra sfuggire a gran parte dei media nostrani, che insistono soprattutto sulla questione dei test fatti a tapeto sull’intera popolazione in Corea del sud e sul tracciamento digitale delle persone, promuovendolo come inevitabile.
Se da un lato i nostri media insistono su test e tracciamento, dall’altro si son però rivelati assai imprecisi nel descrivere l’applicazione del lockdown negli altri paesi, per la gran parte molto meno restrittivi dell’Italia.
L’ostracismo dei comparti economici bergamaschi che hanno impedito il lockdown della Val Seriana e l’impreparazione generalizzata del governo italiano e delle amministrazioni locali che ha contribuito a posticipare oltre il dovuto l’applicazione di procedure emergenziali mirate, sono indubbiamente i principali responsabili del tracollo che ha portato all’imposizione di un lockdown durissimo che sulla penisola è stato applicato con un tono del tutto peculiare caratterizzato da una forma di militarizzazione che fatta eccezione per alcuni regimi dittatoriali trova forse dei paralleli solamente in Spagna.
Tutto chiuso e tutti al chiuso. L’ordine generale si è tradotto di fatto in un contenimento di massa che ha confinato l’intera popolazione agli arresti domiciliari nella speranza di riuscir a rallentare la diffusione del contagio affinché prosegua entro livelli gestibili dal sistema sanitario nazionale e questo nonostante il parere contrario di diversi medici che non mancano di far notare che la presenza prolungata in ambienti ristretti comporti molti più rischi che starsene all’aria aperta.
L’equazione è semplice: minore è la capacità del servizio sanitario nazionale di rispondere all’emergenza e maggiori sono le restrizioni imposte. Detta brutalmente: non avendo un sistema emergenziale efficace né un sistema sanitario tarato sulle reali esigenze della popolazione, adesso è la popolazione stessa a dover tarare le proprie vite per far in modo che sia il contagio ad adattarsi ai ritmi che questo sistema sanitario prosciugato da decenni di tagli può sostenere.
Italian Lockdown
Osservare l’ordine temporale con cui si è giunti al lockdown in Italia rivela molte cose: tra novembre e dicembre 2019 i medici cinesi iniziano a rilevare morti sospette e interrogarsi; il 31 dicembre viene avvertita l’OMS e la TV pubblica cinese avverte la popolazione della presenza di un virus ancora sconosciuto. Nei primi giorni di gennaio diversi paesi iniziano ad effettuare verifiche negli aeroporti sulle persone provenienti da Wuhan. A metà gennaio il virus viene identificato ed al contempo giunge la conferma della sua presenza anche al di fuori dalla Cina: a Taiwan, in Corea del sud e negli USA. Il 23 gennaio viene attuato il lockdown di Wuhan mentre i casi in Cina aumentano vertiginosamente. Nel giro di pochi giorni arrivano conferme della presenza del virus da sempre più paesi sparsi sul globo ed il 31 gennaio 2020 l’OMS dichiara che v’è il pericolo che si sviluppi una pandemia globale.
Nello stesso giorno vengono sospesi i voli dalla Cina all’Italia. A Roma due turisti cinesi risultano positivi al virus. In questo momento i grandi media italiani trattano la notizia perlopiù come un qualcosa di marginale che riguarda solo la Cina ed i suoi abitanti ed a livello politico/gestionale non vengono intraprese particolari procedure di contenimento al di là della verifica delle persone provenienti dalla Cina. Questo fino al 21 febbraio quando irrompe la notizia dei primi morti italiani per coronavirus a Codogno (Lombardia) e, a breve giro, a Vò Euganeo (Veneto). I media italiani a questo punto lanciano allarmi di panico. Nel giro di pochi giorni alcuni dei comuni coinvolti vengono dichiarati zona rossa (ma non tutti) e le regioni colpite iniziano ad emettere ordinanze atte a limitare assembramenti per attività ritenute non indispensabili (scuole, centri sportivi, sagre, manifestazioni), permettendo tuttavia gli assembramenti per attività lavorative, nei centri commerciali, mezzi di trasporto pubblico ecc. Le contraddizioni insite in queste ordinanze le rendono, di fatto, inutili.
Campagna a favore della diffusione del contagio del 26 febbraio 2020
Verso fine febbraio i comparti economici, spaventati dall’allarme mediatico e dal contraccolpo economico che stava causando, attraverso i propri responsabili media lanciano campagne tranquillizzatrici come #MilanoNonSiFerma e #BergamoIsRunning che, coinvolgendo diversi media, influencer, social e personaggi politici a loro affini, tentano di negare e minimizzare la realtà dei fatti attraverso una campagna stampa prontamente e acriticamente rilanciata sui social commerciali da una schiera di utili idioti. Al contempo pure alcuni quotidiani pubblicano articoli atti a minimizzare l’emergenza.
In questa immagine i titoli di sinistra vanno dal 22 al 25 febbraio mentre quello di destra è del 27
Il numero dei contagi tuttavia aumenta e con due decreti in rapidissima successione, tra l’8 ed il 9 marzo il governo italiano dichiara l’intero paese zona rossa impedendo alla popolazione di uscire dalla propria regione di residenza ma permettendo ancora l’apertura dei negozi ed il lavoro nelle fabbriche. A seguito dell’annuncio diverse migliaia di persone si è allontanano dalla città, perlopiù per tornare nelle proprie regioni di origine (o verso seconde case, con enorme fastidio della gente del posto). Le stime più alte parlano di trenta o quarantamila persone. Queste partenze improvvise vengono narrate dai media con discreto allarme generando diverse polemiche.
Consigli utili soprattutto a diffondere il contagio
L’11 marzo il governo impone una nuova stretta con la chiusura di tutti i negozi tranne supermarket, banche, farmacie, edicole e poche altre tipologie ed il divieto per la popolazione di lasciare il proprio comune. Le forze di polizia applicano le disposizioni dandogli una lettura particolarmente restrittiva impedendo, di fatto, ogni tipo di attività all’aperto anche se solitaria e svolta in sicurezza. L’autoisolamento in casa, già attuato preventivamente da milioni di persone s’inaspriva rendendo di fatto illegale uscire dalla propria abitazione.
Non controlli sanitari ma solo di polizia
Tra polemiche, gogne social verso chi “non si attiene alla legge” e concessioni minimali, si assesta una applicazione del lockdown in cui il diritto ad una circolazione limitata è concesso non in base a criteri di sicurezza sanitaria ma in base al principio della “giusta motivazione”: andare a far la spesa al supermercato più vicino o a lavorare in fabbrica è concesso, passeggiare no. Nel frattempo vengono preparati alcuni ospedali provvisori. Le fabbriche tuttavia restano attive, pur costituendo i maggiori focolai.
Solo il 21 marzo vengono chiuse anche le fabbriche, fatta eccezione per quelle ritenute “essenziali” (tra cui l’industria bellica). Nel corso delle settimane successive diverse aziende riescono comunque ad ottenere il permesso di tornare a produrre e Confindustria preme affinché venga concessa una riapertura di quasi tutte le attività. Già nella seconda settimana di aprile, nonostante non vi sia alcun segno di un calo dei contagi, numerose fabbriche iniziano a riaprire, il governatore del Veneto Zaia dichiara che di fatto il 60% delle aziende della regione sono attive ed in tutt’Italia le aziende riaprono autocertificandosi come essenziali, spesso con motivazioni del tutto inconsistenti. Due terzi degli italiani, in un modo o nell’altro, continua a lavorare.
Questa è a grandissime linee la cronologia dell’imposizione del lockdown nel Belpaese fino a questo momento, da cui risulta particolarmente evidente il ruolo di primo piano che ha giocato il comparto economico nel remare contro l’applicazione delle misure sanitarie di contenimento, l’indecisione della politica e la schizofrenia con cui i media han trattato il tutto.
Chinese Lockdown
A termine di paragone è interessante osservare le tempistiche del lockdown a Wuhan, in quanto, pur tenendo in considerazione le differenze sociali/ambientali/politiche/economiche, il lockdown di Wuhan si differenzia da tutti gli altri per via della sua eccezionalità (trattandosi dell’epicentro del contagio) ed il modo in cui è stato applicato evidenzia differenze d’approccio molto forti rispetto ai lockdown occidentali, tra cui quello italiano.
Il 23 gennaio viene annunciato il divieto di uscire dalla città di Wuhan e che il trasporto pubblico sarebbe stato interrotto entro poche ore, causando un esodo di massa nelle ore antecedenti alla sua interruzione (si calcola che solamente via treno furono circa 300.000 le persone che abbandonarono Wuhan). Vengono chiuse anche le autostrade. Il giorno dopo le stesse imposizioni sono state applicate in comuni limitrofi. Si iniziano subito ad applicare le misure di contenimento (che vedremo meglio dopo). Il 13 febbraio vengono chiuse tutte le fabbriche non essenziali. Il 20 febbraio vengono chiuse anche le scuole. A partire dal 13 marzo, a scaglioni si inizia a permettere nuovamente lo spostamento all’interno dei comuni ed a riaprire alcune fabbriche. L’8 aprile termina il lockdown di Wuhan ma proseguono le norme di distanziamento fisico e sicurezza.
Checkpoint all’ingresso di un blocco residenziale di Wuhan
Le tempistiche rivelano con chiarezza come l’approccio cinese sia stato fin da subito più deciso e netto mentre quello italiano (e di molti altri paesi occidentali), ma il tutto risulta ancor più interessante osservando le caratteristiche applicative del contenimento di Wuhan, da cui si possono evincere le enormi differenze strutturali e organizzative e rispetto all’Italia Innanzitutto va osservato che le chiusure sono state fatte principalmente per comunità: paesi, villaggi, aree urbane son stati chiusi al contatto esterno imponendo spesso un unico accesso controllato con checkpoint, con livelli di rigidità proporzionali al livello di contagi all’interno della comunità stessa. La spesa nei mercati era permessa a giorni alterni. Per realizzare queste compartimentazioni fra zone molte strade sono state bloccate.
All’interno delle comunità isolate ci si è organizzati per offrire servizi all’interno della comunità in forme sicure.
Circa quarantamila medici da ogni zona del paese sono giunti rapidamente a Wuhan e nelle città limitrofe per dare manforte al personale locale ed evitare il collasso della struttura sanitaria locale. Allo stesso tempo sono stati realizzati in tempi rapidissimi due nuovi ospedali specifici per i pazienti più gravi e dieci ospedali temporanei all’interno di centri fieristici e sportivi per curare i pazienti meno gravi. I medici delle singole comunità hanno fatto materialmente il giro di ogni singola abitazione per verificare la presenza di sospetti malati, le situazioni a rischio, stabilire se imporre la quarantena alle persone che vivevano assieme a chi era stato ricoverato, decidere se ci fossero casi da monitorare ed effettuare tamponi mirati.
Le persone che si sospettava potessero esser state contagiate sono state sistemate in alloggi isolati (ad esempio in camere d’albergo) e tenute sotto osservazione per almeno due settimane
Oltre a questo sono stati istituiti centinaia di ricoveri temporanei per separare le persone a rischio e far trascorrere due settimane o più in quarantena (spesso in isolamento) e osservazione a chi era stato dimesso o fosse stato a contatto con persone contagiate. Il governo ha fornito cibo e servizi base alle persone in quarantena tramite l’esercito.
Ciò che ha caratterizzato il lockdown di Wuhan è stato innanzitutto un livello di compartimentazione estremamente capillare e metodico grazie ad un’organizzazione basata sul principio delle comunità, sull’utilizzo delle reti locali e utilizzando l’esercito in funzione delle esigenze del personale medico: se all’interno di un complesso abitativo vi era un contagiato, l’intero complesso poteva esser messo sotto quarantena impedendo ai suoi inquilini di uscire ma se dopo un certo lasso di tempo (minimo due settimane) veniva rilevato che i soli contagiati erano quelli di un determinato appartamento, le limitazioni ai residenti degli altri appartamenti potevano esser rivedute. All’interno di comunità prive di contagi la restrizione di movimento era applicata solo al di fuori dell’area della comunità stessa (quartiere, villaggio) ma non vi era necessariamente il divieto di uscire al di fuori di essa.
Non va però dimenticato che la gestione ha presentato tratti anche assai feroci, con esercito ed amministrazioni che han agito con estrema durezza per far applicare la quarantena, spesso imponendola, ad esempio minacciando di staccare la corrente a chi non collaborava.
E’dunque necessario un esercizio di separazione: il lockdown effettuato a Wuhan è stato indubbiamente gestito in maniera militarista e totalitaria e in questo può solo esser rifiutato, ma (qui la separazione) va osservato che il tutto è stato fatto ponendo al centro di ogni ragionamento le esigenze mediche.
Niente distribuzioni di pseudo-mascherine nè aperture furbette di fabbriche o mancati lockdown a causa delle pressioni dell’industria locale.
Altro aspetto Interessante è che l’utilizzo di tecnologie di tracciamento pare esser stato decisamente molto meno utile e centrale rispetto a quanto vien riportato dai grandi media occidentali; piuttosto sembra esser stata usata soprattutto per intimidire la popolazione facendole percepire la presenza costante dello sguardo delle forze di controllo sui propri movimenti attraverdo app di tracciamento e micacciosissimi droni con altoparlante.
Stendere il virus con multa e manganello
In Italia il lockdown si è imposto come un divieto generalizzato di effettuare qualsiasi attività “non giustificata” all’aperto e nell’esperienza comune di ogni cittadino il rapporto con il governo non comprende medici che vengono a verificare la situazione casa per casa né membri dell’esercito agli ordini dei medici ma solamente forze dell’ordine che controllano che chi sia in giro abbia una “giusta motivazione”. Questo perchè qui s’è imposto il puro e semplice #RestiamoInCasa generalizzato (anche se, come altri han notato, #RestiamoDistanziati, #MinimoDueMetri o altre formule del genere sarebbero certamente state più oneste, utili e sane) per compensare l’incapacità di concepire una gestione più ragionata dell’emergenza.
La forma con cui sono state applicate le restrizioni in Italia è tra l’altro anche un segno tangibile della sproporzione tra spesa militare e spesa sanitaria del paese: non è un caso se militarizzare le strade sia risultato più semplice che attuare protocolli sanitari d’emergenza sul territorio perché notoriamente l’Italia investe più nell’esercitoe nelle forze di polizia (vedi anche qui e qui) che sulla salute della popolazione. L’Italia è pure il paese europeo col maggior numero di effettivi nelle forze di polizia, dato che risulta ancor più impressionante se rapportato al numero di abitanti ed alla superficie del territorio.
Anche riguardo all’istruzione la situazione è simile e si rileva che l’Italia è tra gli ultimi paesi in Europa per spesa nell’istruzione eanche a livello internazionale non siamo messi bene (superati ad esempio da Benin, Malawi, Afghanistan, Mongolia e Sierra Leone). Cuba, per esempio, investe oltre tre volte più dell’Italia nell’Istruzione. Non è un casoi se ci mandano i medici, ecco.
Non stupisce dunque che diversi gli indicatori riportino un drammatico calo delle capacità degli studenti italiani. Non è un caso, dunque, se scarseggiano medici ed infermieri ma le forze dell’ordine non mancano mai.
Giusto per fare un esempio sulle differenze di spesa, non è mancato chi ha fatto notare che i soldi impiegati per acquistare un solo F-35 sarebbero stati meglio investiti nella realizzazione di 1350 posti letto per cura intensiva.
Non importa solo quanto spendi, ma anche il come
Insomma, in un paese con grandi apparati militari e polizieschi ma apparati sanitari e scolastici sottodimensionati era tristemente prevedibile che la gestione di un’emergenza sanitaria in Italia sarebbe stata trattata soprattutto come un generico problema poliziesco.
Va osservato che questo forte sbilanciamento a favore degli apparati di controllo influisce su diversi piani e moltissimo anche a livello culturale: quando le amministrazioni locali hanno iniziato a capire che la questione del virus fosse un problema serio, queste, anche se in maniera spesso pasticciata, vi si sono approcciate pensandolo proprio in ottica poliziesca, partorendo difatti ordinanze e divieti che non avevano alcun senso dal punto di vista sanitario e che han toccato solo e soltanto quelle forme di assembramento tipicamente più soggette all’intervento poliziesco (manifestazioni, scioperi, eventi di piazza, scuole, centri sociali) senza toccare le forme di assembramento che riguardavano i luoghi destinati a produzione, commercio e tradizione (centri commerciali, fabbriche, chiese, case di riposo). Solo successivamente a queste disposizioni poliziesche hanno iniziato a fornire informazioni sanitarie basate più o meno su indicazioni mediche.
Anziché un problema sanitario gestito con l’ausilio della forze di polizia, il lockdown italiano é stato caratterizzato fin da subito come un problema di polizia motivato da questioni sanitarie. Una differenza non da poco.
Il virus circola, la polizia vuole #TuttiAlChiuso
Il risultato si è tradotto nell’affermazione di una serie di attività di controllo (di dubbia costituzionalità) sulla popolazione che non hanno alcuna giustificazione di tipo sanitario e che colpiscono persone intente in attività che in nessun modo potrebbero essere ritenute veicoli di contagio. Attività di controllo subito fatte proprie dal circuito mediatico-politico, felicissimo di potersi affrancare dalle proprie responsabilità e scaricare le colpe su anonimi signor nessuno. Ecco che, fin da subito, media e politica hanno alimentato una caccia all’untore dai tratti paradossali.
9 aprile 2020: sulla spiaggia di Pescara, un finanziare rincorre un temibile “untore” rossovestito in una spiaggia deserta. Nessun pericolo di contagio, è chiaro, ma é vietato… perchè è vietato (VIDEO)
Dall’imposizione del lockdown si son iniziate ad attaccare mediaticamente e sui social persone a passeggio da sole in luoghi isolati e senza la benché minima possibilità di contatto con altre; si sono inaugurate le cacce al runner anche con pestaggio e tramite droni a scansione termica; a coppie che vivono assieme è stato intimato di non tenersi mano nella mano; si son contestate le persone che han fatto spese poco sostanziose perché ciò comporta un ritorno frequente al supermercato (ma s’è pure contestato chi faceva spese troppo grosse perché toglieva il cibo di bocca d’altri); son state lanciate accuse di assembramento a tre-quattro persone che si recavano al lavoro a piedi stando a due metri di distanza l’una dall’altra.
Tamponi no, visite mediche no, controlli dei casi sospetti no, ma… controllo della popolazione coi droni si, quello sì LINK
In questa caccia all’untore il circuito media-politica-social si è dimostrato particolarmente stretto, alimentandosi a vicenda nel mantenere al centro del discorso l’azione di controllo poliziesca: persone allarmate dai media han espresso allarmi sui social che sono stati amplificati dai media ed han indirizzato le decisioni politiche; l’interpretazione eccessivamente restrittiva da parte delle forze di polizia plaudita da utenti reazionari sancendone mediaticamente la validità
Il governatore della Toscana emette ordinanze non in base a dati reali nè in base a pareri medici ma per via di articoli di giornale (che in molti casi han solo preso ed amplificato delle gogne da social) LINK
Il circuito è tanto stretto da render difficile osservarlo separando nettamente i confini tra i suoi componenti: la denuncia di un tizio che ha acquistato delle bottiglie di vino (bene ritenuto non indispensabile e quindi privo di “giusta motivazione”) diviene subito notizia ricevendo risalto dalla gogna social, influendo sull’interpretazione delle restrizioni da parte delle forze di polizia che a quel punto si sentono autorizzate a riprendere i cittadini per cosa hanno acquistato.
Schizofrenia mediatica
Alcune giravolte mediatiche viste in queste settimane sono state non da poco. Non solo il passaggio repentino dal panico allo “stiamo calmi” di fine febbraio: fin dai primi giorni di lockdown son circolate un gran numero di foto che ritraevano città spettrali e deserte ma poi, per un certo numero di giorni, sui media son comparse strane immagini di strade affollatissime di gente tutta ammassata. Su queste immagini torneremo più avanti ma qui, ciò che importa, è osservare la contradditorietà delle informazioni passate dai media mainstream.
10 marzo 2020. Repubblica pubblica video di una Roma deserta e spettrale LINK
Altro esempio: all’inizio i media han insistito sulle foto di scaffali dei supermercati vuoti ma poi queste immagini son cessate di colpo, probabilmente per non generare situazioni di panico oppure perché era molto facile osservare che queste immagini erano state realizzate tutte all’orario di chiusura e solo in alcuni supermercati di grandi centri urbani in cui erano effettivamente state fatte delle spese molto consistenti, ma non si erano certo verificati assalti al supermercato nè risse (tranne in un unico caso, prontamente mediatizzato). Nell’esperienza comune chiunque ha sempre potuto osservare che i supermercati han continuato ad essere sempre riforniti (fatta forse eccezione per farina e lievito, cosa che ha generato una certa ilarità su un paese che si dedica alla panificazione).
21 marzo 2020: Repubblica pubblica un video di una Napoli spettrale e deserta molto simile alla Roma mostrata pochi giorni prima, solo che qui la telecamera si concentra sulle poche persone in strada per “dimostrare” che c’è troppa gente in giro LINK
Nei primi tempi, insomma, i grandi media ancora impreparati sul come trattare questa situazione, hanno fornito molte immagini e informazioni contraddittorie. Nell’arco di qualche settimana la narrazione è andata delineandosi, pur non rinunciando mai ad altalenare tra allarme e rassicurazione e riproponendo a volte alcune formule prima scartate: a inizio marzo gli appelli di Confindustria a far finta di niente son stati smorzati a favore delle direttive governative che hanno confermato ed inasprito le restrizioni poliziesche del lockdown su scala nazionale, per poi ripresentarsi pian piano in forme meno evidenti, puntando sul “buonsenso” e sul bisogno di “salvare l’economia”, insistendo sulla riapertura delle fabbriche.
Sicurezza sanitaria o giusta motivazione?
Dunque, ricapitolando: nelle prime ordinanze emesse dai governi locali i principi alla base delle restrizioni non erano di tipo sanitario ma erano grossolanamente tesi ad evitare gli assembramenti ritenuti non indispensabili. Sono state chiuse scuole ed istituti sportivi, vietate sagre, manifestazioni e scioperi. Al tempo stesso però sono state mantenuti aperte fabbriche e centri commerciali, non si è provveduto a trovare una soluzione al pericoloso sovraffollamento delle carceri (dando vita a proteste mai viste prima in questa proporzione) nè di altre situazioni a rischio come i campi rom ed in alcuni casi addirittura si è provveduto a ridurre il numero di corse dei mezzi pubblici impedendo alle persone obbligate ad andare al lavoro per la mancata chiusura delle fabbriche di poter mantenere le distanze di sicurezza.
Contenimento pandemia alla cinese: verifiche sanitarie
Lo stesso concetto di zonizzazione è stato inteso ed imposto fin da subito come una rigida chiusura generale effettuata senza tener conto delle singole realtà né della letteratura scientifica che evidenzia come una mobilità controllata da regioni con forte diffusione del contagio, se gestita da personale sanitario con quarantene mirate, osservazione da parte di personale medico e ponendo livelli di isolamento differenziati (come nel modello del lockdown di Wuhan), controintuitivamente permette di ridurre il carico sui sistemi sanitari della regione in difficoltà. Una forma di monitoraggio e contenimento, insomma, avrebbe contribuito ad alleggerire il sovraccarico sull’inefficiente sistema sanitario lombardo ora al collasso.
Contenimento pandemia all’italiana: controllo autocertificazioni
Una volta passati dalle regioni “zona rossa” al lockdown nazionale non si è fatto altro che inasprire i principi di natura poliziesca delle ordinanze regionali riassumendole nel principio della “giusta motivazione” limitando la mobilità all’interno del proprio comune*. E’la motivazione, dunque, ad aver valenza prioritaria nell’Italian Lockdown. La sicurezza sanitaria vien dopo.
[* Più o meno: poichè nei fatti chi si rifornisce in supermercato/negozio/edicola che non sia quello più vicino alla propria residenza viene contestato]
Avendola impostata solo in questi termini (giustificato/non giustificato ossia legale/illegale), la questione delle restrizioni viene immediatamente caratterizzata da un frame discorsivo deviante perchè impostato sulla legalità e non su principi scientifici, che porta, appunto, a giustificare la prosecuzione del lavoro in condizioni di totale insicurezza per attività ritenute “indispensabili”, giustificare il divieto di sciopero degli operai preoccupati per la propria salute e al tempo stesso ad additare come untore chi scende un attimo al parco per fumarsi una sigaretta in solitudine.
E’evidente che in quest’emergenza i concetti di “legale” e “illegale” sono particolarmente disgiunti da quelli di giusto o sbagliato.
Agli osservatori più attenti non può sfuggire il fatto che tale tipo di meccanismo è sostanzialmente una versione estremamente amplificata di quello in atto nell’ideologia del decoro secondo il quale non si caccia il senzatetto steso sulla panchina perché stia facendo qualcosa di male ma semplicemente perché “non ci si può stendere sulle panchine”, in base alla presunzione ideologica che il senzatetto che veste male e si stende sulle panchine sia indecoroso e dunque pericoloso (un uomo in giacca e cravatta steso sulla panchina non genererebbe la stessa reazione), motivo per cui viene vietato a tutti di stendersi sulle panchine (anche all’uomo in giacca e cravatta).
Dunque una presunzione di pericolosità (contagiosità) stabilita non in base a criteri sanitari ma per legge. Un tizio che volesse sfuggire la monotonia del confinamento facendosi semplicemente un giro in bici con guanti e mascherina nelle campagne del proprio comune senza mai scendere dal proprio mezzo nè avvicinarsi a nessuno non corre alcun rischio di contagiarsi né di contagiare nessuno, ma se gira senza “giusta motivazione” per legge si presumepreventivamente possa forse diventare un potenziale rischio.
La chiusura degli ambienti chiusi ad alta capienza, l’obbligo di mantenere le distanze, quello di indossare i dispositivi di protezione in determinate situazioni (spesa al supermercato), così come un certo grado di limitazione degli spostamenti nelle aree ad alto rischio, sono restrizioni giustificabili con la necessità di limitare la trasmissione del contagio entro livelli gestibili, ma è ben più difficile trovare giustificazione per restrizioni che contraddicono le stesse linee guida di sicurezza: che senso ha denunciare una persona che se ne cammina da sola, senza entrare in contatto con nessuno, quandole indicazioni dell’OMS dicono chiaramente che mantenendo la distanza minima di un metro con le altre persone le possibilità di contagio sono praticamente nulle? Altresì non ha alcuna motivazione medica l’imporre di mantenere tale distanza in pubblico a due persone che coabitano.
Estremizzando, se si uscisse di casa indossando una tuta hazmat disinfettata seguendo tutte le prassi anticontagio applicate nei laboratori di virologia per andare a fare due passi in un parco completamente deserto si rischierebbe una denuncia mentre, al contrario, se si uscisse senza alcuna accortezza per andare a lavorare al chiuso a strettissimo contatto con altre venti persone non ci sarebbe alcun problema perché è la motivazione che conta, non il rispetto delle misure di sicurezza.
Passeggiare è comunque vietato. Anche se in totale sicurezza.
Se prevenzione ci dev’essere, quella in atto in questa forma è prevenzione di cosa?
Non sfugge un altro parallelismo: quello con le paranoie antiterroristiche. Parallelismo che torna spesso nei commenti social e nell’atteggiamento di forze di polizia e certi amministratori che additano a “terroristi” i presunti untori. A quasi vent’anni dagli attentati dell’11 settembre le norme antiterrorismo e le operazioni come “strade sicure” più che produrre vere azioni antiterrorismo hanno soprattutto aumentato il livello d’insicurezza percepita, comportato diverse morti per suicidio tra i membri dell’esercito ed espulso numerose persone dall’Italiain via preventiva e con motivazioni non sempre solide.
Tuttavia sono pratiche ancora attive, normalizzate nel nostro quotidiano che ha assimilato il concetto di lotta al terrorismo permanente. Allo stesso modo, quante delle pratiche messe in moto nel lockdown rimarranno anche dopo la sua conclusione contraddistinguendo i prossimi vent’anni da come quelli della “prevenzione permanente”?
Poichè, come visto, le prassi in atto sono solo secondariamente basate sulla prevenzione del contagio, vien naturale chiedersi cosa si vorrà davvero prevenire nei prossimi anni. Soprattutto vien da chiedersi che scenari potrebbe elaborare una mente reazionaria dopo aver visto quanto è stato facile confinare l’intera popolazione mondiale nelle proprie celle.
Italiani incontrollabili?
Uno dei mantra con cui viene giustificata la durezza delle restrizioni dell’Italian Lockdown è “se lo facessero tutti…” Mantra solitamente riportato così, senza aggiungere altro dopo i puntini di sospensione, suggerendo la presenza di un nesso logico tra una causa nota e… non si sa bene cosa, lasciando che tale vuoto venga riempito dalla fantasia di chi ascolta.
“Non posso neanche passeggiare in sicurezza tenendomi a distanza da tutti rispettando appieno le prassi anticontagio?”
“Certo che no! Se lo facessero tutti…”
“In effetti: che potrebbe succedere se le persone che rispettano distanze di sicurezza e prassi anticontagio andassero tutte a passeggio?”
-silenzio-
Il punto è che questoquesitonon va fatto. Non va nemmeno preso in considerazione. Vien dato per scontato a prescindere che non sia possibile applicarlo: l’idea stessa che la maggior parte delle persone possa rispettare delle prassi sociali sanitarie come tenersi ad un paio di metri di distanza, lavarsi le mani con frequenza ed imparare ad usare i dispositivi di sicurezza nel modo corretto viene rifiutato a prescindere.
Ordinatissime fila… di “indisciplinati”?
Presa di posizione che appare alquanto ridicola considerando che per esperienza comune in questi giorni nei supermercati e per strada si sta tutti distanziati, da ogni parte c’è gente che ti richiama e ti filma se anche solo sospetta tu sia in giro senza “giusta motivazione” o troppo vicino alla tua compagna, insomma: la realtà è che siamo tutti sufficientemente allarmati e che la stragrande maggioranza delle persone si attiene alle prassi di distanziamento fisico.
Anche osservando le realtà straniere appare evidente che gli italiani non risultano essere meno più o meno diligenti rispetto al resto del mondo. Piuttosto quel che si evince è che riguardo al virus “tutto il mondo è paese” ancor più del solito: in ogni parte del globo la gente si attiene spontaneamente a prassi anticontagio ed ovunque c’è solamente una frazione meno che infinitesimale di persone che non lo fanno; frazione che per via dei media sembra molti più sostanziosa di quanto sia in realtà.
Va però ricordato che molti atteggiamenti che in Italia non sono tollerati nella maggior parte dei paesi invece lo sono (come allenarsi, andare in giro in due, ecc.) col risultato che da noi potrebbero risultare più “furbetti” proprio a causa della presenza di norme più restrittive. E’un primo caso di profezia autoavverante: siccome si teme vi siano tanti “furbetti” si creano norme restrittive esagerate che per forza di cose tante persone non potranno rispettare e quindi le tante multe/denunce emesse “dimostreranno” che effettivamente c’è tanta gente incivile.
L’idea alla base dei principi polizieschi che caratterizzano l’applicazione del lockdown in Italia, é difatti proprio l’idea che la popolazione italiana sia composta perlopiù da scellerati menefreghisti inaffidabili da cui non ci si può aspettare alcuna collaborazione*.
[*ironico osservare che si tratta di un non-detto presente soprattutto in chi si riempie la bocca di motti patriottardi ed elogi allo spirito italico, che al tempo stesso sono gli stessi che invocano con più enfasi la diffusione delle armi in stile americano, pene corporali per i detenuti e l’instaurazione di regimi di polizia, a dimostrazione di quanto essi stessi siano coloro che meno si fidano di quei compatrioti che decantano]
Vittimista puccioso
Ciò non suona affatto nuovo, essendo una autorappresentazione radicatissima della mentalità nazionale e basata sui principi del vittimismo e del familismo amorale che, immancabilmente, portano a percepire l’altro essenzialmente come un potenziale approfittatore, un “furbo” incapace di curarsi del bene comune.
Il melodrammatico vittimismo del Canto degli italiani (“Noi siamo da secoli calpesti, derisi”) è un esempio abbastanza eclatante di quanto tale atteggiamento mentale sia tra i caratteri fondanti della mentalità del Belpaese
Rappresentazione dell’altro che ha come diretta conseguenza quella di giustificare la propria furbizia approfittatrice a favore dei propri interessi, intendendola come mezzo necessario di autodifesa dagli altri che si comporterebbero così -per primi-.
“Non sono un ladro ma devo rubare perché son tutti gli altri ad esser ladri”
Questa autorappresentazione giustificazionista è pure connessa al falso mito degli “italiani brava gente”, nato per celare nefandezze che in nessun modo potrebbero rientrare nell’idea vittimista degli italiani che possono fare del male solo per autodifesa.
Autorappresentazione dunque talmente radicata nella mentalità nazionale da esser presente ovunque e venir quindi cooptata anche dal circuito media-politica-social che le incoraggia ed alimenta, facendone però un uso mirato. Se in alcuni casi l’applicazione di questa mentalità viene giustificata, in altri, invece, viene condannata.
In queste settimane questa autorappresentazione è tornata nuovamente utile per distogliere le attenzioni dalle responsabilità politiche di chi ha gestito in maniera tanto pessima il contenimento del contagio.
Il topos dei “soliti furbetti” risulta particolarmente utile per non muovere accuse verso chi ha davvero grosse responsabilitò
Confindustria ed il mondo politico responsabile della malagestione dell’emergenza, dopo un primo momento di confusione, dall’imposizione del lockdown hanno iniziato ad indirizzare i propri canali mediatici sul tasto degli anonimi untori, spostando la colpevolizzazione su persone da etichettare come “furbetti”.
Gli untori solitari
Complice il teatrino delle ordinanze succedutesi in ordine rapidissimo e le indicazioni spesso assai vaghe che han lasciato libertà di interpretazione alle forze di polizia le quali spesso le han applicate in modo assai restrittivo, nel corso delle ultime settimane abbiam visto succedersi su media e social una vera e propria giostra di personaggi topici su cui scagliare l’accusa di esser untori: i runner, quelli che portano in giro i cani, quelli che non vanno a fare la spesa al supermercato più vicino, quelli che fanno spese da pochi euro solo per uscire, quelli senza mascherina, quelli che passeggiano per ore, quelli con la casa in montagna. Inutile far notare che nessuna delle figure qui elencate sia intrinsecamente un vettore di contagio ed altrettanto inutile far notare che i focolai sono principalmente fabbriche, ospedali, prigioni e case di riposo.
L’acquisto di tre bottiglie di vino porta a una denuncia. L’acquisto di farina per fare sculture di pasta invece? LINK
Il circo di bizzarri untori è stato rapidamente preso di mira dalla gogna social la quale al contempo non ha potuto fare a meno di cogliere l’ironica assurdità insita in questa rappresentazione secondo cui il Mario Rossi che attraversava mezza città per andare al lavoro era a posto mentre quello che si faceva una passeggiata per i fatti suoi era un untore, generando una caterva di battute e meme.
Alla periferia di una Faenza spettrale, giocare a tennis anche se tra coinquilini non è ammesso LINK
Gli untori di massa
La demonizzazione degli untori solitari è stata però utile a rafforzare l’accusa più generica e allargata che ci fosse “ancora troppa gente in giro”. Dall’applicazione del lockdown TG e giornali per un certo periodo hanno dipinto il paese come percorso da una sorta di festa in strada permanente con migliaia di persone accalcate che se ne fregavano delle disposizioni.
La popolazione si è adattata subito al rispetto delle distanze di sicurezza
C’era solo un piccolo problema: a tutti gli effetti, in giro, non si vedeva quasi nessuno. I giornali hanno pubblicizzato con grande enfasi le cifre ufficiali di controlli effettuati e denunce emesse descrivendoli come numeri abnormi, solo che, a ben vedere, quegli stessi numeri rivelavano una situazione molto diversa. A fine marzo difatti veniva sbandierata la strabiliante cifra di “novantaseimila denunciati” che, a ben vedere, rappresenta lo 0,15% della popolazione. Sostanzialmente si tratta di una percentuale fisiologica all’interno della quale solo una sotto-frazione ancor minore teneva comportamenti effettivamente a rischio contagio. Ben poca cosa, considerando che l’Italia conta sessanta milioni e mezzo di abitanti.
L’esperienza di chiunque è quella di città spettrali
Il fatto che media e social al tempo stesso mostrassero città vuote, file ordinate e queste notizie su masse di disobbedienti non ha fatto altro che alimentare ulteriormente il tasso di schizofrenia informativa e portare, immancabilmente, a far radicare nell’opinione pubblica l’ipotesi peggiore. Strade deserte ma al tempo stesso assembrate, gente ordinata e rispettosa ma al contempo “furbetta”: nel dubbio meglio pensar male.
Al netto di grandi media e social commerciali, la realtà osservata tra esperienza personale, testimonianze dirette di conoscenti sparsi sull’intero territorio e analisi dei dati su controlli e denunce emesse dipinge in realtà una popolazione preoccupata che si attiene stoicamente ai mantra sullo #StareACasa e sull’ #IndossareLaMascherina minimizzando ogni attività all’aperto e mettendo alla gogna chi, anche solo apparentemente, non fa altrettanto.
La caccia all’untore è stata imposta come elemento principale su cui far riversare rabbia e risentimento
Ma quindi, se sia le esperienze dirette che i dati ufficiali delle forze di polizia fotografano una situazione in cui praticamente non v’è nessuno in giro, da dove saltano fuori questi fantomatici assembramenti di untori, questa “troppa gente in giro” denunciata dai grandi media e dai social network?
Per capirlo è necessario ricordare che comunque una minima quantità di persone in giro c’è sempre: chi va a fare la spesa, a comprar le sigarette, giornali o quant’altro, chi va a lavorare e chi va portare a spasso il cane. Sono queste le persone accusate di fare assembramenti: persone che nella gran maggioranza dei casi sono in giro per “giusta motivazione”. In sostanza siamo noi stessi.
Quando la legge si fa dura, rabbia e frustrazione fanno il delatore
Le pochissime testimonianze dirette su “troppa gente in giro” provengono perlopiù da accuse via social di utenti che evidentemente prendono per oro colato gli allarmi lanciati sui canali mainstream ove la realtà è dipinta come si è visto. Questi utenti dunque vedono “assembramenti” in banali gruppetti di 3-4 persone che camminano distanziate tra loro, in famiglie che mangiano sul balcone, o migranti che vivono assieme seduti sull’uscio di casa. Tutte persone che questi utenti riprendono dalla finestra di casa postandone le foto sui social con commenti indignati. Il tutto senza nessuna attenzione alla privacy e generando anche situazioni drammatiche e che ha portato forze di polizia e quotidiani a chiedere di smetterla di inviare segnalazioni inutili e dannose.
Le pratiche della delazione, dello sfogo indignato sui social e dell’attacco verso il vicinato, esattamente come il lockdown su base della “giusta motivazione”, solo apparentemente sono basate sul problema del contagio: attaccare il corridore solitario in realtà ha più a che fare con un meccanismo del tipo “se io non lo faccio non devi farlo nemmeno tu” giustificato su base legale.
Una delle tante foto postate sui social da “sceriffi da balcone” accompagnate da commenti velenosissimi su questo “assembramento” che in realtà mostra delle persone che camminano mantenendosi a regolare distanza fra loro
Sembra, insomma, di essere di fronte a quelle fotografie sfocate ritraenti macchie e riflessi in cui i rispettivi autori vedono invece la prova dell’esistenza degli UFO. In questo caso la sfocatura non è nell’immagine ma solo nella testa di chi, anzichè osservare per davvero. vi vede solo quel che vuol vedere.
Altra foto postata da “sceriffi da balcone” e postata sui social. L’assembramento, anche qui, è solo nella testa di chi ha scattato la foto
Ennesimo “assembramento” denunciato sui social che in realtà mostra persone che camminano distanziate
Ma tra le numerose foto ne sono però apparse anche alcune in cui non vediamo poche persone che se ne stanno ben distanziate o in fila, bensì orde di gente ammassata in strette stradine. Si tratta di strane foto iniziate ad apparire tra fine marzo ed inizio aprile. Foto strane, perchè non mostrano assembramenti ma dei #Teleassembramenti.
I Teleassembramenti
Una grandissima parte delle persone non ha alcuna dimestichezza con le basi della fotografia, il che sotto certi aspetti è un po buffo, data l’estrema importanza e diffusione nella cultura e nelle società moderne di questa tecnologia con cui si ha a che fare da oltre un secolo e mezzo. Nel corso della nostra vita difatti vediamo milioni e milioni di immagini fotografiche e migliaia di ore tra film, Tv e riprese video eppure ignoriamo completamente le caratteristiche base dell’immagine fotografica (NB: non si parla necessariamente di tecnica ma banalmente della lettura dell’immagine fotografica). E’un po come se fossimo navigatori che non ne capiscono niente di barche, insomma.
Per imparare a leggere le immagini di teleassembramenti, quindi, è necessario riassumere brevemente un paio di principi base di fotografia, cominciando dalle caratteristiche delle immagini riprese con teleobiettivo.
Teleobiettivo
Gli obiettivi fotografici sono apparecchi che “vedono” in maniera diversa rispetto all’occhio umano e quindi ognuno di essi “altera” ciò che riprende in un proprio modo specifico.
Il teleobiettivo (o “obiettivo a focale lunga”) è un tipo di obiettivo usato per riprendere soggetti molto distanti. Più questi sono distanti e più il teleobiettivo li ingrandisce e ciò modifica fortemente la percezione delle distanze tra gli oggetti che stanno davanti da quelli che stanno dietro, appiattendole (iu termini tecnici si parla di “profondità di campo”). Lo stesso effetto può essere ottenuto anche con l’uso di zoom ottici.
Alcuni esempi di un soggetto ripreso con obiettivi differenti. Maggiore è la focale usata (espressa in mm) e più lo sfondo risulta vicino e piatto
Si noti come nella foto con la focale maggiore (200mm) gli oggetti sullo sfondo appaiano molto più grandi e vicini rispetto alle foto con focali inferiori
Le ipotesi sono due: o si tratta di immagini scattate con teleobiettivo o la luna in realtà è tanto vicina da poterla toccare
L’effetto finale è abbastanza noto agli appassionati di sport: è osservabile ad esempio nelle moviole di calcio quando si osserva che in alcune riprese con teleobiettivo due calciatori sembrano praticamente toccarsi mentre la stessa scena ripresa con un diverso obiettivo o da una differente angolazione rivela che invece stavano a diversi metri di distanza.
In un’immagine bidimensionale, osservare le linee prospettiche è indispensabile per comprendere la profondità di campo e tentar di capire le distanze reali
L’uso dell’angolazione difatti è il secondo principio da tenere a mente e di questo possiamo fare esperienza anche ad occhio nudo: se si mettono in fila degli oggetti ad una certa distanza l’uno dall’altro e si osservano di lato o dall’alto li si vedrebbe uno accanto all’altro capendo perfettamente la distanza a cui si trovano, ma se invece li si osservasse da una posizione più frontale, questi apparirebbero uno dietro l’altro e si avrebbe una certa difficoltà a capire le distanze.
Per meglio comprendere la cosa è possibile osservarne gli effetti in questa serie di foto realizzate da Naivespeaker:
FOTO 1: una fila di pupazzi posti a distanza regolare. Fotografati di lato e dall’alto le distanze appaiono chiare
FOTO 2: Sempre dall’alto ma da una diversa angolazione si può osservare che i pupazzi più lontani appaiono decisamente più ravvicinati tra loro rispetto a quelli più vicini Eppure sappiamo che le distanze sono uguali
FOTO 3: Un dettaglio zoommato della foto precedente. Mostra solo i pupazzi più lontani. Sembrano quasi toccarsi
FOTO 4: Con la giusta combinazione di angolazione ed obiettivo (o zoom) i pupazzi sembrano schiacciati l’uno sull’altro senza alcuna distanza tra loro. Una fila lunga due metri qui pare compressa in venti centimetri. Eccolo il teleassembramento
Un’immagine di “assembramento” girata sui social. La rassomiglianza con la foto precedente è particolarmente evidente)
Ricapitolando: riprese con focale lunga e tipo di angolatura dei soggetti ripresi contribuiscono ad alterare la percezione delle distanze, appiattendole.
Ebbene, gli “assembramenti” mostrati su giornali, social e TG che cos’hanno in comune tra loro? L’essere tutti ripresi con teleobiettivo o zoom ed usare angolazioni frontali. Dei #teleassembramenti appunto: assembramenti creati col teleobiettivo (Qui un video che mostra chiaramente come si “costruisce” un teleassembramento)
Uno dei tanti #teleassembramenti denunciati dai giornali. L’effetto “schiacciamento” è particolarmente evidente e tutte le persone presenti in una via di diverse decine, se non centinaia di metri, appaiono come fossero vicinissime
In pratica quelle che vengono riprese sono delle persone che si trovano in uno stesso luogo, preferibilmente stretto e lungo (come una via dritta o una fila di bancarelle del mercato) e che camminano stando ad uno, due, tre, dieci metri di distanza tra loro ma poiché vengono riprese da lontano con un teleobiettivo e con un’angolatura specifica, sembra che queste stiano a pochi centimetri di distanza gli uni dagli altri, ammassati come sardine.
Lo stesso effetto visto con i pupazzi in fila, qui si ripete tale e quale ma poichè in questi casi la gente non è disposta in file regolari, l’effetto finale è quello di un ammasso ancor più consistente. É come se avessimo più file affiancate che, fotografate come s’è detto, appaiono come un muro fatto di persone
Su La Repubblica viene mostrata questa foto per dimostrare l’affollamento nella zona del Quadrilatero a Bologna
La stessa via, ripresa dall’alto, mostra che in realtà le persone si distanziano spontaneamente tra loro
Sui social, la gente che risiede nelle zone fotografate ha immancabilmente fatto notare che qualcosa non andava in quelle immagini di teleassembramento, producendo documentazione fotografica alternativa che mostrava realtà ben più in linea con l’esperienza comune, ossia poca gente in giro sempre ben distanziata.
Un breve filmato che mostra persone sui Navigli di Milano è stato quello maggiormente citato sui social a dimostrazione che c’è #TroppaGenteInGiro. Anche qui, in realtà, un banalissimo schiacciamento da teleobiettivo
Sono stati mostrati anche alcuni teleassembramenti video, ad esempio a Napoli ed a Milano. Il filmato di Milano, in particolare, è stato quello che più di tutti ha contribuito a diffondere e consolidare l’idea che le strade italiane fossero cortissime e piene di gente che se ne fregava delle distanze di sicurezza.
Anche qui banale schiacciamento da teleobiettivo
Mercati e strade commerciali sono le ambientazioni preferite da chi realizza teleassembramenti fotografici perchè abbinano una certa quantità di gente in ambienti lunghi e stretti, perfetti per massimizzare l’effetto schiacciamento dei teleobiettivi.
Sia Repubblica che l’Huffington Post han pubblicato foto e video di una Napoli affollatissima, sempre con teleobiettivo in vie lunghe e strette
Le caratteristiche dei teleassembramenti si ripetono costantemente: una volta imparato a distinguere le immagini realizzate con teleobiettivo ed a “leggere” l’alterazione delle distanze queste appaiono immediatamente visibili e la continua ricorrenza a mercati e vie molto lunghe non fanno che riconfermare il tutto.
Verificare le effettive misure dei luoghi in cui sono stati ritratti teleassembramenti dimostra in modo definitivo l’inconsistenza degli stessi
Oltre i teleassembramenti
La stagione dei teleassembramenti é durata ben pochi giorni, giusto quel tanto perché il concetto che c’è #TroppaGenteInGiro si diffondesse e radicasse a sufficienza. Fin da subito difatti sono circolate controprove da parte di chi abita nei luoghi fotografati e polemiche locali, come nel caso del teleassembramento di Sestri in Liguria. Cittadinanza locale che non ci sta ad esser presa in giro ed amministrazioni comunali che non voglion esser tacciate di inefficienza han contribuito a far smorzare l’uso di teleassembramenti sui media commerciali ma ciononostante, una volta diffuso il concetto, nei giorni successivi è stato sufficiente pubblicare articoli in cui il teleassembramento veniva dichiarato ma non mostrato, anche se spesso ciò ha portato ad esiti abbastanza ridicoli: articoli e servizi TG che dovevano comunque mostrare delle immagini hanno denunciato la presenza di #TroppaGenteInGiro mostrando foto di strade deserte in cui l’unica presenza era quella della polizia o uno sparuto numero di persone.
Così tanta gente in gir… si vedono solo due poliziotti!
…ancora poliziotti
Troppa gente in giro: una giornalista e dei piccioni…
L’ennesimo cortocircuito si è poi verificato tra la prima e seconda settimana di aprile con la riapertura di diverse aziende che ha portato ad un aumento di persone in giro per “giusta motivazione” prontamente denunciata come un criminoso aumento di “furbetti” anche da quelle stesse persone che hanno invocato la riapertura delle attività produttive.
Una volta consolidato il refain, la macchina ha potuto proseguire per inerzia. Oggi è sufficiente una notizia su una singola persona che se ne stava in giro senza “giustificato motivo” per riavvivare la gogna social e riconfermare mediaticamente la presenza di #TroppaGenteInGiro
I pochissimi casi in cui effettivamente le distanze tra persone non son state rispettate ovviamente son state sommate al calderone, in una giostra ove questi pochissimi casi indiscutibili son serviti solo a confermare l’autenticità dei numerosissimi teleassembramenti posticci facendo credere che il fenomeno fosse enormemente più diffuso di quanto fosse in realtà.
Profezie autoavveranti
La paura degli assembramenti genera assembramenti… che diffondono l’indignazione contro gli assembramenti!
E’il caso dei blocchi stradali “antifurbetti” attuati dalle forze di polizia perchè convinte che troppa gente non stia rispettando la legge. In questi blocchi vengono controllate uno ad uno i veicoli su un determinato tratto stradale causando un blocco del traffico che, anche con poche auto in giro, ovviamente genera code (specie se ciò avviene nei pressi di grandi centri urbani).
In pratica è il blocco stesso a generare le code che, fotografate, vengono raccontate dai media come “esodo di furbetti”, diffondendo così ulteriormente la convinzione che vi siano masse abnormi di persone in strada e perdipiù senza “giusta motivazione”.
Fantastica serie di post de La Repubblica che dopo aver lanciato un allarme-fuffa viene costretto a rettifiche continue a causa delle numerose controprove e testimonianze dirette
Anche in questo caso, però si rileva che i numeri coinvolti riguardano una percentuale infinitesimale della popolazione urbana e, di questa, solo una frazione minima (grossomodo tra l’1,5% ed il 3% dei fermati) risulta essere priva di “giusta motivazione” (il che, ribadiamo, non vuol necessariamente dire contagioso)
Aria, Asfalto, Asintomatici, Mascherine
Runner e pisciatori di cani sono pur sempre dei personaggi-feticcio ben identificabili ed i teleassembramenti un qualcosa di distante dal percepito quotidiano. Ma, si sa, se si vuol scatenare una paura profonda, indiscutibile e capace di far dire a tutti spontaneamente #RestiamoAlChiuso bisogna ricorrere ad un orrore lovecraftiano, un orrore che ci circonda ovunque e che è intrinseco alla realtà stessa. Anche questa strada è stata battuta: non sono mancati difatti articoli che, pur contraddicendo tutto quel che vien riferito dall’OMS, han sostenuto che il virus potesse circolare per diverse ore nell’aria e resistere per giorni nell’asfalto o in altri materiali comuni. Il virus nell’aria e nei materiali comuni significherebbe sostanzialmente che tutto è contagioso! Tutto al di fuori di quella minima porzione che controlliamo direttamente, ossia la casa.
Moltiplicare e generalizzare le possibili fonti di contagio non fa che aumentare i livelli di paranoia e spostare ulteriormente l’attenzione dalle problematiche reali e sistemiche: l’inquinamento della val Padana (una delle zone più inquinate d’Europa), le polveri sottili e gli allevamenti intensivi, da più parti sospettati di essere correlati all’incidenza del contagio, spariscono dal discorso pubblico a favore di runner, materiali vari e contagio nell’aria. E dunque #RestiamoAlChiusoInCasa: il terrore è ovunque! Nell’aria, nei materiali di costruzione, magari anche nell’acqua, nei fili d’erba e nei canarini che cantano!
La paura per un qualcosa di impalpabile e presente ovunque, come già visto, porta irrimediabilmente alla creazione di capri espiatori e feticci e se questa paura riguarda l’intera materialità del mondo, la feticizzazione avviene… su ciò che ci difende da questa materialità! Ecco che fin da subito si è provveduto a pratiche come la disinfezione del manto stradale nonostante lo stesso ministero della salute dica che non vi sono prove scientifiche che possa servire a qualcosa (oltre ad inquinare il terreno), o l’insensata disinfezione delle zampe degli animali.
Se la paura per l’aria e per le superfici rischia di essere troppo totalizzante e sconnessa dalla realtà scientifica, è nella figura dell’asintomatico che invece si riscontra il mix perfetto attraverso il quale mantenere viva la paura.
La figura dell’asintomatico ripropone il topos cinematografico dell’appestato invisibile: “sembra come noi, parla come noi… ma è il male”. Come nel film La Cosa o ne L’invasione degli ultracorpi, il terrore verso un orrore invisibile che si nasconde nell’altro è totale. Chiunque rappresenta presumibilmente un pericolo potenziale ed è dunque per il semplice fatto che gli asintomatici esistano che si giustificano misure marziali. Come ogni arabo-islamico post 11 settembre è stato considerato una potenziale minaccia, oggi ogni persona che non mostra alcun segno di malattia vien considerata una potenziale minaccia.
L’idea di una pandemia globale è già molto radicata nell’immaginario collettivo (a sinistra The Walking Dead, a destra The Coronavirus)
E’interessante osservare che nel dopo 11 settembre il mondo del cinema e della letteratura fantastica ha esplorato con un certo interesse l’idea di pandemia globale. Da Contagion a 28 giorni dopo, The Walking Dead, il remake de L’alba dei morti viventi, Stake land e La terra dei morti viventi solo per citare alcuni tra i più noti, si osserva che il terreno maggiormente esplorato è quello dell’apocalisse zombi, ossia di un mondo post-pandemia completamente stravolto, in cui la paura invisibile del terrore globale e di massa è esorcizzata facendosi orrore manifesto: gli zombi sono riconoscibili a differenza degli ultracorpi e per quanto terribile, saper riconoscere con chiarezza il male è comunque un qualcosa di rassicurante. Tuttavia l’inquietudine permane su un altro livello e si sposta all’interno di una società allo sfascio in cui ognuno pensa solo a sé stesso. Il vero male, nelle opere di apocalisse zombi, è una società residuale che fa male a sè stessa. Pandemia e zombi, terrorismo e paura dell’altro, legati in modo indissolubile.
La figura dell’asintomatico, rappresenta dunque una paura ancora da esorcizzare, un qualcosa da cui proteggersi e che a sua volta deve proteggere gli altri da sé stesso, da segregare e tener lontano da noi attraverso…qualsiasi cosa. E così come la paura dell’asfalto contagioso è stata esorcizzata col feticcio della disinfezione del manto stradale, la paura dell’asintomatico viene adesso esorcizzata con la feticizzazione delle mascherine.
Gli operatori sanitari sono chiari in proposito: le mascherine sono utili se usate adeguatamente, in determinate condizioni e se abbinate a corrette prassi di igienizzazione delle mani. Se usate in maniera incorretta, al contrario, rischiano addirittura di diventare una fonte di contagio.
Quella che si sta imponendo invece è una narrazione feticistica della mascherina, descritta come una sorta di oggetto-talismano che secondo alcuni governatori locali bisognerebbe utilizzare addirittura sempre quando si sta all’aperto (nonostante il ministero della salute ribadisca chiaramente il contrario) e che viene distribuita senza sufficienti indicazioni su tutte le prassi da seguire per il suo utilizzo corretto.
Con una mossa ben poco avveduta, il governatore del Veneto ha distribuito mascherine del tutto inadatte al loro scopo. L’operazione riflette appieno l’idea di feticizzazione della mascherina-talismano LINK
Mascherina o no, probabilmente nei prossimi tempi osserveremo un assestamento della narrazione sulla figura degli asintomatici con tutto ciò che questo potrebbe comportare a livello di spettacolarizzazione politica, ossia l’uso obbligatorio delle mascherine nei luoghi pubblici, impossibilità di fare il tampone a tutti, la possibilità che i guariti contraggano di nuovo il virus ma senza presentare sintomi, ecc.
Già oggi diversi indicatori come i dubbi sull’effettività degli anticorpi lasciano intendere che le misure di prevenzione potrebbero dover essere applicate a lungo e ciò potrebbe dunque portare anche all’estensione del lockdown generalizzato. Al tempo stesso si assistono a diversi tira-e-molla dovuti al variare degli interessi in gioco: se all’inizio è stato osservato che il virus colpiva quasi esclusivamente persone molto anziane e/o già indebolite da altri fattori, successivamente l’ondata di panico mediatico ha enfatizzato il fatto che il virus colpisse persone di tutte le età. A metà aprile 2020, con le pressioni per la riapertura delle aziende, molti quotidiani hanno improvvisamente ridotto le informazioni su decessi tra persone giovani e di mezz’età.
Il punto anche qui è lo stesso: una cosa sono le misure di contenimento per evitare la diffusione del contagio, ma tutt’altra cosa è usare la paura nei confronti degli asintomatici per imporre forme di controllo di tutt’altra natura con la scusa della prevenzione. Forme di controllo che non rallenteranno la diffucìsione del virus con cui rischiamo di dover convivere per decenni.
The day after
Un contenimento anche molto rigido ma gestito globalmente in base a criteri medici e con un’attenzione particolare sulle prassi sanitarie anticontagio permetterebbe forse di giungere in tempi relativamente rapidi ad una situazione di normalità. Di certo, un contenimento incentrato su meri principi legalitari, peraltro disgiunti da criteri medico-scientifici, per forza di cose non potrà che prolungare la durata dell’emergenza.
Di certo, in ogni caso, quello che si prospetta è il passaggio ad un “dopo” che avverrà a scaglioni/ondate.
Ma di che razza di “dopo” stiamo parlando? Come ogni momento di crisi, anche la pandemia globale ha messo a nudo numerose debolezze sistemiche e contraddizioni globali ed in molti si augurano che ciò faccia aprire gli occhi a sufficienza perché nel “dopo” queste siano risolte e superate. Dal superamento del PIL come metro del benessere ai redditi di cittadinanza, dalla creazione e miglioramento di un sistema sanitario pubblico globale ad un senso di collaborazione internazionale più forte, passando per forme di produzione rispettose dell’ecosistema, sono numerose le richieste e speranze che circolano.
È però necessario fare tesoro delle esperienze passate e cogliere i segnali che giungono quotidianamente da più parti: anche al termine dello sconvolgimento della Grande Guerra, la prima guerra globale della storia, serpeggiavano speranze di un futuro senza più conflitti (concetto che in qualche modo potrebbe aver pure aiutato lo scoppio della seconda guerra mondiale). Forse si tratta, almeno in parte, di una risposta umana dinnanzi a crisi profonde.
Prospettare un futuro migliore e lavorare per esso è doveroso, ma guai a confondere l’ideale con l’illusorio.
Ciò si riflette anche nelle parole di Evgeny Morozov che ricorda che nonostante le prospettive migliorative siano tutte realizzabili e sensate, la resilienza del sistema attuale è talmente forte e pervasiva che il rischio è che molto probabilmente il “dopo” virus significherà essere catapultati solamente in una fase più avanzata del tardo capitalismo caratterizata da quello che definisce il “soluzionismo” ossia una sorta di T.I.N.A. thatcheriano alla massima potenza in cui le peggiori imposizioni verranno da governi totalmente demandati a logiche aziendali che faranno di tutto per dissuadere sviluppatori, hacker, attivisti e altri dall’usare le loro capacità e le risorse esistenti per sperimentare forme alternative di organizzazione sociale e che al tempo stesso vorranno incasssare una parte dei profitti che derivano dalla sorveglianza. Il tutto imponendo nella società l’idea che
“[…] si possa evitare di affrontare le cause di un problema, concentrandosi invece sull’“adeguare” i comportamenti individuali alla crudele, ma immutabile, realtà.
Oggi siamo tutti soluzionisti: il covid-19 sta allo stato soluzionista come l’11 settembre sta allo stato di sorveglianza. Tuttavia le minacce che (il soluzionismo) pone alla democrazia sono più sottili, e quindi più insidiose.”
[…] il mondo tecnologico in cui viviamo oggi è stato progettato per garantire che non possa emergere alcuna alternativa a un ordine globale basato sulle logiche di mercato.”
Il mondo del “dopo” virus rischia appunto di veder affermare una realtà in cui il pensiero dominante normalizzerà l’idea che ‘le cose stanno così, quella che propone il governo è l’unica soluzione e ti conviene accettarla perchè non ci sono alternative e se la critichi non sei dei nostri ma sei uno degli altri’. Una visione in cui
“[…] i corpi e le istituzioni intermedie scompaiono […] esistono (solo) cittadini-consumatori, aziende e governi. In mezzo non c’è molto altro: né sindacati, né associazioni di cittadini, né movimenti sociali, né istituzioni collettive tenute insieme da sentimenti di solidarietà.
Non è un caso, difatti, se le attuali piattaforme commerciali di comunicazione e socializzazione sono incentrate principalmente su intrattenimento e spettacolarità rivolte al singolo individuo anzichè su dibattito costruttivo, collaborazione e socializzazione e questo fa sì che all’interno di esse non sarà mai possibile costruire nulla di valido perchè
“Sarà, nel migliore dei casi, l’ennesimo parco giochi per soluzionisti. Nel peggiore, una società totalitaria fondata su controllo e sorveglianza diffusi”
Questo è il mondo che andava lentamente prospettandosi prima del Coronavirus ed è questo il mondo in cui probabilmente ci troveremo catapultati nel “dopo” emergenza.
Per la maggioranza delle persone leggere le news su Internet significa due cose: apprenderle sui social o saltare di sito in sito per legger cosa v’é scritto. Nel primo caso l’approccio alla notizia é legato a doppio filo a commenti, boost e strategie social mentre nel secondo caso si tratta di un modo valido ma spesso altamente inefficiente perché ci si riduce a leggere uno o due siti di fiducia e poi basta.
Eppure da oltre vent’anni, esiste uno strumento presente in quasi tutti i siti che permette di ricevere sempre gli aggiornamenti dalle proprie fonti preferite in modo estremamente efficiente: i FEED RSS!
CONTENUTI ED ASPETTO SON COSE SEPARATE
Un sito di news, un blog o un profilo social sono fondamentalmente delle pagine web all’interno dei quali vengono pubblicati dei post.
A seconda della piattaforma questi post possono essere composti da materiali molto diversi: in un social come PixelFed ed Instagram un post contiene solo un’immagine; in PeerTube e YouTubeun post equivale a un video; in Mastodon e Twitter un testo breve. In un sito di news o in un blog ogni post é invece composto da una quantità di testo ed immagini che può essere anche molto corposa.
Quello che qui c’interessa però é il fatto che in tutti questi casi, ogni post é un elemento indipendente che può essere gestito singolarmente.
Non ci facciamo tanto caso, ma ogni singolo giorno facciamo esperienza di questo poter gestire indipendentemente i singoli post: se si vuol condividere un certo post non dici ai tuoi contatti di andare su un certo sito/profilo e cercarselo, ma gli dai il link diretto a quel post.
Ogni post, insomma, ha un suo indirizzo unico: un proprio link diretto.
Ma non c’é solo il link. Ogni singolo post può esser composto da più elementi (non necessariamente tutti):
1) Il proprio link
2) Data e ora della pubblicazione
3) Un titolo
4) Una breve introduzione o degli hashtag
5) Il contenuto testuale
6) Il contenuto multimediale (immagini, filmati, file audio)
Qui é necessario fare un piccolo sforzo per comprendere un concetto non proprio immediato, ossia che gli elementi che compongono il post sono indipendenti dal modo in cui vengono mostrati.
Cosa vuol dire?
Facciamo un esempio: se pubblichi un post su Mastodon o qualsiasi altro social, chi lo legge dal suo PC vedrà il post scritto con un certo tipo di caratteri bianchi su uno sfondo nero, all’interno di una celletta con sotto i pulsanti per rispondere, sopra ad un certo altro post e sotto a un altro ecc.
Chi invece lo leggesse da uno smartphone con una App magari lo vedrebbe con tutto un altro tipo di carattere, con dei pulsanti un pò più piccoli e diversi, con altri colori ecc. Magari nel post avevi pure aggiunto una foto ma chi lo legge da PC la vedrà sopra il testo mentre su certe App si vedrà sotto di esso!
Eppure il tuo testo é sempre lo stesso e tu non hai specificato né che caratteri dovesse apparire né la posizione della foto!
Una notizia del Sole24Ore così come si presenta nel suo feed
La stessa notizia dell’immagine precedente così come viene mostrata sul sito del Sole 24 Ore
Ciò avviene perché la piattaforma a cui hai inviato il post (in questo esempio un’Istanza Mastodon) non si limita a prendere il tuo post e mostrarlo sul proprio sito con quella grafica, quei caratteri, quell’impaginazione ma ne trasmette pure il contenuto “puro”, così com’é, solo testo e a parte i file multimediali, permettendo ad altri strumenti (App, browser) di ricevere quel che tu hai inviato e personalizzare a loro volta il modo in cui mostrarlo.
Questo permette di far sì che un articolo che sul tuo PC appare di 30 lunghissime righe, sul piccolo schermo verticale del tuo smartphone venga automaticamente reimpaginato in 80 righe molto più corte, che le immagini vengano riposizionate, ecc.
Dunque, se si é ben compreso che il contenuto é scollegato dall’aspetto con cui viene mostrato possiamo entrare nel vivo di questo post e parlare di quella tecnologia fantastica che é l’ RSS!!!
I FEED RSS
Come abbiamo detto, le piattaforme TRASMETTONO i contenuti. I modi e le tecnologie per farlo sono diversi (per esempio, le reti libere che compongono il Fediverso utilizzano una tecnologia di trasmissione chiamata ActivityPub) ma di fatto la quasi totalità dei siti web d’informazione utilizza uno standard chiamato RSS.
Logo RSS
Di fatto si tratta di un collegamento (può apparire come link, pulsante o file) in cui appaiono tutti i singoli contenuti di quel sito/blog/profilo, ma senza fronzoli né grafica, in un unico flusso di dati detto FEED.
Quasi ogni sito utilizza gli RSS ma non sempre lo dice con chiarezza. In alcuni siti é presente da qualche parte l’Icona RSS, oppure tra i menù é indicata la voce RSS o FEED. Alcuni siti d’informazione hanno delle intere pagine in cui forniscono decine e decine di feed (un buon esempio in questo senso é il Sole 24 Ore: il quotidiano presenta in una pagina specifica tantissimi contenuti diversi fra loro e dunque permette di pescare feed contenenti gli articoli specifici su un certo argomento). In altri casi il feed é proprio nascosto e bisognerà utilizzare diversi trucchi per scoprirlo. Certi browser mostrano nella barra dell’indirizzo l’icona RSS se rilevano un FEED, ma non li individuano sempre. Ogni browser comunque permette di installare al suo interno dei Plugin/AddOn/Estensioni (Qui quelli per Firefox) che eseguono questa ricerca in modo più approfondito.
Esistono decine e decine di Addon per gestire RSS su Firefox: molti servono per trovare i feed all’interno di un sito e molti altri servono ad usare lo stesso Firefox com un aggregatore (vedi sotto)
I FEED RSS messi a disposizione del pubblico a volte sono completi e contengono tutto il contenuto dei post, ma in molti casi, specie quando si parla di quotidiani, contengono tutto tranne il testo completo.
Qui però sorge spontanea una domanda: ma una volta che si é trovato ‘sto FEED uno che se ne fa?
Beh, con un FEED RSS si possono fare tantissime cose, in particolare inserirli in un Aggregatore RSS!
I FEED READERS: GLI AGGREGATORI DI NOTIZIE PERSONALIZZABILI
Un Aggregatore RSS (in inglese “RSS Reader”) é un programma dedicato alla gestione di questi flussi. All’interno di un Aggregatore ad esempio puoi inserire i FEED di tutti i blog che ritieni interessanti, ma anche dei quotidiani, siti, profili social, podcast ecc, suddividendoli in cartelle nel modo che ti pare più consono ed ogni volta che in uno di questi FEED apparirà un nuovo post, l’Aggregatore te lo notificherà.
In questo modo riceverai sempre tutti gli aggiornamenti diretti dai canali che t’interessano senza dover saltare da una piattaforma all’altra, passare di sito in sito…
Con un click puoi passare da un quotidiano all’altro e tutto ti verrà mostrato con uno stile unitario e senza i commenti, i likes e le stelline in modo da poter leggere i contenuti senza distrazioni o ansie social.
La tipica impostazione di un Aggregatore riprende quella dei client email: a sinistra (colonna grigia) i singoli feed suddivisi in cartelle, al centro l’elenco dei post del Feed selezionato ed a destra il contenuto del singolo post
Ogni Aggregatore ha stile e funzionalità proprie: alcuni permettono di salvarti i post preferiti, postarli direttamente dall’Aggregatore ai tuoi profili social ecc. Certi sono dei software da installare ed altri funzionano come servizi cloud. Certi possono esser fatti sincronizzare su più dispositivi. Certi trattano i feed come se fossero delle email, salvandoli tutti per la lettura offline, mentre altri li presentano come post di un social. Certi hanno al proprio interno dei motori di ricerca per andare a ritrovare quella certa notizia memtre altri non hanno alcun motore. Certi hanno già al loro interno i feed dei canali d’informazione più importanti. Certi si aggiornano di continuo e certi solo quando gli si dice di farlo.
Di Aggregatori, insomma, ne esistono dei più disparati! Qui di seguito un elenco di quelli più noti, in ordine sparso. NB: La maggior parte di queste applicazioni NON sono state testate da chi scrive e le descrizioni spesso riassumono solo quel che vien riportato da altre fonti.
Il tuo client email può gestire anche gli RSS. Qui Thunderbird
SU LINUX
FeedReader
Applicazione open source esteticamente piacevolissima con diversi collegamenti a Wallabag, Instapaper ed altri servizi di Bookmarking, ma soprattutto é perfettamente compatibile con altri Aggregatori per estendere le proprie funzioni.
Thunderbird
Poiché gli aggregatori gestiscono i FEED RSS come fossero email é naturale che i client email sappiano gestirli, no?
Akregator
E’un potente aggregatore open source per KDE che contiene al proprio interno un browser e dunque anche nel caso in cui di feed che non contengono il testo completo di un post, anziché esser mandati dall’Aggregatore al proprio browser, si potrà leggere tutto su Akregator
Liferea
Open source e web-based. E’considerato uno dei migliori e più utilizzati aggregatori su Ubuntu. Ha un’impostazione vecchio stile tipo email ma supporta podcast, lettura dei post offline ed altro ancora.
Selfoss
Aggregatore open source molto leggero e minimale ma dotato di diverse funzioni
TinyTinyRSS
TinyTiny é un aggregatore web-based open source. In pratica non é solamente una App ma un vero e proprio piccolo serverRSS installabile sul proprio PC o server. Un pò come per SearX ci sono diversi siti che mettono a disposizione il proprio servizio TinyTinyRSS
FreshRSS
Altro aggregatore open source web-based come TinyTinyRSS, con diverse estensioni disponibili.
OpenTICKR
A differenza degli altri aggregatori, OpenTICKR si presenta come una banda di news che scorrono sullo schermo un pò come quelle che spesso si vedono sotto la pancia dei conduttori nei telegiornali.
Sui device portatili molti Aggregatori cercano di offrire un’esperienza di lettura più “pulita” e uniforme rispetto a social e siti di news
SU ANDROID
(Su F-Droid sono tantissimi gli aggregatori disponibili! Perlopiù si tratta di versioni differenti di client per TinyTiny.
TinyTinyRSS
Client TinyTiny
TinyTinyRSS Reader
Altro client TinyTiny
Tiny Tiny Feed
Altro client TinyTiny
TTRSS-Reader
Altro client TinyTiny
NextCloud News
Interesante Aggregatore che si connette al proprio server NextCloud
OCReader
Altro aggregatore che si connette a NextCloud
Feeder
Aggregatore molto snello ed elegante ma con funzioni basiche
Sparse RSS
spaRSS DecSync
Equipe RSS
FreshRSS
Handy News RSS
NewsBlur
Reader for Selfoss
Another-RSS
Munch
MULTIPIATTAFORMA
Feedly
Aggregatore Freemium su cloud proprietario (i servizi base sono gratuiti e quelli avanzati a pagamento) che già nella versione gratis si presenta molto completo.
QuiteRSS
Altro aggregatore open source molto solido e dotato di diverse funzioni, tra cui browser interno, modulo di ricerca, possibilità di mostrare o nascondere sempre le immagini, adblocker.
CREARE BOT
I più smanettoni possono anche prendere un FEED RSS ed utilizzarlo per creare un BOT, ossia un account social che pubblica automaticamente i contenuti di quel FEED. Su Matrix ad esempio é semplicissimo: ogni utente può creare un BOT utilizzando un Widget fornito dalla piattaforma stessa!.
Logo OPML
ALTRE INFO UTILI SUI FEED RSS
ESISTONO PIU’ VERSIONI DI RSS
L’RSS é uno standard composto da diversi “dialetti” (ben nove!). Questo significa che a volte un sito potrebbe utilizzare un tipo di RSS che il proprio Aggregatore non interpreta bene, ad esempio potrebbe credere che la data ed ora di pubblicazione del post siano il titolo o altri errori simili. In realtà la maggior parte degli Aggregatori riescono a distinguere e gestire questi dialetti ma ogni tanto qualche errore lo si incontra ancora
ATOM
Altra cosa da conoscere é ATOM, che può essere descritto come uno dei “dialetti” dell’RSS che però si é evoluto molto. Anche per quanto riguarda Atom la maggior parte degli Aggregatori sa gestirlo senza problemi.
XML
Nota tecnica: RSS ed ATOM si basano entrambi su un’altro standard chiamato XML. Ecco perché spesso si incontrano FEED il cui indirizzo termina per .xml
OPML
Inserire tanti FEED uno ad uno in un aggregatore può essere un lavoraccio! Ciò comporta che se un bel giorno volessi cambiare aggregatore dovresti rifare tutto daccapo? No: per fortuna sulla maggior parte degli Aggregatori é possibile esportare ed importare diversi feed in un unico file. L’OPML é di fatto il formato standard con cui questa operazione viene svolta. Per questo motivo é sempre bene assicurarsi che l’Aggregatore che si sta adottando sia in grado di gestire questo tipo di files.
IN CONCLUSIONE
Un Aggregatore RSS ben organizzato e con diverse fonti si rivela uno strumento efficacissimo per riuscire a navigare nel flusso oceanico di notizie tagliando fuori tutto ciò che non é necessario, dai fronzoli grafici ai commenti social, permettendo di confrontare rapidamente diverse fonti su una stessa notizia e di approcciarsi ad essa senza aver addosso tutto il “rumore” generato dai social. L’importante é trovare l’aggregatore più adatto a sé e, soprattutto all’inizio, impostarlo con feed diversi provenienti da fonti diverse.
Mastodon continua a crescere. Alle soglie dei 3 milioni e mezzo di utenti si aggiungono continuamente nuove Istanze le quali, connettendosi o meno tra loro, contribuiscono a creare reti sempre più articolate all’interno del Fediverso. Le nuove Istanze (ossia server Mastodon indipendenti, ognuno dei quali con le proprie regole, caratteristiche e policy) sono per forza di cose diversissime tra loro ed hanno esigenze, approcci e idee su “come dovrebbe essere un social” spesso assai distanti tra loro, per non parlare dei temi che trattano. Di questi “nuovi arrivi” su Mastodon, due in particolare hanno fatto discutere molto negli ultimi mesi.
Il secondo, più serio, riguarda invece Gab, sul quale é necessario spendere qualche parola. Gab é un social network per nazifascisti nato negli Stati Uniti nel 2016 e che fin dalla nascita é stato raggiungibile oltre che dal proprio sito web anche da apposite App per iOS ed Android. Data la sua natura, i contenuti che diffonde, il suo utilizzo da parte degli organizzatori di Charlottesville ed altri disgustosi personaggi, Gab é stato fin da subito al centro di diverse polemiche che si son protratte fino al punto che qualche mese fa le sue App sono state rimosse dal Play Store e dall’App Store ed é stato rescisso unilateralmente il contratto che Gab aveva col suo fornitore di hosting (colui che affittava il server che reggeva il social).
Gli amministratori del social neonazista, dunque, lasciati a piedi e banditi da ogni piattaforma, si son trovati in condizione di dover trovare una soluzione alternativa che li rendesse indipendenti dai ban dei provider tecnologici. Ed hanno adottato Mastodon.
GAB E’ORA UN’ISTANZA MASTODON
Questa scelta, dal punto di vista degli amministratori del social neonazista, presenta soprattutto due enormi vantaggi:
1: anziché dover creare, aggiornare ed ottimizzare un proprio software da zero, gli admin di Gab possono avvantaggiarsi del lavoro open source degli sviluppatori e contributors di Mastodon. Questo perché essendo software aperto é liberamente utilizzabile e modificabile da chiunque.
2: invece di dover sviluppare e far approvare delle App specifiche per il proprio social, possono appoggiarsi a diverse altre App per Mastodon già esistenti e presenti negli App Store. App che non vengono bannate perché non specifiche per Gab: bannarle sarebbe come bannare un browser perché ti permette di accedere a siti neonazisti.
Al solito, come abituale strategia dei nazifascisti, il tutto é avvenuto negando la loro natura di nazifascisti e mascherando il loro desiderio di seminare odio e falsità invocando “libertà d’espressione”.
La nuova Istanza Gab é grossa; i suoi amministratori affermano addirittura di avere già oltre un milione di account anche se esiste il forte sospetto che molti di questi possano essere account fasulli creati per far apparire il network molto più grande di quanto effettivamente sia. Ma veri o falsi che siano i suoi account, in ogni caso Gab resta un’Istanza di dimensioni considerevoli.
Va pure ricordato che non si tratta della prima istanza neonazista che ha adottato Mastodon ma di certo é la più grossa, nota ed aggressiva.
GRIDI D’ALLARME
L’arrivo di Gab su Mastodon non poteva che generare scompiglio e curiosità: Mastodon si é caratterizzato fin da subito come uno strumento utile a creare ambienti molto favorevoli alle comunità LGBT, anarchiche e libertarie, per cui l’arrivo di Gab é stato visto soprattutto dal di fuori del Fediverso un po come una sorta di “fine dei giochi” per il progetto Mastodon (il che é un po’una costante: é da quando Mastodon esiste che alcuni commentatori colgono ogni occasione per dire che il progetto “é finito” nonostante in realtà continui a crescere costantemente)
In effetti, sapere che una certa piattaforma social é usata da un gran numero di nazifascisti suona decisamente allarmante e se non sai come funziona una rete federata il primo pensiero che viene a chiunque é star lontano da quel social. Da questo punto di vista la notizia dell’arrivo dei nazisti su ha portato indubbiamente cattiva pubblicità a Mastodon.
C’é però qualcosa che non torna in questo grido d’allarme (e chi già sa come funzionano Mastodon ed il Fediverso lo sa bene): giusto per fare un esempio, chi scrive, pur utilizzando Mastodon su base quotidiana, di Gab ed i suoi contenuti non ha mai visto manco l’ombra.
Per capire come ciò sia possibile é necessario fare un passo indietro.
NON ESISTE -UN- SOCIAL CHIAMATO MASTODON: CI SONO TANTE ISTANZE MASTODON CHE INTERAGISCONO FRA LORO
Qui bisogna ricordare nuovamente un concetto base su come Mastodon é strutturato e funziona:
Ogni Istanza Mastodon é un social network indipendente che funziona indifferentemente dalle altre Istanze: é installato su un proprio server, ha i suoi admin, i suoi utenti e le sue regole e potrebbe benissimo funzionare anche se tutte le altre Istanze del mondo non esistessero.
Dopodiché, ognuna di queste Istanze, se lo vuole, é in grado di dialogare con le altre ma é altrettanto libera di bloccare o limitare i contatti con le Istanze che non gli son gradite.
Per fare un esempio: non ne abbiamo la certezza, ma possiamo scommettere un nichelino che rcsocial.net, un’Istanza Mastodon che si propone come spazio di discussione per utenti cattolici, abbia bloccato le Istanze porno-erotiche citate sopra. Questo vuol dire che gli utenti di rcsocial.net potranno interagire tra loro e magari con utenti di altre Istanze Mastodon ma non entreranno mai in contatto con gli utenti ed i contenuti erotici di sinblr.com o humblr.social.
Il punto é che:
“Mastodon” non é un social network ma una tecnologia condivisa da diversi social autonomi e indipendenti chiamati “Istanze” che possono essere in contatto a vicenda o meno.
Parlare di “Mastodon” come di un’unica entità é assurdo così come descrivere la tecnologia chiamata “email” come se fosse un social network.
DIVERSI LIVELLI DI INTERAZIONE E BLOCCO
Il modo migliore per capire come funziona Mastodon é ragionare sempre partendo dal punto di vista della tua Istanza (quella che hai scelto o che hai creato personalmente). Nel caso più comune tu sei un utente che si é iscritto ad una Istanza di tuo gradimento, le cui policy (regole) sono sostanzialmente in linea con quelle che ti saresti dato tu.
Nei confronti delle altre Istanze con cui c’é un rapporto paritario ed amichevole, la connessione con la tua Istanza é bilaterale: utenti e contenuti delle due Istanze possono interagire liberamente tra loro.
Ci sono però anche delle Istanze che la tua Istanza ritiene inaccettabili, vuoi perché spammano o sono popolate da troll, perché sono Istanze nazistoidi che diffondono contenuti d’odio o contenuti contrari alle policy che la tua Istanza s’é data. In questo caso gli admin della tua Istanza la possono bloccare cosicché nessuno degli utenti della tua Istanza entrerà mai in contatto con utenti e contenuti dell’Istanza inaccettabile.
C’é poi il caso delle Istanze discutibili: quelle i cui contenuti non sono ben visti/tollerati dalla tua Istanza, ma non sono tanto gravi da necessitare di un vero e proprio blocco. In questo caso gli admin possono silenziarle, ossia impostarne l’interazione in modo tale tu utente possa tranquillamente interagire con utenti e contenuti di queste Istanze discutibili, ma tali interazioni non saranno visibili agli altri utenti della tua Istanza. Per intenderci: se rispondi o boosti (“retwitti” / “riposti” / “condividi” ) contenuti di queste Istanze, questi non saranno visibili da tutti i membri della tua Istanza ma solo da quelli che già seguono chi hai boostato.
Con le Istanze amiche c’é interazione bidirezionale pura; le Istanze discutibili possono essere silenziate in modo da non dare visibilità condivisa all’interazione ma senza impedirla; le Istanze discutibili possono essere bloccate in modo tale che per gli utenti della tua Istanza é come se non esistezzero più
Non solo: ogni singolo utente é libero di decidere di bloccare solo per sé singoli utenti o intere Istanze. C’é un’Istanza che gli admin della tua Istanza ritengono amica ma che tu non sopporti? Puoi tranquillamente bloccarla e non vederne mai più alcun contenuto!
L’unica cosa che tu come utente non puoi decidere autonomamente fare é interagire con Istanze che gli admin della tua Istanza hanno bloccato.
OGNI ISTANZA CREA LA PROPRIA RETE CON CHI VUOLE E LASCIA FUORI CHI NON VUOLE.
Il risultato é che se sei utente di un’Istanza come sinblr.com, probabilmente avrai tantissime interazioni con altre Istanze in cui viene pubblicato materiale erotico-pornografico, con le quali interagirai bilateralmente senza problemi, mentre al contrario se sei membro di un’Istanza di ultracattolici tradizionalisti avrai rapporti con diverse altre Istanze ma coi contenuti di sinblr.com non avrai alcun contatto. Ogni Istanza, dunque, crea una propria rete personalizzata lasciando fuori coloro con cui proprio non vuole entrare in contatto.
Questo vuol dire che potrebbe perfettamente esserci una rete Mastodon di Istanze incentrate sul porno che non ha alcun contatto con una seconda rete di Istanze Mastodon di stampo tradizionalista. La logica conseguenza di questo meccanismo é che non esiste necessariamente UNA rete Mastodon:
Possono esistere molte reti Mastodon separate che non hanno alcuna interazione fra loro
Su Bida (mastodon.bida.im) i contenuti erotici-pornografici di per sé non sono vietati a patto che vengano postati con la maschera CW (“Content Warning”: avviso sul contenuto).
Toot con immagine coperta da maschera CW ed il messaggio d’avviso “Materiale sensibile”
In pratica i contenuti sensibili vengono postati con una “maschera” che oscura le immagini in questione e per vederle l’utente deve cliccarci appositamente sopra. Se un utente di Bida postasse ripetutamente contenuti senza maschera CW verrebbe ripreso dalla comunità, dagli admin ed in caso estremo bannato. Se un utente di Bida venisse in contatto con una diversa Istanza Mastodon in cui questo tipo di contenuti vengono postati senza alcuna maschera CW, con una segnalazione agli admin di Bida questa verrebbe bloccata.
Questo é il tipo di approccio che ha Bida con contenuti sensibili ma altre Istanze potrebbero avere approcci assai diversi. Per esempio una certa Istanza potrebbe pretendere il CW su immagini porno ma non su semplici nudi né su disegni erotici, mente un’altra Istanza potrebbe avere come regola quella di bannare pure i quadri rinascimentali che mostrano nudi.
Ecco perché é di fondamentale importanza scegliere la propria Istanza (o Istanze) di riferimento: a seconda che ci si iscriva ad un’Istanza o un’altra ci si può trovare con reti, contatti ed approcci lontanissimi tra loro perché, come ribadito sopra, ogni Istanza é sostanzialmente un social network diverso ed a seconda di quale vien scelto ci si può ritrovare in una rete assai ristretta in cui non c’é alcuna apertura e tolleranza verso posizioni distanti oppure in una rete indifferenziata ed indifferente alla presenza di contenuti odio, troll e spam o invece in una rete che si é ritagliata un mix di apertura e chiusura abbastanza vicina alle proprie esigenze.
Gab not Welcome
TORNIAMO A GAB
Ricapitolato il meccanismo su cui é basato Mastodon é ora facile intuire che peso possa avere Gab sulle altre Istanze/community di Mastodon che non vogliono entrare in contatto con i nazifascisti: quasi zero. Praticamente tutte le Istanze antifasciste hanno fin da subito bloccato Gab così come già avevano bloccato altre Istanze dai contenuti simili. Anche gli admin di Bida (mastodon.bida.im) hanno bloccato Gab nonappena si é saputo del suo arrivo su Mastodon e così facendo, su Bida, i contenuti neonazisti di Gab non si son praticamente mai visti. Inoltre diversi utenti si sono mobilitati per presidiare le proprie Istanze da eventuali utenti provocatori di Gab e segnalare eventuali micro-Istanze create solo per diffondere per vie traverse i contenuti di Gab. Le istanze amiche che condividono principi etici comuni si scambiano informazioni sulle Istanze che diffondono messaggi d’odio o materiali sensibili privi di maschere CW, tenendosi sempre aggiornate sull’ecosistema umano delle proprie reti.
In sostanza le reti Mastodon antifasciste hanno retto benissimo alla presenza di nazisti e provocatori, molto meglio di social commerciali e centralizzati come Facebook o Twitter.
Allarmarsi perché dei nazifascisti hanno creato un server social usando Mastodon non é troppo diverso dall’allarmarsi perché un gruppo di neonazisti ha messo su un server mail, IRC, XMPP, o un sito web utilizzando strumenti open source.
Insomma: di per sé non é possibile impedire che si crei una rete Mastodon nera. La si può magari isolare, mettere in un angolo e complicargli la vita in diversi modi (che adesso vedremo) ma impedirne del tutto l’esistenza é impossibile: se fosse possibile impedire l’esistenza di una rete nera attraverso strumenti tecnici, quegli stessi strumenti potrebbero essere altresì usati per impedire l’esistenza di qualsiasi rete o bloccare l’accesso a diversi contenuti che a programmatori o host non sono graditi.
Non ha senso criminalizzare di per sé l’email, il telefono, la stampa o altri sistemi di comunicazione liberi perché sono tecnicamente utilizzabili anche dai nazifascisti e dunque non ha senso criminalizzare la piattaforma tecnologica Mastodon perché viene utilizzata da questi.
Tuttavia seppur questi strumenti tecnologici non sono colpevolizzabili di per sé é anche vero che, volendo, é pur sempre possibile far in modo che quegli stessi strumenti non siano comodamente usufruibili per certi utilizzi, ma la cosa genera diversi problemi di ordine pratico ed etico.
Logo di Fedilab, client Mastodon al centro di polemiche perché non ha bloccato l’accesso a Gab
LA POSIZIONE DELLE APP
Uno strumento software open source é sostanzialmente un attrezzo che chiunque può utilizzare e modificare a piacimento e questo vale sia per il software di Mastodon che per quello di diverse App per utilizzare Mastodon su smartphone.
(NB: queste App sono chiamate in gergo client, termine che identifica applicazioni il cui scopo é quello di mettere l’utente in contatto con un server sul quale stanno effettivamente i contenuti)
Come già visto, le App per accedere a Gab erano state rimosse da App Store di iOS e Play Store di Android, ma si trattava di App specifiche per quel social e quello solamente. Al contrario le principali App per Mastodon non sono specifiche per una certa Istanza, ma sono utilizzabili per accedere a qualsiasi le Istanze che uno vuole, così come un browser può accedere anche a siti neonazisti ed un client Mail può essere usato per accedere ad un mailserver neofascista.
Questo crea un effetto non voluto: dopo che Apple e Google hanno bannato Gab in quanto bubbone seminatore di odio pestilenziale, proprio le le tecnologie open di Mastodon hanno permesso a a Gab di continuare ad essere alla portata di click su qualsiasi smartphone.
Se criminalizzare Mastodon in quanto strumento non ha senso, più discutibile é la posizione delle App. Non esistono App “ufficiali” di Mastodon per Smartphone, bensì diverse App realizzate da programmatori e software house indipendenti tra cui scegliere.
Qui sorge una domanda: é eticamente corretto che i programmatori di una App (magari open source) atta a connettersi ad una piattaforma social (questa certamente sì open source), possano decidere di impedire all’App di connettersi con certe Istanze? Può un browser impedirti di visitare un certo sito? O un software di mail impedirti di scambiarti le mail con certi indirizzi?
La questione é complessa e sul Fediverso, da diversi mesi si susseguono discussioni su questo argomento.
Le posizioni vanno dal “No: lo strumento deve essere liberamente aperto ed utilizzabile” al “E’ perfettamente legittimo che un programmatore crei software open al cui interno vi siano dei blocchi a contenuti fascisti: proprio perché é uno strumento open, se i fascisti vogliono utilizzarlo sono liberi di crearsi il proprio fork(*)”
(*) il fork é la versione modificata di un software.
Quest’ultima posizione é quella che all’atto pratico meglio potrebbe rispondere all’esigenza di isolare contenuti velenosi (o perlomeno renderne un po’ più complicata la diffusione) ma al tempo stesso potrebbe fungere da pericoloso precedente (in base alla stessa logica potrebbe essere realizzato un browser che non accede a siti il cui contenuto non é gradito ai programmatori).
Il fatto é che blocchi di questo tipo già esistono per quanto riguarda contenuti tecnici nocivi: un browser può avere dei filtri che gli impediscono d’accedere a siti che contengono codice malevolo (o perlomeno mostrano una serie di avvisi molto espliciti). Può aver senso applicare questa stessa logica a contenuti tossici?
Il punto é che la logica del blocco (o avviso di sicurezza) può essere applicata solo (1) riconoscendo l’eccezionalità dei contenuti fascisti nel loro non essere “opinione” ma totale negazione del dialogo e con i quali, dunque, non é possibile avere alcuna interazione sana; (2) esponendo con chiarezza le caratteristiche che definiscono i contenuti di questo tipo.
Il contenuto d’odio, insomma, potrebbe essere trattato come un contenuto criminale tout court (ad esempio come i siti per pedofili) o un malware (come per i siti affetti da virus e codice malevolo), magari con filtri a più livelli (finestre d’avviso per i casi discutibili e via via fino al blocco per i casi più gravi)?
In ogni caso va ribadito che l’idea di poter impedire la diffusione di messaggi d’odio solamente grazie a soluzioni software é pura illusione. Tuttalpiù questi possono servire per impedire a tali contenuti di esser diffusi con troppa semplicità.
QUINDI?
Se la gestione di contenuti da parte delle Istanze é intrinsecamente risolta dalla stessa struttura di Mastodon, la questione dei client genera ancora moltissima discussione esponendo approcci legittimi ma spesso contrastanti e che non verranno certo districate da questo post. Quel che però é certo é che su Mastodon, se non vuoi incontrare i nazisti, non ne incontrerai (giusto qualcuno magari, ma a malapena per il tempo necessario a bloccarlo e con lui l’intera Istanza che gli ha permesso di pubblicare i suoi contenuti tossici
Hai dei file a cui vuoi poter accedere facilmente da qualsiasi device? Li puoi caricare su NextCloud! Devi scrivere un testo assieme ad un’altra persona che vive lontano? C’é Etherpad! Vuoi inviare un file in modo riservato? Puoi usare Lufi! Ti serve una mappa online? Ma c’é OpenStreetMap! Vuoi condividere uno status ma solo con alcuni amici intimi? Puoi farlo con Friendica! Devi cercare qualcosa sul web? C’é SearX!
Insomma: chi te lo fa fare di usare servizi centralizzati il cui solo scopo é carpire informazioni su di te, se ci sono provider online che mettono a disposizione i migliori software open source?
SIAM PASSATI DALL’ESSER PERSONE CHE UTILIZZANO STRUMENTI AD ESSER CLIENTI DI SERVIZI CHE CI USANO
La maggior parte degli utenti possiede dei device (smartphone, tablet, computer fisso o portatile…) ma non ha in casa un proprio server personale con cui gestisce ed archivia i propri contenuti. Questo perché esistono dei fornitori commerciali di servizi online (provider come Google, Apple o Facebook) che mettono comodamente e spesso “gratuitamente” a disposizione tutta quella serie di servizi che altrimenti bisognerebbe installare/impostare/aggiornare/riparare da sé. Affidarsi a provider esterni, dunque, a primo acchito risulta comodo perché libera dall’onere di imparare a gestire gli strumenti su cui si regge la propria vita digitale.
E’soprattutto nella seconda metà degli anni 2000 che si affermano i principali provider di servizi online. É in quel momento che si sviluppano aziende e strumenti come Dropbox, Evernote, Facebook, Google Docs, iCloud, Twitter, Whatsapp, YouTube ecc. Nel giro di pochi anni però, tramite acquisizioni e battaglie commerciali, la situazione che si é venuta a creare é che i principali servizi online sono proprietà di soli cinque colossi americani: Amazon, Apple, Facebook, Google, Microsoft.
Cinque aziende commerciali che hanno nelle proprie mani la vita digitale di ogni individuo del pianeta, alcune delle quali sono state fondate con l’esplicito scopo di raccogliere, analizzare e vendere tutte le informazioni che possono sui propri utenti.
Non tutti ci han fatto caso, ma mentre questi provider nascevano e si facevano ogni giorno più forti é avvenuto nelle nostre vite un importantissimo doppio cambio di paradigma. Il tutto é avvenuto in maniera esplicita, alla luce del sole e nient’affatto misteriosa, solo che é avvenuto tanto in fretta e con un tale hype nei confronti della “tecnologia del futuro” che la maggior parte delle persone non se n’é curata: 1) si é passati dallo “strumento come strumento” allo “strumento come servizio” ed alla 2) cessione volontaria dei propri dati sensibili in cambio dell’utilizzo di tali servizi.
Il concetto, insomma, é che si é passati dal “possiedo carta e penna su cui scrivo quel che mi pare e poi se voglio lo tengo chiuso in un cassetto oppure lo consegno a chi mi pare ma sempre senza dover render conto a nessuno della mia scelta” al “Posso usare la fantastica penna di lusso e la fantastica carta della ditta X per scrivere tutto quel che mi pare, alla sola condizione che la ditta X leggerà tutto ciò che scrivo e ne farà quel che vorrà”.
Tu, utente, non “hai” Whatsapp. Quando dici che “hai Whatsapp” stai dicendo una stronzata.
Non hai idea di quali informazioni su di te il software di Whatsapp trasmette ai server di Facebook(i millisecondi che sei stato fermo su una foto? se ne hai allargato un dettaglio? se l’hai salvata? se hai salvato una schermata con quella porzione di chat? quanti errori grammaticali fai? in quali ore dormi? quali sono le persone di cui cancelli le chat?).
Non sai in che modo questi dati vengono interpretati (il numero di emoji usati in relazione alle volte in cui usi certe parole? quali sono le parole che usi solo con certe persone? i tuoi riferimenti culturali più comuni in relazione con la mappa dei tuoi spostamenti? le opinioni che hanno su di te i tuoi “amici” e che si scambiano nei messaggi privati?).
Non sai in che modo Whatsapp ti profila (ha intuito che forse tra te e una certa persona c’é una tresca in base all’analisi dei vostri tracciati GPS ed ai messaggi fasulli che avete inviato? ha dedotto le tue debolezze emotive utilizzabili come grimaldello propagandistico da una forza politica che avversi per confonderti le idee?)
L’ultimo punto probabilmente é il più importante. Si sa, che spesso il problema non é in chi trasmette informazioni (tu), ma in chi le legge (Facebook). Se Facebook interpretasse dalla tua attività online che sei potenzialmente una minaccia per il governo in carica e questa informazione fosse venduta proprio a qualcuno che lavora per il governo in carica beh, a seconda della natura di tale governo potresti passare decisamente dei brutti momenti.
LA SOLUZIONE IDEALE É AVERE IL PROPRIO SERVER A CASA
Possiamo girarci attorno finché si vuole, ma la verità é che l’unico software su cui puoi avere la massima fiducia é software FLOSS installato da te su un tuo device di proprietà, a cui solo tu hai accesso.
Idealmente, dunque, un web veramente libero dovrebbe essere composto da innumerevoli device e server personali su cui sono installati gli strumenti software che ognuno preferisce e per far sì che questo non porti ad una eccessiva frammentazione delle piattaforme, idealmente e pur mantenendo la propria indipendenza, queste dovrebbero comunque possedere un certo grado di interoperabilità (ad essempio costituendo una rete federata). Si tratta di uno scenario tecnicamente realistico, molto vicino a quello delle prime reti BBS all’alba di Internet e che qualcuno sta effettivamente cercando di far prender nuovamente piede. Gli strumenti ci sono e funzionano già a dovere. Quel che gli manca é solamente un’adozione massiccia.
Certo é pur vero che l’idea di fare self-hosting (ossia il possedere un proprio server personalizzato) può spaventare molte persone, nonostante gli strumenti per realizzarlo siano sempre più alla portata di chiunque (come ad esempio YuNoHost un sistema operativo pensato proprio per server casalinghi gestiti da un utente inesperto, già predisposto per ospitare un’Istanza Nextcloud, Matrix, Mastodon, XMPP, WordPress, SearX, Tiny Tiny RSS, Wallabag e praticamente tutto quel che riguarda la vita digitale di ognuno).
Capiamoci: siamo nel 2019; i computer esistono ormai da eoni, ma anche a voler restare stretti e concentrarci solo sul periodo in cui questi sono entrati in massa nelle case, stiam parlando comunque di 25-30 annima la conoscenza media di questi strumenti é perlopiù limitata all’utilizzo più superficiale. La situazione può essere paragonata allo scenario in cui milioni di automobilisti che, pur sapendo guidare, ignorassero totalmente cosa siano il motore, le pastiglie dei freni o la batteria, ma si accontentassero di sapere che girare il volante a sinistra fa girare a sinistra anche le ruote, credendo così di sapere come funziona un’automobile.
Il fatto é che, come già detto, siamo nel 2019: non si pretende certo che tutti diventino dei provetti meccanici-hacker, ma almeno che si diffonda una conoscenza generale giusto un minimo più accorta. Insomma: basterebbe che si sapesse che sotto il cofano c’é una cosa chiamata motore e più o meno in base a quali princìpi funziona.
La cosa ancor più drammatica é che le conoscenze base per potersi muovere in campo informatico (una spolverata di teoria, imparare ad installare un sistema operativo, compiere operazioni di maintenance, usare motori di ricerca come si deve ed alcuni concetto-base di sicurezza informatica) possono essere apprese con un corso di sette giorni, meno che per la patente, ma nonostante l’utilizzo dei device informatici sia una costante su base quotidiana per milioni di persone, ancora troppo poche hanno “fatto il corso di sette giorni”.
STRUMENTI FLOSS
Come già esposto in altri articoli, esistono da anni diversi strumenti FLOSS (ossia software aperto, gratuito e liberamente utilizzabile) che non hanno nulla da invidiare ai loro corrispettivi commerciali. Anzi, in molti casi gli strumenti FLOSS sono pure tecnicamente più avanzati delle loro controparti, tanto che moltissimo software che utilizziamo quotidianamente (come Chrome o Whatsapp) non é che una versione modificata di software FLOSS. L’unica pecca del software FLOSS, semmai, deriva dal fatto che essendo utilizzao da meno utenti, spesso ha una quantità minore di contenuti: la quantità di roba che vien pubblicata sui social open durante una giornata equivale forse a quella che su Facebook vien pubblicato in un minuto. Di conseguenza vi é anche minor spinta a venir incontro agli interessi di un pubblico che si trova altrove. Si tratta della classica situazione del gatto che cerca di mordersi la coda: gli utenti non adottano un sistema se non ci son gran quantità di contenuti, ma non possono esserci gran quantità di contenuti se non ci sono utenti.
Per dirla in altro modo, tornando alla metafora automobilistica: finché tutti continueranno a voler usare ruote di legno, quel tizio strano che ha avuto l’idea di fare ruote di gomma resterà confinato nella sua bottega a fare le ruote di gomma una-ad-una per i suoi clienti affezionati, ma non riuscirà mai a metter su una fabbrica per produrle in serie. Questo a meno che non ci sia una forte spinta ad adottare in massa tali ruote di gomma, ma si tratta di una spinta che non verrà mai dalle grandi aziende produttrici di ruote di legno.
Una selezione di strumenti e piattaforme commerciali libere e la loro controparte commerciale
SERVIZI VISIBILI vs. VANTAGGI INVISIBILI
Una delle difficoltà maggiori riguardanti il software FLOSS é il riuscir a far capire il loro valore ad una popolazione che, come già detto, ha giusto delle vaghe conoscenze informatiche. Spiegare i vantaggi degli strumenti FLOSS a chi é privo di ogni base informatica spesso suona difficile come cercar di spiegare com’é possibile che gli aerei si librino nell’aria ad una popolazione vive nel terrore che la Luna caschi dal cielo.
Per esempio: quando si parla di privacy e protezione dei dati personali sul web, solitamente l’immagine che viene evocata dall’utente comune é quella del tizio parte-hacker-parte-007-parte-esattore-di-Equitalia che traffica sul web per carpire informazioni piccanti o spiacevoli sulla tua persona, ossia uno scenario da film complottista che, pur non essendo impossibile, nella maggior parte dei casi risulta alquanto improbabile: a chi mai interessa cosa faccia nella vita privata il signor Gino del quinto piano? Certo però che quelle stesse informazioni diventano estremamente interessanti se acquisibili in massa assieme a quelle di milioni di altre persone…
In realtà ciò che avviene nella maggior parte dei casi é che le informazioni dettagliatissime che hai fornito su di te vengono utilizzate all’interno dei cosiddetti big data per impostare argomentazioni politiche, saggiare il terreno su certi argomenti senza tener conto dello scarto fra vita reale e vita sul web e soprattutto, per modificare il discorso pubblico prevalente su determinate questioni.
Il tuo profilo, il tuo singolo profilo utente, di per sé ha scarso valore (a meno che tu non sia un VIP o un noto criminale). Ma se il tuo profilo fa parte di un bouquet di milioni di profili allora la cosa cambia!
Quel che avviene é che i committenti hanno modo di influenzare quali e quante informazioni riceverai, facendo sì che sui social certe notizie appaiano nella tua Timeline ma non in quella del tuo vicino o che ti venga suggerito si seguire certi contatti e non altri. Le informazioni che hai fornito su di te sono uno strumento impagabile affinché queste modifiche riescano ad essere cucite proprio apposta per te.
Non é un caso se milioni di persone vengono portate a credere a cose del tutto false o a consolidare idee che, se non ci fosse controllo sui contenuti che ricevono, non sarebbero difese con tanta irrazionalità. Chi manipola quel ti vien detto, non fa altro che indirizzare il tuo modo di pensare.
In poche parole, scegliere di utilizzare le grosse piattaforme centralizzate del data-mining (letteralmente “estrazione dati”, ossia ciò che fanno Facebook, Google ecc) equivale a buttarsi nel mare in cui viene effettuata la più imponente e specialistica pesca a strascico del mondo: una pesca a strascico smart che se da un lato coinvolge tutti i pesci nel mare, nessuno escluso, dall’altro non uccide i pesci, ma li lascia in acqua, studiandoli tanto a fondo da capire come fare a far sì che ogni singolo pesce poi nuoti nella direzione che il pescatore desidera.
In sostanza più informazioni personali forniamo alle grandi compagnie di data mining e più aiutiamo chi manipola le informazioni sui media mainstream; più aiutiamo chi vuole seminare odio in maniera mirata; più aiutiamo le società di marketing a renderci dipendenti dai loro prodotti. Un esempio su tutti? In Italia, da anni, il numero di crimini violenti é in calo costante. Non é una novità: ogni anno i quotidiani pubblicano i nuovi dati e da anni, appunto, si annuncia che sono calati rispetto all’anno prima. Eppure la percezione diffusa é che invece siano in aumento. Stessa cosa per il numero di stranieri residenti in Italia: oltre il 73% degli italiani ne sovrastima il numero. Certo, la percezione pubblica non viene modificata dai soli social, anche i media hanno un ruolo fondamentale in questo, ma é innegabile che oggi il grosso di questo lavoro avvenga proprio sui social.
I recenti scandali legati a Facebook, Cambridge Analytica, la Brexit,il Russiagate ed i sospetti di intervento esterno sui social durante diverse campagne elettorali non sono che l’aspetto più macroscopico e noto dell’intreccio fra big data, politica e manipolazione dell’opinione pubblica.
Ecco, tutto questo fa parte di ciò che l’utente medio fa fatica a vedere e tra un’app per mandare immagini di gattini con musichette carine ed un’app che fa lo stesso ma meno pubblicizzata e usata da meno utenti, sceglierà la prima, anche se la seconda ha caratteristiche migliori ed é più adatta a proteggerne le informazioni personali.
Socialità quantitativa e strumenti che necessitano apprendimento raso-zero sono, purtroppo, i fattori determinanti per la scelta delle piattaforme da utilizzare. Restando all’esempio automobilistico, é come dire che il mondo preferisce le auto senza specchietti, frecce, cinture di sicurezza ed altri dispositivi di protezione “perché é roba da nerd maniaci” e si é adattato a ritenere che beh, é normale che ogni automobilisca faccia qualche incidente e perda qualche arto.
PROVIDER OPEN SOURCE
Se proprio non si ha modo o voglia di self-hostare i propri strumenti software, un buon compromesso fra self-hosting ed il ricorso ai provider di servizi commerciali come Facebook o Google é quello di rivolgersi a dei provider online di software open source. In pratica, se Google mette a disposizione i suoi strumenti (Google Calendari, Contatti, Drive, Mail, Ricerca, Documenti, Fogli, Presentazioni, ecc…) ed anche Apple fa altrettanto con i propri (iCloud, Contatti, Pages, Numbers, ecc…), così come fa Facebook (Facebook, Messenger, Instagram, Whatsapp) e tutti quei provider che mettono a disposizione il proprio unico strumento (L’azienda Evernote mette a disposizione lo strumento Evernote, l’azienda Twitter mette a disposizione lo strumento Twitter ecc.) esistono anche diversi provider che invece mettono a disposizione applicazioni FLOSS che, se l’utente volesse, potrebbe tranquillamente scaricarsi e installare su un tuo server personale, essendo tutto software aperto e liberamente scaricabile (quindi, chiunque abbia le necessarie competenze tecniche, può verificare cosa fa davvero il software “sotto il cofano” e come).
La comodità di questa soluzione é indubbia: hai un server sempre attivo accessibile 24/24 che viene mantenuto efficiente, aggiornato e riparato da qualcun’altro cosicché tu possa accedervi senza problemi.
L’idea alla base dei provider di applicazioni FLOSS é che anziché esserci solo 4 o 5 colossali provider cui si rivolgono tutti, possano invece esserci centinaia, migliaia, milioni di server che offrono una vastità di strumenti che però siano compatibili tra loro o addirittura federati.
Una piccola digressione: Framasoft é un provider che fornisce una propria Istanza Mastodon, mentre Bida é un altro provider che fa altrettanto. Pur essendo due provider distinti (sotto un certo punto di vista é come dire Apple e Facebook) entrambi mettono a disposizione lo stesso strumento, Mastodon, che ha la peculiarità di essere federato. Ciò significa che gli utenti che usano l’Istanza Mastodon di Framasoft e quelli che usano l’Istanza Mastodon di Bida potranno interagire fra loro come se fossero su un’unica grande chat. Volendo fare un paragone, sia iChat che Whatsapp, i software di chat di Apple e Facebook, sono stati entrambisviluppati in base ad XMPP, che é software FLOSS. Questo vuol dire che tecnicamente sarebbe semplicissimo far dialogare tra loro Whatsapp ed iMessage, ma ciò non avviene puramente a causa di bagarre commerciali.
A questo punto però sorge spontanea una domanda: perché non fidarsi di Facebook e Google ma fidarsi di un provider open source? Si tratta pur sempre di dover riporre fiducia in qualcuno che (presumibilmente) non si conosce ed a cui si affidano i propri dati personali. L’osservazione é in effetti corretta e l’unica risposta sensata é che così come non ci si può fidare dell’uno non ci si dovrebbe fidare nemmeno dell’altro.
Ma ci sono dei “ma”.
Innanzitutto i maggiori provider di servizi commerciali come Facebook e Google sono ESPLICITAMENTE basati sulla lettura, analisi e compravendita dei contenuti che noi forniamo. Da cosa guadagnano Facebook e Google? Qualcosina sì dalla pubblicità, ma il grosso dei guadagni, quello che ha rende Mark Zuckerberg uno degli uomini più ricchi del mondo, é la vendita delle informazioni degli utenti.
ETICA DICHIARATA: Dall’altra, la maggior parte dei provider open source é realizzata e mantenuta da persone, comunità e collettivi che esplicitamente combattono l’utilizzo a fini commerciali delle informazioni degli utenti. Ci si può fidare o meno, ma rivolgersi ai big equivale alla certezza che la vendita dei propri dati avvenga.
SOFTWARE NON TRACCIANTE: Il software utilizzato é caratterizzato dal fatto di chiedere solo i dati strettamente necessari per funzionare (talvolta non chiedono proprio nulla) in modo da ridurre al minimo le possibilità di profilazione dell’utente. Certo, un provider potrebbe aver modificato il software sul suo server senza dichiararlo, ma come vedremo nei prossimi punti, potrebbe essere un’opzione poco interessante per il provider stesso.
FRAMMENTAZIONE INTERNA: I vari servizi offerti dai provider di software open source sono spesso scollegati fra loro. Questo significa che di solito non c’é un’unico nome utente e password per tutti i servizi. In questo modo se anche usassi in contemporanea l’Istanza Mastodon ed i fogli di calcolo dello stesso provider, lui potrebbe credere che ciò venga fatto da due utenti diversi.
FRAMMENTAZIONE PERSONALE: Nulla t’impedisce di rivolgerti a più provider contemporaneamente, frammentando le tue informazioni personali un pò qua ed un po là. Se due o più profider forniscono gli stessi software (per esempio NextCloud), usare l’uno o l’altro non comporterà alcuna difficoltà di apprendimento. Ad esempio puoi usare l’Istanza Mastodon del provider A, il server Matrix del provider B e gli strumenti office del provider C e gestirli come se fossero di tre utenti differenti, in modo che nessuno di questi abbia la totalità delle informazioni sul tuo conto.
FRAMMENTAZIONE GLOBALE: Se le informazioni di tutti stanno su Facebook e Google, é sufficiente acquistare informazioni da quei due provider per avere un database su milioni di persone. Se invece questi milioni di utenti fossero sparpagliati su migliaia di server interconnessi da poche migliaia di utenti l’uno, chi volesse farsi un database altrettanto massiccio dovrebbe contattare (o hackerare) uno-ad-uno migliaia di server. Lo sforzo sarebbe di per sé immane. Se poi si considera che, come visto, le informazioni che si troverebbero in mano sarebbero molto meno dettagliate ed interessanti di quelle fornite da Facebook, é chiaro che i server di servizi FLOSS risultano strutturalmente poco utili per chi vuol commerciare informazioni personali.
CHE STRUMENTI VENGONO MESSI A DISPOSIZIONE?
Gli strumenti messi a disposizione dai provider sono un’infinità e spaziano dagli strumenti per ufficio (scrittura collaborativa, fogli di calcolo, mappe mentali), web hosting (tipo Dropbox, iCloud, Google Drive ecc.), social, chat personali, strumenti per programmatori… Per farla breve: pensa ad un servizio online che usi comunemente ed e sappi che ne esiste anche la versione libera e aperta, fatta eccezione giusto per i fornitori di media mainstream coperti da copyright come Spotify o Netflix e iTunes, ecco, ma se pensi a Evernote, Dropbox, Twitter, Facebook, Google Maps, Gmail, Whatsapp, le ricerche su Google, iWork e tutti quegli strumenti che usi quotidianamente online beh, ognuno di questi ha la sua controparte libera!
Alcuni di questi strumenti sono parzialmente sovrapponibili; un esempio é l’applicazione Turtl che é sia un gestore appunti (Notebook) che uno strumento per archiviare link interessanti (Bookmark manager) che fa dunque un pò quello che fa Evernote ed un pò quello che fa Pocket. Questo per dire che in alcuni casi la definizione usata per classificare questi strumenti può essere poco esaustiva.
Altra cosa interessare é che uno stesso provider può mettere a disposizione più strumenti che fanno la stessa cosa (ad esempio due diversi tipi di calendario o di strumenti di scrittura). La cosa può confondere un attimo chi non é abituato a dover scegliere tra opzioni diverse con uno stesso provider, ma va tutta a favore della personalizzazione (ti trovi scomodo ad usare EtherPad? Nessun problema: abbiamo anche PadLand!)
Certi strumenti software sono molto popolari e vengono messi a disposizione da diversi provider (per esempio, chi offre un servizio di data hosting nel 99% dei casi utilizza NextCloud), che però ne personalizzano un pò l’estetica, a volte alcune funzioni e spesso anche il nome (per esempio, il server Nextcloud messo a disposizione da Framapiaf viene chiamato “Framadrive”). Altri invece, sono più rari.
ELENCO PROVIDER OPEN SOURCE
Questo post non é incentrato sulle funzionalità dei singoli strumenti software e qui si vuol solo elencare una serie di provider di strumenti FLOSS che, volendo, un utente potrebbe anche installarsi su un proprio server. Pertanto l’elenco non comprende siti che mettono a disposizione un unico strumento software (tipo mastodon.social che mette a disposizione solamente la propria Istanza Mastodon) e/o strumenti software non hostabili privatamente (tipo DuckDuckgo)
A/I é il principale riferimento italiano per quanto riguarda collettivi antagonisti e anticapitalisti impegnati per i diritti digitali. Offre tutta una serie di strumenti con un fortissimo occhio di riguardo a sicurezza e protezione dati.
Disroot é un’organizzazione di hacktivisti di impronta libertaria impegnata a far conoscere le tecnologie aperte ed a diffondere una maggior cultura della privacy informatica.
Framasoft é un’importante associazione francese il cui scopo é quello di diffondere l’uso di tecnologia FLOSS. Framasoft organizza incontri, corsi ed un gran numero di attività diverse. In particolare sta portando avanti il progetto di de-googleizzare il web, facendo conoscere tutti gli strumenti già esistenti ed utilizzabili anche senza dover per forza rivolgersi alle big company dell’informatica. Gli strumenti che offre Framasoft sono davvero tantissimi e non sarà possibile elencarli tutti, ma ci si prova. Una caratteristica particolare é che Framasoft ribattezza gran parte degli strumenti offerti “Frama(qualcosa)”. Il sito é in francese ma gran parte é tradotto in inglese e sempre più pagine sono tradotte anche in italiano.
Librem é il marchio dei prodotti e servizi open dell’azienda Purism. Purism produce computer desktop e smartphone di alta fascia che promettono una alta attenzione al rispetto della privacy e della sicurezza informatica. I servizi della linea Librem derivano da strumenti FLOSS che però vengono fortemente personalizzati e rinominati “Librem(qualcosa)”; per esempio, il server Mastodon offerto da Framasoft si chiama FramaPiaf.
Nixnet é creato e gestito apparentemente da una sola persona, Amolith, che mette a disposizione gli stessi strumenti che lui utilizza. Molto servizi sono utilizzabili anche attraverso TOR e c’é forte attenzione su sicurezza e criptatura dei messaggi.
RiseUp é un collettivo di Seattle ma con membri sparsi in tutto il mondo. É attivo dal 1999 e si adopera per una società libera ed una lete altrettanto libera.
Tu scrivi “A che ora ci vediamo?” su Riot. Il messaggio arriva su Telegram, dove l’altra persona scrive “Facciamo per le cinque?” e la risposta la leggi tranquillamente stando sempre su Riot. Non male, vero? Ed é ancora più interessante sapendo che potenzialmente si può far la stessa cosa con TUTTE le piattaforme di chat esistenti: Whatsapp, Skype, Mastodon, iMessage…
Ma intanto limitiamoci a Telegram e vediamo una guida passo-passo su come far interagire Matrix e Telegram in pochi, semplici passaggi.
In una serie di articoli precedenti abbiamo già illustrato:
L’ultimo post, quello sui sui bridge, é una panoramica che illustra una caratteristica interessantissima di Matrix, ovvero la sua capacità di connettere e far dialogare piattaforme di comunicazione diverse. In pratica con Matrix é possibile creare una stanza (un gruppo di discussione in chat) in cui far interagire utenti che usano Matrix con utenti che usano Whatsapp, utenti che usano Telegram, utenti che usano iMessage, IRC, XMPP, Slack, Discord, Facebook o quant’altro, tutti nella stessa chat. Per fare questo Matrix utilizza dei “programmi aggiuntivi” chiamati appunto bridge.
In sostanza: Matrix é il sistema base, i bridge sono dei componenti aggiuntivi ognuno dei quali permette a Matrix di interagire con una piattaforma di comunicazione diversa (ci sono bridge per Whatsapp, Mastodon, Telegram, ecc.).
In realtà questi bridge sono ancora in via di sviluppo e non sono del tutto pronti per un uso da parte dall’utente comune. In particolare, attualmente, uno dei più grossi scogli é che nella maggioranza dei casi i bridge vanno installati su un proprio server Matrix personale e quindi se non si possiede un server proprio non si ha modo di adoperarli.
Alcuni però si possono già utilizzare.
La maggior parte dei server Matrix di solito offre già alcuni bridge: quello per Slack, (un social molto utilizzato fuori dall’Italia, perlopiù in ambito lavorativo)Discord(social utilizzato soprattutto tra i gamers) e per alcuni dei principali server IRC(sistema di comunicazione nato nel 1988 ed ancora utilizzatissimo soprattutto tra programmatori e hacker).
Ma esiste anche t2bot.io, un server che offre alcuni strumenti aggiuntivi per Matrix tra cui, soprattutto, un bridge Telegram.
Questo bridge Telegram é una versione semplificata del bridge Mautrix, che non é l’unico bridge per Telegram ma é quello attualmente più utilizzato (ricordiamo ancora che i bridge sono ancora in via di sviluppo, per cui é normale che possano esistere più bridge che fanno le stesse cose).
Poiché t2bot.io offre una versione semplificata del bridge, alcune sue funzioni, come vedremo, sono limitate ma per la parte che ci interessa fa il suo dovere!
Le istruzioni su come usare il bridge erano già state illustrate nel precedente post sul bridging ma qui vogliamo andare un po più in dettaglio con una vera e propria guida passo-passo.
ISTRUZIONI PASSO-PASSO
L’idea é quella di creare un gruppo Telegram ed una stanza Matrix e metterli in comunicazione fra loro. La procedura che segue può essere effettuata anche con gruppi/stanze già esistenti (il gruppo Telegram “Passeggiate in campagna” e la stanza Matrix “Fotografia all’aria aperta” possono così diventare un’unica grande chat anche se poi, dargli lo stesso nome, sicuramente aiuterebbe a rendere il tutto più chiaro). L’operazione che stiamo facendo in inglese si chiama bridging e la connessione che si stabilisce tra le due piattaforme é chiamata portal.
SU TELEGRAM
1) Dalla schermata principale premiamo l’icona in alto a destra per creare una nuova conversazione
2) Selezioniamo New Group (nuovo gruppo)
3) Invitiamo nel gruppo l’utente @matrix_t2bot Si tratta di un bot (un programma che agisce come fosse un utente Telegram) che si occuperà di tutte le operazioni di bridging. Una volta che Telegram l’ha trovato, selezioniamolo.
4) Proseguiamo cliccando su Next (Potremo aggiungere i nostri contatti in seguito)
5) Diamo un nome al gruppo e confermiamo premendo Create
6) A questo punto il gruppo Telegram é creato e tra i suoi membri c’é il bot @matrix_t2bot!
7)Scriviamo /id nella chat e premiamo invio. Si tratta di un comando per il bot in cui gli chiediamo qual’é il codice ID (identificativo) di questo gruppo.
8) Dopo qualche secondo (a volte può volerci mezzo minuto!) il bot ci risponderà dicendo il codice ID di questo gruppo. Si tratta di un numero di nove cifre preceduto dal segno meno (“-“). Segnamoci il codice ID da qualche parte.
SU RIOT
1) Dalla schermata principale, premiamo il tasto “+” per creare una nuova conversazione
2) Selezioniamo Create room (“Crea stanza”)
3) A questo punto abbiamo creato una stanza ancora priva di utenti e di un nome. Premiamo sul tasto “>” per impostarla.
4) Selezioniamo Settings
5) Diamo un nome alla stanza (per semplicità usiamo lo stesso nome dato alla stanza Telegram) e confermiamo premendo Done
6) Premiamo nuovamente il tasto “>” per tornare nei dettagli della stanza
7) E poi premiamo il tasto col logo di “invita utenti”
8) Invitiamo nella stanza l’utente @telegram:t2bot.ioSi tratta del bot gemello di quello invitato nel gruppo Telegram. I due bot lavoreranno in tandem per connettere le due piattaforme: sono loro che si occuperanno di trasmettere i messaggi da una piattaforma all’altra! Una volta che Matrix l’ha trovato, invitiamolo nella stanza premendo il tasto “+”
9) Matrix ci chiede una conferma. Premiamo Invite
10) Ora che il bot é stato aggiunto alla stanza possiamo tornare alla chat vera e propria premendo il tasto “<“
11) Scriviamo nella chat il comando !tg bridge seguito dal codice ID del gruppo Telegram (il numero di nove cifre preceduto dal segno meno “-” che ci eravamo segnati!) e premiamo Send. Per esempio: [ !tg bridge -123456789 ] Questo é il comando più importante: quello che dice al bot di creare il bridge.
12) A questo punto il bot ci informa che in questa stanza non esiste ancora alcun portale con il gruppo Telegram indicato e ci chiede di dare un comando per attivarlo.
13) Scriviamo nella chat il comando !tg continue e premiamo Send
14) Dopo qualche secondo il bot ci informa che il bridging é completo e che la sincronizzazione delle chat comincerà a momenti. Ancora qualche secondo (può volerci un minuto) ed appaiono le notifiche di iscrizione: il bot ha aggiunto alla stanza Matrix gli utenti del gruppo Telegram!
15) FATTA!
TELEGRAM & MATRIX
A questo punto tutto ciò che vien scritto nel gruppo Telegram appare nella stanza Matrix e viceversa. La consegna dei messaggi può forse impiegare qualche secondo ma funziona a dovere. Possiamo quindi fare alcune osservazioni:
IL BOT SU TELEGRAM E’ -TUTTI GLI UTENTI MATRIX-
Telegram vuole avere solo utenti registrati con numero di telefono ma gli utenti Matrix non sono registrati su Telegram. Quel che succede é che Telegram non vede i singoli utenti Matrix ma solo il bot @matrix_t2bot.io. In pratica, se in una stanza/gruppo ci fossero quattrocento utenti Matrix e cinque utenti Telegram, guardando l’elenco utenti su Telegram ne vedremmo solo sei: i cinque utenti Telegram più il bot, che fa da portavoce per tutti gli utenti Matrix.
Su Telegram dunque non vedremo gli utenti Matrix chiamati Giulia, Filippo, Roberta. Al posto loro vedremo solo l’utente “Matrix Telegram Bridge” che in pratica posta messaggi del tipo “Giulia ha detto…”, “Filippo ha detto…”.
Difatti quando il bot pubblica un messaggio, prima del testo c’é il nome dell’utente Matrix che l’ha scritto.
Al contrario, Matrix non ha problemi sulle registrazioni e quindi crea per ogni utente Telegram un utente “gemello” su Matrix. Restando all’esempio appena fatto, guardando l’elenco utenti su Matrix ne vedremmo tutti e 407: i quattrocento utenti Matrix, i cinque utenti Telegram ed i due bot. Su Matrix, insomma, la gestione degli utenti é decisamente più “pulita”.
CHAT NON SICURA
la comunicazione tramite bridge, al momento, non permette la crittografia del testo inviato e ricevuto e pertanto i messaggi vengono trasmessi in chiaro.
STICKER ED EFFETTI SPECIALI
Telegram può inviare sticker a Matrix ma questi non sono visualizzabili dalla versione per smartphone di Riot (nella versione desktop invece si vedono). Al contrario, Riot non può proprio mandare sticker verso Telegram.
LOGIN
La procedura che abbiamo eseguito passo-passo ha permesso di creare un portale tra una stanza Matrix ed un gruppo Telegram. Tuttavia il bridge utilizzato, Mautrix, permetterebbe anche di sincronizzare un singolo account Matrix con un singoloaccount Telegram. Questo significa che se un utente Matrix avesse anche un vero e proprio account Telegram (ossia registrato con numero di telefono), grazie al bot tutto ciò che scrivesse su Matrix col suo account Matrix, apparirebbe su Telegram come scritto dal suo account Telegram. In sostanza gli utenti Telegram potrebbero interagire con lui senza mai sapere che in realtà sta scrivendo da Matrix. In realtà questa funzione é solo parzialmente disponibile nella versione del bridge Mautrix presente su t2bot.io (che, come detto, é una versione semplificata). La procedura di login é possibile ed ha alcuni vantaggi (una volta fatto il login, se si crea un nuovo gruppo su Telegram, il bot ne crea in automatico il gruppo gemello su Matrix; i gruppi a cui ci si unisce su Telegram, appaiono immediatamente anche su Matrix) ma al momento non ci pare funzionare benissimo e quindi lo tratteremo in un post successivo.
NOTIFICHE DI LETTURA
Il bridge non trasmette notifiche di lettura tra le due piattaforme. Gli utenti Telegram vedranno le notifiche di lettura degli altri utenti Telegram e gi utenti Matrix vedranno le notifiche di lettura degli altri utenti Matrix.
NOME UTENTE E FOTO PROFILO
Su Matrix l’utente Telegram appare col suo nome utente e con la sua foto profilo. Se su Telegram questi cambiano, cambieranno anche su Matrix (anche se a volte può metterci diversi minuti a ricevere la modifica). Al contrario Telegram vede solo il bot e riporta solo l’account di chi scrive senza mai mostrare la foto profilo.
INVIO FOTO, VIDEO, PDF
Per l’invio di foto e video non c’é alcun problema in entrambe le direzioni. I messaggi vocali di Telegram vengono inviati a Matrix ma la versione per smartphone di Riot non é in grado di ascoltarli (la versione per Desktop invece non ha problemi): nella chat di Riot appare un file audio e cliccandoci verrà chiesto con che applicazione aprirla. Un qualsiasi lettore audio, ad esempio VLC, riprodurrà il file senza problemi. Anche per i pdf e file di testo di diversi formati (txt, rtf) non c’é nessun problema.
Un elemento di confusione é dato dal fatto che quando un utente Matrix posta un file, il bot lo su Telegram lo trasmette ma senza dire quale utente Matrix l’abbia postato!
CHIAMATE AUDIO E VIDEO
Impossibili perché Telegram non le gestisce.
GEOLOCALIZZAZIONE
Telegram può inviare la propria posizione geolocalizzata a Matrix ma questa non la riconoscerà perché Matrix non gestisce dati di geolocalizzazione e quindi mostrerà un messaggio di “invalid attachment” (allegato non valido). Per poter trasmettere dati GPS il modo corretto é possibile utilizzare una applicazione apposita, ad esempio un’app di OpenStreetMaps, e da questa inviare attraverso l’applicazione di comunicazione (sia esso Riot o Telegram) le sole e semplici coordinate GPS in formato testuale.
GRUPPI, CANALI ECC.
Il bridge funziona con i gruppi Telegram ma non sui canali né con le “Chat segrete”. In teoria il bot può essere aggiunto a qualsiasi gruppo ma a patto che si abbia il permesso di invitare nuovi membri e bot. In sostanza: se volessimo portare su Matrix dei gruppi Telegram pubblici di cui siamo semplici membri, dovremmo chiedere ai loro admin se vogliono aggiungere i bot e fare il bridging.
UN MILIONE DI BRIDGE!!!
Una stanza Matrix può essere sincronizzata con un solo gruppo Telegram. Tuttavia nulla vieta di aggiungere alla stanza altri bridge che la colleghino a piattaforme diverse (beninteso che, come ricordato all’inizio, questa cosa al momento la si può fare solo se si possiede un proprio server Matrix). Oltre al bridge per Telegram si potrebbe aggiungere alla stanza un bridge per Whatsapp, uno per IRC, uno per XMPP ecc. Il risultato é che non solo l’utente Matrix sarebbe in contatto con gli utenti di tutte le altre piattaforme, ma anche gli utenti delle altre piattaforme potranno comunicare fra loro grazie al bridge di Matrix!
Matrix dunque si trova nella situazione di poter fungere da anello di congiunzione ed asse portante fra tutte le piattaforme di comunicazione esistenti: se Luca é su Whatsapp ma Sara é su Telegram, i due ovviamente non possono comunicare tra di loro, ma se un terzo utente li collega entrambi tramite bridging, ecco che anche un utente Whatsapp può comunicare con un utente Telegram!
Lo scenario che si prospetta in una stanza Matrix con diversi bridge attivi é una cosa di questo tipo:
Appare forse adesso più chiaro il modo in cui il protocollo Matrix si prefigge di avere un ruolo assolutamente centrale nel panorama della comunicazione digitale: una sorta di passepartout, un adattatore universale, un centro di smistamento… Insomma: una rete universale che si pone al centro di tutte le altre reti, mettendole in comunicazione fra loro!
Per maggiori informazioni sul bridge Telegram é possibile contattare direttamente l’admin di t2bot.io nella stanza Matrix #help:t2bot.io
Grazie ad Anna, Anxma, Leodurruti e Maupao per l’aiuto nel testare bridge, stanze ecc.
Una domanda necessaria: perchè, tra tutte le piattaforme di comunicazioni disponibili, qualcuno dovrebbe sceglierne una piuttosto banale, fornita da un’azienda di data mining (ossia raccolta, elaborazione e vendita di informazioni personali) potente e pericolosa come Facebook?
I software di chat esistono da prima che Whatsapp esistesse ed hanno offerto praticamente gli stessi servizi se non addirittura di più, ma quest’ultimo si é imposto grazie a due soli motivi: una fortissima campagna promozionale (già nei primi cinque anni e soprattutto dopo che é stato acquistato da Facebook nel 2014) ed il fatto che fosse utilizzabile immediatamente senza dover creare alcun account, cosa che ne ha permesso l’adozione da parte di chiunque senza dover pensare a cose come nome utente, password, ecc.
Non solo esistono decine di strumenti di chat che offrono infinitamente più sicurezza di Whatsapp e che non diffondono le tue informazioni in modo da poter alterare più efficacemente l’opinione pubblica, ma negli ultimi tempi é stata pure sviluppata Matrix, una piattaforma che presenta caratteristiche notevoli sotto diversi punti di vista e si presta perfettamente a diventare il software di riferimento tra quelli alternativi a Whatsapp.
Ma Matrix non si limita a possedere delle caratteristiche diverse da Whatsapp: é strutturalmente tutta un’altra cosa! La natura stessa della piattaforma Matrix, come si vedrà in questo post, é talmente diversa da Whatsapp, Telegram, Signal, Wire o qualsiasi altra piattaforma commerciale centralizzata da far sì che nessuna di queste potrà mai fornire tutto ciò che Matrix permette (e promette) di fare (e anche NON fare). In questo post vengono descritte per sommi capi proprio queste caratteristiche di Matrix con cui Whatsapp non potrà mai, per sua natura, competere.
Software F.L.O.S.S.
1. SOFTWARE APERTO E VERIFICABILE
Il software utilizzato dai server Matrix é F.L.O.S.S. ossia aperto, libero e verificabile da chiunque. Qualsiasi persona capace di programmare può verificare ciò che il software Matrix fa, esattamente come un meccanico che può aprire un cofano, vedere il motore, trovarne i difetti, metterci le mani e migliorarlo. Whatsapp al contrario usa software proprietario e ciò che avviene sui suoi server é un segreto industriale.
2. NON VENDE LE MIE INFORMAZIONI PERSONALI
Il software Matrix non monitora tutto quel genere di informazioni che invece vengono registrare da Whatsapp o da piattaforme sociali correlate come Instagram o Facebook: non calcola chi secondo lui potrebbe diventar mio amico/a. Non registra i millisecondi su cui mi soffermo su un’immagine, gli errori di battitura, i like, il tasso di engagement o il tipo di relazione che intercorre tra me ed un altro utente, quale sia il mio lavoro, i luoghi che visito o i miei spostamenti. Sappiamo che non monitora nulla di tutto ciò proprio perché é software F.L.O.S.S. Come vedremo, Matrix manco mi chiede come mi chiamo e non mi obbliga nemmanco a comunicargli tutti i numeri nella mia Rubrica. Inoltre, come vedremo, puoi far sì che non sia in grado di leggere quel che tu scrivi. Il software Matrix, insomma, raccoglie giusto le informazioni tecniche necessarie a funzionare. [*A FINE ARTICOLO C’É UNA NOTA IMPORTANTE SU QUESTO PUNTO!].Whatsapp é parte di Facebook, il cui modello di business ruota intorno a profilazione degli utenti e commercializzazione dei loro dati a fini di propaganda commerciale e/o politica. La quantità di informazioni che vengono trasmesse ai server di Facebook per essere analizzate é eccezionalmente superiore a ciò che gli utenti medi solitamente concepiscono.
3. POSSO CAMBIARE SERVER
Se creo un account Matrix sul server “A” e poi scoprissi che é inaffidabile, applica delle policy con cui non mi trovo d’accordo o sospettassi che vende informazioni a terzi, posso tranquillamente passare al server “B”senza perdere alcuno dei miei contatti. E’un pò come mollare hotmail o gmail per passare a Protonmail. Whatsapp invece é una bolla chiusa e se esci da Whatsapp perdi tutti i tuoi contatti Whatsapp.
4. POSSO ADDIRITTURA FARMI IL MIO SERVER MATRIX PERSONALE
Chi ha un server proprio può installarci Matrix ed avere così il proprio server chat personale, un pò come si può avere una mail aziendale, in modo da avere il controllo totale sui propri dati. Non ti fidi di nessun server pubblico che non sia gestito da te? Basta un server da qualche centinaio d’euro per essere totalmente indipendente! Whatsapp é invece utilizzabile solo attraverso i server di Facebook.
5. POSSO CAMBIARE APP
Attualmente per usare la propria chat Matrix da smartphone si usa quasi esclusivamente l’app Riot.im. Alcuni provider Matrix tuttavia hanno realizzato la propria versione dell’app Riot personalizzandone alcune caratteristiche. Alcuni esempi sono l’app Librem (per i possessori di un device Purism), SMIchat o Tchap (la piattaforma Matrix realizzata dal governo francese per il dialogo interno tra personale amministrativo). Su computer fisso invece oltre ad utilizzare Riot da browser o l’app Riot, si possono già utilizzare Wheechat, o Quaternion, Nheko o Fractal. Applicazioni diverse con caratteristiche, funzioni, vantaggi e svantaggi diversi applicati allo stesso servizio. Un pò come scegliere se usare Thunderbird o Outlook per la propria casella email. Al momento Riot é l’applicazione standard migliore per l’utente comune, essendo le altre più “specialistiche”. Tuttavia nulla impedisce che possano essere realizzate nuove versioni alternative di Riot o app del tutto diverse per utilizzare Matrix. Al contrario per usare Whatsapp sono obbligato ad utilizzare il software ufficiale di Whatsapp che, ovviamente, é sempre software chiuso. Qualche applicazione “alternativa” per Whatsapp esiste, ma data la natura chiusa del software di Whatsapp e la limitatezza delle sue funzioni, queste app alternative non potranno mai offrire granché di diverso rispetto a quella ufficiale.
6. POSSO AVERE PIÙ ACCOUNT CONTEMPORANEAMENTE
Su Matrix nulla t’impedisce di avere account multipli. Puoi dunque differenziarli, ad esempio usare un account pubblico, uno per pochi intimi ed un’altro solo per lavoro, magari pure registrandoli su server diversi. Al momento attuale la versione per smartphone di Riot.im non supporta ancora gli account multipli, ma si tratta di una funzionalità che si prevede di rendere disponibile a breve. Su browser invece puoi già usare diversi account Matrix contemporaneamente. Whatsapp invece ti obbliga ad avere un unico account legato al tuo telefono ed alla tua persona.
7. POSSO USARLO ANCHE SENZA TELEFONO
Matrix non é legato a doppio filo al tuo telefono, per cui puoi accederci anche se il telefono l’avessi perso o distrutto. In effetti si può benissimo usare Matrix senza nemmeno averlo mai avuto un telefono. No telefono = no Whatsapp.
8. NON SONO OBBLIGATO A DARE IN GIRO IL MIO NUMERO DI TELEFONO PRIVATO
Il fatto che Matrix non sia legato alla tua identità, al tuo device o al tuo telefono fa sì che tu possa avere un account Matrix pubblico senza dover necessariamente comunicare il numero di telefono dello smartphone da cui lo utilizzi. Puoi dunque usare un account Matrix aziendale anche sul telefono privato, oppure fare l’esatto contrario. Puoi continuare ad accedere al tuo account anche se avessi perso o distrutto tutti i tuoi device. É dunque possibile fare conversazioni audio o videochiamate con qualcuno tramite Riot/Matrix senza essere obbligati a fornirgli il proprio numero personale. Whatsapp invece non permette di avere un account scollegato dal proprio numero di telefono.
9. DIALOGO TRA PIATTAFORME
Matrix é pensato per poter interagire con altre piattaforme e seppur si tratti di un qualcosa ancora in via di sviluppo, già é possibile con qualche sforzo chattare tra Matrix, IRC, Slack, Gitter, Discord, Telegram ed altre piattaforme ancora. La cosa non funziona ancora del tutto ma il progetto é quello di permettere ad ogni utente di dialogare con Matrix restando sulla piattaforma che preferisce. Con un pò di sforzo é già possibile un’unica stanza chat in cui possono interagire utenti che stanno su diverse piattaforme: Scrive Marta da Telegram, gli rispondono Sara da Slack e Luigi da Matrix; poi intervengono Anna da IRC e Michele da Rocketchat mentre Nicoletta posta una domanda da Discord e Bruno le risponde da XMPP e Riccardo fa altrettanto da Mastodon. Una volta reso più immediato e funzionale il dialogo tra Matrix e Mastodon si potrà inoltre avere un’unica, grande meta-rete federata in cui decine di piattaforme social potranno dialogare tra loro e con Matrix. Seguono invece una filosofia del tutto opposta sia Whatsapp che tutti i software di comunicazione commerciali, che tendono a far di tutto perché tu non utilizzi software diverso dal proprio.
10. POSSO USARE MATRIX… SENZA AVERE MATRIX
É una conseguenza del punto precedente: il fatto che Matrix dialoghi con altre piattaforme fa sì che, ad esempio, io possa accedere ad una chat Matrix ed interagire con i suoi membri utilizzando le App per IRC, XMPP, Telegram, Discord ecc. Volendo é possibile anche far interagire Matrix con l’email e gli sms. Di conseguenza tutto il “parco macchine” delle piattaforme che dialogano con Matrix (i diversi client/app, ecc) possono essere utilizzati per interagire con utenti Matrix. Non é cosa da poco! Hai una email? Puoi comunicare con Matrix. Hai un account XMPP? Puoi comunicare con Matrix. Sul telefono hai un’app per IRC? Puoi comunicare con Matrix! É pure possibile creare stanze Matrix pubbliche leggibili online da chi non utilizza nemmeno una sola delle piattaforme che interagiscono con Matrix. Come detto sopra, invece, Whatsapp non fa che obbligare gli utenti a legarsi ai propri servizi e solo a quelli.
La stanza resta viva fintanto che almeno un server attivo ne ospiti una copia su di sé.
11. FUNZIONA SEMPRE
Essendo Matrix una rete decentralizzata di server indipendenti e non un’unica piattaforma centralizzata, se il server a cui mi appoggio avesse dei problemi io potrei accedere alla chat semplicemente scegliendo un server diverso. Perché ciò sia possibile é necessaria una minima accortezza da parte di almeno un utente della chat ma é piuttosto banale e realizzabile da chiunque. Il fatto é che il contenuto é slegato dal singolo server e può dunque essere replicato all’infinito, rimanendo eterno. Quando c’é un #WhatsAppDown invece non puoi far altro che aspettare che venga ripristinato. Se Whatsapp avesse un problema al server e perdesse i tuoi dati, non avresti modo di recuperarli.
12. POSSO CRIPTARE I MIEI MESSAGGI PER DAVVERO
Con Matrix posso criptare i miei messaggi in modo tale che siano leggibili solo da me e dalla persona con cui mi scrivo, usando un sistema di cifratura End-to-End molto potente ed efficace che scavalca lo stesso server ospitante. I software commerciali invece di solito non permettono una vera cifratura e quando lo fanno… considerano sé stessi come destinatari, perché devono leggere quel che scrivi, a chi ecc.
13. NESSUNA PUBBLICITA’
Per come é stata realizzata, Matrix é una piattaforma del tutto inadatta all’uso pubblicitario. Questo a causa della sua struttura decentrata, della mancata raccolta di informazioni sugli utenti, del software aperto e delle capacità di cifratura. Se invece Facebook decidesse di introdurre pubblicità in Whatsapp, i suoi utenti non potrebbero far altro che subirla.
14. IMPOSTAZIONI DETTAGLIATE
Accedendo a Matrix da un client desktop si ha modo di impostare tutta una serie di settaggi e preferenze molto minuziose. É ad esempio possibile far si che un certo membro della stanza possa solo leggere senza intervenire o nominare diversi “amministratori” ma con livelli di potere e compiti assai differenziati fra loro. Si possono aggiungere Widget alle stanze, bot ed altre funzioni. Matrix dunque può essere personalizzato in modo molto specifico. Whatsapp invece, puntando ad un utilizzo ipersemplificato, ingabbia l’utente in una serie assai limitata di opzioni.
15. NON SONO OBBLIGATO A FORNIRE LA MIA IDENTITÀ
Quando crei un account Matrix non c’é alcun obbligo a collegarlo al proprio nome, alla propria email o al proprio numero di telefono. Gli account Whatsapp invece sono legati a dei numeri di telefono. Siccome quando ti iscrivi a Whatsapp gli consegni tutta la tua rubrica, Facebook sa con che nome, cognome e soprannome hanno registrato in rubrica il tuo numero i tuoi conoscenti ed essendo tutto integrato nei database di Facebook la tua identità gli é nota anche se tu non gliel’hai mai fornita direttamente. In sostanza: se sei su Whatsapp regali a Facebook informazioni non solo su di te, ma anche sui contatti che hai salvato.
16. ESTENSIONI, MODIFICHE, MIGLIORAMENTI
Essendo software F.L.O.S.S. qualsiasi programmatore può facilmente sviluppare estensioni, strumenti aggiuntivi, bot, modifiche e miglioramenti alle app esistenti. Questo fa si che attorno a Matrix si sviluppi un intero ecosistema con numerosi elementi aggiuntivi capaci di personalizzare ulteriormente la chat alle tue esigenze. Già esistono dei widget capaci di inserire in una stanza matrix funzionalità di Wikipedia, pad di scrittura collaborativa, grafici, immagini stock, feed RSS e non é difficile immaginare per il futuro personalizzazioni di skin, applicazioni per backup selettivi, bot di ogni genere, traduttori automatici. Anche attorno a Whatsapp in effetti si é sviluppato un ecosistema di applicazioni di supporto, ma data la natura chiusa del software usato e la non-volontà di Facebook di cedere troppo facilmente le informazioni che ha raccolto sui suoi utenti, le app aggiuntive sono ben poca cosa: perlopiù addon di gif e sticker.
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NOTA FINALE: POCHISSIMI CAPISCONO DAVVERO LE IMPLICAZIONI DEL NON CEDERE I PROPRI DATI PERSONALI
Quando si parla di privacy e vendita di dati, di solito il pensiero comune va a due soli scenari: la commercializzazione pubblicitaria e l’indagine poliziesca mirata su di sé. Nel primo caso viene ritenuta tuttalpiù un fastidio mentre la seconda, dato i sempre più onnipresenti dispositivi di monitoraggio e controllo, viene ritenuta come scontatamente inevitabile.
In realtà sfugge che gli utilizzi dei propri dati personali sono molto più variegati di questi due scenari estremi. Estremi perché il primo rappresenta il grado minimo mentre il secondo il grado massimo di utilizzo dati personali, tralasciando la profilazione politica a fini propagandistici.
Facebook, Google, Youtube ed Instagram ad esempio insistono nel mostrarti con più frequenza certi profili, certe notizie, certi video e lo fanno in modo nient’affatto casuale. Se la profilazione social su di te ha mostrato paura o debolezza emotiva verso certi tipi di notizie, questo dato può essere usato da chi vuole propagandare determinate politiche affinché tu, e solo tu tra tutta la tua cerchia di amici, legga un certo tipo di articoli.
Se utilizzi le piattaforme sociali commerciali sappi che quel che ti passa davanti agli occhi é stato personalizzato su di te, per colpirti maggiormente e “venderti” meglio una certa idea da parte di chi ha comprato i servizi di profilazione. E ciò é possibile perché sei proprio tu a fornire informazioni utili a profilarti e targhetizzarti meglio.
Sei un pò razzista? Facebook può essere usato (e viene usato!) per consolidare il tuo razzismo. Sei più moderato? Facebook é in grado di selezionare un mix di fonti ambigue per alimentare dubbi sugli stranieri e virare i tuoi riferimenti sempre più a destra attraverso una selezione mirata di post adatti a colpire le tue paure più accentuate.
Sei sensibile alle violenze sugli animali? Ti verranno messi sotto gli occhi diversi articoli con stranieri che fanno male ad animali. Hai paura delle malattie? Vedrai post sui migranti che portano la peste medievale.
Sei sgrammaticato e non metti alcun like a fonti culturali? Vuol dire che hai una bassa istruzione e nella tue Timeline verranno fatti scorrere contenuti falsi ma dal linguaggio semplice.
Hai una preparazione scolastica media-buona ma non sei quel che si chiama un “divoratore di libri”? Ti piacciono il calcio ed i film di supereroi? Non vedrai molti post ignoranti ma invece tanta roba giustificazionista e qualunquista del tipo “eh, ma in fondo Salvini non ha tutti i torti”.
I noti avvenimenti di Facebook nello scandalo Cambrydge Analytica; l’influenza di Facebook nella Brexit e nell’elezione di Trump hanno reso evidente che le campagne politiche mirate e targhetizzate al singolo utente sono una realtà molto più pervasiva e difficile da monitorare di quanto il grosso della popolazione sospetti. Il ruolo di Facebook nella Brexit, per esempio, é stato tutt’altro che secondario e questo é stato possibile perché chi ha voluto diffondere sul social network delle informazioni false l’ha potuto fare in modo estremamente mirato.
“Se uno vuole monitorarti può farlo anche su Matrix”. A parte il fatto che non é affatto così immediato come spiare un profilo Facebook (basta che la persona su cui indagare abbia un account segreto diverso da quello conosciuto e delle stanze matrix criptate per rendere quasi impossibile ogni ricerca); quel che va ribadito é che nell’utilizzare una piattaforma libera non si cerca solo e soltanto uno strumento di comunicazione sicura, ma anche uno strumento che permetta all’utente di non alimentare quei meccanismi che influenzano con più efficienza l’utente stesso.
Basta fare un breve esperimento ed osservare come grazie all’utilizzo di reti sociali libere, metamotori di ricerca indipendenti, ed un paio d’accortezze nel browser come l’utilizzo di alcuni Ad-Blocker e plugin, fa sì che la propria esperienza online ed i contenuti-fuffa propagandistici possano ridursi drasticamente.
Nel momento in cui Facebook e Google non sanno più chi sei e cosa pensare di te, non sono più in grado di personalizzare il loro contenuto e la qualità dell’informazione a cui sei esposto aumenta molto velocemente.
Detto in altro modo:
Più sono le informazioni personali che fornisci ai big del data mining, più sono le chiavi che gli consegni affinché possano modificare la tua percezione del mondo.
VUOI SAPERNE DI PIÙ?
Se l’articolo ha attirato la tua curiosità, é possibile saperne maggiormente leggendo anche altri articoli di questo blog:
Cos’é Matrix.(Il post espone in dettaglio cos’é la piattaforma Matrix e la sua enorme differenza da tutte le altre piattaforme di comunicazione esistenti)
Matrix – Chattare anche se il server é esploso.(Le chat Matrix non sono necessariamente legate ad un solo server e quindi se anche uno smettesse di funzionare… basta usarne un’altro senza perdere contatti e messaggi)
Matrix bridge: connettersi a tutti i social da una sola App. (Sono in via di sviluppo dei bridge Matrix che permettono di avere un’unica chat in cui può dialogare contemporaneamente gente da Matrix, Telegram, IRC ed altre piattaforme ancora)
Primi passi con Riot/Matrix.(Una semplice guida passo-passo su come creare un account Matrix da Riot ed iniziare ad usarlo)
VUOI GIÀ CREARTI UN ACCOUNT MATRIX?
Per creare un account Matrix é necessario scegliere un server Matrix pubblico (o crearsene uno proprio, ma in quel caso si presume tu ne capisca già di informatica/programmazione/sistemistica).
Scegliere il server Matrix é come scegliere se farsi l’email su Gmail, Hotmail o Protonmail: son tutti più o meno simili ma hanno a loro volta delle caratteristiche un pò diverse.
Il server più utilizzato é matrix.org, che é quello dei creatori originali della piattaforma Matrix. Tuttavia é preferibile che gli utenti non si appoggino tutti solo e soltanto su quell’unico, grosso server perché se questo avvenisse, verrebbe meno proprio il senso della decentralizzazione della rete.
Alcuni server che possono essere utilizzati sono i seguenti:
La struttura decentrata del protocollo Matrix permette di creare delle chat virtualmente eterne, capaci di essere utilizzabili anche se il server é sotto attacco hacker, va offline o viene fatto esplodere in mille pezzi con una bomba termonucleare!
RETE DECENTRALIZZATA
Innanzitutto va ricordato che Matrix é una piattaforma decentralizzata (o, se si preferisce, “federata”). Ciò significa che non esiste UN server Matrix ufficiale come sulle piattaforme centralizzate tipo Twitter o Whatsapp ma ci sono diversi server che interagiscono fra loro (un po come l’email: non ci si “iscrive all’email”, ma si crea un account su ProtonMail o Gmail o Hotmail o al server di posta della propria azienda/scuola ben sapendo che da ognuno di questi si può ricevere ed inviare messaggi agli altri).
I server Matrix sono diversi ed interagiscono tutti fra di loro, andando a formare un’unica grande rete
Sono già diversi i server Matrix attivi. Alcuni hanno una certa dimensione e sono gestiti da un ente, un’associazione o un’azienda commerciale mentre altri sono molto piccoli, essendo praticamente dei server casalinghi pensati per essere usati tra un ristretto numero di persone. Alcuni sono aperti al pubblico, ossia é possibile registrarcisi (così come ci si registra a Gmail per l’email), mentre altri sono privati (come il server di posta della tua azienda). Il più noto server Matrix attualmente é matrix.org, ossia quello dei creatori originari di Matrix. Una lista incompleta di server Matrix pubblici é disponibile qui.
SU MATRIX, TUTTO E’ UNA “STANZA”
Matrix organizza tutto in stanze: quelli che su Whatsapp sono chiamati gruppi e su IRC son chiamati canali, su Matrix vengono chiamate stanze, con la particolarità che su Matrix… tutto é una stanza!
Quando Tizio chatta direttamente con Caio ed in quella discussione non c’é e non può entrare nessun altro, semplicemente Tizio e Caio stanno in una stanza con due soli utenti! Questa, quindi, può essere amministrata e gestita allo stesso modo di una stanza con migliaia di utenti diversi, assegnando regole, ruoli, permessi speciali ecc.
LE STANZE MATRIX SONO UBIQUE
Se si crea una stanza in cui interagiscono solo utenti registrati sullo stesso server, quella stanza materialmente si troverà solamente su quel server. Questa é la situazione che si verifica su OGNI piattaforma centralizzata: un gruppo Whatsapp si trova materialmente sui server Whatsapp così come i suoi utenti. I gruppi Facebook pure.
Osserviamo il disegno qui sotto e facciamo un paragone: é come se matrix.blu fosse Whatsapp e matrix.giallo fosse Telegram. Tra i due non v’é alcun contatto e se uno dei due avesse un problema, l’altro, essendo una piattaforma del tutto diversa, avrebbe gruppi diversi, utenti diversi ecc.
Due utenti, entrambi registrati su matrix.blu, interagiscono fra loro in una stanza
Ma con Matrix le cose funzionano diversamente ed i diversi server, parlando la stessa lingua (il protocollo Matrix), sono fatti proprio per interagire fra loro! Alla stanza che abbiamo creato può dunque partecipare anche un utente che é registrato su un server diverso. Quando ciò avviene, la stanza viene di fatto clonata su quest’altro server. Ciò significa che di quella stanza ci saranno due copie identiche costantemente sincronizzate fra loro.
Due utenti di matrix.giallo vengono invitati nella stanza dagli utenti di matrix.blu. Materialmente, il server matrix.giallo clona su di sé la stanza e la sincronizza con quella su matrix.blu.
[Per una spiegazione più dettagliata di come avviene la trasmissione dei dati tra server diversi, c’é la chiara animazione (in inglese) in questa pagina di matrix.org. Basta premere su NEXT perché la spiegazione avanzi mostrando passo-passo cosa avviene quando si spedisce un messaggio, una risposta, ecc…]
Nel momento in cui il proprio server fosse irraggiungibile, i suoi utenti non avrebbero alcun modo né di accedere alla stanza né di recuperare i messaggi scritti in precedenza, così come non potrebbero interagire fra loro. Tuttavia la stanza continuerebbe ad essere raggiungibile e funzionante sull’altro server (come dire: se Whatsapp non funziona, il tuo gruppo é comunque accessibile da Telegram).
Il server matrix.blu ha un problema e la stanza é inaccessibile ai suoi utenti. Resta però accessibile agli utenti di matrix.giallo.
Basterà dunque accedere (temporaneamente o definitivamente che sia) al server ancora funzionante per recuperare stanze, messaggi, media e contatti inaccessibili dal server su cui si era inizialmente.
Iscrivendosi al server matrix.giallo, gli (ex)utenti di matrix.blu ritrovano la stanza, i messaggi ed i contatti ormai irraggiungibili dal (defunto? hackerato?) matrix.blu.
STANZE UBIQUE = VIRTUALMENTE INDISTRUTTIBILI
Se Mastodon, Whatsapp, Facebook o Twitter sono irraggiungibili non c’é nulla da fare: bisognerà aspettare che tornino utilizzabili e nel frattempo spostarsi su piattaforme diverse… a lamentarsi che la piattaforma é irraggiungibile! Al contrario, su Matrix, il contenuto può essere ubiquo e sopravvivare anche alla caduta del server su cui é stato realizzato. Metti caso che in una stanza vi siano 60 utenti di matrix.blu ed 1 di matrix.giallo. Ebbene, quell’unico utente, solo per il fatto di essere registrato su un server diverso, svolge un ruolo importantissimo, permettendo ai contenuti dei 60 utenti di matrix.blu, di avere una copia di sicurezza anche su matrix.giallo. Appare chiaro che più é differenziato il numero di server da cui si accede ad una stanza, più questa ha probabilità di sopravvivere ad eventuali inefficienze di uno dei suoi server. Si tratta dunque di una struttura estremamente resiliente.
La stanza resta viva fintanto che almeno un server attivo ne ospiti una copia su di sé.
Su Matrix esistono stanze molto grandi, cui partecipano diverse centinaia o migliaia di utenti e queste solitamente hanno diverse decine di indirizzi locali diversi (cosa siano gli indirizzi locali lo vediamo tra un attimo). Anche se si accedesse su un server Matrix che non ha alcuna copia locale di una stanza (nell’immagine qui sopra: uno dei due server in cui non c’é la stanza) conoscendone gli indirizzi é comunque sempre possibile entrarci. Dunque non é indispensabile registrarsi proprio su uno dei server in cui c’é una copia della stanza, ma ci si potrà accedere da un qualsiasi server Matrix!
Le stanze Matrix, dunque, possono essere quasi condiserate una sorta di portale di comunicazione fra più mondi/server, trovandosi contemporaneamente su ognuno di questi.
Parte degli indirizzi locali di MatrixHQ, una delle più grosse stanze della rete Matrix
Questo concetto, inoltre, é espandibile in qualche modo anche ai bridge di Matrix. Un server Matrix, difatti, può sincronizzare le proprie stanze non solo con altri server Matrix, ma addirittura con altre piattaforme (Telegram, IRC, Whatsapp, Slack e molte altre ancora). Qui la cosa in realtà é un pò più complicata e cambia molto sia da piattaforma a piattaforma che da bridge a bridge. Risulta tutto più chiaro leggendo l’articolo appena linkato, ma in soldoni la faccenda può esser spiegata così: i server Matrix, tra di loro, fanno una copia esatta della stanza, ma quando si collega Matrix ad una piattaforma diversa, vuoi per le caratteristiche della piattaforma, vuoi per il modo in cui questo collegamento viene gestito, le versioni delle stanze che stanno su queste piattaforme non sono sempre una copia esatta di quella che si vede su Matrix. Per esempio: collegando una stanza Matrix ad una piattaforma social che permette messaggi di al massimo 500 caratteri, tutti i messaggi più lunghi verrebbero trattati in modo particolare, ad esempio con dei link al server Matrix da cui si erano generati (server che, potrebbe non esserci più).
MIRRORING
Una pratica di sicurezza può ad esempio essere quella di creare per sé un secondo account su un server Matrix diverso da quello solitamente utilizzato esplicitamente con lo scopo di generare una copia “di backup” delle proprie stanze più importanti. Questo secondo account potrebbe essere fatto entrare in quelle stanze cui si vuol esser certi di poter accedere sempre e comunque, magari concedendo a tale nuovo utente i permessi di amministratore, in modo tale da avere più possibilità di accedere e gestire la stanza, avendo cura di farvi accedere anche gli altri membri con degli account di riserva.
La pratica di clonare la stanza su più server si chiama mirroring (ovvero “specchiare”). La procedura per effettuarlo é abbastanza semplice, ma può cambiare a seconda del modo in cui si accede a Matrix, del software e device usato.
TUTORIAL
Il seguente tutorial é pensato per chi accede a Matrix utilizzando Riot da browser e presupponendo il seguente scenario: ho già un account sul server A su cui v’é una stanza privata (accessibile solo ai membri) che vorrei mirrorare per sicurezza. Prima di cominciare può essere utile ripassare la breve guida sui primi passi con Matrix / Riot.
1. ASSEGNARE UN INDIRIZZO ALLA STANZA
Alla stanza va innanzitutto assegnato un indirizzo locale che dovrà seguire questo formato: #nomestanza:nomeserver e va fatto nelle impostazioni della stanza stessa.
2. CREARE UN ACCOUNT SU ALTRO SERVER
Bisogna dunque scegliere un server Matrix diverso da quello che si usa abitualmente (ad esempio uno tra quelli in questa lista) e creare un nuovo account. Sul browser é possibile aprire due schede distinte loggandosi contemporaneamente ai due diversi server (che é un pò come avere due diversi profili Facebook aperti contemporaneamente).
3. INVITARE IL NUOVO ACCOUNT NELLA STANZA
A questo punto si torna all’account principale, si entra nella stanza in questione e si invita il nuovo account. Volendo, una volta inviato l’invito, si può già selezionare il nome dalla lista degli invitati e da lì impostarlo come amministratore della stanza.
4. ACCETTARE L’INVITO
Tornare quindi al nuovo account e da qui accettare l’invito alla stanza:
5. AGGIUNGERE UN SECONDO INDIRIZZO ALLA STANZA
A questo punto bisogna ripetere il primo punto, aggiungendo un nuovo indirizzo alla stanza, sempre con lo stesso formato #nomestanza:nomeserver
In questo modo la stanza si troverà ad avere due indirizzi (volendo anche più di due: non c’é un limite agli indirizzi assegnabili):
#nomestanza:nomeserver1
#nomestanza:nomeserver2
In realtà ogni server assegna già in automatico l’indirizzo alla stanza, ma si tratta di una stringa tipo “!isobjBnFgqYHjqJMF1b:nomeserver“. Quello é il vero indirizzo della stanza ma ovviamente é abbastanza ingestibile perché… vattelo a ricordare! Gli indirizzi inseriti nel punto 1 e 5 sono in realtà degli alias, ossia degli indirizzi “virtuali” che poi il server penserà a collegare a quello vero che gli ha assegnato. Creare gli alias servirà più avanti per gestire con più facilità la stanza e permettere ad altri di chiedere d’entrarci.
Fatto! Adesso la stanza é presente e sincronizzata su entrambi i server!
A questo punto, anche cascasse il server usato di solito, é comunque possibile chattare nella stanza accedendo con il nuovo account. Se anche gli altri utenti creassero un account di riserva, l’eventuale lavoro di gruppo svolto in una stanza potrebbe continuare anche nel caso di guasti, hackeraggi… o bombardamenti nucleari!
[NB: la natura delle stanze, svincolata dai server ma anche dagli account utente, può avere anche un altro tipo di utilizzo: un utente che perdesse le credenziali del proprio account, potrebbe essere re-invitato in una stanza/conversazione con un account differente, senza perdere tutti i propri vecchi messaggi]
PS: Se però, si preferisse avere una stanza su un solo server ed impedire che vi accedano utenti registrati su server differenti, evitando così che la propria stanza venga clonata altrove, é sempre possibile creare stanze “non federate”. In questo modo le stanze non federate su matrix.blu saranno accessibili solo agli utenti di matrix.blu, e le stanze non federate di matrix.giallo saranno accessibili solo dagli utenti di matrix.giallo.
Google é indiscutibilmente il principale motore di ricerca online, tanto che l’atto di cercare qualcosa sul web viene espresso col suo nome (“non sai nulla di questo argomento? Googolalo!”).
Uno dei motivi del successo di Google é che si tratta di un ottimo motore di ricerca, effettivamente capace di trovare quel che cerchi nella stragrande maggioranza dei casi.
D’altro canto Google é anche un’azienda imponente e ramificata che vive di raccolta e vendita dati, che si ricorda cos’hai cercato, quando e quante volte e che collega queste informazioni ad altre che ha raccolto su di te attraverso una miriade di servizi che affiancano quello di ricerca web. E questo é un grosso problema! Un grosso problema che é sotto gli occhi di chiunque ma che al tempo stesso viene raramente affrontato.
Ciò che é poco noto, invece, é che la maggior parte dei suoi servizi può benissimo esser sostituita con altri meno invasivi, compreso il motore di ricerca.
Google é utilizzato per oltre il 90% delle ricerche online
Sostituire il motore di ricerca di Google é certamente un passo importante per arginare il pericolo di avere un’unica azienda a controllo di tutti i dati che forniamo ogni volta che facciamo una ricerca online. Dati che vengono spiati, raccolti, classificati e venduti.
Oltre a Google difatti esistono diversi motori di ricerca validi. Parte di questi in realtà sono assai specifici ed utilizzabili solo per ricerche assai specifiche (ad esempio TinEye per il reverse search di immagini), ma la maggior parte consente di fare ricerche generiche e funziona in modo molto simile Google.
Per proseguire é però necessario comprendere alcuni concetti base su cui si poggia un motore di ricerca. Uno dei componenti base di un motore é il suo CRAWLER(può essere reso con “ispezionatore”), ossia un programma che naviga in automatico nel web, saltando di link in link e registrando nei database del motore di ricerca ogni parola, immagine, file che trova (creando quella che viene chiamata “copia CACHE”). Una volta che il crawler ha scoperto e registrato i contenuti, il motore di ricerca classifica ogni contenuto attraverso un proprio ALGORITMO.
Un buon crawler idealmente trova il 100% dei contenuti di un sito ed un buon algoritmo é in grado di classificare come si deve ogni contenuto. Al contrario un cattivo crawler potrebbe non scoprire mai l’esistenza del tuo sito o scoprirne solo una parte ed un cattivo algoritmo, quando cerchi informazioni su “spaghetti” potrebbe mettere nei primi risultati pagine che non parlano della pastasciutta ma i post di un tizio che si firma “Mr. Spaghetti” (chi si ricorda i primi motori di ricerca degli anni ’90 conosce bene questo tipo di situazioni). Ogni motore di ricerca usa un proprio crawler ed un proprio algoritmo, diversi da quelli degli altri motori.
Non va poi sottovalutato l’intervento umano: é per scelta degli amministratori di Google ad esempio che certi siti compaiono sempre in testa ai risultati (come Wikipedia quando si cerca il nome di una persona nota o Booking quando si cercano località turistiche). É sempre per una scelta voluta che i suggerimenti di ricerca di Google non contengano mai termini volgari o riferimenti a contenuti per adulti.
PRINCIPALI DIFFERENZE CON GOOGLE
Chi utilizza per la prima volta un motore di ricerca diverso dal onnipresente Google non può non notare che questi restituiscono risultati diversi.
SERP DIFFERENTI: Ognuno di questi motori genera per ogni ricerca dei risultati un pò diversi (tecnicamente S.E.R.P.: Search Engine Results Page): quello che per Google é il primo risultato, per un altro motore di ricerca può essere il decimo. Questo può dipendere da principalmente dal crawler e dall’algoritmo usati.
IMMAGINI, NEWS ECC: Molti motori di ricerca sono focalizzati sulla ricerca di pagine web e dunque peccano dal lato di ricerca news e immagini
RICERCA AVANZATA: Google offre diversi strumenti di ricerca avanzata che spesso mancano agli altri motori di ricerca, per esempio Google Trends o la possibilità di visionare la pagina cache.
Un paio di motori di ricerca alternativi a Google sono ad esempio:
É più o meno riconosciuto come il principale motore alternativo a Google. I risultati di ricerca sono ottimi, anche per la ricerca immagini, ma pecca riguardo alle news. L’azienda proprietaria, statunitense, si pubblicizza come molto focalizzata su privacy e sicurezza e parte del software é open source. Si finanzia pubblicando inserzioni pubblicitarie e tramite affiliazioni.
Motore di ricerca realizzato in Francia. Anch’esso si promuove come fortemente incentrato sulla privacy degli utenti. I risultati sono molto buoni anche per quanto riguarda immagini e news. Si finanzia in parte ricevendo commissioni da alcuni grossi portali a cui indirizza il traffico e in parte tramite finanziamenti pubblici.
L’elenco completo sarebbe lunghissimo e includerebbe Bing, Yahoo, Lycos, WebCrawler e molti altri (un elenco dettagliato é disponibile in questa pagina Wikipedia). Quel che però appare già evidente é un che motore di ricerca per esistere ha necessità di molti fondi per poter reggere economicamente (basta solo vedere le dimensioni delle serverfarm di Google per rendersi conto dei costi spaventosi che genera) e ciò causa immancabilmente una situazione da gatto che si morde la coda, con i motori di ricerca che alterano i propri risultati per favorire gli sponsor e vendono i dati di navigazione dei propri utenti (data mining) per poter garantire a quegli stessi utenti un servizio costante e sempre aggiornato.
Inoltre ognuno di questi motori di ricerca appartiene sempre ad una sola azienda, la quale si trova dunque sempre in condizione di poter manipolare i risultati. Insomma, non se ne esce fuori: per quanto possano esser buone le intenzioni e le persone che li gestiscono, i comuni motori di ricerca sono strutturati in modo tale da lasciare in mano ai loro gestori un potere considerevole nei confronti degli utenti. Come se ne esce?
METAMOTORI DI RICERCA
Una prima soluzione é quella di usare un metamotore di ricerca, ossia un motore che non si sbatte a ispezionare il web e classificarne i contenuti (ergo: non fa crawling), ma trasmette la tua ricerca a motori di ricerca veri e propri e ne assembla i risultati. Si tratta, in poche parole, di un “motore di motori di ricerca”.
Un metamotore di ricerca non fa altro che assemblare i risultati di altri motori di ricerca.
Se cerchi “spaghetti” su un metamotore di ricerca (ad esempio SearX), questo cercherà “spaghetti” su dei motori di ricerca veri e propri, come Google, DuckDuckGo e Qwant, e poi restituirà una S.E.R.P. ottenuta assemblando quello che i motori han trovato.
In questo modo, per capirci, tutti gli utenti che utilizzano il metamotore di ricerca, verranno intesi da Google come un unico, gigantesco utente che fa un numero talmente elevato e variegato di ricerche da divenir inclassificabile. Il metamotore di ricerca, tuttavia, potrebbe sempre tener traccia di quel che fai tu. É già qualcosa.
MOTORI COLLABORATIVI (P2P ETC.)
Una seconda soluzione é quella di utilizzare una soluzione collaborativa tra server e/o utenti diversi in modo da formare assieme un grande motore di ricerca. Qui incontriamo nuovamente il concetto di reti decentralizzate e distribuite già descritte nei post sul Fediverso e su Mastodon.
Riassumendo: una rete centralizzata (A) é come Google, in cui tutti gli utenti si rivolgono idealmente ad un unico server chiamato Google che detiene il totale controllo dei dati. Una rete decentralizzata (B) é formata da più server che collaborano fra loro, dando la possibilità ad ogni utente può scegliere a quale server connettersi (il quale può avere delle peculiarità diverse rispetto agli altri) e da qui può interagire con gli altri server della rete. Una rete distribuita (C) invece, é una rete in cui ogni singolo utente funge da server di sé stesso e, in maniera del tutto indipendente, può connettersi ad altri utenti con cui interagire.
Come si traducono questi tipi di rete con i motori di ricerca? Prendiamo ad esempio una rete decentrata ed immaginiamoci l’esistenza di diversi server, su ognuno dei quali é stato installato lo stesso software di motore di ricerca. Ognuno di questi server ha il suo crawler che ispeziona il web e si crea il proprio database con le informazioni sulla porzione di Internet che ha ispezionato (“porzione” perché si parte dal presupposto che ognuno di questi server sia di per sé troppo piccolo perché possa ispezionarlo tutto). Ognuno di essi é un piccolo motore di ricerca che magari conosce perfettamente una certa parte del web (ad esempio, solo i siti in italiano). Ma qui viene il bello: in una rete decentralizzata diversi server possono interagire fra loro, in modo tale che, messi assieme, formino una sorta di mega-motore di ricerca diffuso su scala globale.
Qui la cosa si può già fare molto interessante: i diversi server potrebbero sì condividere e scambiarsi informazioni andando a formare assieme un unico database comune da cui attingere informazioni e tuttavia essere personalizzati per presentare S.E.R.P. personalizzate. Potresti dunque scegliere di fare la stessa ricerca su diversi server specializzati in modo differente. Per esempio, un certo server potrebbe essere impostato per mostrare solamente contenuti adatti ai bambini, un altro potrebbe dare la precedenza ai contenuti più nuovi e un altro ancora potrebbe organizzare i risultati escludendo fonti ritenute inattendibili.
Oltre a tale personalizzazione dei risultati, i server potrebbero scambiarsi anche diverse informazioni tecniche aiutandosi vicendevolmente a mappare meglio porzioni di web e classificarne i contenuti.
A questo punto é facile capire che una rete distribuita funzionarebbe allo stesso modo, ma in questo caso non sarebbero solo i diversi server a partecipare a questo lavoro collaborativo, ma pure i singoli computer dei singoli utenti. Per capirci: su ogni computer si avrebbe installato del software che si occupa di ispezionare il web comunicando al database diffuso quel che ha scoperto ed archiviando una porzione di esso sul proprio disco fisso. Ogni utente inoltre potrebbe personalizzare a proprio piacimento personale il modo ed ordine in cui comparirebbero i risultati di ricerca.
SearX é un metamotore di ricerca open source. Il suo software é liberamente scaricabile, modificabile ed installabile da chiunque sul proprio computer o su un server che può esser anche reso pubblico. In effetti sono già oltre un centinaio i server SearX pubblici noti e molti di questi presentano delle caratteristiche proprie. É un pò come dire che ci sono cento versioni diverse di Google. SearX non é un motore collaborativo e quindi ogni singola macchina con installato SearX funziona in maniera del tutto scollegata dalle altre.
Tra i tanti server SearX pubblici, possiamo ad esempio osservare e fare un paragone tra https://search.disroot.org/, ovvero la versione di SearX installata sui server dell’organizzazione Disroot, e https://framabee.org/, la versione di SearX installata sui server dell’associazione FramaSoft. Oltre alle diversa veste grafica, basta fare una semplice prova per osservare quanto cambino i risultati (PS: search.disroot é impostata decisamente meglio).
Inoltre SearX permette ad ogni utente di personalizzare diversi fattori, anche molto tecnici. Ad esempio é possibile selezionare su quali motori di ricerca deve basarsi SearX, differenziandoli a seconda che si tratti di ricerche generali, di immagini, news, o documenti. Si possono impostare diverse preferenze riguardanti il tracciamento e la modalità di organizzazione dei risultati. Ogni server SearX dunque fornisce risultati diversi a seconda di come é stato impostato e può permettere un certo grado di personalizzazione all’utente. Una caratteristica interessante di SearX é che utilizza come cache i salvataggi pagina su archive.org.
Per quanto riguarda la qualità dei risultati, dunque, molto dipende dal server SearX scelto. La S.E.R.P. principale di https://search.disroot.org/ non é affatto male, tranne che per immagini e notizie, ma questo sembra essere una mancanza dello stesso software SearX e non una caratteristica del server specifico. Oltre alla minor qualità dei risultati su immagini e news mancano diverse comode funzioni presenti in Google: non c’é la ricerca per colore e non é presente alcun aggregatore di notizie.
Yacy invece é un motore di ricerca distribuito e collaborativo basato su P2P. Si tratta di un progetto molto piccolo e, allo stato attuale, troppo complesso per poter esser davvero proposto come alternativa ai più comuni motori di ricerca disponibili online. A livello di usabilità risulta ancora abbastanza macchinoso, in quanto sono più le occasioni in cui non restituisce alcun risultato di quelle in cui trova qualcosa, come é possibile verificare in questa pagina demo.
Tuttavia va segnalato anche a chi non é interessato ad uno strumento ancora in via di sviluppo perché già allo stato attuale permette di far capire come funziona una rete collaborativa che costruisce assieme un database comune distribuito.
Ipoteticamente, una rete distribuita é quasi indistruttibile: in uno scenario in cui tutti i computer del pianeta facessero parte della rete Yacy, anche se la maggior parte di questi fosse improvvisamente tagliata fuori o distrutta da un colossale meteorite, é sufficiente che solo una minima parte resti attiva perché tutto il database comune resti attivo. Progetto interessantissimo dunque, ma che dovrebbe essere reso molto più user-friendly per sperare in una adozione di massa. Chi volesse provare ad installarselo e smanettarci lo trova qui.
IN CONCLUSIONE
Esistono diverse alternative al motore di ricerca di Google, alcune molto valide come DuckDuckGo ed altre meno, ma gli strumenti già disponibili permettono a di poter fare tranquillamente a meno delle ricerche su Google.
Anche la prassi di utilizzare diversi motori di ricerca per ricerche di diverso tipo può essere un modo per non diffondere su una sola piattaforma tutte le informazioni che solitamente vengono messe in mano a Google. Esistono poi strumenti come SearX che, nonostante alcuni limiti, possono contribuire ulteriormente a creare una maggior distanza tra sé e le compagnie di data mining come Google e, potenzialmente, qualsiasi grosso motore di ricerca centralizzato. Gettando lo sguardo ancora più avanti, poi, osserviamo strumenti come Yacy che, idealmente, potrebbero davvero contribuire a riportare in mano alle persone il controllo dei propri dati ma questo, a patto che ci sia al tempo stesso uno sforzo da parte degli sviluppatori di semplificare tali strumenti ed uno sforzo da parte degli utenti per imparare a districarsi meglio nelle complessità dell’informatica.
Non sarebbe male arrivare un giorno ad avere un motore di ricerca collaborativo distribuito, magari pure ibridato con un metamotore di ricerca capace di confrontare la propria S.E.R.P. con quella fornita da altri motori che non fanno parte della rete condivisa. Una sorta di fusione tra SearX e Yacy in cui possano partecipare sia server dedicati che i singoli utenti, andando a formare reti federate di ricerca.
Per quanto riguarda le funzioni base, Mastodon si comporta in modo molto simile a Twitter: commentare un post, boostarlo, seguirne l’autore, silenziarlo ecc.
La ricerca e scoperta di altri utenti in apparenza é abbastanza simile: se vuoi seguire un utente basta cliccare su “+” o “follow” e per cercare altri utenti basta digitare nel campo di ricerca.
C’é però un limite: le Timeline di Mastodon mostreranno sempre e solo account che la tua Istanza già conosce.
Come funziona dunque la ricerca ed aggiunta di utenti su Istanze diverse?
RETI SOCIALI PERSONALIZZATE
Qui é necessario ripassare un concetto già esposto nei post in cui é illustrato cos’é Mastodon e cos’é il Fediverso: ogni Istanza conosce solamente i propri utenti e gli utenti di altre Istanze con cui é venuta in contatto.
Le diverse Istanze, per poter interagire fra loro, devono essere a conoscenza l’una dell’altra
Per questo motivo, Mastodon (ma lo stesso vale per tutto il Fediverso) non é un’unica rete sociale indifferenziata ma, al contrario, ogni singola Istanza costruisce la propria rete sociale e questo in base a quali sono le altre Istanze con cui viene in contatto, quelle che blocca ecc.
La cosa poi diventa ancora più complessa perché lo stesso schema si ripete a livello di singoli utenti: se siamo sull’Istanza A ed entriamo in contatto con un utente dell’Istanza B di nome Laura, che però non ci presenta mai gli altri membri della sua Istanza (ossia: non boosta i loro post, non linka i loro messaggi, non li cita nei suoi Toot), dell’Istanza B conosceremo solo Laura.
Da questo punto di vista, Mastodon premia le Istanze i cui utenti interagiscono maggiormente: una piccola Istanza con utenti che interagiscono molto fra loro, aumenta le possibilità di tessere un maggior numero di contatti con altre Istanze, attraverso il meccanismo dell’amico che presenta un amico.
AGGANCIARE ALTRE RETI
Questa cosa però ha un limite: non permette di entrare in contatto con utenti che non siano già conosciuti da chi già conosco. Nella prima immagine precedente, ad esempio, le Istanze sulla rete a sinistra (quella coi collegamenti rossi), non han modo di entrare in contatto con le Istanze della rete a destra (quella coi collegamenti azzurri), né quelle della rete in basso (quella coi collegamenti verdi).
É questo il punto su cui si innestano diversi discorsi inerenti alle filter bubble, ai pericoli delle reti chiuse ecc. Non é del tutto sbagliato: chi sta su una certa rete e non cerca confronti, voci dissonanti e idee diverse dalle proprie, resterà confinato nella propria cerchia e al tempo stesso non farà uscire le proprie idee. Chi invece si muove in senso opposto, stabilirà contatti con Istanze le cui comunità sono molto diverse dalla propria. Detto altrimenti: Mastodon non ti obbliga a convivere con chi non vuoi, ma se vuoi differenziare la tua cerchia di contatti puoi farlo, a costo di un minimo sforzo.
Ciò si traduce in un meccanismo che é in effetti un pò macchinoso e che sarebbe decisamente necessario rendere più pratico. Tuttavia il Fediverso é strutturato in modo tale che, probabilmente, una minima dose di macchinosità in questo passaggio sarà sempre presente (ci arriviamo…)
Un aspetto interessante da notare é che la connessione con utenti ed Istanze prima sconosciuti é un qualcosa che può fare ogni singolo utente ma che influirà sull’intera Istanza: se decidi di seguire un utente dell’ Istanza B, i suoi toot compariranno nella TL federata della tua Istanza; in questo modo anche i membri della tua Istanza potranno entrare in contatto con i membri dell’Istanza B che l’account che hai aggiunto boosterà ecc. Più contatti “sconosciuti” porterai nella tua Istanza, più questa crescerà.
Sta dunque alla maturità degli utenti scegliere come e quanto differenziare i propri contatti. Se sei su un’Istanza che non tollera determinati argomenti riguardo ai quali vorresti avere qualche confronto, forse l’Istanza su cui ti trovi non é quella più adatta a te e potrebbe essere il caso di aprire un secondo account su un’Istanza differente.
(Non é raro aprire un primo account Mastodon su un’Istanza per poi capire che preferisci stare su un’Istanza diversa. Per questo motivo esistono funzioni di import/export per trasferirti su Istanze diverse).
MA COME LI TROVO?
Si, ma, insomma… COME e DOVE li dovrei trovare questi utenti e Istanze sconosciuti sia a me che ai contatti che ho già?
Per capire la procedura “tecnica” (ci arriviamo, ci arriviamo…) é necessario capire prima il concetto che v’é alla base e che mostra ancora una volta come il Fediverso sia strutturato in modo molto più simile alle reti sociali umane di quanto non lo siano i social centralizzati: nella tua vita reale, quella di tutti i giorni, con te in carne ed ossa, come trovi persone nuove che nessuno dei tuoi amici e conoscenti conosce già?
Fondamentalmente uscendo dai tuoi giri andando in luoghi nuovi. Questi “luoghi” possono essere anche eventi, manifestazioni o orari (provare a fare la camminata del mattino in ore serali, ad esempio). Più questi “luoghi” sono diversi e lontani dai propri, maggiore sarà probabilmente il tasso di differenziazione cui si andrà incontro (la tua vita ruota intorno a manga, filosofia greca e corsi da sommelier? Se vuoi conoscere davvero persone, realtà ed idee diverse dalle tue, anziché girare per fumetterie ed enoteche prova ad uscire dai soliti giri e, ad esempio, collaborare per qualche tempo con i responsabili di un centro di accoglienza per senzatetto e migranti…).
Ecco, nel Fediverso la cosa funziona esattamente allo stesso modo: per conoscere contatti “sconosciuti” bisogna uscire dalla propria rete e provarne una diversa per poi rientrare, portando dentro alla propria Istanza i contatti che interessano.
Questo uscire si traduce materialmente in due modi:
usare altri account su Istanze o piattaforme federate diverse
cercare al di fuori del Fediverso stesso
IN & OUT
Questo uscire e rientrare dalla propria rete é proprio ciò che maggiormente differenzia una rete federata come il Fediverso dalle reti centralizzate cui si é solitamente abituati. Ne é al tempo stesso la grande forza e debolezza: forza perché permette che si sviluppino reti locali differenziate, ognuna con una propria comunità e cultura specifica, anziché appiattire tutti gli utenti ad un’unica macro-comunità (vedi Twitter) e debolezza perché l’idea di dover continuamente uscire e rientrare dalla propria rete risulta ostica ad una gran parte delle persone.
Come già visto, ogni nuovo account che segui, diventa automaticamente contattabile da tutti i membri della tua Istanza. All’interno di una Istanza bastano pochi utenti “esploratori” perché questa abbia una serie di contatti ben differenziati, più o meno come quando nella vita reale conosci una persona, vi scambiate i contatti e la aggiungi ad un gruppo Matrix (o Whatsapp) in cui ci sono altri tuoi amici.
Puoi venire a conoscenza di nuovi contatti e Istanze praticamente ovunque! Su un blog che segui, su siti vari, forum, articoli vari, reti sociali non federate o altri canali ancora. Puoi cercarle appositamente (ad esempio su Instances.social, Joinmastodon o Distsn).
A più fonti attingerai, più possibilità ci sono di trovare contatti distanti dalla tua rete.
Fare account multipli, esplorare altre Istanze/comunità dal loro interno, interagire con persone diverse senza il bagaglio derivante dalle relazioni già maturate, é un qualcosa di ampiamente promosso nel Fediverso. Le principali App per accedere al Fediverso da dispositivi mobili supportano difatti account multipli. Non é un obbligo avere più account così come non c’é alcun obbligo a mantenere lo stesso nome utente o chissà che altro: ognuno può gestire i propri account come preferisce. Vuoi usare un solo account e non doverti sbattere a cercare alcunché al di fuori delle cerchie condivise dalla tua Istanza? Va bene. Vuoi avere diversi account scollegati fra loro? Ok. Preferisci avere un account principale ed altri solo d’esplorazione? Va bene anche quello.
Una bella immagine riguardante gli account multipli é collegata alla figura già vista dei luoghi differenti: così come hai una cerchia di conoscenze di lavoro, un’altra per via del tuo hobby, un’altra ancora fatta di amici stretti e un’altra ancora fatta di persone che hai conosciuto in una vacanza, ogni account può esser visto come il tuo “io” di ogni diversa cerchia. Puoi tenerle separate (multi-account), metterle assieme (account unico), portare solo alcuni membri di una cerchia in contatto con quelli di un’altra…
OK, MA POI, TECNICAMENTE…
Tecnicamente, quando si incontra un utente mentre si é al di fuori della propria rete, vuoi perché loggati in un’Istanza o piattaforma diversa, oppure perché ci si trova proprio fuori dal Fediverso, i modi per followare questo contatto possono essere diversi. Va però detto (e qui un punto dolente) che tutti questi metodi risultano decisamente più praticabili da Desktop che non da dispositivi portatili.
COPIA/INCOLLA DELL’URL
Il primo metodo, il più comune, consiste nel copiare l’URL della pagina del profilo dell’utente in questione o l’URL di un suo post ed incollarlo nel box di ricerca di Mastodon. Dopo aver dato invio, il box di ricerca restituirà l’icona del profilo ed il pulsante “+” per followarlo (NB: se l’Istanza “non é federata come si deve” il pulsante potrebbe non apparire, mostrare una clessidra o altro)
URL copiata su Friendica…
…e incollata su Mastodon
Il meccanismo del copia/incolla dell’URL funziona con tutte le piattaforme federate e, come dicevamo, funziona sia con l’URL dell’utente che con l’URL di un suo post/contenuto.
L’URL di un video su Peertube…
…su Mastodon restituisce il post del video ed il profilo dell’utente che l’ha postato.
TASTO “SEGUI”
Un altro metodo per followare un utente Mastodon trovato al di fuori del Fediverso é quello di premere sul pulsante “segui” sul suo profilo. Questo metodo però funziona solo per seguire su Mastodon altri utenti Mastodon. Basta premere il pulsante “segui” e loggarsi.
DAL NOME UTENTE ALL’URL
L’ultimo, invece, é il caso più antipatico che può capitare:
Se, all’esterno del Fediverso, si viene a conoscenza dell’account federato di un utente (@NomeUtente@NomeIstanza), il modo più immediato per followarlo é copia/incollarlo nel box di ricerca della propria Istanza Mastodon, ma se l’Istanza non conosce già questo utente, non restituirà alcun risultato. Bisognerà allora ottenere l’URL del profilo utente partendo dall’account.
Innanzitutto, conoscendo il nome dell’Istanza risaliamo all’URL dell’Istanza stessa scrivendone il nome nella barra di ricerca del browser. Cerchiamo ad esempio un utente su mastodon.gamedev.place
Il metodo più rapido per capire come sono composte le URL su una data Istanza é cliccare sul profilo dell’admin (che é quasi sempre presente sulla home dell’Istanza) e sostituire nell’url il nome dell’admin con quello desiderato.
DA ISTANZA A ISTANZA
Una situazione in cui ci si può trovare é quella di essere loggati nell’ Istanza B e venire in contatto con uno o più utenti che si vorrebbe seguire dall’Istanza A.
É possibile aprire le pagine profilo di ogni singolo utente (click su Vedi profilo completo), sloggarsi, entrare nell’Istanza A e da qui followarli nei modi che abbiamo appena visto.
IN CONCLUSIONE
Seguire utenti esterni alla propria rete é dunque un’operazione basata principalmente su copia/incolla, il che, se su Desktop é tutto sommato ancora gestibile, sui dispositivi mobili é qualcosa di improponibile ad un grande pubblico.
Si sente decisamente la mancanza di un qualche plugin/widget/pulsante tipo “segui da…” in cui specificare l’Istanza e/o piattaforma da cui si vuole seguire tale utente.
Se da un lato non va dimenticato che il Fediverso é un network estremamente variegato ed in via di costruzione, in cui sono diversi gli elementi da tenere in considerazione ed armonizzare perché il dialogo fra piattaforme diverse funzioni, dall’altro l’attuale macchinosità che s’incontra nel connettere utenti di reti diverse, é decisamente una grossa pecca: agli utenti di social centralizzati viene già chiesto lo sforzo culturale di capire cosa sia e come funziona una rete federata (sforzo che già é di per sé una debolezza) ma finché proprio la pratica di connessione che é alla base della federazione rimarrà così ostica é comprensibile che la maggior parte degli utenti, questo doppio sforzo, non lo vorrà nemmeno tentare.
Sbrigativamente si può dire che Mastodon é un’alternativa a Twitter, ma utilizzare l’uno non significa affatto dover abbandonare l’altro: anzi!
In modo molto semplice é possibile far convivere i due strumenti ottenendo vantaggi da entrambi!
Abbiamo già visto cos’é Mastodon e che dialoga con diverse piattaforme molto diverse fra loro (solo per citarne alcune: Peertube, Pixelfed, Friendica, Hubzilla, Nextcloud, che sono a loro volta paragonabili a YouTube, Instagram, Facebook, Dropbox e iCloud), le quali, assieme, formano una sorta di mega-rete chiamata Fediverso.
Numeri ottimi, ma molto distanti da quelli dei social commerciali. Twitter ad esempio ha circa 335 milioni di utenti attivi (a luglio 2018).
Non é un mistero che chi utilizza una certa piattaforma può decidere di passare ad un altra se solo questa presenta caratteristiche migliori o assenti in quella che già conosce.
UN DIVERSO PARADIGMA
Qui incontriamo una difficoltà: Mastodon presenta sì delle caratteristiche che su Twitter sono inedite (il livello di privacy dei messaggi, il Content Warning) ma presenta soprattutto un cambio di paradigma nel rapporto coi social che spesso spiazza chi vi si approccia.
Capire che Mastodon non é UN social, ma un conglomerato di comunità diversissime che decidono volontariamente se interagire tra di loro e come, é un concetto talmente distante dall’immagine di social a cui si é abituati da non esser facilmente capito.
Altro concetto che risulta di non immediata comprensione sono ad esempio le potenzialità di poter creare il proprio server Mastodon con le proprie regole(vorresti un social su cui é vietato parlare di politica e religione? Nessun problema: si può creare un’Istanza Mastodon che abbia questo divieto tra le sue policy e raccogliere utenti che hanno lo stesso approccio)
Si ha difficoltà a capire che un’Istanza é sia un server che una comunità.
Di altrettanta difficile comprensione é che possono crearsi delle reti di Istanze Mastodon completamente scollegate fra loro (Ci sono Istanze piene di nazisti che dialogano solamente fra di loro e che non hanno alcun contatto con Istanze antifasciste).
Non si tratta di cose difficili da capire di per sé, ma risultano difficili a chi conosce solo i più noti social network commerciali centralizzati e non é mai stato esposto all’idea di reti dal funzionamento del tutto diverso. E’un po come il caso della persona che fa sempre lo stesso tragitto e dopo anni gli vien rivelato che a breve distanza esiste un percorso alternativo di cui non aveva mai nemmeno sospettato l’esistenza.
A volte si descrive Mastodon come uno strumento atto a creare comunità chiuse nelle loro filter bubble, senza capire che un’Istanza può avere diversi livelli di apertura e chiusura alle altre: una Istanza/comunità sana, interessata a comunicare apertamente con chiunque che ha tra i suoi princìpi anche dei “no” come ad esempio razzismo e sessismo é cosa diversa da chi vive in una filter bubble.
Al tempo stesso, vi sono alcuni meccanismi di Mastodon che in parte necessitano oggettivamente di qualche miglioramento ed in parte ha senso che risultino un po’ macchinosi, proprio in base alle sue peculiarità (ad esempio la ricerca di utenti su Istanze diverse o l’assenza di trend topic).
UN’INTERAZIONE PIÚ UMANA
Queste differenze di approccio ai rapporti via social sono certamente interessanti: le caratteristiche di Mastodon tendono a premiare le interazioni umane (l’argomento più discusso su un’Istanza é quello di cui messaggiano tutti e non quello che appare su una classifica di trend topic gonfiata da bot e troll; l’ordine dei messaggi é quello cronologico reale e non viene alterato da algoritmi; si interagisce dialogando; la gamification é ridotta in modo drammatico) pur introducendo alcuni strumenti tipici della comunicazione elettronica (stelline, retweet/boost ecc.).
Si può invece notare che chi proviene da piattaforme commerciali tende spesso a sentire come una mancanza proprio le caratteristiche che rendono la comunicazione meno umana (rincorsa all’hashtag, trend topic, contatori, retweet con commento ecc.)
É sempre illuminante osservare come spesso sulla propria Istanza Mastodon nessuno abbia alcun interesse verso un argomento frivolo che, su Twitter, occupa magari tutti i tweet della giornata.
Qui la cosa può farsi straniante: chi si approccia a Mastodon continuando a ragionare in termini di gamification (ottenere tanti like! centinaia di retweet! inventare una battuta di successo!) probabilmente non ne trarrà molto gradimento perché come abbiam visto su Mastodon tutto é studiato per minimizzare questo tipo di interazione “meccanica”.
Tutto dipende dalla qualità della comunità/Istanza: più gli utenti collaborano a “creare comunità” sulla propria Istanza e meglio questa funziona. Se l’Istanza/comunità é solo un punto d’incontro casuale tra utenti privi di un progetto/idea/interesse comune, allora Mastodon sarà solo un “Twitter un pò diverso”, ma se al contrario v’é un approccio propositivo e di comunità, ecco che le caratteristiche strutturali di Mastodon riveleranno immediatamente tutte le loro potenzialità.
Per esempio, un’Istanza comunitaria può decidere assieme le policy, chi bannare o semplicemente silenziare, come finanziare il server, le attività in comune, quali strumenti aggiungere/personalizzare, come gestire la moderazione…
“MA SONO TUTTI DALL’ALTRA PARTE”
Una difficoltà che tocca diversi strumenti informatici alternativi a quelli più diffusi e commerciali é quello dell’omnipresenza di questi ultimi. Se sei su Twitter, insomma, ci pensi due volte a passare ad una piattaforma in cui non troverai i tuoi contatti/follower/amici. Al di là del fatto che ci sono ottimi motivi per mollare a piè pari le piattaforme delle Big Tech Companies, é comprensibile che non tutti siano disposti a fare di punto in bianco un “grande salto”, vuoi per timore, vuoi per oggettiva riduzione dei contatti.
Esistono tuttavia diversi strumenti per far convivere Mastodon e Twitter ottenendo il meglio da entrambi e permettendo una transazione soft!
CROSSPOST CON MASTO.DONTE
Masto.donte é un crossposter, ossia uno strumento che permette di sincronizzare il proprio account Twitter col proprio account Mastodon.
Il funzionamento é semplice: ci si logga con entrambi gli account e lo si imposta come si preferisce! Le opzioni a disposizione sono diverse, ad esempio lo si può impostare perché i post su Mastodon vengano replicati su Twitter ma non da Twitter verso Mastodon, o il contrario, oppure ancora lo si può impostare perché funzioni in entrambi i sensi. Qui ognuno é libero di sperimentare la formula che preferisce.
Ci sono alcuni limiti (le risposte ad altri utenti non possono essere crosspostate ed i boost su Mastodon non vengono twittati) ma i propri post originali possono viaggiare sempre in entrambe le direzioni.
Ci sono anche alcuny bypass: é possibile far sì che messaggi contenenti una certa parola (o un certo hashtag) non vengano mai crosspostati.
IFTTT contiene diversi Applet in grado di crosspostare messaggi da una piattaforma all’altra. Gli Applet sono diversi e conviene provarli direttamente.
ACTIVITYPUB.ACTOR
ActivityPub.Actor é uno strumento ancora in lavorazione (questo il profilo del suo sviluppatore) che si propone di sincronizzare gli account di diverse piattaforme commerciali centralizzate con ActivityPub, il protocollo di comunicazione condiviso dalle piattaforme del Fediverso e dunque anche da Mastodon.
La piattaforma su cui maggiormente viene sperimentato é proprio Twitter, ma tra quelle che gli sviluppatori dicono di voler considerare in futuro vediamo anche Facebook, Instagram, Reddit ecc.
In sostanza ActivityPub.Actor porterebbe i contenuti di questi social nel Fediverso e viceversa, fungendo grossomodo come uno dei bridge già osservati riguardo a Matrix.
Pur essendo uno strumento non ancora funzionante ha già fatto discutere un po’ all’interno del Fediverso, riguardo l’opportunità di accogliere potenzialmente una valanga di contenuti non originali con i quali probabilmente non sarebbe possibile interagire.
I VANTAGGI DEL CROSSPOSTING
Uno dei primi vantaggi del crossposting ce l’ha ben presente chi, per un motivo o per l’altro, é stato silenziato/sospeso/bannato da Twitter.
BYPASSARE I BAN DI TWITTER Crosspostando con Mastodon, nel caso di una sospensione si può continuare a comunicare su Mastodon e la propria pagina pubblica di Mastodon con tutti i propri messaggi, rimarrà comunque visibile. Volendo, puoi collegare temporaneamente il tuo account Mastodon ad un account temporaneo di Twitter.
500 CARATTERI Scrivendo su Mastodon puoi avere fino a 500 caratteri (alcune Istanze anche di più). Crosspostando, Twitter mosterà i primi 280 caratteri e per leggere il resto aggiunge il link web al post Mastodon.
THREAD MULTIPLI Un post crosspostato può generare una discussione su Twitter con un certo tono ed una discussione enormemente diversa su Mastodon. A volte il risultato può essere stupefacente!
BACKUP Avere i tuoi post archiviati su un diverso server può essere un modo di backuparli!
Il crossposting può essere visto male nel Fediverso se viene usato in modo unidirezionale e senza interazione. Per intenderci: se stai sempre su Twitter, crossposti su Mastodon ma poi su Mastodon non vieni mai, non interagisci, non rispondi, beh, la cosa é vista molto male perché anche se sei una persona in carne e ossa, così facendo nel Fediverso ti comporteresti come un BOT e certe Istanze potrebbero silenziarti o bannarti.
Tieni conto che per etichetta, nel Fediverso, i BOT si dichiarano per quel che sono. Un account che funge da BOT per un sito postando in automatico i suoi contenuti può svolgere un servizio comodo ma é giusto che gli utenti sappiano che si tratta di un “utente meccanico” cosicché possano agire di conseguenza.
Account di utenti reali che però agiscono solo come BOT sono invece un qualcosa di assai irritante, anche perché spesso collegati ad operazioni di trolling. Se vuoi solo che i tuoi contenuti girino nel Fediverso senza interagire non c’é problema, a patto che ciò sia detto esplicitamente. Nelle preferenze del tuo account Mastodon c’é una casella da spuntare in cui indichi che il tuo account é un BOT e, per maggior chiarezza, non sarebbe male lo segnalassi anche nel nome utente e/o nella bio. Volendo, esiste anche un’Istanza apposita: https://botsin.space/creata proprio per ospitare solamente account BOT. Così come ogni cosa nel Fediverso, ogni Istanza sceglie come rapportarsi con Botsin Space: chi la blocca, chi la silenzia e chi interagisce senza problemi.
CERCHI CHE SI ALLARGANO
Le prime comunità su una piattaforma digitale sono solitamente le comunità degli sviluppatori. Hacker, programmatori e appassionati di tecnologia che si divertono a smanettare su strumenti nuovi, migliorarli, ecc.
In una seconda fase la piattaforma si popola delle prime comunità per cui la piattaforma é stata pensata. Mastodon però da un lato non é pensato per una qualche comunità specifica (per fare un esempio: il social Gab ha delle policy che permettono alle comunità neonaziste di utilizzarla liberamente e dunque si é popolata proprio di neonazisti, alt/right ecc) e dall’altro il suo sviluppatore ha imposto una chiara policy antifascista sul suo server, mastodon.social. Di conseguenza le prime comunità ad aver popolato Mastodon e creato le proprie Istanze hanno avuto una forte componente antifascista.
Una grossa fetta di utenti ed Istanze poi é andata a formarsi grazie agli esuli di Twitter: chi non poteva o voleva interagire rispettandone le policy (utenti giapponesi, appassionati di anime e manga che, per differenze culturali, non potevano interagire su Twitter) comunità che su sui social generalisti perdono più tempo a difendersi da molestie e trollaggio e che han creato le proprie Istanze Mastodon dove han trovato casa (comunità LGBTQ, Furry, ecc).
Col tempo poi sono arrivati anche i nazi ed i fondamentalisti cristiani, che si son fatti le proprie Istanze indipendenti, così come sono arrivati appassionati di erotismo e pornografia transfughi da Tumblr. Ci sono pure Istanze sex-work friendly.
La struttura stessa di Mastodon fa sì che ogni utente e comunità possa scegliere se e come interagire con le altre. Mastodon dunque non é UN social di antifascisti, furry, nazi, sex-worker, anarchici e tecnoilluminati ma un calderone pieno di comunità diversissime che interagiscono o s’ignorano in modi assai variegati, creando reti complesse adatte alle singole comunità.
In questo momento stanno nascendo diverse Istanze dedicate a mestieri specifici come Istanze per avvocati ed educatori. Al tempo stesso stanno nascendo Istanze specifiche per una certa regione.
MASTODON IN ITALIA
In Italia le Istanze stanno nascendo nell’ambito di collettivi autonomi, circoli anarchici e centri sociali legati alle città d’origine:
Non mancano alcune Istanze personali (cioé create solo per ospitare il loro proprietario o poco più) ed un’Istanza generalista attualmente popolata solo da bot commerciali.
Molti utenti italiani tuttavia sono registrati su mastodon.social o in altre Istanze, perlopiù tedesche o francesi, come ad esempio l’assai cosmopolita mastodon.partecipa.
PRIMI PASSI E CONVIVENZA CON TWITTER
Cresce dunque l’interesse per lo strumento ed al tempo stesso si affronta la titubanza di chi s’approccia a Mastodon avendo alle spalle solo l’esperienza dei social commerciali ed ha dunque bisogno di un’introduzione ed un avvicinamento lento. Far convivere le due piattaforme con l’uso di un crossposter é probabilmente una formula che in questo senso può aiutare.
Riassumendo molto brevemente: Matrix é un protocollo di comunicazione aperto e liberamente utilizzabile da chiunque (ognuno puà farsi il suo server Matrix) creando una rete di chat potenzialmente infinita, le cui caratteristiche di sicurezza ed espansione permettono e promettono di fare un sacco di cose. Insomma: si tratta di uno strumento estremamente interessante.
Una delle caratteristiche più interessanti é la capacità di Matrix di dialogare con altre piattaforme. Detto in soldoni: con Matrix si può creare un “gruppo” in cui possono dialogare utenti Matrix, utenti Whatsapp, Telegram, IRC ecc. lasciando che ognuno usi l’App che preferisce. Questo é il “bridging”
(Una nota: questo articolo vuole solamente spiegare il concetto di “bridge” dando giusto un accenno terra-terra a come funziona e non vuol certo essere un manuale sull’utilizzo dei bridge)
Chi ha già letto gli articoli precedenti sa che Matrix non é un servizio di chat come Twitter ma é un protocollo, come l’email: Gmail, ProtonMail, Hotmail sono tutti servizi che usano i protocolli email, ognuno coi propri server e con caratteristiche personali che però, interagiscono fra loro (da Gmail puoi mandare una email a Hotmail, giusto?).
Non ti “registri all’email” ma “crei un account su ProtonMail”. Non ti “registri a Matrix”, ma “crei un account su un server Matrix”.
Prendiamo dunque ad esempio il server Matrix di Feneas: https://chat.feneas.org, Una volta registrati si può dialogare con qualsiasi utente registrato su qualsiasi server Matrix (ancora una volta: se ti registri su Yahoo puoi scambiarti le email con chiunque abbia un indirizzo email, indifferentemente dal server a cui si é registrato).
In Matrix ogni conversazione avviene in “stanze”. Sono sostanzialmente come i gruppi di Whatsapp, solo che qui anche la chat tra te ed una sola altra persona avviene in una stanza.
Qui incontriamo dunque i “bridge”, ossia quegli strumenti che permettono di collegare una stanza Matrix con il proprio corrispettivo su altre piattaforme.
Un “bridge” (letteralmente “ponte”) é sostanzialmente un programma che si occupa di sincronizzare Matrix con una certa piattaforma in modo da farli comunicare assieme.
Per ogni piattaforma dunque servità un bridge apposito. Dunque ce ne sono diversi. Non solo: per certe piattaforme esiste più di un bridge che magari adottano soluzioni e caratteristiche diverse. Bisogna tener conto che tutto il processo di bridging tra Matrix e le altre piattaforme é ancora un work in progress: alcuni bridge funzionano bene, altri così-così, ed insomma, la “scena” del bridging é ancora molto attiva. Alcune piattaforme sono fatte in modo da poter essere, almeno sulla carta, facilmente collegabili con un bridge mentre altre sono decisamente più ostiche.
Il funzionamento ideale di una stanza Matrix “bridged” (da qui in poi renderò “bridged” con “sincronizzata”) con una piattaforma diversa, ad esempio Telegram, dovrebbe essere abbastanza banale: io che ho un account Matrix entro nella stanza e chatto normalmente, da Matrix, mentre un’altra persona che ha Telegram vedrà quel che ho scritto nella stanza, a cui però accede attraverso Telegram.
Un esempio lo si può vedere nella stanza pubblica Telegram-FOSS. La stanza é sincronizzata con Telegram ed IRC, pertanto gli utenti che vi partecipano lo fanno da tutte e tre le piattaforme.
Questa é la stanza pubblica Telegram-FOSS così come viene visualizzata online. Sono visibili le interazioni fra utenti Telegram (segnalati tra parentesi) ed IRC (privi di indicazione tra parentesi perché la stanza nasce come stanza IRC e dunque sono gli altri account a dover specificare la loro piattaforma)
Si, ma, in soldoni, come funzionano questi bridge? Come si installano e come si attivano?
Dunque, ogni bridge é un programma che va a dialogare con Matrix: non é parte integrante di Matrix! Questo vuol dire che se creo un account su un server Matrix non é scontato che questo abbia anche dei bridge e se ne ha, non é detto che li abbia tutti!
La maggior parte dei server Matrix offre perlopiù il solo bridge ad alcuni server IRC (Freenode e pochi altri ancora).
Come dicevamo, la “scena” riguardante la realizzazione dei bridge é ancora un work in progress e dunque é probabile che nel giro di qualche tempo sempre più server avranno di default un numero maggiore di bridge.
Come si fa allora ad usare un bridge se i server Matrix non li offrono di default? La prima soluzione possibile é quella di farsi il proprio server Matrix installandoci tutti i bridge che si desiderano, ma ovviamente per fare ciò é necessario avere un server e saperci mettere le mani.
Ma esiste un altro modo: un bridge, dicevamo, é un programma che sincronizza una stanza Matrix con l’equivalente di una diversa piattaforma (canale IRC, gruppo Whatsapp ecc…), ma non é indispensabile che il bridge si trovi sullo stesso server Matrix che deve sincronizzare.
Potenzialmente, dunque, un bridge potrebbe essere installato sui server di Whatsapp per offrire ai propri utenti la possibilità di interagire con gli utenti Matrix (ok, Facebook aborre un’idea del genere e dunque non succederà mai, ma tecnicamente la cosa sarebbe possibile).
Ma il bridge può anche essere installato su un server che non c’entra nulla con gli altri due. Un esempio é t2bot.io, che offre alcuni bridge per Matrix.
i bridge offerti da t2bot.io
Si, ma, materialmente, per fare questa sincronizzazione, dal lato utente come funziona? Cosa clicco? Dove devo digitare?
Beh, qui la cosa cambia da bridge a bridge: ognuno ha un approccio diverso così come caratteristiche e funzionamento. Due diversi bridge per Whatsapp possono funzionare in modo molto diverso, per intenderci.
Ma giusto per dare un’idea vediamo un esempio di sincronizzazione con Telegram usando il bridge messo a disposizione di t2bot.io
SU TELEGRAM
Creare un canale Telegram
Invitare il bot @matrix_t2bot nel canale (basta digitare @matrix_t2bot nella casella di ricerca per trovatlo)
Nel gruppo, digitare il comando /id Il Bot fornirà un <codice>
SU MATRIX
Creare una stanza Matrix (la stanza deve essere accessibile da chiunque ed avere un indirizzo locale)
Invitare il bot @telegram:t2bot.io nella stanza
Nella stanza, digitare il comando !tg bridge <codice>
Il bot chiederà una conferma. Digitare !tg continue
Fatta! Adesso in quel canale potranno dialogare sia utenti Telegram che utenti Matrix. (Maggiori dettagli qui: https://t2bot.io/telegram )
A questo punto quel che vien scritto in quella stanza Matrix apparirà nella stanza Telegram e viceversa. Tuttavia i messaggi provenienti dall’ “altra piattaforma” appariranno come se fossero pubblicati dal bot e non dalla persona che li ha scritti (Telegram Bot ha scritto: “ciao!”). Per far si che i messaggi vengano attribuiti all’utente che li ha effettivamente scritti, ora che si son sincronizzate le stanze vanno sincronizzati gli account!
SU MATRIX
Aprire una chat privata con l’utente @telegram:t2bot.io
Digitare il comando !tg login ed attendere un pò
Dopo una certa attesa il bot fornirà delle istruzioni da seguire; solitamente contenenti un link ad una pagina in cui bisognerà scrivere il numero di telefono del proprio account Telegram (+39 12 34567890) ed il proprio account Matrix (@nomeutente:nomeserver)
A questo punto il bot sincronizzerà i due account ed inviterà a sincronizzare anche altre stanze/gruppi. Questo, va ricordato, é UN bridge Matrix/Telegram e nulla toglie che ne possano essere sviluppati degli altri che funzionino in modo più semplice ed intuitivo.
Idealmente in una stanza Matrix con tutti i bridge immaginabili, si potrebbe far dialogare assieme utenti Mastodon, Whatsapp, IRC, XMPP, Matrix, Telegram, Slack, Discord, iMessage, Skype. Ma potrebbero intervenire anche utenti via SMS ed Email.
Con il bridge Mastodon o un eventuale bridge ActivityPub inoltre Matrix verrebbe definitivamente a far parte del Fediverso e l’abbinata Matrix-ActivityPub potrebbe in effetti fungere da vero nodo collettore tra innumerevoli piattaforme decentralizzate, federandole.
Una teoria del complotto Non é altro che una narrazione diversiva, che parte da almeno una frustrazione non manifestabile e ne elabora un’interpretazione distorta che attacca capri espiatori mantenendo le cose così come sono.
Le narrazioni possono essere di tipo diversissimo: si spazia da quella che é poco più che una leggenda urbana alle grandi teorie del complotto. Ognuna di queste però presenta più o meno queste caratteristiche (non sempre tutte contemporaneamente):
Propone sempre una “visione altra” della realtà, basata sulla meraviglia e fascinazione della “verità rivelata”.
Fornisce ai suoi eroi una griglia concettuale con cui interpretare un mondo che non capisce.
Riduce la dissonanza cognitiva tra la realtà così com’é e la realtà così come la concepiscono.
Attribuisce colpe sistemiche a colpevoli materiali.
Ruota sempre attorno ad un perno indiscutibile.
Ha uno scopo di enorme portata.
Ha una durata indefinita.
Ha un numero indefinito di partecipanti.
Consiste in piani complessissimi, intricati ma coerentissimi e perfetti nel loro svolgimento.
Prosegue anche se diventato nota.
Può riferirsi ad una mitica “età dell’oro” passata
I suoi organizzatori (i “Grandi”) sono una sorta di entità divine, come Dei capaci di muovere ogni cosa e persona.
L’EROE COMPLOTTISTA
La teoria del complotto ha sempre un eroe in colui che la afferma: chi crede in una teoria del complotto é un “eroe in lotta” tanto quanto i sostenitori più noti e famosi di quella stessa teoria. Anche l’ “eroe” é identificabile da dei tratti ricorrenti:
Si considera costantemente come vittima.
Si percepisce come sempre sotto attacco.
Si concepisce come contropotere, anche se é al potere.
É costantemente alla ricerca di una catarsi, palingenesi, rinascita.
Attribuisce alla nemesi i propri impulsi bestiali repressi.
Se crede che una certa cosa possa esser vera, la considererà tale.
É impossibile stabilire con certezza se crede o finge di credere in ciò che dice.
Se attaccato alzerà il tiro (dinnanzi a prove dell’inconsistenza delle sue affermazioni, le sparerà ancor più grandi)
Considera ogni briciola (elemento da lui utilizzabile) un tesoro, fintanto che può ingerirla, anche se é merda.
Accoglie ogni collegamento mentale possibile, per quanto arbitrario.
I VERI EFFETTI DI OGNI TEORIA DEL COMPLOTTO
Giustificare il sistema.
Spostare la frustrazione su capri espiatori.
Mantenere lo status quo attraverso finte rivoluzioni.
Per assurdo che sembri, l’ “eroe” che più si straccia le vesti contro un certo nemico é proprio colui che maggiormente lo alimenta. Chi si affida alle medicine alternative perché non si fida delle aziende farmaceutiche, per esempio, acquista prodotti omeopatici che sono a tutti gli effetti solo acqua e zucchero vendute ad un prezzo esorbitante: tutto guadagno per le aziende che li producono.
I NUCLEI DI FRUSTRAZIONE
La frustrazione non manifestabile e che prende corpo nella teoria del complotto é sempre un qualcosa che l’eroe considera troppo vago o complesso. Qualcosa che sente dentro ma che non trova appiglio materiale per scaricare la frustrazione su di esso. Questo nucleo può essere una verità intangibile così come una paura basata su fantasie ma per l’ “eroe” é sempre una verità indiscutibile.
Il lunacomplottista non crede a nessuna “fonte ufficiale” a prescindere e per lui dimostrare che l’uomo non é giunto sulla Luna é un modo per riaffermare questa sua sfiducia.
Qualche esempio:
TERRAPIATTISMO “Non mi fido di ciò che dice la scienza”
COMPLOTTI LUNARI “Non mi fido di ciò che dice il governo”
SCIE CHIMICHE “Il cambiamento climatico é opera dei Grandi ed io non posso farci nulla”
9/11 “Non mi fido di ciò che dice il governo”
RETTILIANI “Il mondo finanziario é inumano”
UCCISIONE JFK “Non mi fido di ciò che dice il governo” “Ogni speranza di cambiamento é vana”
STRAGI PARTIGIANE “Il comunismo é inumano”
MEDICINE ALTERNATIVE “Non mi fido di ciò che dicono le aziende” “Non mi fido di ciò che dice la scienza”
UFO “Non siamo soli al mondo” “Non mi fido di ciò che dice il governo” “Il mondo é comandato dai Grandi ed io non posso farci nulla”
COMPLOTTO MASSONICO E/O GIUDAICO “Il mondo é comandato dai Grandi ed io non posso farci nulla”
“TEORIA DEL GENDER “I cambiamenti sociali sono opera dei Grandi”
SOSTITUZIONE ETNICA “I cambiamenti del mondo sono opera dei Grandi” “Il cambiamento climatico é opera dei Grandi”
CREDERE E COMBATTERE
L’ “eroe” é una persona che crede e già il solo credere significa, nel suo piccolo, combattere. Ci vuole poco ad osservare che si é dinnanzi ad una forma mentis più religiosa che logica, ma va fatta una certa distinzione: si tratta dello stesso processo mentale ma viene applicato su oggetti diversi. Ci sono complottisti atei e complottisti religiosissimi, così come ci sono persone religiose che coltivano uno scetticismo logico e persone religiose che credono a complotti di ogni sorta.
Il tratto comune qui trattato é l’atteggiamento religioso verso il “credere”, ossia il rapportarsi ad un’idea partendo dal presupposto che sia vera a prescindere da qualsiasi evidenza. Si tratta di un atteggiamento mentale che indubbiamente accomuna diverse realtà anche apparentemente distanti fra loro.
Sarebbe interessante osservare tutte queste realtà tralasciando le classificazioni abituali ma suddividendole in base al paradigma della forma mentis che sta alla loro base.
Per chi non avesse letto gli altri post, qui basterà ricordate solo una cosa: Matrix é il nome della piattaforma, Riot é l’applicazione che ci accede e matrix.org é il più noto fornitore della piattaform.
Per fare un paragone:
Matrix – La piattaforma; come dire l’email
matrix.org – Uno dei server della piattaforma Matrix; come dire email.it o gmail.com
Riot – é come dire Outlook Express o Thunderbird o Apple Mail.
Il paragone con l’email spiega bene le diverse soluzioni possibili con Matrix: così come puoi decidere il server mail che preferisci e registrarti a tua scelta su Hotmail, Libero o Protonmail sapendo che in ogni caso potrai scambiare mail con persone registrate anche su altri server, su Matrix ti registri al server che preferisci e da lì chatti con persone che possono anche essere registrate su server diversi dal tuo, essendo tutti utilizzatori della piattaforma “email”.
Una volta che ci si é registrati al server email che si é scelto, ad esempio Gmail, si può decidere se accederci dal browser su gmail.com, o scaricando l’app chiamata Gmail o impostando Outlook Express. Allo stesso modo, con Matrix, una volta scelto il server, ci si può accedere da browser o usando l’app Riot o un’altra delle diverse Applicazioni disponibili (ce ne sono diverse, ma questo tutorial tratterà solo la più comune, Riot)
CREARE L’ACCOUNT
1) Da computer fisso, andare su https://riot.im/app/ (A dire il vero l’account si può creare benissimo direttamente da smartphone, ma per qualche oscuro motivo a me inspiegabile, ho riscontrato che molte persone si perdono in questo passaggio e quindi opto per indicare la soluzione che va meglio per tutti)
NOTA IMPORTANTE: Per usare Matrix, come già spiegato, basta registrarsi ad uno qualsiasi dei suoi server pubblici. Questo tutorial ed i link che contiene, si riferiscono al server matrix.org, attualmente il più usato. Tuttavia é possibile che matrix.org limiti le registrazioni. In questo caso basterà scegliere un altro server.
Un elenco incompleto di server pubblici utilizzabili é disponibile suhello-matrix.net
Due di questi server che possono essere vivamente consigliati, sono i seguenti:
Opencloud (Lussemburgo) https://riot.opencloud.lu/#/welcome (NB: il server é in Lussemburgo ma gli admin sono italiani, il che può aiutare in caso doveste chiedere informazioni o aiuto)
2) Apparirà questa schermata. Clicca su [CREATE ACCOUNT]
3) Scegliere uno [USERNAME] ed una [PASSWORD]. Scegli una password seria! Mi raccomando che contenga lettere, numeri, simboli, maiuscole e minuscole! E segnatela da qualche parte! Non é obbligatorio ma é meglio inserire anche il proprio indirizzo [EMAIL].
4) A questo punto va risolto il Captcha [NON SONO UN ROBOT]
5) Accettare [TERMINI E CONDIZIONI]
6) FATTA: L’ACCOUNT É STATO CREATO! La sua forma, senza gli spazi, é questa:
@ nomeutente : matrix . org
7) In questo momento stai usando la versione web di Riot, ma volendo puoi scaricare la sua Applicazione per PC Windows, Mac, o Linux da quihttps://about.riot.im/downloads/ Puoi anche scaricare l’App Riot.im per Android da Google Play e da F-Droid o per iOS dall’ App Store.
8) Riot in versione web (o Applicazione) da per computer fisso permette di fare molte più cose della versione per smartphone. In questa guida iniziale però viene spiegato solo il funzionamento da smartphone.
9) L’App di Android e quella di iOS hanno delle leggere differenze fra loro, perciò le schermate ed i menù di Riot sul tuo telefono potrebbero non essere del tutto uguali a quelle descritte qui.
10) Scarica l’App sullo smartphone
11) Dal momento che hai creato il tuo account aspetta almeno 2 o 3 minuti e poi puoi accedere all’App con il nome utente e password che hai creato.
12) Se hai dato il tuo indirizzo mail ti sarà arrivata una email di verifica. Se non la vedi controlla nell’antispam.
USARE RIOT
A questo punto ci si può loggare da smartphone. Banalmente, basta inserire il nome utente e la password. Non serve mettere il nome utente completo di formattazione (invece che scrivere @:mionomeutente:nomeserver.org basterà scrivere mionomeutente)
Se si é scelto un server diverso da matrix.org, questo va indicato nella schermata di Login
L’app per smartphone Riot.im, di default intende che tu abbia un account su matrix.org. Se così non fosse bisognerà selezionare “Custom server” ed inserire il suo dominio. (Se il l’account é su Opencloud bisognerà scrivere https://riot.opencloud.lu)
Una volta loggato nell’App ti ritroverai una schermata come questa:
Schermata iniziale al primo utilizzo
Non appare granché perché devi ancora aggiungere i tuoi contatti. A questo punto, se non l’hai ancora fatto, sarebbe bene leggere il post Cos’é Matrix per comprendere i concetti base di come funzionano le cose da queste parti. É facile, ma se finora hai usato solo App tipo Whatsapp, Facebook, Telegram e Viber, che sono iper-semplificate ed estremamente simili fra loro, molto probabilmente hai bisogno di ripassarti due-tre concetti su sicurezza e comunicazione digitale che le App che hai usato finora tendono a eliminare.
OGNI CHAT É UNA STANZA
La cosa principale da ricordare é che su Riot si comunica a STANZE. Hai presente un gruppo Whatsapp? Beh, qui su Riot un “gruppo” é chiamato stanza e funziona più o meno allo stesso modo. Ma su Riot anche la comunicazione tra te ed un’altra persona deve avvenire in una stanza!
Se Andrea chatta con Sabrina non é semplicemente una comunicazione diretta tra Andrea e Sabrina ma é una comunicazione che avviene in una stanza che ha come membri… solo Andrea e Sabrina!
Riot permette di dividere le stanze in quattro tipi: FAVOURITES, PEOPLE, ROOMS e LOW PRIORITY. Questa cosa all’inizio può confondere: si tratta sempre di stanze! Non importa se tu classifichi una stanza “people” o “room”: resta sempre e solo una stanza! Io, per esempio, trovo comodo classificare “people” le stanze con solo me ed un’altra persona, “room” quelle con 3 o più persone, “favourite” le preferite e “low priority” quelle con persone o gruppi con cui non mi sento spesso.
Quando premi il pulsante [+] ti vengono fornite tre opzioni. [START CHAT] e [CREATE ROOM] sono fondamentalmente la stessa cosa! Solamente, funzionano in modo un pò diverso: “Start chat” é più veloce, selezioni subito le persone con cui chattare ed appena l’hai fatto inizi la conversazione in una stanza senza nome. “Create room” invece ti chiede prima di impostare la stanza, dargli un nome, selezionare diverse opzioni e solo quando hai fatto tutto puoi invitare chi vuoi nella stanza.
Altra grossa differenza: con “Start chat” tu e le altre persone nella discussione siete tutte parimenti amministratrici della stanza di discussione. Con “Create room” tu amministri e gli altri utenti no.
La terza opzione, [JOIN ROOM] serve ad entrare in stanze create da altri. Ma questa opzione non viene trattata in questa guida
PRIMO IMPATTO
Come quando si indossa un nuovo paio di scarpe o si guida una nuova moto, all’inizio bisognerà prendere confidenza con certe funzioni basilari: quello che su un altra App sai fare a occhi chiusi, qui devi un po’ re-impararlo: é normale! Fai qualche prova, gira qua e là tra i menù, esplora. E non farti problemi a sperimentare: che vuoi che succeda di così grave?
Impara a disabilitare le notifiche, trova le impostazioni generali e quelle di ogni singola stanza, creare stanze, unirti a stanze già esistenti ed abbandonarle…
ACCOUNT E RUBRICA
Se hai già letto il post Cos’é Matrix sai che l’intero sistema Riot/Matrix é estremamente attento a privacy e sicurezza. Qui tutto é pensato perché non vengano diffuse informazioni su di te. Per questo quando hai creato il tuo account Matrix non era obbligatorio mettere la tua email o il numero di cellulare: qui nessuno ti obbliga a collegare il tuo account alla tua identità reale. Nelle istruzioni sulla creazione dell’account ho suggerito di inserire comunque un indirizzo email perché nel caso perdessi la tua password, con un’email puoi ancora riuscire ad entrare in Riot mentre senza, ahimé, non avresti alcun modo di recuperarla.
Se entri nelle preferenze di Riot però vedrai che ci sono i campi per inserire i tuoi dati personali: il nome visualizzato, il numero di telefono ed appunto, una o due email. Puoi scegliere tu se metterli o meno: se li inserisci, chi conosce il tuo vero nome, email o numero di telefono, riuscirà a trovarti facilmente qui su Riot; se invece non li inserisci, qui su Riot verrai contattato solo da chi conosce il tuo account esatto.
Logo “Impostazioni”
Sempre nelle impostazioni ti verrà chiesto se vuoi che Riot possa accedere alla Rubrica del tuo telefono per vedere se ci sono, appunto, indirizzi email o numeri di telefono di qualcuno che li ha abbinati al suo account Riot.
LISTA CONTATTI DI RIOT
Su Riot, se hai notato, non hai una tua lista dei contatti Matrix. Questa é la seconda cosa che risulta un pò spiazzante per chi viene da Whatsapp ed altre App simili ma che ti appare chiara se hai letto il post Cos’é Matrix. Si tratta difatti di una scelta voluta per un fatto di sicurezza: Riot non vuole memorizzare i dati dei tuoi contatti. Al contrario, quando ti iscrivi a WhatsApp, tu fai sapere a Facebook tutti i numeri di telefono ed indirizzi email che hai memorizzato sul tuo telefono.
Il concetto base é che i tuoi contatti devono stare solo sulla tua Rubrica del telefono mentre le chat devono stare solo sull’app di chat (in questo caso Riot)
Ti chiederai “Ma allora, quell’impostazione per permettere a Riot di accedere ai miei contatti?”. Beh, qui é una questione di fiducia: ti fidi a dare accesso a Matrix.org alla tua Rubrica e leggere tutti i numeri di telefono, le email ed i nomi collegati? Anche qui, hai la possibilità di scegliere.
Se scegli di NON permettere a Riot di accedere alla Rubrica, i tuoi contatti potranno essere recuperati solo all’interno delle stanze in cui avete dialogato.
Se scegli di permettere a Riot di accedere alla Rubrica, l’App mostrerà al suo interno i tuoi contatti, ma identificherà solo quelli già iscritti a Riot e che hanno fornito l’email o il numero di telefono che hai sulla tua Rubrica.
Questo sistema ha una mancanza: se un utente che ha un account Matrix, NON ha fornito il suo numero di telefono o email, Riot non lo “conoscerà”. Se qualcuno ti da il suo indirizzo Matrix, il modo migliore per archiviarlo é dunque segnarselo manualmente in Rubrica! Così facendo, quando cercherai il suo nome da Riot, vedrai il suo numero di telefono, l’email… e l’account Matrix!
LE RUBRICHE DEL TELEFONO
Bisogna spendere due parole sulle Rubriche del telefono e sul loro modo di gestire i contatti. Banalmente: esiste una sorta di “standard” che però nessuno rispetta veramente e dunque i “Contatti” su iOS sono gestiti in modo diverso che su Android e lo stesso vale per PC, Mac, LInux.
Questo vuol dire che ogni telefono ha un modo un pò suo di gestire la cosa.
Per esempio, su iOS, l’indirizzo Matrix va inserito tra le email e non tra i contatti social.
Detto altrimenti: potresti dover fare un paio di tentativi per capire qual’é il modo migliore per segnarti gli indirizzi Matrix in Rubrica.
LE FUNZIONI AVANZATE DI RIOT/MATRIX
Questo articolo serve giusto per spiegare i primissimi passi con Riot/Matrix. Le funzioni speciali, la differenza tra l’App per smartphone e quella per computer fisso, la crittografia end-to-end sono invece ciò che rende Matrix speciale e possono essere affrontate solo dopo aver compiuto questi primi passi. Una cosa però é chiara: per poter capire le funzioni avanzate é indispensabile aver letto Cos’é Matrix ed aver appreso i concetti fondamentali su cui si regge.
Dunque: spieghiamo innanzitutto la differenza tra Riot e Matrix:
Matrix é un sistema di comunicazione (tecnicamente “protocollo”) mentre Riot é un’applicazione per usare Matrix. Così come dici “uso Outlook per l’email” puoi dire “Uso Riot per Matrix”.
Negli ultimi tempi Matrix sta destando un sacco d’attenzione per diversi motivi che lo rendono estremamente interessante.
É una tecnologia F.L.O.S.S.
Si basa su una rete decentrata di server indipendenti
Permette cifratura end-to-end
Può comunicare con protocolli differenti
Se hai capito cosa c’é scritto in questi quattro punti probabilmente adesso sarai già MOLTO interessato a saperne di più. SE invece i punti esposti ti suonano oscuri non c’é alcun problema: questo articolo é qui apposta!
TECNOLOGIA F.L.O.S.S.
Software F.L.O.S.S.
La sigla sta per Free Libre Open Source Software; in italiano lo si può malamente tradurre con “Software Aperto, Gratuito e Liberamente Accessibile” ed é un tipo di software che é in netto contrasto con il software commerciale cui solitamente si é abituati. Per capire di cosa si tratta si può ricorrere ad un esempio automobilistico: il software F.L.O.S.S. é come un’automobile cui basta alzare il cofano per accedere al motore: chiunque ne capisca di meccanica può vedere come é fatto questo motore, i suoi componenti, i suoi pregi e difetti e, se vuole, può modificarlo, migliorarlo, personalizzarlo o anche solo comunicare a chi l’ha realizzato i difetti che ha riscontrato.
Software Proprietario Chiuso
Al contrario, il software commerciale é solitamente chiuso, ossia ha un cofano ermetico che non permette di accedere liberamente al motore. Questo significa che chi usa software chiuso non ha modo di sapere per davvero COSA stia succedendo sotto il cofano.
Per fare invece un paragone alimentare, il software chiuso é come un cibo confezionato che non riporta né gli ingredienti né i valori nutrizionali, mentre il software aperto non solo te li fornisce, ma ti mette pure a disposizione la ricetta completa! Di quale dei due ti fideresti di più?
Se non sei uno smanettone la cosa potrebbe sembrarti di poco conto perché anche dinnanzi a del software aperto probabilmente non capiresti nulla di codici e programmazione, ma sappi che esiste una enorme comunità di programmatori che non fa altro che creare/testare/verificare/riparare/modificare/sperimentare software, attentissima a verifiche e controlli di sicurezza. Hai presente quando devi aggiornare il software? Ebbene: dietro a quell’aggiornamento c’é un lavoro molto complesso fatto di miglioramenti, correzioni e nuove funzionalità, solo che nel caso di software aperto il lavoro si é svolto sotto gli occhi di una intera comunità e sarà verificabile anche a posteriori, mentre nel caso di software chiuso il lavoro si é svolto solo all’interno dell’azienda produttrice da dipendenti che non possono rivelarne i segreti e chi lo userà dovrà fidarsi a scatola chiusa.
Restando sempre nell’esempio automobilistico: nel caso di software aperto, anche se non ne capisci niente ci può sempre essere un amico o meccanico di fiducia che é aggiornato ed in contatto con gli altri meccanici e che ti consiglia quali strumenti usare e come, perché li ha potuti aprire e studiare personalmente nei minimi dettagli. Nel caso di software chiuso il meccanico di fiducia non ha modo di fare lo stesso e quindi può solo scegliere se fidarsi o no di quel che c’é scritto sul catalogo.
Come si traduce questa cosa in termini pratici? Metti caso che del software F.L.O.S.S. avesse un difetto di sicurezza: essendo tutto pubblico le possibilità che venga subito identificato sono altissime ed al tempo stesso é facile che la stessa comunità che ha identificato la falla vi ponga rimedio in tempi rapidi. Al contrario le falle dei software chiusi, non essendo sotto gli occhi di tutti, richiedono molto tempo e lavoro per essere anche solo identificate e ciò non può essere fatto da informatici comuni ma da quelli più abili a “scassinare le serrature” e che di solito, quando trovano una falla, anziché comunicarla al mondo la usano per scopi illeciti. Di conseguenza é estremamente facile che la falla di un software chiuso rimanga aperta per un bel pò prima che venga riparata.
Inoltre il software F.L.O.S.S. é gratuito.
Perché? Beh, chi lo realizza condivide i princìpi secondo cui uno strumento é veramente utile alla comunità solo se questa é libera di usarlo, copiarlo, modificarlo e migliorarlo senza limitazioni di sorta. Pensa ad esempio alla ricetta della pasta al ragù: tu sei libero di modificarla come più t’aggrada senza che nessuno venga a reclamare alcun diritto di copyright. Se fosse software chiuso, oltre a non sapere esattamente quali sono gli ingredienti ed il metodo di preparazione, ti verrebbe pure impedito di aggiungere il sale o cambiare tipo di macinato.
Chi ci guadagna a fare software F.L.O.S.S.?
Innanzitutto siamo tutti noi a guadagnarci nell’avere uno strumento che funziona bene, solido, ispezionabile e slegato da interessi commerciali. Chi lavora per realizzarlo e migliorarlo spesso lo fa per passione e puro spirito di volontariato. Tuttavia nessuno campa di belle parole: molte realtà commerciali che sviluppano software F.L.O.S.S. ci guadagnano, ma per scelta tale guadagno deriva dai servizi connessi e non dal prodotto in sé. Per fare un paragone é come parlare di un gruppo musicale che distribuisce la propria musica gratis su Internet ma che si fa pagare per i concerti dal vivo.
Chi sviluppa software F.L.O.S.S. guadagna da donazioni ed investimenti da parte di privati che hanno interesse nello sviluppo di questo software oppure dal lavoro correlato, come ad esempio corsi di programmazione o personalizzazione del proprio software. Questo il caso di Matrix.org, come si può anche leggere sulla loro pagina: https://matrix.org/docs/guides/faq
L’idea che il software debba essere aperto ed accessibile a chiunque ha una lunghissima tradizione nata con l’informatica stessa e negli anni si sono sviluppate diverse associazioni ed enti atte a diffondere questa idea, come la Free Software Foundation o Framasoft.
Ma perché qualcuno dovrebbe investire tempo e denaro in un prodotto da cui non c’é alcun guadagno diretto? Perché chiunque sia del mestiere sa benissimo che il software F.L.O.S.S. é strutturalmente più sicuro e solido rispetto a soluzioni commerciali e dunque investire 10 per uno strumento F.L.O.S.S. che poi potrebbe essere implementato anche in realtà commerciali senza costi aggiuntivi é più vantaggioso che spendere 100 in un prodotto chiuso su cui poi bisognerà pagare i diritti di utilizzo.
Investire una piccola cifra in un software di comunicazione sicuro, solido, personalizzabile e che viene continuamente analizzato, testato e migliorato a costo zero da migliaia di volontari di ogni tipo, passando una serie di vagli infiniti, contro all’investire nel lavoro di una software house con una trentina di programmatori che fan tutto da sé?
Le aziende e le comunità che ruotano attorno al software aperto sono numerose e spesso esistono soluzioni ibride. Un esempio é il caso del PDF, inizialmente un formato di proprietà di Adobe ma che da quando é stato reso aperto e gratuito é diventato uno standard de facto per i documenti digitali.
Un altro esempio é il browser Chrome (quello di Google). Chrome é software proprietario ma Google é ben conscio della maggior validità del software aperto e, per farla breve, il suo sviluppo é scisso in due parti: da un lato c’é il progetto Chromium.org che sviluppa il browser Chromium, di tipo F.L.O.S.S. e dall’altra c’é Google che sviluppa Chrome che, pur essendo basato sullo stesso software aperto ha una parte chiusa e dunque non può essere definito F.L.O.S.S. I due browser sono sostanzialmente identici ma Chromium é privo di tutti quei collegamenti a Google che si trovano in Chrome. Per dirla altrimenti: Chromium é il software “pulito” mentre Chrome é la sua versione modificata apposta per Google
Matrix é appunto software F.L.O.S.S. e per chi volesse partecipare al suo sviluppo, conoscerne i progressi, leggere le discussioni della comunità che collabora al suo costante miglioramento o anche solo avere un’anticipazione di cosa uscirà nei prossimi aggiornamenti non c’é alcun problema: é tutto pubblico ed accessibile: https://github.com/matrix-org
STANDARD DIFFUSI
Il software F.L.O.S.S. tende più facilmente a divenire uno standard diffuso proprio grazie al suo essere aperto. Quando si ha a che fare con aziende commerciali il cui scopo é guadagnare dall’adozione altrui dei propri strumenti, ci ritroviamo immancabilmente in una guerra commerciale in cui ognuni azienda tenta di imporsi non necessariamente per merito ma per interesse. Alcuni esempi si trovano nei diversi tipi di presa elettrica o, fino a qualche tempo fa, nei diversi tipi di caricatori per cellulari. Oggi lo vediamo ad esempio nei formati di ebook incompatibili su e-reader diversi, o su certe stampanti multifunzione che non sono del tutto compatibili con ogni sistema operativo: tutte queste incompatibilità tra strumenti fondamentalmente identici sono legate più che altro a bagarre commerciali.
Al contrario il software F.L.O.S.S. proprio in base alla sua natura é portato a divenire standard de facto. Qui si potrebbe elencare tutta una serie di tecnologie aperte che spesso usiamo senza rendercene conto. La maggior parte dei server, ossia i computer più importanti su cui si regge lo stesso Internet, non usa Windows o OSX, ma sistemi GNU-Linux o simili! Una buona fetta del sistema operativo Android é di tipo F.L.O.S.S. ed é stato sviluppato dalla comunità che ha creato Linux. La stessa cosa vale per OSX, il sistema operativo dei computer Apple. Presente i file audio? Possono essere codificati in molti formati proprietari, ma é il formato MP3 quello che ha avuto maggior fortuna, proprio perché standard aperto. Altro esempio é lo standard ePub per gli ebook, o l’HTML, il formato con cui si realizzano le pagine web. In alcuni casi ci sono degli enti che stabiliscono che un certo tipo di formato o tecnologia é una sorta di standard ufficiale.
In altri casi i formati aperti spesso diventano degli standard senza alcuna decisione ufficiale, ma di fatto. Ad esempio il protocollo di comunicazione XMPP, che é aperto ed esiste dal 1999, é alla base di Jabber, uno dei sistemi di comunicazione più diffusi su Linux ma, in versioni modificate, é anche alla base di iMessage e WhatsApp. Questo vuol dire che iMessage, Whatsapp e Jabber potrebbero tranquillamente comunicare tra di loro, ma sono Facebook ed Apple a non volerlo e per questo hanno modificato e chiuso le proprie versioni per impedirlo.
Matrix é uno protocollo che nasce aperto e mira a diventare un nuovo standard di comunicazione capace di dialogare con altri protocolli aperti, come il già citato XMPP ed altri, ad esempio IRC (ricordi IRC? É un sistema di chat nato negli anni ’90 che anche se soppiantato per moda con altri sistemi non é affatto scomparso, perché ha delle caratteristiche che nessuna piattaforma di chat moderna riesce ad eguagliare).
RETE DECENTRATA
Quando comunichi con una persona usando WhatsApp, Facebook, iMessage, Twitter o altre piattaforme di comunicazione, non stai comunicando direttamente con l’altra persona, ma passate entrambi dal server di Facebook, Apple o Twitter. Questa é quella che si chiama una rete centralizzata, ossia una struttura in cui tutti gli utenti fanno capo ad una entità centrale che detiene l’unico accesso alla propria rete. Se vuoi comunicare con una persona che é su Facebook, dunque, devi per forza registrarti anche tu su Facebook ecc.
Questa cosa però presenta diversi rischi:
Si é così soggetti alla volontà di un solo ed unico soggetto (l’azienda Facebook) che decide i termini di utilizzo e le policy cui gli utenti sono soggetti (cosa puoi pubblicare e cosa no, quali sono gli atteggiamenti sconvenienti e quali no).
Quando ci si affida ad un server si sta SEMPRE dando fiducia ai suoi gestori: chi gestisce il server ha materialmente in mano i nostri dati ed ha quindi un grosso potere su di noi. Se ci si affida tutti ad un unico grande server, il potere che gli si affida é un qualcosa di fantasmagorico
Se il gestore del server usasse i nostri dati in modi che disapproviamo, la nostra unica risposta possibile sarebbe cancellarci da tale server, ma essendo questo unico, ciò vorrebbe dire perdere l’unico strumento di contatto con tutti i nostri contatti (questo é ciò che già si verifica: Facebook é nato per vendere i nostri dati personali ma nonostante ciò é diventato talmente enorme che i suoi iscritti, oramai legati, non hanno il coraggio di abbandonarlo)
Al contrario le reti decentrate non sono soggette a questi problemi e garantiscono maggior stabilità e libertà di scelta. Un esempio può essere l’email: tu puoi creare la tua email dove vuoi, su Gmail, su Hotmail, Yahoo, ProtonMail o sul server della tua azienda e qualunque sia il server che tu abbia scelto (nell’email é la parte che viene dopo la “@”), potrai scambiare email anche con chi ha scelto server diversi.
Se l’email non fosse uno standard aperto basato su una rete decentrata, per comunicare con chi é su Gmail dovresti farti un account Gmail, per chi é su Yahoo dovresti farti un account Yahoo e così via. É quello che succede oggi con le app di messaggistica.
Matrix é appunto una rete decentrata. I suoi sviluppatori hanno sì un proprio server Matrix chiamato matrix.org (é come dire che l’inventore dell’email ha un suo server mail chiamato email.org) ed essendo il protocollo tanto nuovo la maggior parte delle persone tende a iscriversi proprio a matrix.org ma i server tra cui scegliere sono in realtà diversi (alcuni sono elencati qui) e continuano ad aumentare.
I vantaggi di una rete decentrata sono numerosi: se un domani matrix.org avesse dei problemi o facesse delle scelte che non ti vanno giù, tu potresti spostarti su un altro server e mantenere comunque tutti i tuoi contatti. Il paragone con l’email spiega bene questa cosa: se Gmail non ti andasse più bene tu potresti passare a ProtonMail senza perdere nessun contatto con gli altri utenti che sono rimasti su Gmail. Al contrario, se Facebook non ti va più bene sei costretto a restarci perché altrimenti perderesti tutti i contatti con gli utenti che sono su Facebook.
Ma Matrix non é solo una rete decentrata: é pure F.L.O.S.S. e questo significa che chiunque sappia e voglia può installare il proprio server Matrix in casa senza alcun problema di licenze, costi o permessi. Presente l’email aziendale? Stessa cosa, ma in questo caso si tratterebbe di una chat aziendale! Così come puoi avere un account mail ilmionome@lamiaazienda.com puoi avere un account Matrix @ilmionome:lamiaazienda.com
Si, ma a questo punto potresti fare giustamente un’osservazione: “Ok, ma se passo a Matrix, anche se questo é formato da diversi server, si tratta comunque di server Matrix e così taglierei comunque fuori i miei contatti sulle altre piattaforme”. Le cose però non stanno proprio così…
UN SOLO GRANDE NETWORK
Matrix si prefigge il compito di essere non solo una rete decentrata ma di fungere da connettore tra diverse reti (lo stesso nome “Matrix” – matrice, é stato scelto per indicarne il ruolo centrale che si prefigge di assumere nell’ambito delle comunicazioni). Qui il funzionamento previsto non é dissimile da quello descritto riguardo al Fediverso : letto l’articolo e capito come funziona il Fediverso, capirai immediatamente come si prefigge di funzionare Matrix nel connettere reti diverse.
Per chi non ha letto l’articolo si può grossolanamente descrivere Matrix come un sistema che vuole “dialogare al tempo stesso con Skype, iMessage, email, sms, Mastodon, Jabber, IRC e chi più ne ha più ne metta”. Il tutto con una tecnologia aperta e gestibile da chiunque, senza un’unica centrale operativa o “stanza dei bottoni”.
Questa parte é tecnicamente complessa ed é ancora in via di sviluppo. In gergo si chiama “bridging” ovvero “creazione di ponti”. Al momento si stanno sviluppando diversi bridge per Whatsapp, Telegram, Mastodon ecc. ma si tratta di funzioni ancora sperimentali e che possono essere consigliate perlopiù solo a chi ha voglia di smanettare un pò sulle App. Al momento su Riot sono già presenti alcuni bridge con IRC e poco altro. Considera i bridge con le piattaforme più note come un qualcosa che sarà disponibile in futuro.
Quando scambi messaggi con qualcuno via sms o altri tipi di chat di solito questi viaggiano “in chiaro”. Questo vuol dire che tutti coloro che sono fra te e l’altra persona (Telecom, Facebook, Wind, ecc) possono leggere e salvare tutto quel che vi scrivete. Questa cosa ovviamente non va bene.
Questo non va affatto bene e chi si occupa di informatica lo sa benissimo ma, soprattutto dai primi anni 2000, le maggiori aziende del web hanno convinto il pubblico che questa cosa sia la normalità e lo hanno fatto fondamentalmente in due modi:
Creando prodotti estremamente semplificati che si imparano ad usare in pochissimi minuti
Pubblicizzando all’inverosimile i loro prodotti
WhatsApp é l’esempio perfetto: lo scarichi, non richiede password, é collegato alla tua rubrica del telefono e funziona subito. Ma così facendo il software é legato materialmente al tuo telefono ed alla tua identità e consegni a WhatsApp tutti i numeri di telefono nella tua rubrica ed i relativi nomi. Inoltre l’assenza di impostazioni di sicurezza fa sì che chi lo usa si abitui ad usare un software insicuro.
WhatsApp, se fosse una macchina.
É un pò come dire che tutti sono stati abituati ad usare automobili senza specchietti, frecce, cinture di sicurezza e portiere che si chiudono. In queste condizioni, con la maggior parte delle persone abituate a questo livello di semplicità ed insicurezza, vien considerato normale che ci siano continuamente tamponamenti, urti e incidenti.
Chi invece propone di usare “frecce, specchietti, cinture di sicurezza e portiere che si chiudono a chiave” si sente rispondere cose del tipo “eh, che palle!”. La cosa é amplificata dal fatto che tamponament e furti si vedono e si sentono ma in campo informatico le cose non sono così immediate.
“Facebook controlla quello che scrivo” – “Vabbé, siamo tutti controllati”
“Ho perso le gambe in un incidente” – “Vabbé siamo tutti incidentati”
(L’accettazione passiva dello status quo)
CRITTOGRAFIA E MESSAGGI SICURI
Per risolvere questa debolezza sono state proposte diverse soluzioni ma ce n’é solamente UNA che funziona per davvero: la cosiddetta cifratura end-to-end.
“Cifratura end-to-end” vuol dire che i messaggi tra te e l’altro utente viaggiano in codice e quindi solo i destinatari del messaggio possono leggere cosa c’é scritto, mentre tutti quelli che stanno nel mezzo, al massimo possono sapere che vi siete scritti, ma anziché leggere “voglio vederti stasera” leggeranno una roba lunghissima e incomprensibile tipo “M87gé+8y|%$$&/(%uogukr6r6ukglihlufykhvr8y6++;.if6jtgg43t4t”.
Fico, no? Beh, più o meno… il primo problema é che la crittografia end-to-end fornita solitamente dalle piattaforme social commerciali centralizzate é fatta in modo tale che a te risulti invisibile e tu non hai modo né di verificarla né di intervenire sulla stessa (WhatsApp ad esempio usa crittografia end-to-end ma probabilmente non te n’eri mai accorto e non sai nemmeno quale sia la password che WhatsApp ha deciso per te)
Ma il vero problema é che queste aziende, spiegandola in modo un pò grossolano, considerano come destinatari del messaggio te, l’altra persona… e sé stesse! (vedi la figura 1a dell’immagine qui sopra).
É naturale che sia così: il loro intero business consiste nel leggere le cose che scrivi!
E allora, come si fa ad impedire che chi ha in mano l’infrastruttura legga tutto? Beh, ci sono due modi: il primo é non usare un server (figura 1c dell’immagine qui sopra), ma questo richiede un sacco di smanettamenti e non é sempre possibile. Il secondo é codificare i messaggi autonomamente dal server!
Il concetto base é che tu e l’altro utente abbiate ognuno una “password di crittazione” su ogni dispositivo, che ve le scambiate anche senza passare dal provider stesso (quando vi vedete di persona, per email, per lettera, legata ad un piccione viaggiatore…). Una volta scambiate ogni vostro dialogo risulterà del tutto oscuro allo stesso server che vi ospita.
Questa cosa, sommata al fatto che gli account non sono necessariamente legati alla vostra identità e che possono trovarsi su server diversi, fornisce un bel ritratto del livello di privacy che si ha su Matrix!
Per contro se si chatta su WhatsApp, Facebook (proprietaria di WhatsApp) sa chi siete, cosa vi siete scritti, quando, conosce i vostri numeri di telefono e quelli dei vostri amici ed il suo business é proprio raccogliere queste informazioni, analizzarle e venderle. E si sa, il problema non é cosa pubblichi: il problema é chi lo legge.
La “password di crittazione” NON é la password per accedere a Riot, ma proprio un’altra password, specifica per tutti i messaggi tra i tuoi dispositivi e quelli della persona con cui scambi messaggi.
Qui la cosa in teoria si fa molto tecnica, ma Riot offre una modalità che rende ‘sta cosa molto semplice. Il concetto é che sia tu che l’altra persona dovete verificare che il telefono/computer/tablet con cui stai dialogando sia effettivamente quello della persona con cui volete parlare.
Se selezioni un utente vedrai nella sua scheda l’elenco dei dispositivi da cui si é connesso ed un codice per ognuno di essi. Qui tu puoi dire a Riot se hai verificato questi codici. Se entrambi vi siete verificati a vicenda, la comunicazione sarà criptata
Per gli smanettoni su ‘questo passaggio ci sarebbero poi moltissime altre cose da dire ma qui ci limitiamo a questo. Tieni conto che se d’un tratto la persona con cui chatti inizia a messaggiarti da un device che non aveva mai usato prima, ad esempio un nuovo telefono, tu lo saprai e potrai controllare se lui é veramente lui (ad esempio pretendendo che ti risponda dal cellulare).
MATRIX E RIOT
Dunque:
MATRIX – é il protocollo
MATRIX.ORG – é attualmente il più famoso server Matrix. Appartiene agli sviluppatori del protocollo Matrix. Non é l’unico server e si é liberi di scegliere quello che si preferisce o installare il proprio.
RIOT.IM – é la più famosa applicazione per utilizzare Matrix. É a sua volta realizzata dagli sviluppatori del protocollo Matrix. Non é la sola App per usare Matrix ma attualmente é quella usata dal 99% di chi usa Matrix. C’é già chi sta sviluppando altre App che adottano approcci e stile differenti
É impossibile essere in Asia senza metter piede in un paese asiatico, ma se si é in un paese asiatico allora si é in Asia. E’impossibile essere su Mastodon senza essere iscritti ad un’Istanza, ma se si é iscritti ad un’Istanza allora si é su Mastodon!
Non ci si “iscrive all’email”: ci si iscrive a un provider email (Gmail, Protonmail, Autistici.org, RiseUp.net, HushMail.com).Non ci si “iscrive a Mastodon”: ci si iscrive ad un’Istanza Mastodon (Bida, Partecipa, Cisti).
La grossa differenza però é che se gli email provider si differenziano solamente per la qualità dei servizi, le Istanze sono anche delle comunità di persone che hanno regole e caratteristiche peculiari. Se ti iscrivi a Gmail te ne frega ben poco di chi siano gli altri che usano Gmail e la tua esperienza con il provider sarà solamente tecnica. Al contrario, a seconda dell’Istanza da cui accedi alla rete Mastodon, le cose possono cambiare notevolmente.
In un articolo precedente si era già discusso di cos’é Mastodon ed in un secondo articolo si era discusso di cos’é il Fediverso, ossia la “rete allargata” di cui la rete Mastodon é solo una parte. In questo terzo articolo si vuole invece puntare maggiormente l’attenzione sulla centralità delle Istanze.
Un’Istanza, materialmente, é un server, un computer sempre acceso su cui gira il software di Mastodon. Per poter accedere alla rete Mastodon bisogna scegliersi una tra le migliaia di Istanze già esistenti. Su questo server dunque saranno registrati diversi utenti (ci sono Istanze da 1 solo utente ed Istanze da centinaia di migliaia di utenti, ma a naso la maggior parte delle Istanze ha all’incirca tra i 100 ed i 3000 utenti). Questi utenti formano la comunità locale. Quando ti iscrivi ad un’Istanza hai dunque accesso immediato a tutti i messaggi pubblici postati dai membri di quella stessa Istanza, anche se non li segui. E’la cosiddetta Timeline locale. Ogni Istanza é indipendente dalle altre e decide da sé come finanziarsi, come moderarsi e in base a quali princìpi, in che modo la comunità e gli amministrazioni si rapportano. Dunque deciderà pure quali altre Istanze bloccare, quali argomenti o atteggiamenti vietare ecc. Inoltre ogni singola Istanza ha la possibilità di modificare il proprio software in modo da abilitare funzioni, disabilitarne o aggiungerne di nuove (il tutto ovviamente entro la necessaria compatibilità con i protocolli della rete Mastodon)
Sempre più spesso comunità impossibilitate ad esprimersi liberamente sui social sociali commerciali si son create dei propri spazi da sé mettendo su Istanze Mastodon personalizzate. Altre comunità invece rifuggono i social commerciali perché preoccupati per la propria privacy o per altri motivi ancora. Tali comunità sono spesso diversissime fra loro: ci sono numerose Istanze caratterizzate da hacktivismo correlato a movimenti LGBT+, Istanze generaliste, Istanze nazistoidi ecc.
Il bello dell’ecosistema di Mastodon é che essendo tutte indipendenti possono molto facilmente evitare di rompersi le scatole a vicenda scegliendo di silenziare o addirittura “oscurare” (bannare) le Istanze con cui non vi é alcuna possibilità di dialogo reciproco.
DECENTRALIZZAZIONE, OSSIA PERSONALIZZAZIONE
L’idea di fondo di tale ecosistema é che un’Istanza piccola ma tecnicamente solida e con un’identità ben definita, sia preferibile a Istanze enormi e indefinite in cui l’utente si perde. Un’Istanza con meno di 5000 utenti, con una policy assai specifica su certi argomenti e con un rapporto diretto tra utente ed amministratore vuol dire un tipo di servizio che nessun social commerciale con milioni di utenti potrà mai dare ai propri membri.
La personalizzazione e la vicinanza agli admin fanno sì che nella scelta dell’Istanza , l’utente presenti una serie di quesiti che non era abituato a porsi (si considera sempre l’esempio dell’utente di social commerciale non avvezzo a piattaforme decentrate e federate). Scegliere un’Istanza che ha maggiore solidità tecnica o una in cui si parla la mia lingua? Iscriversi ad un’Istanza locale o ad una che sottostà a leggi di un paese che offre maggiori garanzie di privacy?
Se sono una persona che ama discutere di diversi temi ma non sopporta le azioni di disturbo di un certo tipo di commentatori-provocatori potrei preferire un’Istanza caratterizzata da forte moderazione ed una bassa tolleranza per i molestatori online. Al contrario, se fossi una persona più interessata a far un pò di caciara con un’ironia spesso estrema e non apprezzata dalla maggioranza delle persone, potrei preferire un’Istanza più aperta a tali comportamenti. Oppure potrei preferire un’Istanza che ha rimosso stelle e contatori dei post per alimentare un approccio più umano ai contenuti.
Per fare un paragone grossolano per descrivere la funzione delle diverse Istanze all’interno dell’ecosistema di Mastodon, immaginiamo l’esistenza di un social disponibile in più versioni, ad esempio Twitter: Twitter Green, Twitter Yellow, Twitter Orange, Twitter Pink, Twitter Red e Twitter Purple. Sono tutti Twitter fondamentalmente simili tra loro e possono ancheinteragire ma ognuno ha caratteristiche proprie che ne alterano la natura. Ad esempio Twitter Green accetta solo contenuti adatti ai bambini, Twitter Yellow accetta anche contenuti per adulti ma non i bot, Twitter Orange accetta i bot ma non i contenuti per adulti, Twitter Pink non permette di rispondere ai post ma solo di stellinarli e retwittarli, Twitter Red accoglie tutti i contenuti tranne quelli visibili su Twitter Green, mentre Twitter Purple non ha regole ma non può interagire con gli altri Twitter)
La scelta dell’Istanza é dunque una scelta FON-DA-MEN-TA-LE nel determinare il tipo di esperienza online.
PROMUOVERE LE ISTANZE PER DIFFONDERE MASTODON
Chi scrive ritiene che al momento l’attuale di Mastodon pecchi nella promozione delle Istanze. La comunicazione attuale é incentrata sul far “passare a Mastodon” gli utenti. Un esempio é il sito stesso di Mastodon, https://joinmastodon.org che pur spiegando chiaramente all’utente appena arrivato che “l’unica cosa da fare é scegliere un server”, lo mette subito dinnanzi alla necessità di una scelta tra migliaia e migliaia di Istanze caratterizzate solo da pochissime informazioni: nome, logo, numero di utenti ed una riga di descrizione. Cliccando su ognuna delle Istanze dell’elenco si aprirà la relativa pagina. Qui l’utente potrebbe trovare una pagina ricca di informazioni così come una scarna paginetta dalla quale non traspare nulla sull’identità dell’Istanza stessa.
L’utente, dunque, é chiamato a fare una scelta di cui non ha ancora ben chiare le implicazioni e si trova a dover compiere una scelta fondamentale avendo a disposizione ben pochi mezzi.
Non c’é da stupirsi se l’utente, dopo aver scelto un’Istanza che non gli si confà, abbandoni del tutto Mastodon ritenendo che l’esperienza di quell’Istanza corrisponda all’esperienza dell’intero Mastodon! E’cosa nota che gran parte dei nuovi iscritti a Mastodon scelga, nel dubbio, di iscriversi a mastodon.social, l’Istanza gestita dal creatore di Mastodon. Pur non essendo una scelta in sé sbagliata, é indice di una certa diffidenza col concetto di Istanze federate e di incapacità di scelta.
Alla luce di queste osservazioni é’forse necessario far sì che:
Le singole Istanze descrivano meglio sé stesse
Le Istanze promuovano sé stesse in quanto provider Mastodon
LE ISTANZE DESCRIVANO MEGLIO SÉ STESSE
Ciò che differenzia un’Istanza da tutte le altre é ciò che la rende unica, sia che si tratti di aspetti culturali che tecnici. In primo luogo va ricordato che quando si parla di Istanze si parla spesso di piccole realtà portate avanti grazie a lavoro volontario e dunque anche certe informazioni tecniche che sono date per scontate quando si parla di grandi social commerciali, qui scontate non sono. L’hardware é buono o é un vecchio PC recuperato che gira per miracolo in una cantina umida? Ci sono dei backup? In quanti si occupano della manutenzione? Che versione di Mastodon viene usata? Sono state apportate modifiche? Poco esportare i miei dati?
Poi va ricordato che l’utente ha spesso la necessità di conoscere in modo chiaro alcuni dettagli sul tipo di moderazione che troverà: l’Istanza accetta contenuti NSFW? L’Istanza tollera contenuti razzisti o fascisti? E i Bot? Ci sono temi preponderanti sull’Istanza? O lingue maggiormente usate? Posso sapere se l’Istanza ha bloccato o é stata bloccata da altre Istanze? Quali? Posso sapere come funzionano le decisioni interne all’amministrazione dell’Istanza?
Nella maggior parte dei casi sono informazioni che possono essere facilmente codificate/taggate e comunicate anche in forma riassuntiva e stringata.
La presenza di policy e di un regolamento pubblico é un altro tassello fondamentale nel caratterizzare l’Istanza. (NB: non sarebbe male avere per le diverse Istanze delle policy di riferimento; una cosa simile alle licenze CC. Ad esempio, poter sapere che un’Istanza usa la policy n°5 anziché la n°3 (che permette contenuti razzisti) sarebbe un modo efficiente per capire come relazionarcisi)
Altro elemento importante é la preview della TL locale: il fatto che l’utente abbia modo di farsi un’idea dei contenuti che girano su una certa Istanza é un modo assai pratico per farsi un’idea di “come siano le cose da quelle parti”.
Se un’Istanza non sa comunicare la propria unicità é solo una fra le tante: sostituibile e priva d’interesse. Scegliere un’Istanza senza conoscerne le caratteristiche é come scegliere un’automobile conoscendone solo il nome. Al contrario, un’Istanza che abbia e comunichi le proprie peculiarità stimola un rapporto più forte con i propri (futuri) membri: se m’iscrivo ad un’Istanza magari anche piccola ma che porta avanti progetti e idee che m’interessano e con cui condivido principi etici e politici, il legame con i membri di tale Istanza sarà certo molto più sentito che non con i membri di una grossa Istanza generalista.
LE ISTANZE PROMUOVANO SÉ STESSE IN QUANTO PROVIDER MASTODON
Oggi la promozione di Mastodon é una cosa del tipo “Iscriviti all’Email!” a cui segue uno scarno “adesso scegli tra Gmail, Autistici.org, ecc”. Si promuove Mastodon per poi far scegliere all’utente un’Istanza. É forse necessario spostare maggiormente l’attenzione sulle Istanze affinché promuovano sé stesse in base alle proprie caratteristiche specifiche, ossia una comunicazione del tipo “Per le tue comunicazioni social passa a mastodon.bida.im : un’Istanza Mastodon anarchica e autogestita! Bida é un punto d’incontro per…”.
Ovviamente allo stato attuale la diffusione ancora minoritaria di Mastodon fa sì che sia necessario promuovere al tempo stesso l’Istanza e Mastodon stesso, ma al contrario della promozione generica di Mastodon, così facendo l’utente non viene lasciato in balìa di sé stesso a dover poi cercarsi un’Istanza a caso, ma gli viene indicato fin da subito una “piazza” molto specifica su cui appoggiarsi (in articoli precedenti le Istanze son state paragonate a pianeti di un sistema solare o club di una rete di locali). Inoltre, la promozione Istanza per Istanza ha il pregio di trasmettere immediatamente l’idea che le Istanze sono sì realtà indipendenti e diverse le une dalle altre, ma pure tutte uguali nel loro potersi interfacciare le une alle altre. Promuovendo l’Istanza, a latere, si promuove anche la piattaforma.
Un esempio sono le distro Linux: con l’utente inesperto che ne capisce poco di informatica funziona poco il generico “passa a Linux” che lascia l’utente da solo di fronte alla scelta della distribuzione da installare. Al contrario un “Installa Mint Cinnamon: per te é l’ideale” é molto meglio.
E’ la differenza tra colui che vuol andare in vacanza “in Asia” finendo in Mongolia pensando confusamente di trovarci pagode thailandesi, sushi e lottatori di kung-fu, e colui che sceglie di andare specificamente in Corea per una scelta informata.
Pagina d’accesso di mastodon.partecipa.digital
La principale fonte di informazioni su di una Istanza é la sua pagina d’accesso. Se la pagina é ben fatta lì vi si troverà una descrizione dell’Istanza, il suo scopo, le sue policy, una serie di informazioni tecniche, la lista delle istanze bloccate e così via. Spesso la pagina offre la possibilità di scorrere la Timeline locale senza la necessità di essere iscritti. Ma per arrivare alla pagina delle singole Istanze, attualmente ci sono questi strumenti:
Joinmastodon.org É IL sito di Mastodon. Creato dall’autore del software, é il principale punto d’accesso a ciò che é Mastodon. Di ogni Istanza mostra solo nome e logo, una riga di descrizione, il numero di utenti iscritti e lo status delle iscrizioni (aperte o chiuse). Chi si affaccia a Mastodon solitamente viene su questo sito e da qui sceglie su che Istanza iscriversi.
the-federation.info E’ un sito che si prefigge di mostrare uno strumento che scopre tutte le Istanze che formano il Fediverso. Delle singole Istanze offre solo info tecniche come il numero di utenti, il numero di utenti attivi ed il numero di post.
https://instances.socialE’un sito che permette una ricerca molto specifica delle Istanze: é possibile filtrare la ricerca in base alle lingue usate sull’Istanza, il numero di utenti ed una serie di policy sui contenuti. Dopodiché il sito offre diverse informazioni tecniche che permettono una valutazione sull’affidabilità materiale dell’Istanza. Il design é crudo e le informazioni sulle istanze non sono sempre affidabili, ma ciononostante é al momento lo strumento più completo per cercare Istanze di ogni genere: dall’Istanza dei cristiani messianici a quella dei metallari tedeschi.
ALCUNE ISTANZE
Qui di seguito sono elencate alcune Istanze Mastodon. Si tratta di una selezione casuale, fornita giusto per dare un’idea della varietà di scelta disponibile. Non si tratta né di Istanze consigliate né di Istanze particolarmente rappresentative: l’elenco va inteso solo a titolo di esempio.
LEGENDA:
DESCRIZIONI
Le brevi descrizioni inserite tra parentesi vanno spesso intese giusto come una traccia generica: ogni Istanza é una realtà a sé che spesso non é riassumibile in poche parole e due Istanze formalmente simili possono avere in realtà stili ed atmosfere interne assai diverse.
UTENTI
Il numero di utenti é spesso arrotondato e serve giusto a dare un’idea delle dimensioni della comunità dell’Istanza.
POLICY PUBBLICA
Per “Policy pubblica” qui si intendono genericamente regole interne e di moderazione, impostazioni generali di condotta o di etica: può essere esser solo un elenco di norme legali di moderazione, una linea generale riassunta in poche righe, un regolamento dettagliato o un vero e proprio atto d’intenti dell’Istanza. Ciò che conta é che dia un’idea chiara dell’indirizzo (o non-indirizzo) dell’Istanza e dei principi etici a cui si attiene. Una policy poco definita potrebbe causare fraintendimenti e malumori, mentre una policy pubblica molto definita può far sì che un’Istanza generalista si concentri su temi assai specifici, rendendola di fatto un’Istanza tematica (non c’é una divisione netta su cosa sia un’Istanza generica ed un’Istanza tematica: si tratta giusto di una distinzione di massima). In ogni caso, un rapporto aperto e trasparente tra amministratori dell’Istanza ed utenti é sempre preferibile. Il fatto che un’Istanza sia priva di policy pubblica non significa che questa sia priva di regole: significa solo che queste non sono state definite e messe per iscritto e rese pubbliche dagli amministratori. Un’Istanza priva di policy pubblica, tuttavia moderata con criterio, può essere un ambiente migliore di un’Istanza con una bella policy che però non viene osservata dalla sua comunità.
NSFW
Ogni utente ed Istanza ha un approccio personale coi contenuti per adulti. In generale, qui, si considera che un’Istanza che tolleri contenuti per adulti privi di Content Warning sia di fatto un’Istanza NSFW. Allo stesso tempo, un’Istanza i cui contenuti, di fatto, siano solo in minima parte NSFW ed abbiano il CW, oppure trattino temi affini a contenuti NSFW ma perlopiù senza la necessità di ricorrere al CW, non é considerata un’Istanza NSFW.
MASTODON.SOCIAL
mastodon.social é l’Istanza gestita da Eugen Rochko, il programmatore che ha creato Mastodon. Chi si approccia a Mastodon spesso lo fa aprendo un account proprio su mastodon.social e proprio per questo motivo é una delle Istanze più grandi. Per molti utenti che si affacciano a Mastodon, mastodon.social É Mastodon stesso. Lo stesso Rochko cerca di promuovere l’iscrizione ad Istanze diverse, tuttavia vi é qualche difficoltà a far comprendere il concetto (da qui la ragione di questo post)
Il numero di Istanze Mastodon italiane si conta su una mano ed a farla da padrone é Bida, ma la comunità che la anima é attiva ed interessata allo sviluppo e promozione della piattaforma, ossia si muove attivamente nel far sì che altre Istanze possano nascere nei prossimi tempi
BIDA
(Istanza bolognese creata e gestita dal collettivo Bida)
Utenti: 1.6k
Policy pubblica: si https://mastodon.bida.im
PARTECIPA
(IT, Open Source, Linux. L’Istanza é gestita da un admin italiano, ma in realtà ha un’utenza assai cosmopolita)
Utenti: 250
Policy pubblica: no https://mastodon.partecipa.digital/about
Le Istanze generaliste non nascono con l’idea di discutere su argomenti specifici o rivolgersi a comunità specifiche. Tuttavia i membri della comunità che ospita, possono far sì che col tempo una singola Istanza generalista sviluppi di fatto una propria cultura interna. Alcune Istanze sono legate a blog o associazioni specifiche di cui seguono le policy, tuttavia, se queste policy non sono chiaramente segnalate o linkate nella pagina di registrazione all’Istanza, viene indicato che questa non ha una sua policy pubblica. Le Istanze generaliste possono essere molto diverse fra loro. Questo dipende principalmente dalle policy che adottano, dalla comunità che ospita e dalla moderazione. Per intenderci: una certa Istanza generalista può avere norme molto severe atte a minimizzare i conflitti mentre un’altra può limitarsi a bannare solo i contenuti strettamente illegali.
SOCIAL WIUWIU DE
(Istanza tedesca che promette che il server é alimentato da energia pulita)
Utenti: 200
Policy pubblica: no https://social.wiuwiu.de/about
FRAMAPIAF
(É l’Istanza creata e gestita dll’associazione francese Framasoft)
Utenti: 7k
Policy pubblica: no https://framapiaf.org/about
MAMOT
(Istanza dell’associazione francese La Quadrature du Net)
Utenti: 11k
Policy pubblica: no https://mamot.fr/about
SCIFI!
(Il nome farebbe supporre un’Istanza incentrata sulla fantascienza ma in realtà non si direbbe)
Utenti: 1.5k
Policy pubblica: no https://scifi.fyi/about
HOSTUX SOCIAL
(Istanza generalista perlopiù francese)
Utenti: 3k
Policy pubblica: no https://hostux.social
KNZK.ME
(Istanza con utenti che parlano inglese e giapponese. Promette alta affidabilità dal punto di vista tecnico)
Utenti: 2.7k
Policy pubblica: no https://knzk.me/about
TEMATICHE
Un’Istanza tematica si caratterizza dal fatto di nascere con l’intento di essere un punto d’incontro e dialogo gravitanti attorno a dei temi specifici. La policy dell’Istanza contribuisce molto nel determinare la natura di questi temi. A volte un’Istanza nata con intenti specifici diventa di fatto un’Istanza generalista. A volte il “tema” é assai generico mentre a volte é decisamente molto specifico. Certi temi lasciano presagire il tipo di policy che l’Istanza adotta, tuttavia, se la policy non é stata pubblicata esplicitamente, é indicata come assente.
MASTODON ART
(all kind of art)
Utenti: 7k
Policy pubblica: si https://mastodon.art
MASTODON SCHOLAR
(Studi, ricerca scolastica ed accademica)
Utenti: 2.5k
Policy pubblica: si https://scholar.social/about
RUBY SOCIAL
(Ruby – Istanza “gemellata” con Toot café di cui utilizza l’elenco Istanze bloccate e sospese)
Utenti: 900
Policy pubblica: si https://ruby.social/about
TOOT CAT
(Gatti – Non ha una vera Policy pubblica ma comunica i propri log tecnici e l’elenco delle Istanze bloccate)
Utenti: 1.2k
Policy pubblica: no https://toot.cat/about
Le Istanze elencate qui si caratterizzano per avere una grossa fetta dei propri contenuti di tipo NSFW. Alcune delle Istanze elencate qui sono esplicitamente incentrate su questi contenuti NSFW mentre altre lo sono di fatto.
A breve distanza dalla prima panoramica su Mastodon é già possibile aggiungere alcune nuove osservazioni.
In primo luogo va notato che diverse persone, già ben avvezze all’uso dei maggiori social network commerciali (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram…) siano inizialmente spaesate dal concetto di “decentralizzazione” e di “network federato”.
Questo perché l’idea diffusa e radicata di social network é quella di un luogo unitario, indifferenziato, monolitico, con regole e meccanismi rigidamente uguali per tutti. In sostanza il fatto stesso di poter concepire un universo di Istanze separate e indipendenti é per molti un cambio di paradigma di non immediata comprensione.
[l’articolo é stato aggiornato dopo la pubblicazione iniziale]
Nell’articolo precedente in cui si era descritto il social network Mastodon, il concetto di Istanze federate era stato paragonato ad una rete di club/circoli privati associati fra loro.
Alcuni aspetti esposti nell’articolo é forse necessario chiarirli ulteriormente a chi si avvicina al concetto di network federato:
Non ci si iscrive “a Mastodon”, ma ci si iscrive ad una Istanza Mastodon!Qui torna comodo il paragone con i club/circoli: l’iscrizione ad un circolo permette di entrare in contatto con tutti gli altri che fanno parte della stessa rete: non ci si iscrive alla piattaforma, ma ci si iscrive ad uno dei club della piattaforma e che assieme agli altri club ne forma la rete. La piattaforma é software, é un qualcosa che esiste solo virtualmente mentre un’Istanza che usa tale piattaforma é il suo aspetto reale, materiale. É un server che si trova fisicamente da qualche parte, gestito da persone in carne ed ossa che lo gestiscono ed amministrano. Dunque ci si registra ad una Istanza e poi, da questa, si entra in contatto con le altre.
Le diverse istanze hanno la possibilità tecnica di entrare in contatto fra loro ma non é detto che lo facciano.Metti caso ci sia un’istanza composta da 500 utenti italiani appassionati di letteratura chiamata mastodon.letteratura: questi utenti si conoscono fra loro proprio perché sono membri della stessa istanza ed ognuno riceve i post pubblici degli altri altri membri. Ecco, ognuno di loro avrà probabilmente anche altri contatti tra utenti registrati su Istanze diverse (abbiamo tutti degli amici che esulano dal nostro “solito giro”, no?). Se ognuno dei 500 utenti di mastodon.letteratura seguisse ad esempio 10 membri di altre Istanze, l’Istanza mastodon.letteratura avrebbe sì una rete locale di 500 utenti, ma anche una rete federata di ben 5000 utenti! Bene. mettiamo che tra questi 5000 non ci sia nemmeno un solo membro dell’Istanza giapponese incentrata sulla fisica nucleare japan.nuclear.physics: quest’altra istanza potrebbe avere magari 800 membri ed avere una rete federata di ben 8000, ma se tra la rete “italiana” e quella “giapponese” non vi fosse nemmeno un amico in comune, queste potrebbero teoricamente non venire mai a contatto l’una con l’altra. In realtà, per la legge dei grandi numeri, é abbastanza raro che Istanze di una certa dimensione non entrino mai in contatto fra loro, ma l’esempio serve a far capire i meccanismi su cui si regge un network federato (che anzi, proprio basandosi sulla legge dei grandi numeri e sui principi dei gradi di separazione, conferma il presupposto che più la rete é grande e meno saranno isolati utenti ed Istanze).
Ogni singola Istanza può decidere volontariamente di non entrare in contatto con un’altra, in base a proprie scelte, regole e policy interne.Questo punto é evidentemente poco capito dai diversi commentatori che non riescono ad uscire dall’idea del “social monolitico”. Se su Mastodon vi fosse un’alta concentrazione di suprematisti bianchi orfani di Gab, o blogger porno orfani di Tumblr, ciò non significa che l’intero social network chiamato Mastodon diventerebbe un “social network per suprematisti bianchi e porno”, ma solo alcune Istanze che probabilmente non entreranno mai in contatto con Istanze antifasciste o ultrareligiose. Le difficoltà di far comprendere tale concetto rendono di conseguenza difficile far capire anche le potenzialità di una struttura di questo tipo. In un network federato, una volta data la possibilità tecnica di interagire tra Istanze e utenti, ognuno di questi può poi regolarsi in maniera del tutto indipendente sul come utilizzarla. Possiamo supporre ad esempio: ISTANZA ECOLOGISTA, creata, mantenuta e supportata economicamente da un gruppo di appassionati che vuol avere un luogo per discutere di natura ed ecologia, stabilisce che sull’Istanza non si postano link esterni né immagini pornografiche;ISTANZA COMMERCIALE, creata da una piccola azienda che ha un buon server ed una capacità di banda pazzesca ed a cui ci si iscrive a pagamento e le cui regole le ha stabilite già in precedenza l’azienda; ISTANZA SOCIALE, creata da un centro sociale i cui utenti sono perlopiù i frequentatori del centro stesso e che si conoscono anche di persona; ISTANZA VIDEOGIOCHI, nata come Istanza interna dei dipendenti di un’azienda tecnologica ma di fatto aperta a chiunque si interessi di videogiochi. In questo scenario a quattro Istanze già é possibile descrivere alcune interazioni interessanti: l’Istanza ecologista potrebbe consultare i propri utenti e decidere di bannare l’istanza commerciale perché al suo interno é ampiamente diffusa una cultura contraria all’ecologismo, mentre l’Istanza sociale potrebbe invece mantenere i contatti con l’Istanza commerciale ma scegliere di silenziarla preventivamente sulla propria timeline, lasciando ai suoi singoli membri la scelta personale di entrare in contatto con i suoi utenti o meno. Sempre l’Istanza sociale potrebbe però bannare l’istanza videogiochi perché forte serbatoio di mentalità reazionaria. In sostanza, i contatti “insostenibili/inaccettabili” vengono spontaneamente limitati dalle singole Istanze in base alle proprie policy. Qui il quadro d’insieme inizia a diventare molto complesso, ma basta osservarlo da una sola Istanza, la propria, per capirne i vantaggi: le Istanze che ospitano troll, disturbatori e gente con cui proprio non si riesce a discutere le abbiamo bannate, mentre quelle con cui non c’é molta affinità ma neanche motivi di astio, le abbiamo silenziate, in modo che se uno di noi le vuol segue non c’é problema ma sarò una sua scelta personale
Ogni utente può decidere di silenziare altri utenti ma pure intere Istanze.Se hai particolare interesse ad evitare i contenuti diffusi dagli utenti di una certa Istanza che però non viene bannata dall’Istanza che ti ospita (metti caso che la tua Istanza non chiuda le porte ad un’Istanza chiamata meme.videogamez.lulz la cui comunità tollera comportamenti molto sopra le righe ed in aria di trolling pesante che però alcuni trovano divertente), tu sei comunque libero di silenziarla per te soltanto. Sostanzialmente, in presenza di gruppi di utenti a te non graditi provenienti da una stessa Istanza/comunità, é possibile bloccarne in un colpo solo diverse decine o centinaia bloccando (per te) l’intera Istanza. Se la tua Istanza non avesse un accordo unanime su come comportarsi nei confronti di un’altra Istanza, si potrebbe facilmente lasciare la scelta agli iscritti dato che hanno comunque questo potente strumento. Un’Istanza potrebbe anche scegliere di moderare solo i propri utenti o non moderare affatto alcunché, lasciando ogni utente completamente libero di silenziare o bannare chi gli pare e piace senza mai interferire o imporre una propria etica.
Il Fediverso
Logo del Fediverso
Messi meglio a fuoco questi aspetti, possiamo ora affrontare il passo successivo. Come già anticipato nel post precedente, Mastodon é parte di un qualcosa di più ampio chiamato Fediverso (Federazione + Universo).
In sostanza, Mastodon é una rete federata che usa alcuni strumenti di comunicazione (si tratta di diversi protocolli ma i principali sono chiamati ActivityPub, Ostatus e Diaspora, ognuno dei quali ha i propri vantaggi, svantaggi, sostenitori e detrattori) utilizzati anche da altre realtà federate (social network, piattaforme di blogging ecc) che le mette in contatto l’una con l’altra a formare un’unico grande universo di reti federate.
Per dare un’idea, é come se Mastodon fosse un sistema planetario che ruota attorno ad una certa stella (la stella é Mastodon ed i pianeti sono le singole Istanze), ma questo sistema planetario fa parte di un universo in cui esistono numerosi sistemi planetari tutti diversi ma in comunicazione gli uni con gli altri.
Tutti i pianeti di un dato sistema planetario (le Istanze, i “club”) ruotano attorno ad un sole comune (la piattaforma software). L’utente può scegliersi il pianeta che preferisce ma non può certo stare sul sole (“non ci si iscrive alla piattaforma, ma ci si iscrive ad uno dei club della piattaforma che assieme agli altri club ne forma la rete”).
All’interno di questo universo, Mastodon é semplicemente il “sistema planetario” più grosso (é quello di maggior successo e col maggior numero di utenti) ma non é detto che sarà sempre così: altri “sistemi planetari” si stanno irrobustendo ed ingrandendo.
[NB: ogni singola piattaforma qui discussa usa nomi propri per definire i Server indipendenti su cui é ospitata. Mastodon li chiama Istanze, Hubzilla li chiama Hub e Diaspora li chiama Pod. Tuttavia, per semplicità e linearità con l’articolo precedente, nell’articolo si userà solo il termine “Istanza” per tutti].
La struttura dell’intero Fediverso
Su Kum.io é possibile trovare una rappresentazione interattiva del Fediverso così come appare al momento. Ogni “ciuffo” rappresenta una rete diversa (o “sistema planetario”). Sono le diverse piattaforme che compongono la federazione. Mastodon é solo una di questi, quella più grossa, in basso.
Le interazioni di Mastodon con le altre reti
Selezionando Mastodon é possibile vedere con quali altri network/sistemi del Fediverso é in grado di interagire. Come si può osservare, interagisce con gran parte degli altri network ma non proprio con tutti.
Le interazioni di GNU Social con le altre reti
Selezionando invece un’altro social network, GNU Social, si osserverà che questo ha interazioni diverse: condivide il grosso delle interazioni di Mastodon ma ne ha alcune in più ed altre in meno.
Questo dipende principalmente dal tipo di strumenti di comunicazione (protocolli) che ogni singola rete utilizza. Una rete può utilizzare anche più di un protocollo per avere il massimo numero di interazioni, ma ovviamente ciò li rende più complessi da gestire. Questa ad esempio é la strada scelta da Friendica e GNU Social.
A causa dei diversi protocolli utilizzati, dunque, alcuni network non possono interagire proprio con tutti gli altri. Il caso più importante é Diaspora, che utilizza un proprio protocollo (chiamato a sua volta Diaspora), che può interagire solo con Friendica e Gnu Social ma non con le reti basate su ActivityPub come Mastodon.
Le cose all’interno del Fediverso sono però in costante evoluzione e la fotografia appena mostrata potrebbe dover essere aggiornata già a breve. Al momento la maggior parte dei network sembrerebbe si stia indirizzando verso l’adozione di ActivityPub come strumento unico. Non sarebbe affatto male avere un protocollo di comunicazione unico che permettesse davvero ogni tipo di connessione!
Torniamo però un attimo all’immagine dei sistemi planetari. Kum.io mostra le connessionitecnicamentepossibili tra ogni diverso “sistema planetario” e per farlo collega genericamente i diversi soli. Ma come abbiamo ben visto le connessioni reali avvengono tra i pianeti e non tra i soli! Una mappa stellare che mostrasse le connessioni reali dovrebbe mostrare per ogni singolo pianeta (ossia ogni singolo “baffo” dei ciuffi di Kum.io), decine o centinaia di linee di connessione con altrettanti pianeti/baffi, sia tra le Istanze della propria piattaforma che tra Istanze di piattaforme diverse! La quantità e complessità delle connessioni, come ben immaginabile, formerebbe un groviglio da mal di testa e graficamente illeggibile. Solo immaginarlo rende l’idea della quantità e complessità delle connessioni possibili.
E non finisce qui: ogni singolo pianeta può stabilire o interrompere i contatti con gli altri pianeti del proprio sistema solare (ossia, l’Istanza Mastodon A può decidere di non aver contatti con l’Istanza Mastodon B), ed allo stesso modo può stabilire o interrompere i contatti con i pianeti di sistemi solari differenti (l’Istanza Mastodon A può entrare in contatto o interrompere i contatti con l’Istanza Pleroma B)! Per fare un’esempio drastico si può ipotizzare di avere dei cugini stronzi, ma stronzi davvero, che abbiamo cacciato dal nostro pianeta (mastodon.terra) e allora se ne sono costruito uno proprio (mastodon.saturno) stando comunque nelle nostre vicinanze perché boh, si trovano bene col nostro sole “Mastodon”. Fin da subito decidiamo di ignorarci a vicenda. Questi cugini però sono davvero tanto stronzi, tanto che anche i nostri parenti ed amici vicini dei pianeti vicini (mastodon.giove, mastodon.venere ecc.) ignorano i cugini stronzi di mastodon.saturno. Nessun pianeta del sistema Mastodon se li caga. I cugini però non sono del tutto privi di rapporti ed anzi, hanno tanti contatti con pianeti di sistemi solari diversi. Ad esempio sono in contatto con alcuni pianeti del sistema Peertube peertube.10287, peertube.gattini, peertube.cartoni, ma anche con pleroma.pizza del sistema Pleroma e friendica.giardinaggio del sistema Friendica. Di fatto ai cugini stronzi sta bene vivere sul loro pianetino nel sistema Mastodon ma preferiscono avere contatti con pianeti di sistemi diversi.
Dei loro pianeti amici, a noi di mastodon.terra, non ce ne può fregar di meno: sono stronzi tanto quanto i nostri cugini ed abbiamo bloccato pure loro. Tranne uno. Su pleroma.pizza ci sono degli utenti nostri amici che sono contemporaneamente anche amici di alcuni dei cugini stronzi di mastodon.saturno. Ma non é un problema: eccheccavolo! Abbiamo collegamenti interstellari e ci dovremmo preoccupare di una cosa così? Nientaffatto! Il blocco che abbiamo attivato su mastodon.saturno é tipo una barriera energetica che funziona in tuuuutto l’universo! Se fossimo coinvolti in una conversazione in cui partecipano sia un amico di pleroma.pizza che un cugino stronzo di mastodon.saturno, semplicemente, il cugino stronzo non sentirebbe quel che esce dalla nostra bocca e noi non sentiremmo quel che esce dalla sua. Ognuno dei due saprà che l’altro é lì, ma nessuno dei due potrà mai vedere l’altro né sentirlo. Certo, potremmo dedurre qualcosa da ciò che dirà il nostro amico comune di pleroma.pizza ma vabbé, più di così che cosa si può pretendere?
Quest’immagine, può fornire un’idea del modo in cui le Istanze (pianeti) si connettono tra loro. Se poi si considera che le Istanze del Fediverso conosciute sono migliaia, la complessità del quadro é ben immaginabile. Un aspetto interessante é proprio il fatto che le connessioni tra Istanza e Istanza non dipendono dalla piattaforma usata. Osserviamo nell’immagine l’Istanza mastodon.mercurio: é un’istanza piuttosto isolata rispetto alla rete di Istanze Mastodon, i cui unici contatti sono mastodon.nettuno, peertube.gattini e pleroma.pizza. Nulla vieta che mastodon.mercurio venga a conoscenza di tutte le altre Istanze Mastodon non attraverso scambi di messaggi con mastodon.nettuno, ma attraverso i commenti ai video di peertube.gattini. Anzi, é addirittura più probabile perché mastodon.nettuno é in contatto solamente con altre tre Istanze Mastodon ma peertube.gattini é in contatto con tutte le Istanze Mastodon. Cercar dì immaginare le vie attraverso cui possano venire in contatto le diverse Istanze di quest’immagine che “non si conoscono” permette di farsi un’ulteriore idea del livello di complessità che si può raggiungere. In un sistema abbastanza grande, dotato di un vasto numero di utenti ed Istanze, isolarne una parte non comprometterà in alcun modo la ricchezza di connessioni possibili. Una volta create tutte le connessioni possibili é anche possibile fare un’esperimento diverso, ossia immaginare connessioni che s’interrompono fino a formare due o più reti perfettamente separate, contenenti ognuna delle Istanze Mastodon, Pleroma e Peertube.
E per aggiungere complessità alla complessità, possiamo fare un’esperimento ulteriore, ragionando non più a livello di Istanze ma a livello di singoli utenti delle Istanze (ipotizzare 5 utenti per Istanza potrebbe bastare a rendere le diverse casistiche). Alcuni casi ipotizzabili: 1) siamo su un’Istanza Mastodon e l’utente Anna ha appena scoperto attraverso il commento ad un video su Peertube l’esistenza di una nuova Istanza Pleroma, quindi adesso lei ne conosce l’esistenza ma, scegliendo di non seguire tale Istanza, di fatto non rende nota la scoperta agli altri membri della sua Istanza; 2) sulla stessa Istanza Mastodon l’utente Luca blocca l’unica Istanza Pleroma conosciuta. Così facendo, se quest’Istanza Pleroma facesse conoscere altre Istanze Pleroma con cui é in contatto, Luca dovrebbe aspettare che un’altro membro della sua Istanza gliele facesse conoscere perché si é precluso la possibilità di essere tra i primi dell’Istanza a venirne a conoscenza. 3) In realtà, il primo utente dell’Istanza ad entrare in contatto con le altre Istanze Pleroma é Mario. Ma non le viene a conoscere dall’Istanza Pleroma con cui sono già in contatto (quella che Luca ha bloccato), ma attraverso il suo unico contatto su GNU Social.
Sembra complesso ma in realtà non é altro che una replica di meccanismi umani cui siamo tanto abituati da darli per scontati: potremmo tradurre i diversi esempi appena esposti: 1) La nostra amica Anna, habitué del nostro bar, va in piazza ed incontra una persona che gli dice di essere habitué di un nuovo bar di una città poco distante. Anna però non si scambia il numero di telefono col tizio e quindi non saprà dare informazioni agli amici del suo bar riguardo al nuovo bar dell’altra città. 2) Nel solito bar, Luca di Milano evita Lara di Ferrara. Quando Lara porta nel bar le altre sue amiche ferraresi Mara e Sara, non le presenta a Luca. Solo più avanti, gli amici del bar che hanno stretto amicizia con Mara e Sara, potranno poi presentarle a Luca indipendentemente da Lara. 3) In realtà Mario aveva già conosciuto Mara e Sara, ma non grazie a Lara, bensì attraverso Filippo, il suo unico amico di Rovigo.
Per avere un’idea dell’ampiezza del Fediverso, si può dare un’occhiata a diversi siti che cercano di fornirne una fotografia completa. Oltre al già citato Kum.io, che cerca di rappresentarlo con una elegante veste grafica che ne evidenzia le interazioni, c’é anche Fediverse.network che tenta di elencare ogni singola Istanza esistente indicando per ognuna di esse i protocolli usati e lo stato del servizio, o Fediverse.party, che é un vero e proprio portale da cui partire per scegliere quale piattaforma usare e registrarcisi. Anche Switching.social, una pagina che illustra tutte le alternative libere ai social e sistemi di comunicazione proprietari, indica alcune reti federate tra le alternative a Twitter e Facebook.
(Per completezza: inizialmente si tendeva a dividere tutta questa megarete in tre “universi” sovrapposti: chiamati “Federazione” quello per le reti basate sul protocollo di Diaspora, “Fediverso” per quelle che usavano Ostatus e “ActivityPub” quelle che usavano… ActivityPub. Oggi invece sono considerati tutti parte del Fediverso anche se a volte lo si chiama pure Federazione)
Tanti Network…
Vediamo dunque le principali piattaforme/network e cos’hanno di diverso tra loro. Giusto un paio di premesse: alcuni di queste piattaforme sono pienamente attive mentre altre sono in via di sviluppo più o meno avanzato. Per questo motivo in alcuni casi l’interazione tra le diverse reti non é ancora pienamente funzionante. Inoltre, data la natura open e indipendente dei diversi network, é possibile che singole Istanze apportino modifiche e personalizzazioni “non standard” (un esempio é la lunghezza caratteri su Mastodon: lo standard é di 500 caratteri ma un’Istanza può decidere di impostare il limite che vuole; un’altro é l’uso di stelline e retweet, che un’Istanza può permettere e l’altra vietare). In questo paragrafo, di base, non si son tenute in conto queste personalizzazioni ed incompatibilità.
Mastodon (simile a: Twitter)
Mastodon é una piattaforma di microblogging molto simile a Twitter perché é basato su post molto brevi. E’il più famoso network del Fediverso. E’accessibile da smartphone attraverso un certo numero di App sia per Android che iOS. Uno dei punti di forza é il design ben concepito ed il fatto di avere già un “parco utenti” abbastanza corposo (quasi 2 milioni di utenti nel mondo, di cui alcune migliaia in Italia). Da desktop si mostra come una serie di colonne personalizzabili, ognuna delle quali mostra le diverse Timeline, sulla falsariga di Tweetdeck. Al momento Mastodon é l’unica piattaforma social federata accessibile con applicazioni Android ed iOS.
Pleroma (simile a: Twitter e DeviantArt)
Pleroma é la rete “sorella” di Mastodon: fondamentalmente sono la stessa cosa in due versioni un po diverse. Pleroma offre qualche funzione in più riguardo alla gestione delle immagini e permette di base post più lunghi. A differenza di Mastodon, su desktop Pleroma mostra un’unica colonna con la Timeline selezionata, rendendolo molto più simile a Twitter. Attualmente molte Istanze Pleroma hanno un gran numero di utenti che s’interessano di illustrazione e manga, pertanto come ambiente può ricordare vagamente DeviantArt. Le App di Mastodon per smartphone possono essere usate per accedere anche a Pleroma.
Misskey (simile a: un mix tra Twitter e DeviantArt)
Misskey é una sorta di Twitter che vuol ruotare principalmente attorno alle immagini. Offre un livello di personalizzazione maggiore di Mastodon e Pleroma ed una maggior attenzione alle gallerie immagini. E’una piattaforma che ha ottenuto buon successo in Giappone e tra gli appassionati di manga (e si vede!)
Friendica (simile a: Facebook)
Friendicaé un network estremamente interessante. Riprende grossomodo la struttura grafica di Facebook (con amici, notifiche ecc) ma in più permette l’interazione con diversi network commerciali che non fanno parte del Fediverso. E’dunque possibile connettere il proprio account Friendica a Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, WordPress oltre che generare feed RSS ecc. Insomma, Friendica si propone come una sorta di hub di contenuti da diffondere su tutte le reti disponibili, siano esse federate o no. In sostanza Friendica é l’asso-piglia-tutto del Fediverso: un’Istanza Friendica al massimo delle sue funzioni si connette con tutti e dialoga con tutti.
Osada (simile a: un mix tra Twitter e Facebook)
Osada é un’altro network che per impostazione può ricordare una via di mezzo tra Twitter e Facebook. Tra le piattaforme che ricordano Facebook questa é quella dal design più pulito.
GNUsocial (simile a: un mix tra Twitter e Facebook)
GNUsocial é un po’ il “nonno” di tutte le reti sociali qui elencate; in particolare di Friendica ed Osada (di cui é il predecessore).
Aardwolf (simile a: Twitter, forse…)
Aardwolf non é ancora pronto, ma si prospetta come una sorta di alternativa a Mastodon. Stiamo a vedere.
PeerTube (simile a: Youtube)
PeerTube é la rete federata di hosting video molto, ma molto simile a YouTube, Vimeo e altri servizi simili. Con un catalogo in via di costruzione, Peertube appare già un progetto molto solido.
Pixelfed (simile a: Instagram)
Pixelfedé sostanzialmente l’Instagram della Federazione. E’in fase di sviluppo ma pare essere a buon punto. Gli mancano solo delle App per smartphone per poter essere adottato come alternativa. Pixelfed ha il potenziale per diventare un membro molto, ma molto importante della Federazione!
NextCloud (simile a: iCloud, Dropbox, GDrive)
Nextcloud é un servizio di file hosting (nato dal precedente ownCloud) molto simile a Dropbox. Ognuno può far girare NextCloud su un proprio server che offre inoltre servizi di condivisione contatti (CardDAV), calendari (CalDAV), media streaming, bookmarking, backup ed altro. Gira pure su Windows e OSX ed é accessibile da smartphone attraverso App ufficiali. E’parte del Fediverso poiché utilizza ActivityPub per comunicare diverse informazioni ai propri utenti come cambiamenti ai file, attività calendario ecc.
Diaspora (simile a: Facebook e un pò anche Tumblr)
Diaspora é un po il “cugino” del Fediverso. Funziona attraverso un protocollo di comunicazione tutto suo e dialoga con il resto del Fediverso principalmente attraverso GNU social ed all’asso-piglia-tutto Friendica, anche se sembra stia circolando l’idea di far usare a Diaspora (l’applicazione) sia il proprio protocollo che ActivityPub. Si tratta di un gran bel progetto con una solida base di utenti affezionati. Al primo impatto può ricordare una versione estremamente minimalista di Facebook, ma l’attenzione alle immagini ed un interessante sistema di organizzazione dei post per tag permette di paragonarlo in qualche modo anche a Tumblr.
Funkwhale (simile a: SoundCloud e Grooveshark)
Funkwhale assomiglia a SounCloud, Grooveshark o altri servizi simili. Come uno YouTube per l’audio, permette di condividere tracce audio ma su rete federata. Con qualche implementazione potrebbe diventare anche un ottimo servizio di hosting per Podcast audio
Plume, Write Freely e Write.as (piattaforme di blogging)
PlumeWrite freely e Write.as sono piattaforme di blogging molto minimali che fanno parte della Federazione. Non hanno la ricchezza di funzioni, temi e personalizzazioni di WordPress o Blogger ma fanno il proprio dovere in modo leggero.
Hubzilla (simile a: ….TUTTO!!)
Hubzilla é un progetto ricchissimo e complesso che permette di gestire sia social network che data storage, calendari condivisi, web hosting, il tutto in maniera decentrata. Hubzilla insomma si propone di fare in una volta sola quello che fanno diversi dei servizi qui elencati. Come avere un’unica Istanza che ti faccia da Friendica, Peertube e NextCloud. Non male! E’da tenere sott’occhio!
GetTogether (simile a: MeetUp)
GetTogether é una piattaforma utile a pianificare eventi. Simile a MeetUp, serve a far fare rete a persone diverse unite da un’interesse comune e portare tale interesse nel mondo reale. Attualmente GetTogether non é ancora parte del Fediverso, ma sta implementando ActivityPub e quindi a breve sarà dei nostri.
Mobilizon (simile a: MeetUp)
Mobilizon é una nuova piattaforma in via di sviluppo che si propone come alternativa libera a MeetUp ed altri software utili ad organizzare meeting ed incontri di vario genere. Il progetto nasce fin da subito con l’intento di usare ActivityPub e far parte del Fediverso, in linea con i valori di Framasoft, associazione francese nata con lo scopo di diffondere l’uso di software libero e di reti decentrate. Qui la presentazione di Mobilzon in italiano.
Prismo é un’applicazione ancora in fase di sviluppo che si propone di diventare una sorta di versione decentralizzata di Reddit, ossia una rete sociale incentrata sulla condivisione di link ma che potenzialmente potrebbe evolvere in forme simili a Pocket o Evernote. Le funzioni base sono già funzionanti.
Socialhome
Socialhome é un social network che utilizza una visualizzazione a “blocchi”, inserendo i singoli post come in un collage di fotografie di Pinterest. Al momento comunica sono attraverso il protocollo di Diaspora ma dovrebbe implementare a breve ActivityPub
E non solo!
Ci sono ancora altre app e reti sociali che adottano o stanno per adottare ActivityPub, rendendo ancor più strutturato il Fediverso. Alcune sono molto simili a quelle già elencate, mentre altre sono ancora in fase di sviluppo e non sono ancora pronte per essere consigliate come alternativa ai sistemi commerciali più noti. Ci sono pure piattaforme già pronte e funzionanti che potrebbero entrare nel Fediverso implementando ActivityPub: NextCloud ne é un esempio (era già una realtà solida quando ha deciso di entrare nel Fediverso); il plugin di WordPress é a sua volta uno strumento che permette di federare una piattaforma già esistente; GetTogether é un’altra realtà che si sta federando. Piattaforme già consolidate (penso a Gitter, ma é giusto un’esempio tra i tanti) potrebbero trarre vantaggio dal federarsi diventando parte di una grande famiglia allargata). Insomma: c’é movimento dentro ed attorno al Fediverso!
…un solo Grande Network!
Fin qui abbiamo visto tante versioni alternative di strumenti noti che, presi singolarmente possono anche essere interessanti, ma che danno il meglio quando collaborano. Qui viene il bello: il fatto che condividano gli stessi protocolli di comunicazione elimina l’effetto “gabbia dorata” del singolo network!
Ora che sono state descritte le singole piattaforme é possibile fare qualche esempio veramente concreto:
Sono su Mastodon e mi appare il post di una persona che seguo. Nulla di strano, se non fosse che quella persona non é un utente di Mastodon, ma un utente di Peertube! Difatti si tratta di un video di un panorama. Sempre da Mastodon io commento scrivendo “bello” e questa persona vedrà comparire il mio commento sotto il suo video, su Peertube.
Sono su Osada e posto una riflessione aperta un po lunga. Questa riflessione viene letta da una mia amica su Friendica che la boosta ai suoi followers, alcuni dei quali sono su Friendica, ma altri sono su altre piattaforme, ad esempio uno che sta su Pleroma che mi risponde e con cui inizio a dialogare.
Pubblico una foto su Pixelfed e viene vista e commentata da un mio follower su Mastodon.
In sostanza ognuno può mantenere i contatti con i propri amici/followers dal proprio network preferito anche se questi ne frequentano di diversi.
Facendo un paragone con i social commerciali, é come poter ricevere su Facebook i tweet di un amico che sta su Twitter, le immagini postate da un’altra persona su Instagram, i video di un canale YouTube, le tracce audio su SoundCloud ed i nuovi post da diversi blog e siti personali e commentare e interagire con ognuno di essi perché tutti questi network collaborano assieme formando un’unico grande network!
Ognuna di queste reti potrà scegliere il modo in cui vuole gestire queste interazioni (ad esempio, se volessi una vita social monodirezionale potrei scegliere un’Istanza Pixelfed in cui gli altri utenti possono contattarmi solo commentando le foto che io pubblico, oppure potrei scegliere un’Istanza Peertube e pubblicare video che non possono essere commentati ma che potranno girare in tutto il Fediverso, o scegliere un’Istanza Mastodon che obbliga i miei interlocutori a comunicare con me in maniera concisa.
Certi dettagli vanno ancora definiti (per esempio: potrei inviare un messaggio diretto da Mastodon ad una piattaforma che non permette ai suoi utenti di ricevere messaggi diretti, senza esser mai avvertito del fatto che il destinatario manco avrà modo di sapere che gli ho inviato qualcosa). Si tratta di situazioni ben comprensibili all’interno di un ecosistema che deve adattarsi a realtà tanto diverse ma nella maggior parte dei casi si tratta di dettagli di facile gestione. Quel che importa é che le possibilità di interazione sono potenzialmente infinite!
Connettività totale, esposizione dosata
Tutta questa connettività condivisa va osservata tenendo a mente che nonostante i vari network sian stati qui trattati per semplicità come dei network centralizzati, sono in realtà reti di Istanze indipendenti che interagiscono direttamente con le Istanze degli altri network: la mia Istanza Mastodon filtrerà le Istanze Peertube che postano video razzisti ma si connetterà con tutte le Istanze Peertube che ne rispettano la policy; se seguo un certo mio amico su Pixelfed io vedrò solo i suoi post, senza che nessuno mi obblighi a vedere tutte le foto di tramonti e gattini dei suoi amici su quel social!
La combinazione di Istanze autonome, massima interoperabilità tra le stesse e libertà di scelta permette una serie di combinazioni estremamente interessanti che i social commerciali non si possono nemmeno sognare: l’utente é qui membro di un’unica grossa rete in cui può scegliere:
Lo strumento di accesso preferito (Mastodon, Pleroma, Friendica)
La comunità in cui più si sente a suo agio (l’Istanza)
La chiusura a comunità indesiderate e l’apertura a comunità che gli interessano
Tutto questo senza però rinunciare ad interconnettersi con utenti che hanno scelto strumenti e comunità diverse. Ad esempio posso scegliere una certa Istanza Pleroma perché mi piace il design, la comunità che ospita, le policy e la sicurezza generale ma da qui, seguire ed interagire principalmente con utenti di una certa Istanza Pixelfed portandone contenuti ed estetica nella mia Istanza.
A questo si aggiunge il fatto che le singole Istanze possono essere letteralmente installate ed amministrate da ogni singolo utente su proprie macchine, permettendo un controllo totale dei contenuti. Minuscole istanze casalinghe e solide Istanze di lavoro, Istanze scolastiche ed Istanze collettive, Istanze con migliaia di utenti ed Istanze da un solo utente, Istanze di quartiere e di condominio, tutte unite a formare una rete complessa e personalizzabile, che permette virtualmente di collegare chiunque ma al tempo stesso di evitare il sovraccarico d’informazioni. E’una sorta di ritorno alle origini di Internet, ma un ritorno maturo, da web 2.0, che si porta dietro l’esperienza dell’esser passati attraverso la centralizzazione della comunicazione nelle mani di pochi grossi attori internazionali che ha rafforzato con ancor più convinzione la certezza che la struttura decentrata é quella umanamente più sana e proficua.
Social network = gioie e dolori. Oramai é evidente a chiunque che i social network sono diventati degli strumenti sempre più odiosi. Devi starci perché sennò ti tagli fuori dal mondo, si; e devi starci anche perché oramai tutte le comunicazioni passano da lì; però si tratta oramai di una vetrina mediatica in cui devi agire con grandissima cautela. Fare un post sbagliato o toccare certi argomenti sensibili può portarti a passare ore ed ore a battagliare con persone che magari nemmeno conosci. Per non parlare delle ripercussioni che il tuo profilo social può causare sul tuo lavoro, del tracciamento dati da parte di Facebook ecc.
[ l’articolo é stato aggiornato dopo la pubblicazione iniziale ]
1.Un’idea semplificata del mondo
Che lo si voglia o meno i social network sono oramai parte della tua vita. Anche se li frequenti pochissimo o se non hai nemmeno un account, sei perfettamente cosciente del fatto che sui social si forma una fetta importantissima del pensiero dominante.
Questo però comporta diversi problemi.
Uno di questi é che i social network (da qui in poi SN) sono strutturati in modo tale da premiare i contenuti più spettacolari e rumorosi. E’esperienza comune il fatto che i SN non sono l’ambiente migliore in cui fare ragionamenti pacati e costruttivi: basta l’intervento di un paio di disturbatori (coloro che fanno rumore) per mandare in vacca ogni discorso serio.
Qui il problema consiste nel fatto che tutti i commenti ricevono egual peso: non importa che tu sia una persona esperta in una determinata cosa ed abbia scritto un post preciso e corretto se a commentarlo negativamente arriva qualcuno che dell’argomento non sa niente ma quel che scrive fa più colpo ed ottiene più likes.
La struttura dei SN insegna ai propri utenti ad esprimersi con un linguaggio più simile a quello pubblicitario che ad instaurare un normale dialogo umano. Per funzionare i Post devono essere brevi e contenere pochi concetti netti ma d’impatto.
SEGUIAMO IL FILO:
(1) L’opinione pubblica si forma sui SN. (2) I SN son strutturati in modo da premiare contenuti semplificati (3). Il mondo in cui viviamo é assai complesso. (4) I SN formano un’opinione pubblica con un’idea semplificata del mondo.
2. Luoghi del non-dialogo?
Blastatore
Persone diverse possono usare i SN in modi molto diversi, ma devono per forza muoversi all’interno delle regole del SN e della sua struttura.
Questo significa che nel dialogare su un certo argomento, la struttura dei SN darà al commento dell’utente ignorante ed al commento dell’utente litigioso lo stesso peso del commento dell’esperto calmo.
Questa cosa rende nei fatti impossibile portare avanti qualunque tipo di dialogo importante: bastano uno o due commenti infuocati per trasformare ogni tuo discorso in litigio e farti passare la voglia di intervenire perché non hai né tempo né voglia di impelagarti in battaglie fatte a colpi di battute, frecciate ed insulti.
Il fatto che i SN siano luogo di non dialogo fa sì che un Post, per essere davvero di successo, oltre ad avere contenuti semplificati, deve essere anche anti-dialogo.
Cosa significa? Significa che avrai più likes con un Post indignato tipo “Ma questi sono dei farabutti che andrebbero gettati in galera a marcire” che con un Post del tipo “Si, hanno sbagliato e bisognerà correre ai ripari, ma credo che gettarli in galera sarebbe un errore”. Questo perché il primo é un post anti-dialogo, é come un pugno che tappa la bocca a chiunque volesse rispondere: puoi solo essere d’accordo e applaudire o tacere. Altrimenti si litiga. Il secondo Post invece é un invito a sedersi e ragionare.
Per permettere dei dialoghi civili, dunque, i SN sono dovuti correre ai ripari. In particolare Facebook, con la creazione dei “gruppi”, permette a degli utenti amministratori di selezionare persone specifiche con cui intrattenere dialoghi su certi argomenti.
I SN dunque ti portano a queste soluzioni: (1) litigare (2) startene zitto (3) formare dei gruppi più o meno chiusi.
3. E’tutto un gioco
Personaggio e le sue caratteristiche
Probabilmente il termine gamification suonerà nuovo a molti. Si tratta però di un concetto con cui abbiamo sempre più a che fare, ossia la trasformazione di tantissimi aspetti della nostra vita in una specie di eterno gioco (Game) che coinvolge premi, punteggi, ricompense virtuali, livelli di difficoltà.
Non é un termine buttato lì a caso: i processi di gamification vengono studiati ed implementati in campi diversissimi per legare il cliente/utente al servizio/prodotto.
In pratica si tratta di meccanismi che ti portano a fare delle cose per ottenere dei “premi” virtuali.
La gamification é quella cosa che ti fa fare la tessera punti di un negozio regalandogli moltissime informazioni su di te in cambio di qualche sconticino. E’quella cosa che ti fa scrivere un commento in cambio di qualche like o stellina.
La gamification é quella cosa che ti obbliga a descriverti sui social mostrando la tua personalità e le tue caratteristiche così come il personaggio di un videogioco: cosa ti piace, chi frequenti, dove vivi, dove lavori, rendendo la tua utenza su Facebook indistinguibile dalla pagina che descrive un personaggio dei Sims.
Ogniqualvolta ci si trova dinnanzi a meccanismi di premio, buoni da usare entro una certa data, lotterie ed estrazioni, ricariche e punti, carte vantaggi, tessere premium che “sbloccano” diverse opportunità prima precluse, siamo di fronte ad applicazioni pratiche di gamification nella vita reale.
E’ facile osservare quanto SN siamo il luogo ideale per la gamification: se fai un Post abbastanza semplificato ed anti-dialogo il SN ti premierà con tanti likes, stelline o punti.
Perché quando scrivi un post su un SN non stai dialogando con nessuno: stai facendo a gara. Stai vendendo la tua opinione in cambio di un riconoscimento virtuale da parte di sconosciuti. Quando invece tu sei colui che dà riconoscimenti virtuali ad altri (dando stelline, cuoricini, “mi piace” ecc.), stai facendo lavoro non pagato per il SN, in quanto gli fornisci informazioni importantissime senza ottenerne nulla in cambio.
In base ai tuoi “mi piace” il SN sa che ti piacciono i gatti ma non i cani, le tue opinioni riguardo determinati argomenti; i tuoi gusti personali, le persone che frequenti, l’opinione dei tuoi amici su di te. Una volta ottenute, il SN può usare tutte queste informazioni per unire i puntini e fare un ritratto della tua persona che arriva a dedurre particolari della tua persona che, direttamente, no hai mai fornito.
4. Minimo comun denominatore
Applaudire o far battaglia
Il gioco a chi scrive il Post di maggior successo si può vincere in un solo modo: dare alla gente quello che di sicuro piace alla maggior parte delle persone, ossia spettacolo e rumore.
Non si vince proponendo cose veramente nuove (le avanguardie culturali vivono ai margini anche dei SN): si vince proponendo rivisitazioni inedite di spettacoli e rumori già visti.
Spettacolo e rumore che però devono essere al tempo stesso semplificati ed anti-dialogo.
Insomma: i SN sono il luogo ideale per far girare roba tipo Striscia la notizia, Le Iene, i blast di questo o quel personaggio tipo Sgarbi, Grillo, Feltri o Mentana: se qualcuno pubblica un Post seguendo le regole che abbiamo appena visto, avendo un certo numero di followers, il tempismo ed il guizzo “giusto” ed una certa dose di fortuna potrebbe vederlo diventare un Post di successo.
Quel che bisogna davvero comprendere é che rumore e spettacolo semplificati ed anti-dialogo non possono mai aver a che fare con progresso e spinte in avanti. Perché tutto ciò che riguarda il progresso richiede dialogo e sforzo.
No, quando si ha a che fare con le battutine acide, il buttare tutto in facile ironia, il blastare un dialogo interrompendolo e tutta quella roba lì, siamo SEMPRE di fronte ad un qualcosa che frena il progresso, che porta indietro, che preferisce confermare ciò in cui crede che metterlo in dubbio e guardare avanti; che preferisce l’illogico al logico, la panza alla testa.
La panza. E’questo il minimo comun denominatore che accontenta sempre tutti. Gli istinti primari e la paura.
C’é una persona che dice che il mondo é rotondo e per spiegarcelo fa tutta una serie di ragionamenti e calcoli difficili? “Hahahahaha! Ma che idiota! “Ma se il mondo fosse tondo gli australiani dovrebbero cadere verso il cielo!” Tié! Blastato e affondato. Cinquecento likes. E chi credeva che il mondo fosse piatto godrà della conferma di quel che crede.
5. Rendere i Social dei luoghi veramente social
Per poter dialogare in maniera costruttiva sui SN abbiamo già visto che la prima cosa da fare é metter da parte gli utenti che minano la bontà del dialogo.
NO ANTIDIALOGO: Tenere fuori dal dialogo tutti coloro che minano a distruggere il dialogo stesso: provocatori, disturbatori e troll.
NO FALSA PREPARAZIONE: Allo stesso modo va limitata la possibilità di intervento di quelle persone che pur non conoscendo gli argomenti in questione vogliono aver lo stesso peso di chi invece ne sa.
La seconda cosa da fare invece é più complessa. Si tratta di ridurre il più possibile quelle caratteristiche strutturali dei SN che rovinano la natura stessa del discutere.
NO VOTI/PREMI: Un primo esempio riguarda l’eliminazione dei voti (likes, mi piace, stelline, contatore condivisioni, cuoricini…). Se togli i voti dal SN, riduci drasticamente il meccanismo di gioco ad inseguire il minimo comun denominatore.
NO TESTI RISTRETTI: Alcuni SN come Twitter permettono di scrivere solo messaggi molto brevi in cui é impossibile esprimere pensieri complessi. Questo non é necessariamente un male, a patto che esista la possibilità di aggirarla qualora il limite fosse troppo castrante (su Twitter, ad esempio, si possono concatenare diversi tweet uno dopo l’altro)
La terza cosa consiste nel permettere di mantenere la vita reale il più possibile separata da quella virtuale.
SI ANONIMATO: Nella vita reale non hai un cartellino con scritto chi sei, i tuoi gusti, chi sono i tuoi amici ed i luoghi che frequenti. Il bello dei social é poter discutere liberamente senza le maschere che indossi nella vita reale. La posizione SI ANONIMATO, assieme alla posizione NO ANTIDIALOGO si rivela una risorsa preziosissima per ogni forma di progresso. Permettere ad uno stesso utente di avere diverse identità, frequentare gruppi diversi ed immedesimarsi nell’altro é una delle più grandi e preziose libertà che Internet permette
Per finire, la quarta cosa riguarda il pericolo dei SN trattati come fonte a sé stante.
SOCIAL APERTI: I SN, per loro stessa natura, tendono a far sì che l’utente si autoconfini nel SN. Un dialogo nato su un SN tendenzialmente si sviluppa e muore sullo stesso SN. Ma un SN, per permettere un dialogo sano, ha bisogno di una maggior interazione tra ambienti di dialogo differenziati. Pensiamo ad esempio ad un dialogo nato su un Forum, che ad un certo punto prosegue su un SN dove prende una piega diversa generando così due discorsi paralleli in due ambienti diversi ed infine confluiscano entrambi in un post su un secondo SN che a sua volta genererà un terzo discorso.
Insomma: i SN funzionano al loro meglio se non dimenticano la loro funzione di ponte tra luoghi di discussione diversi. Quest’ultimo punto però richiede un tipo di attenzione da parte degli utenti, più che soluzioni tecniche da parte del SN in sé.
6. Chi decide cosa e perché?
Chi possiede il Social possiede la tua identità
A questo punto bisogna affrontare una serie di problemi al tempo stesso tecnici ed etici: di chi é il SN in cui interagisci con altre persone? Chi é che decide quali sono le sue regole? Con che criteri?
Nella stragrande maggioranza dei casi quando si pensa ad un SN si pensa a Facebook o Twitter o Instagram: piattaforme commerciali che appartengono ad aziende che guadagnano proprio da questi social.
Va da sé che queste aziende commerciali decideranno di preferire regole che ne massimizzano potere e guadagni.
A Twitter, Facebook etc. importa innanzitutto che i suoi utenti scrivano ed interagiscano molto; interessa riuscire a profilarti, ossia sapere piò cose possibile su di te per vendere queste informazioni ad altre aziende commerciali.
Per esempio: il fatto che nella tua zona tante persone diverse abbiano scritto post contro l’amministrazione comunale é un’informazione vendibile a qualcuno che potrebbe cavalcare quest’onda e gettare benzina sul fuoco per dare l’illusione che l’amministrazione comunale sia ancor peggiore di quanto non sia in realtà.
A Facebook non importa niente della qualità etica di ciò che uno scrive. A Facebook non fa né caldo né freddo se sul suo SN c’é un gruppo di nazisti che si batte per ridurre i diritti civili degli stranieri e dire che la terra e piatta. Non gli importa niente e non li bloccherà finché continueranno a scrivere roba, interagire con altri ed a fornire informazioni per profilarli. Basta giusto-giusto che non scrivano cose illegali.
Ma a Facebook sanno benissimo che questo loro menefreghismo alla lunga può infastidirti e quindi, per difenderti dalla sua mancanza di posizione, ti offre la possibilità di creare una sorta di gruppo chiuso in cui puoi stare alla larga dai nazi-terrapiattisti. In questo modo tu ed i tuoi amici limiterete i contatti con i nazi-terrapiattisti e viceversa. Ma non limiterai Facebook. Facebook continuerà a sapere tutto sia di ognuno di voi che dei nazi-terrapiattisti.
Il gruppo chiuso, insomma, é un contentino che Facebook concede ai propri utenti: convincendoti che devi difenderti dagli altri utenti ti fa dimenticare che dovresti innanzitutto difenderti da Facebook stesso!
Inoltre Facebook potrebbe rivelarsi uno strumento pericolosissimo in paesi con un governo dittatoriale o semi-dittatoriale. Come ti comportesti se salisse al potere un partito che imponesse a Facebook di rivelare i nomi di tutti coloro che lo hanno criticato (tra cui ci sei pure tu) e ciò comportasse perdita di sussidi, assegni familiari, diritti ecc?
Come potresti difenderti da una profilazione arbitraria se, in base ai dati raccolti da Facebook (chi sono i tuoi amici, i tuoi interessi, i tuoi likes), fossi classificato come un potenziale terrorista?
8. Riprendersi i Social Network
Sono tanti, i motivi per voler dei SN diversi. Ma che siano diversi per davvero. Serve dunque un’idea nuova che permetta da un lato di riprenderne il controllo ma al tempo stesso farlo in maniera semplice, che non richieda chissà che razza di sforzi e complicazioni.
Da qui l’idea di una rete sociale decentrata, cioè non basata su di un unica, enorme centrale di controllo, ma di tante piccole realtà separate, ognuna con le proprie regole ma che dialogano fra loro.
A questo punto di solito si dovrebbero dare alcune informazioni tecniche su questo tipo di rete, ma qui gli aspetti tecnici ci interessano relativamente. Basterà sapere che l’idea di servizi internet decentrati non é particolarmente nuova ma negli ultimi anni, essendo sempre più evidenti i pericoli di servizi troppo centralizzati, si sta diffondendo sempre più: social network decentralizzati, servizi di video streaming, motori di ricerca, monete virtuali. Inoltre si tratta di servizi realizzati soprattutto con software libero, ossia privo di un proprietario, liberamente controllabili, verificabili e modificabili da chiunque e per questo tendenzialmente molto più sicuri di software non libero.
Tra i diversi SN decentrati oggi disponibili, quello sicuramente più interessante é Mastodon.
Cos’é e come funziona Mastodon? Innanzitutto lo si può descrivere come un SN strutturato in maniera simile a Twitter, fatto da utenti slegati dall’identità reale e messaggi (chiamati “Toot”) lunghi solitamente al massimo 500 caratteri.
La prima cosa che spiazza quando vuoi creare un account Mastodon sul suo sito principale, Joinmastodon.org é che non lo puoi creare così, genericamente su Mastodon: in realtà devi subito scegliere a quale Istanza Mastodon iscriverti.
Qui può essere utile l’immagine dei circoli privati o club: pensa a Mastodon come una tessera che ti permetta di entrare in un’enorme numero di circoli privati e club. Questa tessera però viene rilasciata singolarmente dai singoli club. O meglio: ognuno di questi circoli privati rilascia la propria tessera Mastodon e questa ti permetterà non solo di entrare nel circolo in cui ti sei iscritto, ma anche di entrare in contatto con gli altri circoli e club associati.
Ognuno di questi circoli o club é chiamato Istanza. Nei fatti é un server gestito da volontari o cooperative, centri sociali o volendo anche da aziende (il che può sembrare una contraddizione con quanto detto sopra ma vedremo sotto che non é così).
Iscriversi ad un’Istanza NON é un matrimonio indissolubile: é abbastanza comune iscriversi ad un’Istanza e dopo un po decidere che ci si trova meglio su un’altra Istanza, così come provare più Istanze contemporaneamente.
Una volta registrati, si può accedere attraverso l’interfaccia web della propria Istanza oppure da smartphone attraverso applicazioni client. Ce ne sono diverse, disponibili sia per Android che iOS. Non esiste un’App “ufficiale” di Mastodon.
9.1 Diverse Istanze, diverse regole.
Cosa cambia tra un’Istanza e un’altra? Beh, può cambiare molto. Come già detto un’Istanza é nei fatti un server ossia un computer sempre attivo, gestito da delle persone che dedicano il proprio tempo perché funzioni tutto correttamente ed amministrarlo.
Ogni Istanza ha dunque le sue regole ed i suoi amministratori. Per esempio tu potresti scegliere un’Istanza che si trova in Italia e che banna al suo interno qualsiasi contenuto fascista, razzista, omofobo e commerciale. Oppure potresti preferire un’Istanza che si trova fisicamente in America che filtra tutti i contenuti pornografici e fascisti ma che permette di avere utenti commerciali. Oppure ancora potresti preferire un’Istanza canadese i cui utenti sono principalmente programmatori con la passione per la fantascienza ma che in realtà non filtra alcun tipo di contenuto. Anche qui può essere utile l’esempio dei circoli privati o club.
I motivi che possono farti preferire questa o quell’istanza dipendono esclusivamente da te. Se sei un razzista che picchia i bambini potrai forse iscriverti ad una Istanza in cui si considera accettabile essere razzisti e picchiare i bambini ma i tuoi contenuti non appariranno mai agli utenti iscritti ad un’Istanza che ha come regola quella di bannare in toto quel genere di contenuti e le Istanze che le tollerano.
Una volta registrato, il tuo nome utente sarà più o meno simile ad una email: utente@istanza
9.2 Bida
Tra le varie Istanze disponibili la mia scelta é caduta su Bida. Qui (mastodon.bida.im) é possibile leggerne le caratteristiche dell’Istanza, le sue regole ed i princìpi a cui si attiene, chi lo amministra ecc. Tutto ciò che segue é basato sull’esperienza fatta su Bida (esperienza che risulta alquanto positiva anche a sentire altri utenti).
9.3 All’interno dell’Istanza: la Timeline locale
Accedendo a Mastodon da browser ci si ritrova dinnanzi ad una struttura divisa in diverse colonne (chi utilizza Tweetdeck si sentirà a casa) che mostrano graficamente le diverse timeline. Accedendo da cellulare invece l’esperienza é più simile alla colonna singola di Twitter o Facebook.
All’interno della tua Istanza puoi vedere i messaggi pubblici degli altri utenti dell’Istanza. Questi compaiono in ordine cronologico nella Timeline Locale. Ovviamente puoi interagire con loro e commentare i Toot. Non serve essere “amici” di questi utenti: la Timeline locale mostra tutti i messaggi pubblici di tutti gli utenti della tua istanza. Puoi “stellinare” un Toot (é tipo cliccare “mi piace” su Facebook), ma non c’é alcuna enfatizzazione di post che hanno ottenuto molte stelline: in questo modo non si genera mai la gara ad “ottenere più like”. Puoi anche “boostare” il Toot di un altro utente (ciò equivale al “retweet” su Twitter o alla “condivisione” su Facebook) e pure qui non v’é alcun contatore pubblico che dica quante volte un Toot é stato boostato. Se proprio volessi sapere quante volte tale messaggio sia stato boostato basterà aprire il messaggio per saperlo, ma anche qui non v’é alcuna enfasi.
Non esistono i “Trending Topics”, ossia non v’é una Classifica/tabella punti sugli argomenti più discussi.
Detto questo il funzionamento non é molto diverso da Twitter e quindi chi già ha esperienza su Twitter non avrà bisogno di grandi spiegazioni. In caso di problemi o dubbi é facilissimo entrare in contatto con gli admin: é uno dei pregi dei circuiti locali che nessuna megastruttura come Facebook avrà mai.
9.4 Relazioni tra Istanze: la Timeline federata
Qui le cose iniziano ad essere molto diverse dagli altri SN e bisogna spendere qualche parola per capire i concetti base della relazione tra istanze e tra utenti di diverse istanze. Per far questo riprendiamo l’esempio dei club privati. Se tu sei iscritto ad un circolo privato e lo frequenti sei a conoscenza delle persone che lo frequentano e dei loro discorsi, anche se non sei propriamente loro amico. Questo é ciò che abbiamo già visto riguardo la Timeline Locale.
Il circolo, però, a meno che non sia del tutto chiuso ai contatti esterni (si é possibile: un Istanza può anche essere del tutto chiusa ai contatti esterni, se vuole), é frequentato anche da amici dei soci provenienti da altre Istanze.
In sostanza, un utente dell’Istanza “Bida” può seguire un’utente di un’altra Istanza “xyz” (qui “seguire” é ciò che Facebook definisce “amicizia”) e quando ciò avviene, tutti gli utenti di Bida vedranno i messaggi pubblici di questo tuo amico di “xyz” sulla Timeline federata della tua Istanza.
La Timeline federata insomma, mostra i messaggi pubblici sia degli utenti della tua Istanza che quelli degli “amici” dei suoi membri.
Tornando all’esempio dei circoli privati: per poter essere presente nel circolo o devi iscrivertici o devi conoscere qualcuno che é già iscritto. In sostanza si tratta di un meccanismo che ricalca quelli che sono le relazioni nella vita reale: se entro in un circolo/bar/pub posso conoscere i frequentatori fissi così come i loro amici, ma non posso conoscere i frequentatori di un altro circolo che sta in un’altra città se non vi entro e se non conosco nessuno dei suoi frequentatori.
Quando si cercano utenti, hashtag o Istanze dal modulo di ricerca della propria Istanza, i risultati che verranno dati riguarderanno sempre e solo utenti, hashtag o Istanze con cui la propria Istanza é già entrata in contatto.
Per intenderci: se sull’Istanza Bida cerchi l’hashtag #startrek e non venisse trovato niente, questo non significa che sull’intera rete di Mastodon non c’é nessuno che parla di #startrek: significa solo che l’Istanza Bida non é in contatto con nessuno che parli di quell’argomento. Potrebbe ad esempio esserci un’intera istanza di appassionati di Star Trek con cui però nessuno di Bida é mai entrato in contatto.
Può sembrare una limitazione che in realtà viene superata dal fatto che le Istanze fanno rete fra loro: più le Istanze e gli utenti interagiscono fra loro mettendosi in contatto reciproco e più sarà facile anche per l’argomento più di nicchia, uscire ed essere disponibile a persone lontane.
9.5 Amici degli amici e gente che non si conosce ancora.
Quando un’utente di un’altra istanza compare sulla Timeline federata si tratta pur sempre di un’utente che “risiede altrove” e conoscere lui non significa conoscere i suoi amici.
Torniamo ancora all’esempio dei circoli privati: sulla tua Istanza c’é Tizio che é amico di Dracula, un utente iscritto su una istanza di vampiri transilvani. Nella tua Istanza nessuno ha alcun contatto con nessun altro vampiro transilvano al di fuori di Dracula, perciò anche se sai che Dracula ha 500 amici all’interno della sua Istanza d’origine, se clicchi sul suo profilo vedrai solo il nome dei contatti che già conosci.
Per conoscere gli altri suoi amici sull’Istanza transilvana o lui li presenta (ad esempio condividendo i loro messaggi) o tu puoi iscriverti sull’istanza transilvana e farti direttamente un giro da quelle parti per conoscerli.
In questo modo, registrandoti su una seconda Istanza, avrai due diversi account Mastodon. Magari poi va a finire che preferirai usare come tua “base regolare” l’Istanza vampiresca ed invitare lì solo alcuni degli utenti dell’Istanza che frequentavi prima.
A questo punto verrebbe da chiedersi come può esser possibile entrare in contatto con utenti registrati su un’Istanza sconosciuta. Torniamo nuovamente all’esempio di #startrek paragonando la situazione a ciò che avviene nella vita reale: se nei giri dei tuoi conoscenti non c’é nessuno-nessuno-nessuno che s’interessa ad una certa cosa, com’é possibile che invece TU te ne interessi? La risposta é che l’unico modo é uscendo al di fuori dei tuoi giri.
In sostanza, le tue frequentazioni indipendenti (siti, blog, forum), che poco o nulla hanno a che fare con le tue solite reti sociali, possono portarti a conoscere altre reti sociali che, se non fosse stato per il tuo uscirne, non sarebbero mai entrate in contatto.
Nulla vieta che tu venga a sapere su un forum web di appassionati di Star Trek che alcuni di essi hanno aperto un’Istanza dedicata.
La tua Istanza di riferimento potrebbe essere in costante contatto con 20, 30 Istanze. La nuova Istanza di Star Trek che hai conosciuto al di fuori di Mastodon potrebbe essere invece in contatto con altre 15, 25 Istanze. Il tuo metterti in contatto con l’Istanza di Star Trek non può che rafforzare la conoscenza reciproca dell’intera rete di Mastodon.
Qui non si può citare la teoria dei sei gradi di separazione, la quale presuppone che una rete di certe dimensioni permetterebbe già al suo interno di connettere ogni utente con qualsiasi altro utente.
9.6 Utenti e Istanze bannate o ammutolite
Se tra le regole fondamentali della tua Istanza c’é il ban totale di utenti razzisti e sessisti e la tua Istanza si accorgesse che l’utente Puffetta, registrata su un’Istanza di puffi, posta proprio contenuti razzisti, questa verrebbe bannata e tu non avresti più modo di seguirla. Non solo: se la tua Istanza si accorgesse che l’intera istanza dei puffi é un covo di utenti razzisti e fascisti, potrebbe bannare l’intera istanza in un colpo solo, impedendogli di entrare in contatto con te e gli altri utenti della tua Istanza.
Ci possono essere anche casi meno drastici. Per esempio, Bida non banna i contenuti commerciali presenti su altre istanze ma si limita a silenziarle sulla Timeline federata. Ciò significa che tu sei libero di seguire l’account commerciali di questa o quella azienda che posta solo pubblicità di magici prodotti per l’allargamento del pene, però questi post non compariranno mai nella Timeline federata di Bida visibile agli altri utenti dell’Istanza.
Nel primo caso insomma, si tratta di utenti che “se stai qui diamo per inteso che non li vuoi vedere nemmanco col binocolo”, mentre nel secondo caso si tratta di utenti che “vabbé, é roba che a te può anche interessare ma non venirci ad intasarci la timeline con quella roba”.
Qui entra in gioco il rapporto di fiducia con gli amministratori dell’Istanza che ti sei scelto, il senso di comunità all’interno della stessa, la condivisione di regole e princìpi, il modo in cui gli amministratori prendono decisioni e le comunicano. Se per stare su Facebook puoi solo scegliere se accettarne o meno le regole, qui hai invece numerosissime possibilità che possono essere piò o meno restrittive e seguire logiche ed interessi diversissimi ed assai personali.
Non sei d’accordo con le policy della tua Istanza? Puoi sceglierne un’altra. Non ti piacciono le Istanze con regole troppo restrittive? Puoi iscriverti ad un’Istanza che non pone alcun filtro e vedere che succede ad aggiungere amici sia da un’Istanza nazista che da un’Istanza antifascista. Vorresti cambiare certe cose della tua Istanza? Se é gestita da un’associazione di cui fai parte puoi far cambiare alcune cose tramite votazioni interne. L’Istanza a cui sei registrato non é d’accordo con la tua apertura agli sciachimisti? Puoi cercare una Istanza che accoglie gli sciachimisti. Puoi anche scegliere di avere diversi account per tener separati i contatti o addirittura metter su un’Istanza tutta tua e decidere in totale indipendenza le tue regole. Puoi pure creare un’Istanza chiusa che non ha contatti con le altre Istanze. E puoi sempre decidere di silenziare _per te stesso_ intere istanze che la tua Istanza approva: ti trovi in accordo con tutte le regole della tua Istanza e sei amico di molti dei suoi frequentatori, ma proprio non sopporti l’apertura a quell’Istanza di foodies in cui postano ogni momento foto di sushi e piatti ricercati? La puoi silenziare per conto tuo pur restando sulla tua Istanza che invece non ha nulla in contrario contro aperitivi e delicatezze regionali. Insomma: le possibilità sono numerosissime.
9.7 il Fediverso
Cercando sempre di evitare il discorso tecnico, bisogna però far notare Mastodon usa delle tecnologie di comunicazione utilizzate anche da altri SN decentrati. Questo vuol dire che su Mastodon si può interagire con utenti di altri SN, alcuni dei quali possono interagire con ancora altri SN formando una rete assai complessa chiamata Fediverso (Federazione+Universo).
Per fare un esempio di fantasia é un po come se tu scrivessi un post su Facebook, ricevessi un commento scritto da Twitter e questo commento generasse una nuova discussione su Tumblr (che interagisce con Twitter ma non con Facebook). Questo aspetto é assai complesso e variegato, pertanto meriterebbe forse un post a parte.
Ci sarebbero poi tante altre caratteristiche specifiche da illustrare, come i diversi permessi di lettura dei post che invii (leggibili solo dagli utenti citati, oppure solo da chi ti segue, o da chiunque o da chiunque ma senza che questo sia pubblicato sulla timeline), oppure la possibilità di “mascherare” il tuo messaggio dietro una bandierina d’avvertimento o ancora le diverse funzioni dei client per smartphone. Tuttavia già quel che é stato descritto dovrebbe bastare per capire l’altissimo potenziale di Mastodon e del Fediverso.
10. Conclusioni
Per concludere non c’é che da aggiungere che al momento Mastodon sembra avere tutte le caratteristiche per diventare la vera alternativa ai SN commerciali grazie ad una struttura completamente differente, un approccio più personalizzabile ed umano ed un grandissimo mix di opzioni che permettono agli utenti di riprendere possesso delle proprie reti sociali, di proteggersi dalle interferenze comunicative organizzate e di rendere più costruttivi questi ambienti di comunicazione.
Nella sera del 20 febbraio 2018 il leader palermitano di Forza Nuova viene aggredito in pieno centro. Nel giro di pochissimi minuti l’aggressione viene rivendicata da qualcuno che ci tiene sia a restare anonimo che ad attribuire le responsabilità agli antifascisti palermitani. Manco il tempo di dirlo che ovviamente scattano perquisizioni, fermi, reazioni esagitate sui social, richieste di condanna ecc.
Certo però che a guardarla bene questa storia é strana. Ma strana proprio…
( post in aggiornamento – ultimo aggiornamento 2018-02-26 21:02)
IL LUOGO E L’ORA
Martedì 20 Febbraio 2018. Palermo centro. Via Dante, tra piazza Lolli e piazza Virgilio. A pochissima distanza dalla sede di FN in via Villa Florio, dalla sede di CasaPound in Cortile Barcellona e dal negozio di tatuaggi in via Marconi appartenente allo stesso Ursino. Siamo dunque in una zona della città che Ursino e gli altri membri di Forza Nuova frequentano abitualmente. Viale principale del quartiere, marciapiedi su ambo i lati. Il luogo dell’aggressione é ad una ventina di metri dalla fermata dell’autobus dove ne passa uno ogni 20 minuti. Ci sono negozi aperti, gente che passa, decine di telecamere in tutta la zona. Una telecamera é proprio sopra al portone davanti al quale si é svolta l’aggressione. Ci sono forze dell’ordine in servizio nella zona. E’una via centrale, trafficata e frequentata: per niente adatta per un’aggressione del genere poiché troppi elementi giocano contro.
MASSIMO URSINO
Massimiliano (“Massimo”) Ursino, quarantenne, é il leader palermitano di Forza Nuova e titolare di un negozio di tatuaggi. E’ di corporatura massiccia, si addestra abitualmente a boxe e negli anni passati ha già dimostrato di essere uno capace a combattere. Nel giugno 2005 assieme ad altri due, aggrediva in via Candelai un uomo originario della Nigeria ed uno originario di Siracusa. Nel 2006 assieme ad altri due militanti di FN ha picchiato due uomini del Bangladesh dopo averli rapinati. Nel 2008 Spedisce a diversi giornali dei pacchi contenenti bambole sporcate con sangue ed interiora di animali per una campagna antiabortista di FN Sembra inoltre sia stato arrestato anche nel 2011 per un aggressione avvenuta nel 2009 in cui 15 persone avrebbero malmenato con dei bastoni cinque ragazzi originari del Pakistan. Successivamente ha preso parte alle “ronde per la difesa popolare“.
ANTEFATTI
Nel 2017 qualcuno ha tentato di dare fuoco alla porta d’ingresso del negozio di tatuaggi di Ursino.
Il 24 febbraio si svolgerà in diverse città italiane la manifestazione Mai più fascismi – Mai più razzismiche segue a brevissima distanza quella di Macerata. Lo stesso giorno sempre a Palermo é atteso in città un comizio di Roberto Fiore, leader di FN. Diverse associazioni antifasciste ne chiedono l’annullamento.
Qualche giorno prima del 20 febbraio qualcuno sembra tenti nuovamente di dar fuoco al negozio di Ursino (?)
Nel pomeriggio del giorno dell’aggressione FN aveva inviato un comunicato in risposta alla richiesta di annullamento del comizio chiesto delle associazioni antifasciste. Nel comunicato FN denuncia un aumento della tensione.
MOVIMENTI FASCISTI ED ANTIFASCISTI A PALERMO ED IN SICILIA
A Palermo i movimenti fascisti sono di fatto minoritari ed hanno uno spazio d’azione limitato perché fortemente contrastato dalle associazioni antifasciste. A riprova di ciò anche la mappa delle aggressioni fasciste redatta da Infoantifa Ecn riporta solo un’unico evento di aggressione fascista, avvenuto ad Enna quattro giorni prima. Le tensioni tra fascisti ed antifascisti di Palermo risultano tutto sommato minime se paragonate con altre realtà italiane.
GLI AGGRESSORI
Desumendo da testimonianze riportate dai giornali ed il video (vedi sotto), gli aggressori erano tra un minimo di cinque ed un massimo di otto, compresa una ragazza che ha filmato almeno parte della scena. Vestiti con abiti scuri (felpe nere?), sciarpe scure attorno al viso, cappelli di lana, jeans e sneakers.
18:5x (?) Ursino viene aggredito all’uscita del supermercato, ancora col sacchetto della spesa in mano.
Una testimone presente durante i fatti ha descritto sette-otto persone di cui due intente a bloccare la testa di Ursino, una a riprendere la scena (la ragazza) e le altre a dargli calci.
Una ragazza presente sul luogo urla contro gli aggressori. La testimone cerca di attirare l’attenzione degli altri passanti suonando il clacson della propria macchina. Negli immediati paraggi c’é una guardia giurata. Con diverse persone che assistono alla scena, gli aggressori si guardano un po in giro e decidono di allontanarsi a passo veloce in direzione del Politeama.
19:xx Ursino si rialza, si siede sul marciapiede e dice alla testimone “mi stavano seguendo da un po”. Alcuni passanti portano dell’acqua. Qualcuno allerta i soccorsi.
19:xx Viene inviata a diversi giornali una mail contenente un breve filmato di una colluttazione ed un testo di rivendicazione
19:26 PalermoToday é la prima testata giornalistica a dare notizia di quanto avvenuto con questo articolo. L’articolo contiene la rivendicazione e dice che Ursino é già stato trasportato all’ospedale Civico.
xx:xx Roberto Fiore é a Roma negli studi Rai per registrare un intervento concordato precedentemente e che andrà in onda in tarda serata a Porta a porta. Il suo intervento si incentra sui fatti di Palermo.
23:30 A Roma una trentina di militanti di FN tenta di irrompere negli studi di La7 per intervenire in diretta.
23:40 Su RaiUno va in onda Porta a porta con l’intervento di Roberto Fiore registrato poche ore prima. (clip parziale)
Insomma: nell’arco di pochissimi minuti Ursino viene immobilizzato, pestato, filmato, soccorso e portato all’ospedale. Sempre nel giro di pochissimi minuti gli assalitori si allontanano, scrivono la rivendicazione (o perlomeno fanno l’ultimo editing su un testo preparato in precedenza), scaricato il video (e, si dovrebbe presumere, controllato per assicurarsi non mostrasse troppo), inviati per mail alle redazioni. Le redazioni, PalermoToday in primis, a loro volta leggono, verificano (anche qui si dovrebbe presumere che perlomeno una telefonata sia stata fatta, giusto per assicurarsi che mail e video fossero effettivamente ciò che dicevano di essere) scrivono e pubblicano gli articoli. Tutto questo poco prima che a Roma Roberto Fiore inizi a registrare il suo intervento per “Porta a porta”. Considerando almeno cinque minuti di pestaggio, tutto quel che ne é seguito, dalla fuga degli assalitori alla pubblicazione del primo articolo, dovrebbe essere avvenuto in meno di 26 minuti. Tempi plausibili ma decisamente stretti.
LE MODALITA’
L’aggressione ha la modalità dell’agguato squadrista organizzato e premeditato: vittima assalita da diverse persone che la malmenano ed umiliano pubblicamente
Dalle cinque alle otto persone devono essersi aggirate per via Dante per avvicinarsi ad Ursino. Se fossero state tutte a viso coperto avrebbero certo destato sospetti e dunque si può presumere che almeno la fase dell’avvicinamento si sia svolta a volto scoperto per cui potrebbero esser riconosciuti da passanti ed immortalati dalle videocamere che si trovano nella via. Allo stesso modo anche nella fase di allontanamento é probabile si siano mossi a volto scoperto.
Va osservato che per agire così in centro città, immobilizzare in pochissimi istanti ed a mani nude una persona robusta ed abituata a lottare come Ursino, picchiarla ed andarsene via certi di non essere visti, ripresi o identificati é necessario un gruppo di persone dal sangue freddo e pronte allo scontro fisico.
Da uno come Ursino ci si aspetterebbe che ad un attacco fisico reagisca tirando calci e pugni ai suoi assalitori e dunque si presume che questi abbiano riportato anch’essi qualche contusione.
Dalle testimonianze non si parla di alcun tipo di arma o oggetto usato nell’aggressione. Se gli assalitori han agito a mani nude ci si può dunque chiedere se almeno alcuni di questi avessero già una qualche esperienza di lotta tale da poter atterrare un tipo corpulento e ben capace di darle di ritorno. Magari persone che frequentano palestre di lotta?
I partecipanti di una simile aggressione organizzata, considerando gli alti rischi dell’operare in pieno centro ed esser riconosciuti, si presuppone abbiano pensato già in fase di pianificazione dell’assalto di procurarsi degli alibi decenti.
Forza Nuova Palermo dichiara “sappiamo chi é stato, adesso guerra sia” e che non farà “nessuna denuncia contro uomini a volto coperto”, il che suona ben strano in quanto la denuncia parte d’ufficio per questo tipo di reato.
Appare assai più curioso curioso se si tien pure conto che il leader di Forza Nuova, Roberto Fiore, non é nuovo a ricevere denuncie per violenza (ben 240 in cinque anni) ed a sua volta non ci pensa su due olte a muoversi legalmente contro chicchessia per ogni qual genere di motivo.
UNA STRANA RIVENDICAZIONE
Il testo viene riportato editato da diverse testate:
“A pochi giorni dall’arrivo in città di Roberto Fiore atteso in città per un comizio in conclusione della campagna elettorale, Massimo Ursino, uomo di spicco e dirigente nazionale del partito Forza Nuova, è stato colpito in modo esemplare mentre passeggiava per le vie del centro. E’ stato bloccato, immobilizzato e legato con del nastro adesivo, poi lasciato a terra senza possibilita’ di fuggire. Chi afferma che esista una “minaccia fascista”, a Palermo come in tutta la Sicilia, dovrà ricredersi”.
“Questi uomini di poco conto appartenenti a formazioni neofasciste, che fanno di razzismo e discriminazioni il loro manifesto politico nonchè la costruzione della loro identità forte e battagliera, si sgretolano in men che non si dica sotto i colpi ben assestati dell’antifascismo. Infatti non sono in grado di difendere se stessi, figuriamoci di attuare il loro programma politico nella nostra città! I fatti avvenuti oggi sono la dimostrazione del fatto che sul territorio palermitano esiste chi ripudia il fascismo e non ha timore di lottare per bloccarlo e schiacciarlo, a partire da questi protagonisti del forzanovismo, guerrieri a parole, violenti nelle immagini che evocano forse, ma incapaci di proteggere la propria incolumità e di conquistare qualsiasi forma di potere politico. Palermo è antifascista nelle pratiche e nella quotidianità di chi la vive. A Palermo non c’è spazio per il fascismo”.
Innanzitutto colpisce la mancanza di una sigla di rivendicazione, il che riporta immediatamente alla memoria altre misteriose azioni violente avvenute in Italia negli anni passati. Dopodiché sono diversi gli elementi che non suonano per niente come espressioni di qualcuno che dovrebbe appartenente al mondo antifascista.
Il tono machista: colpito in modo esemplare / dovrà ricredersi / uomini di poco conto / si sgretolano in men che non si dica / i colpi ben assestati dall’antifascismo /
Le incertezze grammaticali: fare di razzismo e discriminazioni la costruzione dell’identità / che evocano, forse /
Il pensiero guerriero: non sono in grado di difendere se stessi, figuriamoci di attuare il loro programma politico nella nostra città! / fanno di razzismo e discriminazioni il loro manifesto politico nonchè la costruzione della loro identità forte e battagliera /
(Il testo descrive come un male l’uso di razzismo e discriminazioni nella costruzione di un’identità. Si badi bene: non critica il fatto che un’identità venga “costruita” al pari di un “manifesto politico”. In sostanza chi scrive dichiara di considerare normale il costruire artificiosamente un manifesto politico che sia al tempo stesso elemento identitario; semmai critica ciò che é stato usato per costruirlo ma non l’identificazione del manifesto stesso come identità costruita. Non é possibile immaginare un’affermazione maggiormente di destra)
Tic linguistici tipicamente fascisti: protagonisti del forzanovismo / violenti nelle immagini che evocano, forse /
(Forzanovismo é un termine che si usa perlopiù negli ambienti di destra e tra le forze armate, ma é estremamente raro vederlo usato così, in abbinamento a “protagonismo”, in ambienti antifascisti. Il richiamo ad “immagini che evocano” lasciato irrisolto se non per una “violenza” che viene sbeffeggiata con quel “forse” sono entrambi forti indicatori di pensiero di destra.
Alternanza grande/piccolo: “sul territorio palermitano esiste chi ripudia il fascismo e non ha timore / Palermo è antifascista nelle pratiche e nella quotidianità di chi la vive”
(Prima dice che in città c’é QUALCUNO che ha la forza di combattere i fascisti e poi dice che TUTTA la città é antifascista nelle pratiche e nella quotidianità. L’alternanza grande/piccolo é un altro elemento ricorrente nella narrativa fascista)
Il video dura 43 secondi. La risoluzione é estremamente scarsa e le immagini sono assai confuse. Inquadratura mossa, buio serale, abbigliamenti scuri rendono ancor più arduo capire i dettagli (la versione qui proposta é stata leggermente schiarita rispetto all’originale per renderlo più comprensibile). S’intuisce che v’é un uomo a terra circondato da altri che gli sono sopra. L’uomo urla ma dal suono sembra abbia la bocca bloccata da qualcosa (si saprà poi dai giornali trattarsi di nastro adesivo da pacchi).
Una voce femminile, probabilmente appartenente a chi sta filmando, sembra rivolgersi a dei passanti con cui interagisce ma che non udiamo. Dice: “Hehe, Dai che lo conosciamo! Non é successo niente” “A posto, niente, é uno scherzo” come per rassicurarli.
Poi si sente una voce maschile che sembra essere di uno degli aggressori rivolto all’uomo a terra: “Dici che cercavi a’mmé? A’mmé [inintelleggibile. presumibilmente “che mi cercavi”]”
A distanza qualcuno sembra parlare agli aggressori. L’unica voce intelleggibile é una voce femminile che urla con forza “coglioni!”.
Uno degli aggressori dice “Dai, dai, su” rivolto all’aggredito o ai complici.
Dopodiché il filmato termina bruscamente.
Il filmato in sostanza mostra l’immobilizzazione di Ursino ed i suoi lamenti. Per tutta la durata si sente il rumore di nastro adesivo e le urla smorzate dell’uomo a terra. Gli aggressori attivi sembrerebbero essere 5, considerando solo quelli inquadrati, a cui va aggiunto chi filma ed eventuali altri non intenti ad immobilizzare Ursino e dunque non inquadrati.
LE PROVE (?)
Nelle perquisizioni effettuate la sera stessa la polizia dichiara di aver rinvenuto delle mazze (che però non sembra abbiano a che vedere con l’aggressione), degli “indumenti sospetti” (ma non si capisce bene in che senso siano “sospetti”)
Diversi quotidiani hanno riportato che le riprese delle videocamere di sorveglianza sono state fondamentali per identificare gli aggressori. Tuttavia l’avvocato dei ragazzi fermati dirà che i suoi assistiti sono stati “identificati” dal video inviato ai giornali (e ciò risulta alquanto improbabile.) e da riprese delle telecamere di sorveglianza che a loro volta risulterebbero di difficile lettura: “I frame estratti dalla riprese delle videocamere della zona non sono chiari. Sono bui e ripresi dall’alto e non è per nulla chiaro chi ritraggano. Comunque nomineremo un perito per farli visionare”
L’EMAIL
Video e rivendicazione sono stati mandati alle redazioni via email. E’dunque lecito supporre venga svolta un’indagine per identificare il dispositivo da cui é stata inviata.
IL GIORNO SUCCESSIVO
Massimo Ursino viene dimesso in mattinata (se ne da notizia già alle 7:40). I giornali dicono con una prognosi di 20 giorni (solo il giorno dopo sarà reso noto che si tratta di un’esagerazione: in realtà le ferite di Ursino sono talmente lievi che dall’ospedale viene rimandato al medico curante che gli consiglia cinque giorni di riposo).
I media interrogano Giorgio Martinico, portavoce del centro sociale Anomalia, il quale esprime alcuni dubbi e dichiara“Non conosciamo ancora l’esito dei fermi. Pare si voglia pescare un po’ nel mucchio per dare subito delle risposte. Ma vogliamo chiarire fin da subito che chiunque siano i ragazzi fermati avranno il nostro sostegno, anche legale”.
Codraro e Mancuso sono militanti dei centri sociali. Gravitano da anni attorno agli spazi occupati della città: Anomalia, che da cinque anni vive all’interno del quartiere Borgo Vecchio in uno spazio comunale; l’Ex Karcere, in via san Basilio (a metà tra Via Maqueda e via Roma, all’Olivella) in quella che era una scuola abbandonata; lo studentato Malarazza, vale a dire l’ex istituto per sordomuti in via Cavour, proprio a fianco della prefettura. Da ieri le bacheche FB degli attivisti e dei simpatizzanti sono un continuo appello: «Libertà per gli antifascisti. Carlo e Gianmarco liberi».
Carlo è un attivista per la questione abitativa in città mentre Gianmarco fa parte dello studentato occupato Malarazza ed è impegnato nella politica universitaria. Entrambi hanno già precedenti giudiziari. Mancuso è a processo, insieme ad altri 123 attivisti No Muos, per le manifestazioni contro la base militare americana di Niscemi. Mentre Codraro è stato arrestato nel 2015 per una manifestazione contro Casapound che si era tenuta a Cremona. Anche in quel caso era scattata la solidarietà in città, con parecchie scritte sui muri che chiedevano «Gianmarco libero». Codraro è stato poi assolto.
LA NARRAZIONE MEDIATICA
Come già visto i primi articoli arrivano la sera stessa già a pochissimi minuti dal fatto, ma é soprattutto il giorno successivo che esplode la “furia mediatica”. I quotidiani si scatenano fra descrizioni granguignolesche che riprendono il “massacrato sette contro uno” postato da Fiore sulla propria bacheca Facebook. Si va dal “lasciato esanime in un lago di sangue” del Corriere della Sera al “Gli hanno spaccato la testa” di Libero, all’agiografia vittimista di Ursino da parte de Il Giornale, all’isolamento delle opinioni più caute e dubbiose da parte di Repubblica.
I media mainstream si limitano a riportare ciò che viene loro comunicato senza mai porre dubbi sulla narrazione degli eventi; non s’interrogano sulle stranezze dell’aggressione né su quelle della “rivendicazione” priva di sigle e dal testo quantomeno sospetto, ma anzi, come visto ci mettono anche una certa dose di fantasia nell’esagerare le condizioni di Ursino. Pure la “prognosi di 20 giorni” viene riportata subito come un qualcosa di certo. Nessuno s’interroga sull’assenza di foto di Ursino (assenza che permette di descriverne liberamente le condizioni). Non c’é nessuno che fotografi Ursino all’uscita dall’ospedale (ma al contrario, non manca il video che mostra i ragazzi fermati). Nessuno pone questioni sulla rapidità con cui la polizia sarebbe giunta ad identificare le persone fermate e su quali siano le prove a loro carico. Nessuno si chiede perché viene subito annunciato da Forza Nuova che non denuncerà l’aggressione.
Come prevedibile da destra si scatenano accuse generiche contro antifascisti, centri sociali, la Boldrini ecc. A sinistra le reazioni vanno dalla condanna del gesto allo scherno per “il picchiatore che per una volta é nella parte di quello che le prende”.
I politici mediaticamente più noti di qualsiasi schieramento condannano subito l’aggressione senza mai mettere in dubbio la narrazione dei fatti, ossia dando per già confermato che gli aggressori appartengano effettivamente all’area antifascista così come indicato dalla “rivendicazione” e dai fermi di polizia.
Sui grandi media, le affermazioni di chi critica tale narrazione vengono riportate freddamente, isolate, a volte con una vaga vena ironica o di sdegno.
L’attenzione mediatica sul caso é già scemata: la narrazione dei fatti é oramai data e sia media che social si concentrano già su altre notizie.
22 FEBBRAIO La procura fa sapere che disporrà perizie antropometriche per confermare il ruolo dei fermati, così come una perizia fonica per identificare la voce della ragazza che parla nel video.
23 FEBBRAIO L’avvocato Bisagna informa che il referto medico di Ursino non parla di 20 giorni di prognosi, ma bensì di soli 5 giorni di riposo.
23 FEBBRAIO Il procuratore Ennio Petrigni chiede la convalida del fermo di Codraro e Mancuso che, interrogati separatamente, su consiglio dell’avvocato, non rilasciano alcuna dichiarazione. Il gip Roberto Riggio deciderà entro il giorno successivo.
23 FEBBRAIO L’avvocato Bisagna fa leva sul fatto che non vi sono indizi di colpevolezza e sull’accusa di tentato omicidio ritenuta errata.
23 FEBBRAIO Sempre Bisagna contesta l’identificazione di Codraro e Mancuso che sarebbe avvenuta attraverso il video inviato ai quotidiani, il che risulta alquanto improbabile.
23 FEBBRAIO In un documento diffuso alla stampa Forza Nuova comunica che si costituirà parte civile nel processo.
24 FEBBRAIO In mattinata il già convalida il fermo di Codraro e Mancuso. I due lasciano il carcere ma con la misura cautelare dell’obbligo di dimora in provincia di Palermo: dovranno presentarsi alla polizia giudiziaria tre volte a settimana. Il reato viene derubricato da tentato omicidio a lesioni aggravate.
24 FEBBRAIO Nel pomeriggio anche a Palermo si svolgono sia la manifestazione nazionale Mai più fascismi – Mai più razzismi che la conferenza di Roberto Fiore. Se la prima vede una partecipazione stimata tra le duemila e le cinquemila persone, i circa 200 presenti alla conferenza della seconda ripiegano dalla piazza alla sala convegni di un albergo. A differenza di altre piazze in cui la polizia ha caricato i manifestanti, a Palermo non é avvenuto alcunché di eclatante.
24 FEBBRAIO Alla conferenza di Fiore é presente pure Ursino. I giornalisti presenti hanno modo di fotografarlo. Presenta sul viso segni evidenti dell’aggressione.
26 FEBBRAIO In una nota stampa il centro sociale Anomalia informa che tra i propri frequentatori v’é Erik Ursino, figlio di Massimo, dichiarando. A riprova di ciò sono allegate due foto che mostrano Erik Ursino in corteo ad una manifestazione ed in posa assieme ad altri ragazzi del centro sociale, accanto a Mancuso. In giornata Forza Nuova risponde con una propria nota stampa in cui Erik Ursino risponde negando di aver mai militato con centri sociali e specifica di aver avuto contatti con questi solo per essersi esibito all’interno di essi col proprio gruppo musicale, aggiungendo che la foto in corteo riguarda una manifestazione apolitica e quella all’interno del centro é relativa proprio ad una sua esibizione musicale.
26 FEBBRAIO Carlo Mancuso viene intervistato da PalermoToday, in cui dichiara:
“Sono un comunista indipendentista che combatte per l’uguaglianza e la giustizia sociale della Sicilia e del mondo intero, non immaginate che gioia mi regalate nel chiudermi dentro le carceri italiane. Ci vediamo tra qualche giorno all’Anomalia Borgovecchio, tranquilli che tornerò a ripetervelo all’infinito. Aviemu i coirna ruri”
“Come sapete io e Giammarco siamo stati scarcerati e quell’accusa piagnona e surreale è caduta nel baratro delle barzellette in questi anni montate contro di noi. Purtroppo siamo stati messi in isolamento e adesso non ho fratelli in carcere, ospiti dello stato e giovani sotto le grinfie di uno stato straniero da salutare. Però ho gente da ringraziare, gente che non ho potuto incontrare a colloquio in questa passeggiata di tre giorni, gente che però mi ha riscaldato le notti e mi ha dato forza. Come diceva una canzone, in galera il calore delle lotte é arrivato. Per cui ringrazio i miei compagni e le mie compagne per il supporto e per il sostegno, li ringrazio per quello che in questi giorni continuano a fare, per quello che faremo, perché senza di loro cosa sarei?”
“Ringrazio il mio quartiere, il Borgo Vecchio, per il sostegno datomi col coraggio che contraddistingue la comunità borghitana e con l’affetto che un quartiere popolare sa regalare. Non faccio nomi in questi giorni difficili per non fomentare gli infami, vi porto tutti nel cuore. Un ringraziamento da ateo, che in fondo non fa male, ciu fazzu puru a Matri Sant’Anna! Ringrazio i fratelli della Curva Nord Inferiore che nonostante i giorni difficili, mi sono vicini. Siamo ultras, cresciuti nelle tempeste e abituati a navigarci. La repressione non ci ferma, così come non ci impensieriscono le infamie e certi pagliacci di cui Palermo è piena”
Parlando dell’assessore comunale Giuseppe Mattina dice: “Per quello che ha detto su di me e gli prometto che presto lo farò ricredere, magari occupandogli l’assessorato. Purtroppo non potrò seguire alcune iniziative per un paio di settimane, ma t’inquitjamu u stissu Assessò. Ringrazio la mia famiglia per la comprensione, la forza e a tratti l’orgoglio che mi hanno dedicato. Sono un militante politico e non uno scafazzato. Loro lo sanno e niente li convincerà del contrario. Ringrazio pure gli inquirenti vari, chi mi denuncia, la digos, gli sbirri, i magistrati e tutto il circo”.
OSSERVAZIONI LOGICHE E DUBBI
– Ad ogni azione violenta corrisponde l’intervento della polizia.
– Ad ogni azione violenta contro un soggetto fascista, nella maggior parte dei casi l’intervento della polizia sarà automaticamente rivolto all’area antifascista.
– Ad ogni azione violenta contro un soggetto fascista corrisponderà una reazione mediatica di simpatia per la vittima dell’azione.
– Una generica rivendicazione “antifascista” di un’azione violenta contro un soggetto fascista avrà come solo ed unico effetto quello di fornire un solido elemento mediatico ed investigativo per consolidare l’astio contro l’antifascismo tout-court ed escludere dall’intervento della polizia altre possibili strade.
– L’assenza di sigle da una rivendicazione “antifascista” permette maggior libertà di movimento delle indagini all’interno dell’area antifascista stessa così come permette di indirizzare dove si preferisce l’astio mediatico contro gli stessi antifascisti.
Se c’é una cosa che accomuna tutte le aggressioni alla persona di stampo politico e organizzate é l’assoluta attenzione a mantenere le motivazioni politiche separate dall’atto violento.
Quando invece si preme affinché il significato politico venga riconosciuto si tratta di azioni di propaganda atta ad ottenere appoggio e simpatia e per questo é necessario che l’azione mediatica a cui legare il proprio marchio sia positiva.
Ecco che rivendicare politicamente un atto di violenza squadrista che sotto ogni punto di vista risulterà ignobile ed indifendibile in maniera bipartisan risulta assai strano. Che senso ha?
Chi può avere interesse nel compiere un’azione ignobile il cui unico effetto é quello di ritorcersi contro i movimenti antifascisti?
V’é il sospetto é che lelogiche di questa aggressione siano in realtà molto diverse da quelle che i suoi attuatori han voluto fossero narrate e che media e forze dell’ordine han seguito senza riserve.
Uno dei tratti più curiosi del neo-nazifascismo é l’uso bipolare che militanti neri e simpatizzanti più o meno consci hanno nei confronti dei termini nazismo e fascismo.
Da un lato troviamo un utilizzo in positivo in cui al termine fascismo si attribuiscono solo “cose buone”. Addirittura i militanti di movimenti neofascisti non solo definiscono sé stessi fascisti ma ne fanno apertamente un vanto, un motivo d’orgoglio.
Tuttavia in certi frangenti quegli stessi militanti che si definiscono orgogliosamente fascisti, per quanto possa sembrare sorprendente non si fanno problemi ad usare il termine fascista come aggettivo negativo con cui etichettare altri.
Quest’uso in negativo dell’aggettivo fascista da parte degli stessi fascisti avviene quando un dato evento contiene due elementi precisi: (1) una parte in gioco più o meno di sinistra e (2) una manifestazione di forza di questa parte in gioco che i fascisti hanno dovuto subire o perlomeno fronteggiare; nei fatti o anche solo simbolicamente.
Se un evento possiede queste due caratteristiche per i fascisti la strategia più conveniente é narrarlo in chiave vittimistica semplificando cartoonescamente la narrazione in uno scontro buoni contro cattivi.
– Il governo impone una decisione avversa ai fascisti? Entra in gioco la modalità vittimista e si accusa il governo di agire come una dittatura fascista.
La profondità d’analisi di chi parla di “fascismo degli antifascisti” é ben rappresentata qui
In questo processo la sinistra viene narrata perlopiù come una sorta di ammasso diviolenti aggrappati ad una idee aliene, traballanti ed incoerenti basate su ipocrisia di facciata secondo le qualié necessario fingersi buoni e tolleranti per poi agire subdolamente nell’ombra o quando l’occasione é più propizia.
Questa descrizione, che sembra una via di mezzo tra la figura del vampiro e quella del lupo cattivo di Cappuccetto rosso, é estremamente interessante in quanto rivela molte più cose sulla forma mentis fascista che non delle persone di sinistra così descritte (ci arriviamo tra qualche riga). A questo punto, dopo aver mostrificato la parte avversa, i fascisti possono anche non mostrarsi affatto, perché per effetto contrario, attribuendosi un ruolo opposto a quello dei mostri appena descritti, la narrazione li attribuirà automaticamente alla parte altrettanto semplificata dei buoni e giusti.
Ma perché nel tentativo di screditare e mostrificare la parte avversa i fascisti usano proprio il termine fascismo giocando sul filo del rasoio di un cortocircuito di senso così stridente?
Questo alternarsi ambiguo é necessario da un lato a ringalluzzire le proprie fila e dall’altra ad inserirsi all’interno del discorso democratico che almeno formalmente rifiuta il nazifascismo.
Insomma: com’é possibile che qualcuno al mattino si professi orgogliosamente fascista ma alla sera pur di farsi strada nell’arena mediatica non si fa scrupoli a dire di non essere ciò che é e per rafforzare tale debole posizione, spinge sull’acceleratore arrivando addirittura a dire che i fascisti sono altri?
Fascismo bellobellissimo…
…fascismo brutto e cattivo
JECKYLL & HYDE
Il giochino é semplice e vive sulla artificiosa scissione in due dei significati della parola “fascismo”: quando connotato positivamente diventa sinonimo di qualità che militanti e simpatizzanti considerano apprezzabili e ben spendibili all’esterno: benessere, ordine, sicurezza ecc.
Quando invece la stessa parola vien connotata in negativo, i significati che le vengono caricati addosso sono quelli che i militanti sanno essere malviste nel discorso pubblico: imposizione, dittatura, uso della violenza ecc.
Il meccanismo, insomma, non é troppo diverso da quello di certe espressioni alle quali, a seconda di circostanze e modalità, può essere attribuito un significato offensivo o un significato di vicinanza e simpatia. Ad esempio i romaneschi “te possino” e “fijo de’ na mignotta”.
Il fascismo é un fenomeno complesso e multisfacettato, inscindibile dai propri elementi fondativi e visioni del mondo. Scinderlo in due come se una parte potesse esistere senza l’altra é un’operazione artificiosa, come fingere che una combustione possa avvenire solo col comburente in assenza di combustibile.
In sostanza quando i fascisti danno dei “fascisti” alle parti avverse, non stan facendo altro che mentire con forza accusando l’altro (alieno) solo per dipingersi addosso un’immagine falsa (ipocrisia di facciata) di bravi ragazzi (fingersi buoni e tolleranti). Il dover ricorrere alla menzogna per sdognare le proprie idee evidenzia la poca forza delle stesse (idee traballanti) ed il fatto che tale menzogna avvenga proiettando fuori da sé quelle che sono caratteristiche fondanti del proprio pensiero é profondamente rivelatore della forma mentis fascista (incoerente).
A questo punto serve solo aggiungere la mappa delle aggressioni nazifasciste degli ultimi anni che come é ben noto vengono sempresminuite il più possibile tenendo lontani non solo i nomi delle formazioni neofasciste cui i protagonisti delle aggressioni appartengono, ma pure evitando di definire tali aggressioni col termine corretto: fasciste. Detto questo si recupera anche l’immagine dei violenti che agiscono vampirescamente nell’ombra o quando l’occasione é più propizia ed ecco che l’immagine semplificata del vampiro–lupo cattivo con cui i fascisti dipingono la sinistra riacquista in toto la sua natura di proiezione di sé.
Il signore dei ratti. “Nosferatu” (Herzog 1979)
IL FASCISMO CHE ORA C’E’, ORA NON C’E’ PIU’, ORA ERA IERI
Il meccanismo convive con un altro, molto simile ma più semplice, ovvero il giochino di usare il termine “fascismo” riferendosi ora al fascismo storico, quello guidato da Mussolini e terminato nel 1945, ed ora al fascismo in quanto fenomeno, nel senso ben descritto da Umberto Eco ne “Il fascismo eterno”.
Questo secondo meccanismo gioca sul fatto che se da un lato il fascismo storico é cosa del passato, una realtà terminata con la seconda guerra, dall’altra il fascismo in quanto fenomeno é un qualcosa di talmente informe e nebuloso da poterne negare l’esistenza.
Anche qui l’assurdità di chi al mattino sostiene di essere fascista ed alla sera si ostina a dire che il fascismo non c’é più viene mantenuta per dare un colpo al cerchio ed uno alla botte. Mentendo.
(O meglio: ecco come una storia strampalata senza prove, senza testimoni e senza coerenza viene spacciata per verità)
[ATTENZIONE! Questo post contiene immagini particolarmente brutali e violente in linea con gli argomenti trattati]
1.00 PREMESSA – LA STORIA DELLA STORIA DI QUESTA STORIA
Pomeriggio.
Interno giorno.
Fuori piove.
Sto amichevolmente battibeccando per chat con “E”.
Argomento: seconda guerra mondiale; i partigiani.
Nodo del battibecco: “E” sostiene che i partigiani abbiano compiuto crimini peggiori e più numerosi di quelli compiuti dai fascisti.
Io no.
Con “E” capita a volte di scontrarmi su certi argomenti. La conclusione é quasi sempre la stessa: ognuno resta sulle sue posizioni, ci si beve una birra (ahimé non stavolta: i dialoghi via chat sono desolatamente analcolici) e con una sterzata di centottanta gradi si sposta il dialogo su argomenti maggiormente condivisi, che é un bel modo per dire che poi si parla di figa.
Ma una cosa che ha detto mi ha incuriosito e me la son segnata.
“Planina Bala – Se la trovi leggiti la storia di Planina Bala”
Un nome di cui non so nulla.
Alla sera cerco sul web e scopro su numerose pagine online che ne parlano. Planina Bala non é, come pensavo, il nome di una donna. É il nome di un luogo. Un luogo sui monti presso Tarvisio: malga Bala (Planina Bala in sloveno). Una malga legata ad una storia.
Storia che per sommi capi viene narrata così: “Nel 1944, nei monti presso Tarvisio, una banda di partigiani slavi spinti da odio anti italiano rapisce 12 carabinieri. Dopo due giorni di “via crucis” sui monti li portano a Malga Bala e li torturano fino alla morte in modalità da film horror.”
V’é pure “la storia di questa storia”, poiché il ricordo della vicenda non sarebbe emerso che pochi anni fa, sepolto da un fortissimo senso di omertà e paura diffuso tra la gente del posto.
In effetti mi s’accende la curiosità, anche se forse in modo diverso da come credeva “E”.
Innanzitutto mi colpisce la descrizione minuziosa e particolareggiata delle violenze granguignolesche (ganci di metallo infilzati nei talloni, petti squarciati, occhi maciullati, cuori frantumati, foto dei figli dei torturati inserite a forza dentro fori nei loro petti, gole bruciate da soda caustica, genitali tagliati e infilati in bocca, corpi massacrati a picconate). Di fronte a dettagli tanto approfonditi mi vien logico supporre che l’unica fonte plausibile per descrizioni tanto dettagliate possa essere qualcuno che vi ha preso parte. Ma penso pure che sia strano che una storia tanto impattante possa esser stata taciuta per diversi anni.
La terza cosa che mi viene in mente é “ma ha senso?”. Nel bel mezzo del conflitto, con truppe nazifasciste ovunque, scendere a valle con lo scopo di sequestrare dei carabinieri per poi massacrarli con modalità tanto crudeli in un luogo isolato ma fingendo per anni che non sia mai accaduto? La quarta cosa che mi viene in mente é che “confine orientale” e “1944” mal si conciliano con “carabinieri” (ci arrivo tra un po).
Conoscendo già diversi episodi “della seconda” ed avendo una certa idea di come funzionassero determinate cose durante il conflitto, questo episodio mi suona proprio male.
INDICE
1.00 PREMESSA – LA STORIA DELLA STORIA DI QUESTA STORIA
INSERTO STORICO – parte 1 – RIFLESSIONE A CALDO: SHOCK & AWE
INSERTO STORICO – parte 2 – PARTRIGIANI E POPOLAZIONE
INSERTO STORICO – parte 3 – STATO FANTOCCIO TEDESCO
INSERTO STORICO – parte 4 – LEGITTIMITÀ E SCELTE
INSERTO STORICO – parte 5 – RESISTENZA, (POST?)FASCISTI ED ALLEATI
INSERTO STORICO – parte 6 – ITALIA PAESE VITTIMISTA E INVASORE
INSERTO STORICO – parte 7 – IL CONFINE ORIENTALE
INSERTO STORICO – parte 8 – RAPIMENTI PARTIGIANI
INSERTO STORICO – parte 9 – CRIMINI PARTIGIANI E LEGGENDE NERE
1.01 RICERCHE
1.02 UNA VERITÀ OPPRESSA??? MO DAVÈRO?
1.03 LA FONTE UNICA!!!
1.04 DUNQUE:
2.00 PLANINA BALA, DI ANTONIO RUSSO
2.01 STRUTTURA DEL TESTO
2.02 L’INTRODUZIONE STORICA DEL LIBRO
INSERTO STORICO – parte 10 – LE BRIGATE OSOPPO
2.03 STILE
2.04 LA (MALA)ESPOSIZIONE DELLE FONTI
2.05 SELEZIONE
2.06 INTERVISTE, FARI E PANINI
2.07 ATTEGGIAMENTO PREVENUTO
2.08 LE TANTE CONTRADDIZIONI DEL LIBRO
2.09 CONCESSIONI A CARO PREZZO
2.10 AMORE E ODIO
2.11 INFORMAZIONI SUSSURRATE
2.12 FALLACIE LOGICHE
3.00 IL MONDO DI “PLANINA BALA”
3.01 FRANZA O SPAGNA PURCHE’ SE MAGNA
3.02 OMERTA’ A PUFFLANDIA
3.03 PARTIGIANI VS. BRAVA GGGENTE
3.04 I DODICI ANGELI PATRIOTTICI
3.05 I SATANICI DEMONI DELLE MONTAGNE
3.06 JOSKO (Franc Ursic)
3.07 SRECKO (Silvio Gianfrante)
3.08 HROVAT (Lojs Hrovat)
3.09 SOCIAN (Ivan Likar)
3.10 I CUGINI STRONZI DI GERMANIA
3.11 IL CONTAGIOSO VIRUS PARTIGIANO
3.11.01 QUELLI CHE RESISTONO AL VIRUS
3.11.02 QUELLI SU CUI SI SORVOLA
3.11.03 IL REMITTENTE
3.12 LA GUARDIA NAZIONALE REPUBBL…… EHMMM…. CARABINIER….
INSERTO STORICO – parte 11 – LE DIVISE DELLA GNR
3.13 LETTURA RELIGIOSA DEGLI EVENTI
3.14 IL PARALLELO CON LA PASSIONE DEL CRISTO
3.15 LE MOTIVAZIONI DEI PARTIGIANI…PER IL PUBBLICO
3.16 VERSIONE UNIC…..OOOOPS!!!
4.00 LE TORTURE
5.00 GLI EVENTI SUCCESSIVI
5.01 LE RICERCHE NON-RICERCHE
5.02 LE DUE VERSIONI DELLA SCOPERTA
5.03 IL RECUPERO DELLE SALME
5.04 L’INCENDIO DELLA MALGA
5.05 PROPAGANDA
5.06 C.S.I. TARVISIO
5.07 LE CHIACCHERE DEL PAESE
5.08 TESTIMONI IN FAMIGLIA
5.09 IL SILENZIO PARTIGIANO
5.10 LA NON-REAZIONE DEI NAZIFASCISTI
5.11 LO STUPORE DEI PARTIGIANI
5.12 POSTUMI PARTIGIANI
5.13 PRIMO DOPOGUERRA E DIMENTICATOIO
6.00 POTREBBE ANCHE ESSERE ANDATA COSI’
7.00 LE (S)TORTURE
7.01 I TESTIMONI DELL’UCCISIONE
7.02 MA COSA DIAV………. (PARARSI IL CULO)
7.03 CRONOLOGIA EVENTI SECONDO RUSSO
7.04 IL SUPERTESTE MISTERIOSO
7.05 L’AMBIGUO BEPI FLAJS
7.06 SPOSTAMENTI DI DATA
7.07 MYZA KOMAC E GLI ANONIMI
7.08 LE DICHIARAZIONI DI HROVAT
7.09 LE DICHIARAZIONI DI SRECKO
8.00 LA “VERITA'” DI RUSSO
INSERTO STORICO – parte 1 – RIFLESSIONE A CALDO: SHOCK & AWE
Mattanze tanto brutali ed eclatanti, quando non avvengono per scoppi d’ira improvvisi, s’inseriscono nella logica militare dello “Shock & awe” (colpisci e domina) ed avvengono essenzialmente per lanciare un messaggio che trasmetta terrore negli abitanti di una zona ove la forza che esercita tale violenza vuol rimarcare la propria posizione di predominio.
Tomino 27 novembre 1942. Fascisti italiani posano con la testa del partigiano sloveno Jernej Arko (nome di battaglia Črt) (fonte)
Un esempio diretto arriva proprio dal fascismo: le violenze più efferate perpetrate dal fascismo si verificarono inizialmente contro le popolazioni occupate in Jugoslavia, Libia ed Etiopia; solo dopo l’8 settembre 1943, con la drastica caduta di consenso e supporto da parte della popolazione, tali violenze si riscontrano anche a danno di quegli italiani che, osteggiando il fascismo, venivano da questo considerati nemici.
7 luglio 1942 “Prendiamo un cerino e milioni vanno in fiamme…” Capitano Modica (fonte)
Se questa logica funziona per una struttura organizzata come un’esercito occupante o una potente rete criminale che agisce in un territorio in cui può muoversi agevolmente, la cosa cambia quando si tratta di piccoli gruppi armati non ancora ben organizzati (siamo nei primi mesi di attività della resistenza) obbligati a nascondersi e spostarsi continuamente tra le montagne, in ribellione con la forza dominante e la cui esistenza dipende completamente dal supporto umano e logistico di una buona fetta della popolazione locale. Nel caso in cui delitti e barbarie vengano compiute da una forza ribelle é praticamente scontato che queste verrebbero sfruttate dalla propaganda della potenza dominante come atto d’accusa contro gli stessi ribelli.
In queste condizioni terrorizzare la gente del posto con atti di barbarie ingiustificata significherebbe farsi bollare per mostri ed intimorire anche chi si fidava o si sarebbe potuto fidare. Significherebbe denunce, segnalazioni anonime, delazioni e tradimenti. Significherebbe iniziare una spirale di violenze che porterà a dover minacciare prima o poi tutti quelli che prima ti aiutavano spontaneamente. E’una delle spirali che portano spesso molti gruppi criminali a dissolversi. Significherebbe rinunciare alla collaborazione, airifornimenti, alla raccolta di informazioni da parte dei paesani ed a mille diversi tipi di aiuto materiale: non é conveniente per una forza militarmente ed economicamente minoritaria essere in lotta sia con la forza dominante che con la popolazione locale.
Teste di combattenti torturati poste su un tavolo (fonte)
Anche in anni recenti non sono certo mancati esempi di esecuzioni brutali da parte di gruppi armati ed é facile notare come le barbarie dell’ISIS o il caso delle teste mozzate in Guatemala siano difatti entrambi casi di azioni effettuate da strutture ben radicate in un territorio che controllano e sono sempre azioni caratterizzate da estrema spettacolarità ed intento comunicativo che vengono eseguite per affermare il proprio dominio sul territorio. Uccisioni tanto brutali non avvengono laddove chi le effettua non é supportato da una grossa fetta della popolazione o non ha alle spalle una struttura tanto grossa da garantirsi l’impunità.
Queste brutali dimostrazione di forza trovano dunque un loro senso solamente se vengono esibite trasformando gli stessi corpi martoriati in un messaggio.
Stesso discorso vale anche per il valore simbolico-comunicativo di diversi omicidi di mafia italiana (uno su tutti: la decapitazione del criminologo-psichiatra Aldo Semerari, la cui testa venne posta in una bacinella tra i propri piedi). Anche andando un indietro negli anni si osserva come le stesse esecuzioni pubbliche (crocifissione romana) e l’esibizione prolungata dei corpi degli impiccati (qui gli esempi si sprecano) fungesse sempre da monito comunicativo.
Perciò questo caso suona doppiamente strano: pianificare ed eseguire un massacro tanto violento e brutale ha senso solo come messaggio intimidatorio il cui effetto certo sarebbe quello di impaurire la popolazione (prima stranezza, data la condizione dei partigiani di dipendenza dalla popolazione), inoltre viene svolto in un luogo tanto isolato e difficilmente raggiungibile da rendere possibile un rivenimento anche estremamente tardivo dei corpi-messaggio.
Ustascia (fascisti croati anti serbi) decapitano un prigioniero del campo di Jasenovac
INSERTO STORICO – parte 2 – PARTRIGIANI E POPOLAZIONE
Tagliando con l’accetta, perché un gruppo combattente in opposizione alla forza dominante ottenga la collaborazione della popolazione ci possono essere tre sole vie: 1) ottenerne la fiducia 2) pagarla 3) intimorirla. Una stessa forza combattente può arrivare ad utilizzare tutti e tre i metodi, anche se con modalità, intensità, obiettivi, tempistiche e soggetti differenti.
Ma come già osservato, se i partigiani avessero basato la loro strategia sulla terza opzione, ossia terrorizzare le intere popolazioni locali, sarebbero durati ben poco. Questa opzione difatti non porta mai ad una collaborazione vera ed é controproducente se non é seguita da una rapida presa del potere e la creazione di una rete di collaborazione e propaganda.
Se invece i partigiani avessero creato la loro intera rete di supporto principalmente pagando si dovrebbe spiegare e documentare in che modo, come e da dove, senza appoggio di industriali o banchieri, i partigiani avrebbero fatto comparire magicamente dal nulla riserve di denaro almeno pari a quelle della stessa RSI. Al tempo stesso se i partigiani fossero stati supportati da TUTTA la popolazione probabilmente la guerra sarebbe terminata con molti mesi d’anticipo. La realtà é che furono principalmente supportati da un’ampia fetta della popolazione, le intimidazioni erano circoscritte a fascisti e filofascisti ed i pochi casi di corruzione hanno riguardato personaggi senza remore che agivano per mero interesse, come nel caso di funzionari fascisti o milizie confinarie disposti a chiudere un occhio per denaro. L’intimidazione dunque può essere attuata solo a patto che sia limitata e non sfoci mai nel terrore (che é attuabile solo dalla forza dominante) e deve sempre essere controbilanciata da forme di rapporto fiduciario-collaborativo più forte dell’intimidazione stessa.
La realtà, dunque, é molto più complessa ed intrecciata di come spesso si tenta di ridipingere: i gruppi partigiani certamente erano appoggiati da una buona fetta della popolazione, mentre un’altra parte era fascista o afascista. In tale situazione, visto soprattutto la situazione di svantaggio numerico in cui molti gruppi resistenziali si trovavano in quei primi mesi, l’interesse era sia quello di mantenere i rapporti di fiducia della popolazione simpatizzante che non inimicarsi quella dei numerosi afascisti indecisi: terrorizzare la propria rete di supporto già attiva e quella potenziale non avrebbe avuto alcun senso.
Bisogna anche star attenti a non cadere nella facile semplificazione “monoblocco partigiano contro monoblocco fascista”: quando si parla genericamente di partigiani s’intendono gruppi diversissimi per formazione (Brigate Garibaldi, GAP, SAP, Giellisti, ecc.) ed indirizzo politico (cattolici, liberali, democristiani, monarchici, comunisti, anticomunisti, socialisti, cattocomunisti, azionisti, anarchici, repubblicani) che convivevano a volte molto forzatamente tra loro (qui le cose si complicano ancora: una stessa formazione poteva essere composta ad esempio da cattolici e comunisti; formazioni miste si sono divise e fuse tra loro; parti di una formazione potevano confluire in formazioni diverse, ecc.) ed infine collaboratori più o meno attivi, simpatizzanti, staffette, informatori, doppiogiochisti ecc. Molti partigiani erano ex militari che in gioventù furono balilla e credettero nell’illusione fascista; alcuni di essi furono per lungo tempo critici, altri capirono solo all’ultimo cosa fosse veramente il fascismo.
Pure parlare genericamente di “fascisti” può rivelarsi una semplificazione: anche qui c’erano gruppi separati a volte pure in lotta fra loro (squadristi e fascisti della prim’ora, i volontari della RSI convinti, quelli aderenti a gruppi “speciali” come la X^ Mas fedeli a Borghese, i fasciatissimi della Muti, le Brigate nere, la GNR. Inoltre c’erano le SS italiane fedeli a Hitler, le forze dell’ordine rimaste fedeli a Mussolini, gli amministratori e gli imprenditori che avevano fatto affari col fascismo ed una larga fetta di popolazione che plaudeva il fascismo pur senza partecipare attivamente alla scena politica), c’erano forme ideologiche che pur condividendo un “egual sentire” di fondo potevano essere diversissime fra loro (monarchici, repubblicani, cattolici, anticlericali, filogermanici, italocentrici, mussoliniani e non mussoliniani, afascisti). Ma cerano pure gli ex-IMI che preferirono aderire all’RSI solo perché l’alternativa era patire il freddo e la fame dei lager tedeschi (anche se la maggior parte, circa 650.000 preferì patire le pene della fame nei campi d’internamento e lavoro), così come militari allo sbando che temevano di essere “passati per le armi mediante fucilazione nella schiena” come recitato nel bando del maggio 1944 a firma Giorgio Almirante.
Erano fascisti dei criminali violenti che proprio grazie all’avallo del PNF poterono agire senza freno ed erano fascisti anche convintissimi devoti a Mussolini che non commisero personalmente mai alcun delitto, così come “fascisti” furono anche semplici simpatizzanti e persone in posizione più o meno importante che a causa del loro agire o non-agire avevano permesso il mantenimento del regime e/o l’esecuzione di crimini. C’era chi s’era arruolato nella RSI perché convinto e chi per paura di esser fucilato. C’era chi aveva disertato per andare tra le file dei partigiani e chi i partigiani li fucilava perché era imbevuto di vent’anni di propaganda. C’era chi poi s’é pentito delle scelte d’allora, chi se ne é sempre fatto un vanto e chi le ha rinnegate solo per convenienza.
“Abbiamo distrutto tutto da cima a fondo senza risparmiare gli innocenti (…). Uccidiamo famiglie intere, ogni notte, a furia di colpi o con le armi. Se cercano soltanto di muoversi tiriamo senza pietà e chi muore muore”
(Salvatore Seldi descrive alla famiglia l’occupazione dei territori orientali, 1 luglio 1942. Fonte: diecifebbraio)
É più criminale chi ha ucciso ingiustamente un uomo o chi, per non aver preso posizione, ha permesso che se ne condannassero ingiustamente a morte dieci? Non c’é da stupirsi se certe distinzioni che risultano difficili ancor’oggi vennero risolte in maniera sbrigativa durante il conflitto.
Questo per ribadire che quando si osserva in dettaglio una vicenda del periodo ci sono numerose sfumature di cui tener conto per evitare di cadere nella semplificazione. Vanno fatti dunque dei distinguo: se il fascismo e la resistenza in quanto fenomeni sono due realtà chiaramente distinte ognuna con specificità proprie, quando si volge lo sguardo sui singoli eventi ha più senso parlare di resistenzE e fascismI perché a seconda del piano su cui verte il discorso (che cambia drasticamente se le vicende vengono considerate sul piano più ampio dello scontro universale tra fenomeni generali o tra blocchi di potere e umanità o su altri piani intermedi) non sempre si possono mettere draconianamente sullo stesso piano un Rodolfo Graziani e un amministratore comunale che aderì al fascismo essenzialmente per garantirsi un posto di lavoro, così come dall’altro la dirigenza del CLN e un singolo partigiano che magari le distinzioni di cui sopra le risolveva troppo sbrigativamente a pistolettate. Se il fascismO come fenomeno é un fenomeno criminale, la mera adesione o vicinanza morale ad esso é invece un problema culturale. Ne deriva che quando il piano del discorso riguarda Fascismo e Resistenza come fenomeni generali questi andranno giudicati sul piano storico nel loro complesso, mentre nei singoli casi specifici é necessario fare i conti con i numerosissimi distinguo di cui sopra.
Dunque che rapporto intercorreva solitamente tra partigiani e popolazione? Il supporto alla resistenza fu indubbiamente fortissimo ma di certo non unanime né omogeneo: c’era chi appoggiava la resistenza ma non la sua componente comunista, c’era chi parteggiava per la resistenza aiutando materialmente i partigiani di ogni colore e chi tifava resistenza senza però fare alcunché di concreto, c’era chi forniva informazioni e chi portava comunicazioni, così come c’era un’ampia fetta di popolazione che invece tifava per il fascismo e vedeva in ogni azione partigiana una tragedia.
INSERTO STORICO – parte 3 – STATO FANTOCCIO TEDESCO
9 luglio 1943 sbarco in Sicilia degli angloamericani 25 luglio 1943 il Gran consiglio del Fascismo approva l’estromissione di Mussolini. Il Re lo fa imprigionare ed affida il governo a Badoglio. 8 settembre 1943 Badoglio, a capo del governo legittimo, annuncia pubblicamente l’armistizio con le forze anglo-americane. 12 settembre 1943 con un’operazione militare i tedeschi liberano Mussolini e lo trasferiscono in Germania. 18 settembre 1943 via radio, da Monaco di Baviera, Mussolini annuncia creazione di uno stato fascista nel nord Italia. 28 settembre 1943 nel nord dell’Italia viene istituito lo stato fantoccio dell’RSI sotto controllo nazista per proseguire il conflitto. settembre 1943 – marzo 1944 in questi mesi si sviluppa la prima fase della resistenza al nazifascismo, in molti casi spontaneista e non del tutto ben organizzata.
Di fatto dopo l’8 settembre il nord Italia é sotto occupazione tedesca: né più né meno che un territorio coloniale (o protettorato) che dal 28 settembre sarà comandato da un governatore di facciata (un Mussolini oramai del tutto burattino). Come se un Piemonte secessionista fosse posto forzatamente sotto amministrazione della Francia la quale decidesse di mettere a capo delle zone controllate un membro della famiglia Agnelli in lotta contro Roma.
[…] su 73 sospetti non trovar modo di dare neppure un esempio è un po’ troppo […] SI AMMAZZA TROPPO POCO !
(Nota del 4 agosto 1942 del Generale Robotti riguardante la situazione sui Balcani)
Quando si parla di ciò che avvenne in nord Italia dopo l’8 settembre 1943 é necessario che questo punto sia chiaro: il re ed il governo legittimo erano rifugiati in meridione ed i fedeli a Mussolini avevano di fatto appoggiato la scelta di trasformare il nord Italia in una colonia nazista.
Qualunque sia la propria opinione politica é indubbio che dall’unità d’Italia l’unico movimento di massa che abbia mai tentato di sostituirsi al governo in carica imponendosi con la forza bruta é stato il fascismo, così come é indubbio che pur di mantenere il proprio dominio, Mussolini preferì cedere alla Germania proprio quei territori per la cui conquista, costata 1.240.000 vittime lui stesso si era fortemente schierato decenni prima portando l’Italia nella Grande Guerra (Trentino Alto Adige, Friuli ed Istria).
La nascita dell’RSI e la decisione di proseguire il conflitto contro il governo legittimo fu una colpa imputabile esclusivamente ai nazifascisti: senza questa decisione la guerra sarebbe probabilmente terminata con diversi mesi d’anticipo. Sono pertanto ridicole le affermazioni di chi sostiene che il conflitto si protrasse a causa delle azioni dei partigiani, che combattevano una nazione occupante ed i fascisti, connazionali ridottisi a sgherri dei nazisti.
INSERTO STORICO – parte 4 – LEGITTIMITÀ E SCELTE
Tralasciando i casi di mero calcolo, di opportunistico interesse e di scelta forzata é indubbio che molti di coloro che aderirono alla RSI lo fecero con convinzione e per fedeltà a Mussolini, percependosi nel giusto. Non potendo/volendo riassumere in poche righe un discorso complessivo sulle rozze ed illusorie menzogne del fascismo (questo articolo é già abbastanza lungo così), qui ci si limiterà ad evidenziare come l’aderenza all’RSI fosse, di fatto, una ribellione ingiustificata nei confronti del governo legittimo. Se si é oppressi da un potere ingiusto é giusto ribellarsi ed in casi estremi, purtroppo, l’uso della violenza può esser l’unica strada percorribile. Ma non fu questo il caso dei repubblichini:
I repubblichini erano oppressi da un potere ingiusto?No: Mussolini era stato esautorato perché dopo aver trascinato l’Italia in una serie di avventure e collaborazioni belliche disastrose e inutilmente dispendiose (Guerra civile spagnola, l’avventura coloniale in Libia ed in Etiopia, invasione della Francia, invasione dei Balcani e della Grecia, richiesta di partecipare alla campagna di Russia inviando 230.000 soldati italiani sotto comando tedesco) e, aggiungiamo, NON esser nemmeno stato in grado di far arrivare i treni in orario (ossia: essendo stato incapace di portare davvero l’Italia ad un livello socio-economico-tecnologico paragonabile a quello delle altre nazioni centroeuropee, nonostante la propaganda sostenesse diversamente), alleandosi con la Germania e dichiarando guerra a Stati Uniti, Francia, Grecia, Albania, Jugoslavia e Gran Bretagna, aveva trascinato l’Italia in un baratro da cui non sarebbe mai potuta uscire indenne: porre fine a Mussolini ed al movimento da lui guidato era, ancor prima di ogni ideale e considerazione personale, ciò che era necessario per il bene della popolazione italiana. Chi proseguì nel supporto a Mussolini, di fatto, aveva scelto di proseguire su una strada già evidentemente mortale per l’intera penisola.
I repubblichini erano legalmente legittimati? Come visto sopra, no: il governo era rifugiato tra Brindisi e Salerno e l’RSI prendeva ordini dalla Germania.
I repubblichini temevano per la propria incolumità? Molti si: temevano di ricevere la stessa moneta che avevano dispendiato nei vent’anni precedenti. E’la paura che prova l’aguzzino circondato da coloro che in precedenza abusò.
La maggioranza degli italiani era più fedele a Mussolini che al re? Fino al 1939-40 si può facilmente affermare di si, ma considerando la rapidità con cui questa fiducia é crollata quando si son visti la guerra in casa appare evidente che fu una fedeltà che poggiava su basi debolissime. Interessante comunque la domanda in sé in quanto presuppone che la popolazione debba affidarsi a questo o quel potente di turno escludendo alla radice che un “capo” possa esser manifestazione temporanea della volontà popolare.
Sono stati il re e Badoglio a tradire gli italiani? Solo se per “tradimento” s’intende l’aver esautorato colui che aveva portato la nazione in ginocchio e tentato di evitare che sprofondasse ulteriormente.
I repubblichini rappresentavano la volontà della popolazione italiana? No: di fatto agivano per il puro interesse della Germania mediato attraverso la figura di Mussolini.
INSERTO STORICO – parte 5 – RESISTENZA, (POST?)FASCISTI ED ALLEATI
Per farla breve: gli Alleati anglofoni erano decisamente antinazisti ma nient’affatto antifascisti (anche se, a dirla tutta, soprattutto tra l’aristocrazia inglese, non mancavano nemmeno gli estimatori del nazismo). Le simpatie nei confronti del fascismo non mancavano dunque né in USA né in Gran Bretagna. Queste simpatie di lunga data e stabilitesi su più punti di contatto (dai circoli esoterici e teosofici passando per nazionalismo estremo ed antibolscevismo) e che si riscontrano nell’entusiastica relazione italo-statunitense negli anni venti e trenta s’incrinò formalmente con l’invasione italiana dell’Etiopia ma soprattutto a causa dell’avvicinamento al nazismo di Hitler. Nel delinearsi di un mondo diviso fra blocco comunista e blocco capitalista in occidente il fascismo era da molti considerato come uno strumento di difesa antibolscevica.
Non per niente gli Alleati diffidavano delle formazioni partigiane a causa della loro forte componente comunista: basta pensare che il CLNAI ottenne il riconoscimento da parte degli Alleati solo sul finire del 1944. Questa simpatia nei confronti del fascismo, unita poi alla situazione geopolitica post-Yalta, spiega anche perché non vi fu una “Norimberga italiana” e la conseguente continuità lineare nel dopoguerra tra fascismo e post-fascismo nelle istituzioni; spiega la tensione dei rapporti tra movimenti partigiani ed Alleati, la stretta collaborazione nel periodo post-bellico tra americani e (ex?)fascisti in funzione anticomunista (vedi: “strategia della tensione”). Spiega il clima di sospetto che generò tra i partigiani la richiesta da parte alleata di interrompere le azioni offensive durante l’inverno 1944-45, richiesta che ritennero servisse agli Alleati per guadagnare tempo e portare avanti trattative con i fascisti per una resa indolore che avrebbe potuto mantenere il fascismo al potere, magari dandogli giusto una ripulita d’immagine. Di cruciale importanza per comprendere le tensioni del periodo é il fatto che l’arresto di Mussolini nel luglio 1943 e la contemporanea soppressione del Gran consiglio del fascismo, pur portando formalmente alla caduta del fascismo, nella sostanza lasciava gran parte dei funzionari e dirigenti ancora al loro posto.
La vicinanza ideale tra fascisti ed Alleati contribuì ad alimentare la paura (poi rivelatosi in gran parte fondata) che la continuità tra fascismo e post-fascismo avrebbe permesso a numerosi criminali fascisti di restare impuniti nel dopoguerra. Lo si vedrà nel 1946: mentre in Germania, a Norimberga, gli alti ufficiali nazisti venivano processati da un tribunale internazionale, nell’Italia diventata Repubblica da pochissimi giorni, invece, l’amnistia Togliatti assicurava la libertà chiunque si fosse macchiato di reati comuni, reati politici, collaborazionismo con il nemico e reati annessi, compreso il concorso in omicidio (ma l’interpretazione dell’amnistia fu tanto larga da lasciare libero anche chi partecipò direttamente a stragi ed omicidi). La “stranezza” dell’amnistia Togliatti, che scatenò fin da subito feroci polemiche (Togliatti, che non coinvolse alcun collaboratore nel redarre il provvedimento, quando né informò il partito venne aspramente criticato dagli esponenti del PC), aveva però perfettamente senso se osservata all’interno del quadro internazionale stabilito durante la Conferenza di Yaltanel febbraio del 1945, ossia con l’assegnazione dell’Italia all’area di influenza statunitense (Togliatti dunque sottostò direttamente all’imposizione di Mosca che agiva in linea con quanto concordato a Yalta e l’interesse statunitense era quello di ridare stabilità al paese e far restare l’Italia nei ranghi assegnatigli mantenendosi buoni i fascisti che su tale punto ben concordavano ed arano lieti di collaborare). Pochissimi giorni dopo Churchill pronunciò il noto discorso della “cortina di ferro” che indicava l’area d’influenza sovietica come un blocco i cui confini correvano “da Stettino nel Baltico a Trieste”. É in questo momento che i sospetti di una possibile continuità postbellica del fascismo si fecero certezza.
Nei mesi a cavallo del termine del conflitto si riaccesero tutti i contrasti e le divisioni che fino a quel momento erano stati più o meno trattenuti dai diversi gruppi resistenziali e dai relativi partiti politici di riferimento: delusione per quei comunisti che avrebbero preferito vedere un’Italia sotto influenza sovietica, malsopportazione per chi rifiutava esser forzati a far parte di una “sfera d’influenza” imposta, paura per i monarchici che sentivano le sempre più forti pressioni di chi voleva un’Italia postbellica repubblicana, entusiasmo per i filoamericani, smarrimento per i fascisti in cerca di una riabilitazione d’immagine, giusto per citare i più macroscopici.
INSERTO STORICO – parte 6 – ITALIA PAESE VITTIMISTA E INVASORE
Va riconosciuto che nel corso della sua breve storia, dal risorgimento in poi l’Italia é stato più un paese invasore che un paese invaso:
1869 Inizia la presenza italiana in Eritrea.
1889 L’Italia ottiene il controllo della Somalia.
1895 L’Italia attacca l’Etiopia. Al termine del conflitto l’Italia otterrà ufficialmente l’Eritrea.
1900 L’Italia invia un contingente militare in Cina in supporto dei propri alleati contro la rivolta dei Boxer. Al termine degli scontri otterrà la concessione di Tientsin
1911 L’Italia attacca la Libia. Guerra Italo-Turca.
1912 Nel corso della Guerra Italo-Turca l’Italia occupa militarmente alcune isole dell’Egeo
1915 l’Italia attacca i suoi ex-alleati Austria–Ungheria e Germania.
1935 L’Italia invade l’Etiopia.
1936 L’Italia invia truppe in Spagna a sostegno del regime franchista.
1939 L’Italia occupa militarmente l’Albania.
1940 L’Italia invade i Balcani e la Grecia.
1940 L’Italia invade la Francia meridionale.
1940 L’Italia invade l’Egitto.
1941 L’Italia dichiara guerra agli USA
1941 L’Italia occupa militarmente il Montenegro.
1941 L’Italia invia oltre 250.000 uomini in Russia a sostegno della Germania
1942 L’Italia occupa la Corsica.
il progetto coloniale italiano nella sua ipotetica massima realizzazione
Quando é stata l’Italia essere attaccata si é sempre trattato della risposta di Paesi che l’Italia aveva precedentemente invaso o a cui aveva dichiarato guerra. Tranne in un’unica occasione: l’occupazione tedesca.
“Noi siamo da secoli calpesti, derisi
perché non siam popolo, perché siam divisi”
(Inno nazionale italiano)
Vittimismo e autocommiserazione
Ma nonostante l’evidenza storica renda palese l’aggressività coloniale italiana, nel sentir comune l’italiano si dipinge come colui che subisce solamente. Si tratta di una autonarrazione che ha radici lontane, si presta particolarmente bene alla sindrome d’autoassedio ed é ben codificata sia nella cultura nazional-popolare che nella sua narrazione pubblica ufficiale. La tipicità prettamente italiana di questa forma di autocommiserazione consiste in un diffuso atteggiamento alla “chiagni e fotti” applicato ad ogni tipo di situazione che si appoggia a sua volta sul falso mito autoconsolatorio degli “italiani brava gente” (non che altrove i paesi colonialisti siano messi meglio: tutti negano, sminuiscono e fingono di non conoscere i propri crimini. Noi semplicemente lo facciamo con maggior pathos).
INSERTO STORICO – parte 7 – IL CONFINE ORIENTALE
Per meglio capire la situazione dei confini orientali é necessario inquadrarne innanzitutto l’origine storica, che potrebbe essere riassunta nella frase: “quelle zone sono terra di mescolanze e confine da millenni”. Sono passati tutti di qui: veneti, ilari, carni (celti), longobardi, franchi, ungari, bizantini, avari, slavi, romani, unni, quadi (germani), visigoti, francesi, austriaci. Basta una rapida occhiata alla storia del Friuli e della Slovenia per capire il fortissimo legame storico che queste divisioni amministrative condividono.
I confini dell’area nel I* secolo d.C.
Le lingue parlate sul confine orientale nel 1900 erano italiano e sloveno (con qualche punta di tedesco all’attuale confine con l’Austria), con una distribuzione nient’affatto uniforme che cambiava addirittura di valle in valle. Le mappe linguistiche dell’epoca spesso tendevano a dipingere un’uniformità molto lontana dalla situazione reale. Giusto per dare un’idea di quella che é la mescolanza linguistica ed identitaria (che non sempre combaciano) e del modo in cui, a seconda del tipo di criterio usato e del periodo di riferimento, la situazione locale può apparir diversa può essere interessante osservare quattro mappe dell’Istria molto diverse e lontane fra loro, sia nel tempo che nel metodo usato:
Lingue e mescolanze culturali che dunque non é possibile far combaciare con confini netti e che anche negli ultimi secoli son proseguite ed han dovuto convivere con numerosi spostamenti di frontiera (mappe provenienti daQUI):
Dove “finisce” l’Italia? Dove “inizia” la Slovenia? E la Croazia? A differenza di altri luoghi dove i confini culturali sono meglio definiti (penso al Trentino-Sudtirol), sul confine orientale definire una linea di confine che rispecchi lingue, identità e culture della popolazione é sostanzialmente impossibile. Se a ciò aggiungiamo che ogni realtà nazionale ha su questi luoghi anche interessi economici e geopolitici la cosa poi si complica ancor di più.
Ciò che avviene in queste zone durante il secondo conflitto mondiale dunque non é che l’ultimo frutto di una lunga serie di sconvolgimenti che hanno interessato l’area di con fine, i più impattanti dei quali si verificarono dalla Grande Guerra in poi, ossia durante l’apoteosi dell’industria nazionalista novecentesca. Semplificando anche qui al massimo: il confine orientale, multietnico, strappato dall’Italia all’impero austroungarico durante la Grande Guerra, tra i due conflitti subisce un violento processo di fascistizzazione ed italianizzazione forzata: venne imposta la lingua italiana e si fecero arrivare un gran numero di parlanti italiano provenienti da altre regioni (solo nel triennio 1919-1922 la cifra si aggira intorno a 50.000 persone, cui corrispose l’allontanamento di 28-30.000 tra parlanti sloveno e tedesco). Nell’arco di pochissimo tempo territori che furono sempre luogo di mescolanza vengono artificialmente trasformati in una monocultura italiana a scapito della popolazione slava. Non c’é da stupirsi, dunque, se fu proprio in queste zone che il fascismo si consolidò tessendo i primi rapporti di collaborazione con l’esercito e stabilì uno dei suoi zoccoli duri più resistenti. Oltre all’imposizione della lingua e riattribuzione dei terreni vi furono un gran numero di incendi, violenze, e intimidazioni. Il fascismo, dunque, stava pigiando al massimo l’acceleratore su un processo iniziato anni prima con l’accensione dei focolai irredentisti e con la nascita del Regno d’Italia.
Tutto ciò porterà negli anni venti e trenta ad una forzata ridefinizione dei confini culturali a danno delle popolazioni slave. Naturalmente ciò alimentò tra queste un forte sentimento antifascista e rafforzò anche il nazionalismo serbo e croato, che negli anni fra i due conflitti si manifestò attraverso azioni clandestine, ad esempio con organizzazioni come laTIGR.
Dopo l’8 settembre 1943 il confine nord-orientale d’Italia passò sotto amministrazione tedesca e tale rimase anche dopo la nascita della RSI. Il Trentino e il Südtirol divennero la zona d’operazione OZAV (OperationsZone AlpenVorland) mentre il Friuli e l’Istria divennero la zona d’operazione OZAK (OperationsZone Adriatiche Küstenland) divenendo di fatto entrambi protettorati germanici.
“Mussolini (a proposito dei tedeschi ndr) ha detto: Bisogna accettare questo stato di cose perché ogni tentativo di reazione ci farebbe declassare dalla condizione di provincia confederata a quella ben peggiore di colonia. Anche se domani chiedessero Trieste nello spazio vitale germanico, bisognerebbe piegare la testa“
Anche la resistenza jugoslava non era un’entità compatta ed omogenea: si può facilmente parlare di due resistenze in quanto le due forze principali di resistenza, i Cetnici di Mihajlovic (serbi cattolici anticomunisti e nazionalisti che collaboravano con gli Alleati ma erano in lotta coi comunisti Titini) ed iTitini (comunisti che collaboravano anch’essi con gli Alleati pur essendo in lotta coi Cetnici) erano particolarmente distanti fra loro. Sia i Cetnici di Mihajlovic che i Titini furono riconosciuti come Alleati da USA e Gran Bretagna nonostante fossero in lotta tra di loro.
Inoltre v’erano diverse formazioni nazionaliste, pan-serbe e collaborazioniste come i cosiddetti “sloveni bianchi”, ossia Domobranci e Belogradisti (cattolici liberal-monarchici fortemente anticomunisti che collaboravano con i nazifascisti), ed i Cetnici guidati da Nedič (serbi cattolici anticomunisti e nazionalisti che collaboravano con i nazisti).
Insomma: come in Italia anche nei Balcani esisteva una realtà variegata di forze ed entità diverse in cui confluirono e e si stratificarono lotte di classe, etniche, politiche ed ideologiche.
Le due resistenze jugoslave premevano per sconfiggere i nazifascisti spostandosi sempre più ad ovest e ciò intimoriva non poco la popolazione italiana in quanto allarmata dal fatto che le mire pan-serbe avrebbero portato i territori da loro occupati sotto dominio slavo
Una peculiarità propria dei movimenti partigiani italiani delle zone orientali fu che una buona parte di essi aveva un orientamento molto più antislavo che antinazifascista. Ciò portò ad una netta divisione fra un movimento di resistenza “internazionalista” che includeva partigiani comunisti italiani e sloveni, ed un movimento partigiano “nazionalista” più interessato a fermare un’eventuale avanzata jugoslava che a combattere gli occupanti tedeschi e che non disdegnò contatti con repubblichini e nazisti in funzione antislava (quadro entro cui rientra anche l’eccidio di Porzûs). La specularità con la situazione delle due resistenze jugoslave é abbastanza palese.
Il fatto che sul confine orientale si sia verificata una collaborazione tanto peculiare tra nazifascisti e certi gruppi partigiani può essere facilmente compreso se si tiene conto che ciò avvenne tra persone provenienti da zone che da vent’anni erano immerse in un clima di propaganda antislava particolarmente feroce.
INSERTO STORICO – parte 8 – RAPIMENTI PARTIGIANI
Un rapimento di militi fascisti da parte di partigiani poteva avere i seguenti scopi: ottenimento informazioni / tentativo di farli entrare nelle proprie file (ma questo perlopiù solo nei primissimi tempi dopo l’8 settembre)/ scambio di prigionieri / fucilazione. Non esiste caso documentato di sevizie e torture paragonabile a quello che viene narrato riguardo ai fatti di Malga Bala. Gli unici casi vagamente simili sono quelli diffusi da pubblicazioni revisioniste pseudostoriche che non trovano alcun appoggio da parte della storiografia
INSERTO STORICO – parte 9 – CRIMINI PARTIGIANI E LEGGENDE NERE
Durante il conflitto e nelle settimane immediatamente successive, a contorno di numerose operazioni di resistenza legittime, si verificarono anche episodi orrendi tra cui rappresaglie ingiustificate, omicidi per questioni personali, furti “celati” dietro alla bandiera dell’antifascismo. Morirono anche persone colpevoli di poco o nulla.
Non si tratta né di misteri, né di episodi lasciati passare in sordina poiché portarono a inchieste, processi e condanne. Come ad esempio nell’eccidio svoltosi a Codevigo tra il 28 aprile ed il 15 maggio 1945 in cui soldati e partigiani ravennati uccisero di spontanea volontà almeno 136 fascisti, perlopiù loro compaesani, per vendicare fatti gravissimi di cui quegli stessi fascisti si erano macchiati in precedenza nelle zone d’origine. I fatti portarono a numerosi processi ma la difficoltà di valutare ogni singolo caso si concluse in un nulla di fatto.
Il fatto che in casi come quello di Codevigo non si sia giunti a definire una verità processuale ed attribuire delle responsabilità di colpa ha generato rabbia tra i parenti delle vittime ma a conflitto finito ciò é stato utilizzato politicamente per alimentare il mito dell’ ”intoccabilità dei partigiani”.
La realtà é che in questi casi non é facile definire colpe e responsabilità:
Il primo problema é che in diversi di questi episodi il confine tra azione lecita ed illecita é assai labile e difficile da stabilire, sia sul piano giuridico che umano [p.es. fucilare senza processo un membro del PNF che, abusando del proprio potere per anni ed anni ed esercitando violenze e soprusi continui, ha rovinato l’esistenza a intere famiglie meramente per tornaconto personale e che per questioni politiche potrebbe farla franca, dal punto di vista legale é indubbiamente un crimine ma un giudizio umano della vicenda potrebbe essere meno inclemente. Ventitré anni passati tra tribunali speciali, confini, pesanti detenzioni senza regolare processo, assalti squadristi, intimidazioni, abusi di potere, bastonate a morte, leggi razziali, collaborazione al genocidio nazista e casi di corruzione apertamente sfacciata possono essere motivo d’incazzatura, specie nel momento in cui diviene chiaro che tutto ciò resterà impunito. Allo stesso modo l’uccisione di un noto assassino e torturatore fascista, in quei frangenti, se avvenuta per mera scelta personale di un partigiano senza consultazione con i superiori di grado, fino a che punto é da considerarsi un crimine?]
Il secondo problema é che nel caos del periodo molti avvenimenti non si poterono documentare a dovere, impedendo il successivo raggiungimento di una verità processuale certa.
Vi é però anche un terzo problema ancor più importante dei due precedenti, ossia il fatto che molti di questi episodi, pur essendo sufficientemente documentati, sono stati soggetto di narrazioni e ri-narrazioni che esulano dalla realtà documentale ma si sono imposte in quanto utilizzate per la diffusione di leggende nere.
Leggende nere che nascono perlopiù con l’intento di dar contro ai rossi o per autogiustificazione ideologica o famigliare: numerosi sono i casi di persone che raccontano di un parente che ha “ingiustamente” subìto danni dai partigiani, spesso dimenticando che quel parente era un collaboratore del regime o qualcuno che perse dei vantaggi che gli vennero attribuiti per sottomissione al fascismo. Non mancano nemmeno casi di banali incidenti stradali o morti sul lavoro che, a distanza di anni, vengono attribuite ai partigiani e narrate come omicidi mascherati senza che vi sia alcunché per affermare ciò. Leggende nere che iniziarono a nascere proprio sul finire della guerra, mentre i fascisti e le loro famiglie erano intente a mostrarsi sotto una luce più adatta al nuovo corso post-fascista (quale occasione migliore per rispolverare il solito cliché vittimista del “si, ha fatto degli errori ma in fondo é stato una vittima”).
Leggende nere che alimentano la polarizzazione sull’argomento: chi si ritrova a dover controbattere leggende spesso tanto numerose quanto eclatantemente tendenziose e/o basate sul nulla corre il forte rischio di maturare, per reazione, un atteggiamento eccessivamente accondiscendente e giustificante nel confronto dei movimenti partigiani.
La diffusione di leggende nere, spesso alimentate (più o meno consapevolmente) nonostante la loro imprecisione e dubbiosità per tenere alta l’attenzione sull’argomento impedisce il superamento storico del periodo anteponendo al dato documentale una mitopoiesi tecnicizzata e di parte. Ciò avviene a causa di una tendenza fortemente radicata nella cultura di destra, che all’autogiustificazione nell’infierire con mezzi illeciti sull’avversario politico attraverso un processo di demonizzazione circolare abbina spesso un contraddittorio disinteresse nell’appurare la verità storica a causa di una mancata volontà di avanzamento storico, con conseguente perorazione di un eterno ritorno a quello stesso passato che cerca di celare rinarrandoselo in forma autogiustificante e/o autogratificante (quando invece c’é interesse per appurare la verità questo si scontra con la stessa mancanza di volontà di avanzamento storico facendo si che la verità storica accettata sia solo quella che più s’avvicina alla verità interiore).
Il risultato é che pur essendo storicamente noti e documentati sia episodi certi di crimini perpetrati da partigiani che diversi episodi incerti, la vulgata popolare alimentata da destra sta diffondendo un’immagine volutamente stravolta di tali eventi con l’intento (storicamente assurdo) di diffondere la falsa convinzione che questi crimini furono addirittura assai più numerosi e brutali di quelli compiuti dal nazifascismo assai noti e documentati. Esempi noti sono le bufale sulle “foibe” (vedi QUI, QUI e QUI e ancora QUI e poi QUI e anche QUI e QUI. Oppure basta anche solo leggere della mitica “foiba volante” per farsi una chiara idea della situazione), le bufale sull’ “esodo dei friulani”, le incongruenze sulla vicenda di Giuseppina Ghersi o la non-vicenda dell’invisibile film colossal “Foibe“. Tratta comune di queste leggende nere é spesso quello di aggrapparsi a vicende secondarie e poco documentate ove sia possibile una maggior “libertà di manovra” nella riscrittura.
Il meccanismo é sostanzialmente sempre lo stesso: si spara altissimo perché passi almeno il concetto base “tutti i partigiani erano mostri”. Senza alcun ritegno si ricorre a falsificazioni fotografiche racconti basati sul nulla, totale assenza di analisi critica, propaganda antislava ed anticomunista, attribuzioni false e decine di altri mezzi scorretti pur di propagandare una rilettura della storia che aggrada chi la diffonde ma cozza irrimediabilmente con la realtà documentata.
Dopo lo sdoganamento dell’MSI a metà anni novanta avvenuto con il primo cambio di nome in AN e con la vittoria della coalizione del Polo del Buon governo/Polo per le Libertà si é assistito ad un aumento esponenziale di operazioni di revisionismo storico attuate spesso per vie traverse ed accompagnate da forte battage mediatico caratterizzato dall’imposto frame della storia condivisa che pecca per due difetti: non risponde a criteri di storicità e non é affatto condivisa. La storia non é un compromesso tra “favole” narrate da forze politiche opposte: la storia é un processo conoscitivo di ricerca che si basa innanzitutto sulle certezze documentali degli eventi, la cui ricostruzione non può fingere non esistano.
Tratti comuni della narrazione di queste leggende nere sono la banalizzazione del contesto ad uno scontro “italiani vs. comunisti” in cui il nazifascismo fa semplicemente da sfondo; la riduzione dell’intera opera di resistenza ad “azioni comuniste”; l’attribuzione di violenze assolutamente gratuite ad opera di “partigiani comunisti”; banalizzazione delle cause attraverso lettura vittimistica: solitamente variazioni di “ucciso solo perché italiano” o “colpevole di non essere comunista”
Tratti comuni della ricerca su queste leggende é l’essere “avallata” da testimonianze dubbie, falsi fotografici, chiacchere di paese e interpretazioni forzate.
Il mio dubbio quindi é quello di trovarmi dinnanzi all’ennesimo episodio storico gonfiato o costruito per questioni di propaganda politica di cui già esistono numerosi esempi simili, come la già citata magica foiba volante, il ponte pirata del Bus de la Lum, la foiba della Maremma e la leggenda del cane nero mangia anime gettato nelle cavità carsiche.
Continuo a cercare.
1.02 UNA VERITÀ OPPRESSA??? MO DAVÈRO?
La scarna pagina di Wikipedia (eh già, Wikipedia: piaccia o non piaccia ci si passa tutti, anche se é necessario usarla con estrema cautela soprattutto a causa dell’argomento) sull’ “Eccidio di Malga Bala” mi fa sapere che: “Esistono due versioni antitetiche dell’evento: una la considera una strage perpetrata da una formazione di partigiani sloveni, l’altra ritiene che i militi siano rimasti uccisi durante uno scontro a fuoco tra un reparto tedesco e i partigiani che li avevano catturati.”
Cercando con le varie chiavi possibili “Malga Bala”, “Planina Bala”, “Dino Perpignano” (una delle vittime), “Eccidio Bretto” (il comune in cui sono stati catturate le dodici vittime) e così via, trovo una gran quantità di siti, blog, forum e commenti su questa storia. Pian piano ne consulto almeno una quarantina. Riportano TUTTE la versione strage. Decine e decine di pagine riportano la stessa versione, in cui si parla del “capo supremo” dei partigiani Franc Ursic -detto Jozko-, il vice brigadiere Perpignano che, catturato, ha permesso che la porta della caserma venisse aperta ecc. Tutte più o meno uguali.
Torno su Wikipedia. Purtroppo l’unico link sulla versione scontro a fuoco punta al sito dell’ ANPI di Pianoro che non contiene più il testo originario.
Il fatto di dover faticare per trovare un testo completo della versione scontro a fuoco fa sorgere già il secondo dubbio: se questa versione é così difficile da trovare perché tutti coloro che promuovono la versione strage sostengono che che “questa VERITA’” viene tenuta nascosta dall’intellighenzia di sinistra che diffonde una versione falsa della storia?
“Ora – aggiunge – è necessario riparare a queste smascherate storpiature con ogni mezzo ed il conferimento di una doverosa onorificenza a quei carabinieri trucidati rappresenta un passo in avanti verso la verità sulle molte ombre che nascondono le “cosiddette eroiche gesta dei partigiani”, in attesa che anche gli ultimi difensori e militanti dei partiti della sinistra radicale riconoscano, come altri hanno fatto dalla parte opposta, che l’ideologia che ha prodotto i Regimi comunisti è “un male assoluto””. (fonte)
Il tono nei siti consultati é grosso modo sempre questo e risulta alquanto straniante il fatto che si definisca verità negata proprio quella che é la versione in assoluto più nota e diffusa, a scapito di un’altra versione che viene citata solo per sommi capi e si fatica a trovare. Qui scatta un ulteriore campanello d’allarme: che sia un esempio di sindrome d’autoassedio?
Non sono gli italiani ad aver invaso l’Etiopia: sono le tribù anarchiche etiopi a minacciare gli italiani! ( qualcuno ha detto autoassedio da nemici esterni???)
A dirla tutta spesso questi post/articoli/commenti riportano spesso dati confusi (quanti erano i carabinieri: 12, 16, boh?) o sbagliano date (ottobre 1943? marzo 1944? vabbé, poco importa). In alcuni casi aggiungono pure particolari originali, perlopiù insistendo su macabri dettagli inerenti alle torture. In altri casi fanno accompagnare l’articolo/post da foto d’epoca di cadaveri orribilmente sfigurati che al primo reverse image search si scoprono essere relativi a eventi di tutt’altra natura: si va da corpi carbonizzati ad Hiroshima a cadaveri mutilati durante la guerra di Spagna.
Ciò che invece si trova quasi sempre é una descrizione degli eventi caricata con opinioni personali sui pensieri e lo stato d’animo dei carabinieri indifesi nelle mani dei partigiani slavi, la cui descrizione é limitata al descriverne la barbaricità.
(Qui però la “storia di questa storia” viene raccontata in modi meno espliciti che sui siti personali e nei commenti dei social: la veste mainstream e più ufficiale esige che determinate cose vengano solo accennate. Non tanto le truci descrizioni delle sevizie -quelle fan parte di questa storia e non vengono mai censurate, anzi-, quanto le accuse di omertà, occultamento e revisionismo verso i promulgatori dell’ “altra versione”, mai fatte esplicitamente ma sempre accennate in un “lasciato intendere” onnipresente)
Ci sono anche delle interrogazioni parlamentari come quella del senatore Berselli (AN) relative alla richiesta “di una medaglia d’oro al valore militare della memoria a ciascuno dei dodici carabinieri barbaramente trucidati, unicamente perché italiani, mentre operavano nell’esercizio dei loro compiti di istituto”, o l’interrogazione di Publio Fiori (AN) nel 1999, entrambe basate sui lavori di Russo e Pirina.
“Sulla vicenda, da tempo all’attenzione della Difesa, sono state svolte accurate indagini presso la competente Direzione generale per il personale militare ed il Comando generale dell’Arma dei carabinieri, allo scopo di pervenire ad elementi di certezza e chiarezza sul tragico evento. L’esame degli atti non ha consentito, tuttavia, di definire con la dovuta evidenza la circostanza, tenuto conto anche di alcuni elementi discordanti concernenti l’attribuzione delle responsabilita` del massacro. In tale quadro, in mancanza di elementi di certezza in grado di illuminare lo svolgimento dei fatti e di individuare le relative responsabilita`, non sussistono quei presupposti necessari di natura giuridica per l’avvio di alcuna iniziativa nel senso auspicato dal senatore interrogante”
“dodici giovani carabinieri catturati da pseudo-partigiani furono sorpresi nel sonno, avvelenati, torturati ed infine tagliati a pezzi; i carabinieri costituivano un presidio a difesa della centrale idroelettrica di Bretto (Gorizia); il 23 marzo 1944 gli pseudo partigiani slavi presero in ostaggio il vicebrigadiere Dino Perpignano, comandante del presidio che stava rientrando negli alloggiamenti, e sotto la minaccia delle armi lo costrinsero a pronunciare la parola d’ordine e, con facilita`, una volta entrati nel pre- sidio, catturarono tutti i carabinieri gia` in parte addormentati; dopo il saccheggio, i dodici militari furono deportati nella Valle Bausizza e rinchiusi in un fienile ove fu loro servito un pasto nel quale era stata inglobata soda caustica e sale nero. Affamati, inconsapevolmente mangiarono quello che gli era stato servito, ma poco dopo le urla e le implorazioni furono raccapriccianti e tremende; erano stati avvelenati e la loro agonia si potrasse fra atroci dolori e sofferenze varie per ore e ore; tremanti e consumati dalla febbre, Pasquale Ruggiero, Domenico Del Vecchio, Lino Bertogli, Antonio Farro, Adelmino Zilio, Fernando Ferretti, Ridolfo Calzi, Pietro Tognazzo, Michele Castellano, Primo Amenici, Attilio Franzon, quasi tutti ventenni (e mai impiegati nei servizi di pubblica sicurezza o di ordine pubblico, tranne quello a guardia della centrale, cui erano stati sempre preposti) furono costretti a marciare fra inenarrabili sofferenze ed insopportabili sacrifici fino a Malga Bala, ove li attendeva una fine orribile; il vicebrigadiere Dino Perpignano fu preso e spogliato: gli venne conficcato un legno ad uncino nel nervo posteriore del calcagno ed issato a testa in giu`, legato ad una trave; poi furono tutti incaprettati; a quel punto i macellai, pseudo-parti- giani comunisti slavi, cominciarono a colpire tutti con picconi; a qualcuno vennero asportati i genitali e conficcati in bocca, a qualche altro fu aperto a picconate il cuore o frantumati gli occhi; all’Amenici venne conficcata nel cuore la fotografia dei suoi cinque figli mentre il Perpignano fu finito a pedate in faccia ed in testa; la «mattanza» terminava con i corpi dei malcapitati legati col fil di ferro e trascinati, a mo’ di bestie, sotto un grosso masso ed abbandonati, povere vittime innocenti, in aperta campagna, prede di animali randagi; ora le misere spoglie di questi poveri carabinieri martiri/eroi riposano, dimenticati dagli uomini, dalla storia e soprattutto dalle istituzioni, in una torre medievale di Tarvisio”
Siti ministeriali e delle forze dell’ordine? Nomi di strade? Articoli su quotidiani nazionali? Presenza massiccia nei primi risultati di Google? Interrogazioni parlamentari? Mi sembra un po tanto per essere una storia “nascosta”…
É del tutto evidente che delle due versioni quella maggiormente riconosciuta e condivisa é proprio quella della “strage perpetrata da una formazione di partigiani sloveni”, mentre l’ “altra versione” praticamente non viene mai citata se non qua e là e giusto per smentirla: il fatto stesso che esista un’altra versione viene contestualizzato nella “storia di questa storia” come dimostrazione della volontà di occultamento operata dalla sinistra. Un po come sostenere che l’esistenza di una micragnosa società di terrapiattisti é la dimostrazione che la sfericità della terra é una verità scientifica messa a rischio.
1.03 LA FONTE UNICA!!!
C’é però una cosa che condividono tutti, ma proprio tutti gli articoli, post, commenti ed interrogazioni parlamentari che sostengono la versione strage: si basano tutti sul lavoro di un’unica persona. Antonio Russo. In particolare ci si basa su due suoi libri: “Alle porte dell’Inferno” (1993), sull’occupazione tedesca nell’Alto Friuli, e “Planina Bala” che tratta l’episodio in dettaglio ed é stato pubblicato inizialmente nel 2002.
Antonio Russo viene definito uno storico “sui generis” che “si ferma poco negli archivi, consulta poco le tradizionali fonti documentarie”, uno che “preferisce interrogare i testimoni, ricavare la verità scavando nella memoria della gente” (Da “Planina Bala”, di Antonio Russo, Centro Culturale d’Informazione Sociale Voce della Montagna, Ed.2005, pag.12).
Il primo a citare e diffondere il lavoro di Russo é stato lo pseudostorico revisionista Marco Pirina, la cui ben nota scarsa attendibilità, il forte coinvolgimento nell’estrema destra (che lo porterà pure ad essere inquisito per il tentato Golpe Borghese), la documentata falsificazione delle liste di “infoibati” e la condanna per aver diffamato alcuni partigiani in un suo libro, potrebbero bastare a spiegare la diffusione in certi ambienti di alcune delle incongruenze riscontrate negli articoli/post/commenti consultati.
Oltre al lavoro di Russo riassunto in “Planina Bala”…… il vuoto! Niente!
L’unica fonte di riferimento per la versione “strage” é sostanzialmente il libro “Planina Bala” che riassume anche i lavori precedenti di Russo sul caso “malga Bala”. Non vi sono altri testi di riferimento antecedenti alle prime ricerche di Russo che si rivela, dunque, la persona di riferimento della storia di questa storia.
Il libro “Planina Bala” dovrò procurarmelo.
Nel frattempo cerco ancora qualcosa di serio sulla versione “scontro a fuoco”. Fortunatamente nell’Internet Archive trovo una copia del testo originario del sito dell’Anpi di Pianoro datato 2007. Vista la rarità di testi su questa “altra versione” ritengo opportuno riportarlo per intero:
Nell’ambito dei vari “crimini” attribuiti ai partigiani c’è anche la vicenda dell’eccidio di 12 carabinieri a Malga Bala, avvenuto nel marzo del 1944. I carabinieri, comandati dal vice brigadiere Dino Perpignano, erano di stanza al presidio di difesa della centrale idroelettrica di Bretto. Lo pseudostorico Marco Pirina, riprendendo quanto scritto da Antonio Russo in una sua pubblicazione del 1993 (“Alle porte dell’inferno”), così descrive la vicenda. “Il 23 marzo era l’anniversario della fondazione dei fasci di combattimento, una festa odiata dai partigiani operanti nella zona di Plezzo (festa amata invece dai partigiani di altre zone? n.d.r.). Si decise di colpire gli italiani. Per l’occasione si radunarono Fran Ursig “Josko”, il capo supremo della Brg. Partigiana dell’alto Isonzo, Ivan Likar “Socian”, Silvio Giafrate, Fran Della Bianca, Anton Mlecuz (riportiamo i nomi con la grafia errata così come appaiono, n.d.r.) ed altri, in totale 21 uomini. Questi studiarono un piano approfittando delle abitudini del Comandante Perpignano e quando questi ed il Franzan (un altro carabiniere del presidio, n.d.r.) tornavano assieme ad una ragazza li circondarono e li fecero prigionieri. In gruppo si avvicinarono con il Perpignano alla caserma, si fecero aprire (…) catturarono tutti i carabinieri (…) saccheggiata la caserma e costretti i carabinieri a caricarsi vettovaglie e vari sacchi di ogni ben di Dio, dopo aver sistemato due cariche sotto le turbine, si avviarono verso il monte (…)”. Il giorno dopo “si decise la loro eliminazione, ma questa secondo tutti doveva essere particolarmente crudele” e qui Pirina (sempre citando Russo) si lancia nella descrizione della preparazione di un “pastone miscelato con soda caustica e sale nero”, sul quale “i carabinieri si avventarono” e “dopo aver mangiato” le “urla e le implorazioni furono tremende”. Come se ciò non bastasse, all’alba del giorno dopo, “furono fatti marciare per ore sino alla Malga Bala, dove furono di nuovo rinchiusi” ed a questo punto partono le descrizioni delle sevizie con cui i “partigiani” avrebbero ucciso i carabinieri: a Perpignano “venne conficcato un legno ad uncino nel nervo posteriore dietro il calcagno ed issato a testa in giù legato ad una trave, poi furono accapprettati tutti gli altri e a quel punto i partigiani cominciarono a colpire tutti con i picconi. A qualcuno vennero asportati i genitali e conficcati in bocca, a qualcuno aperto a picconate il cuore o frantumati gli occhi (…) alla fine legati i corpi dei malcapitati con del fil di ferro li trascinavano sotto un grosso masso tra la neve (…)”.
Come al solito, quando ci troviamo di fronte a certe descrizioni così particolareggiate di efferate torture, il primo interrogativo che ci poniamo è questo: chi sarebbe il testimone che assistette a tutto questo in modo da poterlo raccontare? Se leggiamo il testo di Russo che Pirina ha riassunto, troviamo anche riportati un paio di articoli dell’epoca: ad esempio Il “Gazzettino” di Padova così scriveva il 7 aprile 1944.
“Macabra scoperta in una grotta di dodici vittime del dovere (…) in questi giorni dei camerati in armi, in una grotta fra Cave del Predil e Bretto di Mezzo hanno fatto una triste e macabra scoperta. In detta caverna infatti essi hanno rinvenuto, accatastati l’uno sull’altro, i cadaveri di dodici militi della polizia repubblicana, morti nell’adempimento del loro dovere. Le vittime sono state identificate per quelle del vicebrigadiere Nino (sic) Perpignano e dei militi (segue l’elenco dei nomi, n.d.r.). Ai poveri scomparsi sono state tributate imponenti esequie”.
Dunque al momento della scoperta dei corpi di Perpignano e dei suoi uomini, la stampa non parlò di sevizie cui essi sarebbero stati sottoposti. È vero che Russo cita anche un altro articolo (senza specificare da dove l’abbia tratto) che parla di “vittime denudate poi uccise bestialmente a colpi di piccone”, ma il resto dei particolari descritti da Russo e ripresi da Pirina non compaiono. Russo accenna al fatto che “tanti” gli avrebbero “confessato tra le lacrime” che era giunto il momento “di far sapere a tutti la verità su Bala”, ma il nome di questi “testimoni” non viene fatto. Chi dunque sapeva tutti questi particolari sulla fine dei carabinieri, e quando li avrebbe resi noti?
Un altro particolare interessante è che il Gazzettino parla di “militi della polizia repubblicana”, non di Carabinieri. In effetti, leggendo attentamente il testo di Russo (brani che Pirina non riporta, detto per inciso), si apprende che “il responsabile della produzione mineraria, Otto Hempel, ingegnere militarizzato tedesco (…) verso la metà di gennaio di quel ’44 chiede e ottiene dal comando generale SS di Camporosso l’autorizzazione a istituire un raggruppamento di carabinieri a difesa stabile della centrale idroelettrica di Bretto di Sotto”. Bisogna spiegare che la centrale idroelettrica di Bretto serviva soprattutto per far funzionare la miniera di Cave del Predil, dalla quale si estraeva piombo, elemento fondamentale per l’approvvigionamento dell’esercito germanico.
Prosegue Russo “viene così deciso di chiudere per sempre la caserma dei carabinieri di Bretto di Mezzo (…) e viene istituito il distaccamento di 16 militari più un sottufficiale (…)” che “il 28 gennaio 1944 prendono servizio presso la nuova casermetta, secondo le direttive del comando tedesco”. Quindi il gruppo di carabinieri agli ordini di Perpignano stava, sostanzialmente, agli ordini dei nazisti a fare la guardia ad un obiettivo militare strategico. Detto questo si può comprendere come l’attacco dei partigiani alla centrale di Bretto non sia stato determinato dall’”odio” per la ricorrenza dei fasci di combattimento, come pretendono Russo e Pirina, quanto per compiere un’importante azione di sabotaggio contro l’occupatore nazista.
A questo punto prendiamo in mano un altro testo, quello di Franc Crnugelj (“Na zahodnih mejah 1944” [“sul confine occidentale 1944” ndr], curiosamente pubblicato anch’esso nel 1993, come il libro di Russo, non tradotto in italiano), che spiega cosa accadde a Cave del Predil il 23 marzo del 1944.
Il gruppo coordinato da Jožko (Franc Ursic, che non era “capo supremo”, qualifica che non esisteva nell’esercito di liberazione popolare, ma comandante di distaccamento), dopo avere sorvegliato per alcuni giorni i movimenti di Perpignano, lo catturarono in una casa dove si era recato a mangiare, lo portarono fino alla centrale, dove, effettivamente, si servirono di lui per farsi aprire con la parola d’ordine, sabotarono la centrale elettrica, prelevarono armi e munizioni e si diedero alla ritirata verso i monti, portando con sé i prigionieri.
Ma nel frattempo i nazisti non erano stati certo a non fare nulla, come pretenderebbe invece Russo (che ha il coraggio di scrivere che “i partigiani, conoscendo bene le abitudini dei tedeschi i quali non amavano muoversi di notte, non si preoccupavano minimamente”): avvisati telefonicamente, si diedero all’inseguimento degli attentatori: quando i tedeschi furono in vista, i carabinieri prigionieri cercarono di darsi alla fuga ed a quel punto iniziarono le sparatorie: i nazisti contro i partigiani, i partigiani contro i prigionieri in fuga e contro i nazisti. Così scrive Crnugelj “i tedeschi spararono contro la colonna partigiana, nella quale si trovavano anche i prigionieri”.
A parere nostro, questa versione dei fatti è molto più credibile di quella diffusa da Russo e Pirina, innanzitutto perché bisogna considerare che l’esercito partigiano non faceva la guerra perché i suoi uomini si divertivano a martirizzare i nemici, ma perché volevano sconfiggere il nazifascismo. Era quindi loro interesse compiere atti di sabotaggio contro il nemico (come l’attentato alla centrale idroelettrica per bloccare la produzione della miniera di Cave del Predil), ed una volta compiuta l’azione, non è minimamente credibile che essi si siano trattenuti per due giorni nei paraggi a rischio di farsi catturare dai nazisti, solo per dare sfogo a degli istinti sadici e torturare fino alla morte i dodici prigionieri. In zona di combattimento, nessuna formazione guerrigliera con un minimo di buon senso e di istinto di sopravvivenza si trattiene con dei prigionieri a portata di mano del nemico: credere una cosa del genere vuol dire non avere la più pallida idea di cosa significhi combattere la guerra di guerriglia, cioè colpire il nemico con azioni rapide e repentine e ritirarsi prima possibile in zona sicura.
Abbiamo quindi due versioni dei fatti, una (a parer nostro, logicamente) credibile ed una no. Di fronte a queste contraddizioni, chiediamo pubblicamente ai ricercatori storici, ma anche alla stessa Arma dei Carabinieri, che nel proprio sito avalla la versione dei fatti di Russo, di voler analizzare la vicenda a fondo prima di decidere che la versione di Russo è quella veritiera, e di voler quindi sospendere, nel ricordo dei dodici caduti, ogni riferimento a circostanze non dimostrate storicamente che rischiano di conseguenza a dare luogo a strumentalizzazioni di parte. “
[Nota 1: L’autore del testo che riporta l’ANPI era Franc Crnugelj, ex partigiano sloveno, poi generale, che in vita pubblicò testi sulla storia del movimento di liberazione jugoslavo
Nota 2: Ho poi scoperto che quest’articolo é perfettamente raggiungibile QUI]
1.04 DUNQUE:
Ci sono due versioni, una redatta da un appassionato italiano e l’altra da un ex partigiano sloveno. La prima riporta una versione dei fatti eclatante, la seconda invece descrive i fatti come un’azione di sabotaggio tra le molte.
La versione strage gode di ampia diffusione in Italia.
Tuttavia chi diffonde la versione strage in Italia lo fa avvolgendola di un senso di “realtà assediata” anche se di assedio culturale non ve n’é nemmeno una minima traccia.
Per contro la versione scontro a fuoco ha scarsissima diffusione in Italia e nonostante il testo di riferimento di quest’altra versione non sia mai stato pubblicato al di fuori della Slovenia viene pure tacciata d’essere una versione che “i comunisti o pseudo tali” imporrebbero per nascondere la verità dei fatti. In Slovenia l’interesse per l’episodio é sostanzialmente nullo, se non tra alcuni storici.
Da quanto mi risulta a supporto della versione strage c’é soltanto il lavoro di un unico appassionato (Antonio Russo) cha successivamente ricevuto l’appoggio di un personaggio noto per le posizioni revisioniste e la falsificazione dei dati (Marco Pirina).
La tesi strage, inoltre, appare totalmente priva di senso ed a forte sospetto “fuffa”.
L’evento del 1944 non ha ricevuto grande interesse fino agli anni ’90-2000, ossia agli anni del boom di testi revisionisti di destra della storia del secondo conflitto mondiale.
La versione strage é stata accolta, rilanciata e promossa anche in eventi ufficiali da enti e figure politicamente ascrivibili a destra.
Ok, la curiosità é definitivamente accesa, ma non é mio modo di fare il bollare per falso un qualcosa solo perché la probabilità che sia fuffa é particolarmente alta. Ritengo opportuno verificare se questa storia, per quanto suoni strana, possa essere fondata su basi certe.
2.00 PLANINA BALA, DI ANTONIO RUSSO
Dunque. Ho potuto leggere Planina Bala di Antonio Russo, ossia il testo di riferimento della versione strage. Nello specifico la seconda edizione, quella del 2005. C’é anche un’edizione del 2011 “rinnovata e ampliata” che, da quanto scritto sul sito dell’autore, si differenzia principalmente per i nuovi interventi di due recuperanti.
Come già detto questo libro é l’unica vera fonte completa cui fa riferimento chi sostiene la versione strage.
La lettura del testo ha PESANTEMENTE confermato i miei dubbi iniziali a causa di diversi fattori: principalmente numerose criticità relative all’uso delle fonti, problemi di logica interna ed evidenti forzature interpretative.
I brani di Antonio Russo provenienti dal libro “Planina Bala” sono quelli in ARANCIONE
Le affermazioni dirette (i “virgolettati”) delle persone intervistate da Russo e riportate in “Planina Bala” sono invece in ROSSO
METTIAMO LE COSE IN CHIARO: ritengo che qualsiasi persona dotata di media intelligenza leggendo questo libro comprenderebbe immediatamente che in questo testo c’é qualcosa che non va. Anzi, che ci sono moltissime cose che non vanno: background vittimista, semplificazioni ridicole, forzature palesi, imprecisioni furbette e “giochini” con l’uso delle testimonianze, affermazioni contraddittorie, totale assenza di imparzialità attenuata da esortazioni al divino, richiami al mito degli “italiani brava gente” e la smetto qui solo per non dilungarmi.
Poiché la versione strage promossa dal libro ha un così ampio seguito ne consegue che chi la promuove non può aver letto il libro, perché se ciò non fosse, ossia se davvero tutti coloro che credono nella versione strage hanno letto “Planina Bala” se ne dovrebbe desumere qualcosa che mi rifiuto di credere, ossia che tutti coloro che diffondono tale versione sarebbero caratterizzati da un’intelletto inferiore alla media. Ritengo quindi più probabile che nella maggior parte dei casi si tratti dunque di persone che credono alla versione strage solo per averla letta da fonti secondarie e che coloro che han letto “Planina Bala” ne diffondono le teorie o per malafede o perché si trattò di una lettura assai superficiale e distratta.
A chi ritiene vera la versione strage posso solo consigliare di leggersi “Planina Bala” per rendersi conto da soli di quanto questa versione sia assolutamente raffazzonata e ridicola. Per chi é in malafede o non riesce a rendersi conto del fatto che questo libro é un’accozzaglia di tanta roba che non sta in piedi, purtroppo non é possibile fare alcunché. Quindi il testo che segue potrà forse essere d’utilità solamente al lettore distratto: colui che ha sfogliato “Planina Bala” in modo superficiale o che ha letto dei fatti di malga Bala in qualche post credendo che la citazione di “Planina Bala” di Antonio Russo fosse il riferimento ad un testo valido ed ineccepibile.
Tutti coloro che han letto il libro e si son perfettamente resi conto di cosa avevano in mano possono invece andare direttamente al capitolo 6.
Prima di affrontare gli eventi narrati ed analizzarne le fonti é però necessario spendere alcune parole sul libro stesso a causa di diverse sue caratteristiche che incidono profondamente sul valore delle ricostruzioni proposte al suo interno e sulla bontà del lavoro effettuato dal suo autore.
Innanzitutto é possibile osservare come nel testo alcuni concetti, termini e posizioni mal (o non) documentati vengono ripetuti o lasciati intendere con frequenza particolarmente elevata come a volerne rimarcare la validità semplicemente per mezzo della ripetizione. É altresì possibile osservare un particolare utilizzo di spezzoni di interviste il cui senso viene orientato attraverso interpretazioni decisamente pregiudiziali non giustificate dai dati che l’autore propone.
Queste caratteristiche sono decisamente gravi in quanto non si sta parlando di un comune testo di commento ad avvenimenti storici noti (in cui sarebbe del tutto lecito che l’autore esprimesse opinioni personali sugli eventi), ma di un testo che vorrebbe esporre una ricerca storica (la cui validità, come vedremo, é altamente discutibile) su un episodio di storia locale (anche se la portata é diventata oramai nazionale) scarsamente documentato e che lo fa muovendo gravissime accuse storiche, umane e politiche basandosi su una selezione di elementi debolissimi basati perlopiù su testimonianze orali consolidate (ma solo in maniera apparente) dall’utilizzo di numerose ma inconsistenti pezze d’appoggio ed interpretazioni personali altrettanto deboli.
Se si muovono accuse gravissime basandosi su di un unico lavoro di ricerca é giusto pretendere che questo sia supportato da prove e testimonianze assolutamente certe e che la ricerca non sia soggetta a vizi di forma.
Poiché si sta trattando un episodio storico poco noto e scarsamente documentato ci si ritrova in una situazione antipatica perché per analizzare la validità del testo, invece di procedere in modo lineare, ossia esponendo in fila i dati certi e poi proporre la lettura più sensata e confrontarla col libro (come nei lavori di debunk effettuati su altro genere di argomenti da Crono911 e Complottilunari), bisognerà procedere nel modo più farraginoso, ossia esponendo una ad una le contraddizioni, gli errori e le forzature del testo facendo emergere le illogicità delle conclusioni e la parzialità delle testimonianze.
E’un procedimento lungo che obbliga a continui spostamenti nel testo (ma come si fa ad affermare questa cosa a pag.XXX se invece a pag.YYY si dice esattamente il contrario?), ripetizioni e de-framing abbastanza noiosi. Per un attimo mi vien voglia di rinunciare.
Alla fine però mi convinco che affrontare questo lavoro ha senso per due ragioni: la prima é che a dirla tutta ciò mi diverte é che le incongruenze che ho riscontrato nel testo sono a dir poco COLOSSALI e non mi capacito che nonostante ciò questa versione venga diffusa da enti ed istituzioni pubbliche che la spacciano come una verità storica documentata e certa. La seconda é che, considerando che siamo circondati da un grande numero di queste riletture storiche politicizzate, forzate, tendenziose e spesso più note e condivise delle realtà storiche documentate, mi illudo che forse, evidenziando i meccanismi con cui é stata costruita UNA di queste, a qualcuno possa accendersi il “radar anti-fuffa” qualora ritrovasse gli stessi meccanismi anche altrove. Mi tiro su le maniche e comincio.
Per meglio esporre le caratteristiche del libro e del mondo che traspare dalle pagine di “Planina Bala” ritengo necessario fornire giusto qualche informazione base sui luoghi in cui si svolge la vicenda, giusto per darsi un’immagine spaziale:
(fonte: Google Earth)
Il grosso degli avvenimenti si svolge lungo la strada che partendo a nord, da Tarvisio, scende passando per Cave del Predil (sede di una importante miniera) e poi, nei pressi del lago di Predil cambia valle e superando la Batteria Sella passa da Bretto (ove si trovava la centrale della miniera di Cave) e per poi arrivare a Plezzo. Ma l’evento principale si svolge in una valle secondaria, la Bausiza, il cui imbocco é nei pressi di Forte Kluze, tra Bretto e Plezzo. In fondo alla val Bausizza partono alcuni sentieri che conducono alle valli vicine (tra cui la Val Trenta). Qui, a 1180 metri d’altitudine troviamo malga Bala [GPS 46°23’07.94″N 13°38’49.25″E], una semplice costruzione in pietra che i contadini della Bausiza usavano per portarvi il bestiame d’estate, soprattutto pecore. A nord di Tarvisio si parla tedesco mentre ad est si parla slavo. A sud e ad ovest si parla friulano. Un po ovunque s’incontrano rare isole linguistiche tedesche. Dall’immagine qui sopra é evidente l’ampiezza delle zone isolate in cui i partigiani avevano possibilità di muoversi.
2.01 STRUTTURA DEL TESTO
Il testo é strutturato in modo tale da fornire una fotografia della vicenda narrata partendo dal quadro nazionale all’epoca dei fatti per poi scendere velocemente nel dettaglio della realtà locale descrivendo per sommi capi alcuni eventi antecedenti a quello in questione, fornendo una descrizione del territorio arricchita da leggende del posto e aneddoti locali fino ad arrivare a singoli eventi della vita quotidiana dei carabinieri (p.es. la descrizione della vita in caserma e della cena a base di gatto, vedi pag.63-67), una descrizione di ciò che avvenne dopo il ritrovamento dei corpi e diverse opinioni personali di testimoni indiretti.
I primi capitoli inquadrano a grandi linee l’argomento trattato e forniscono una descrizione generale degli eventi nazionali ed internazionali che si limita a riassumere gli eventi quel tanto che basta per fornire un quadro d’insieme al lettore, fornendo tuttavia già qui un’interpretazione non proprio bilanciata (vedi sotto).
Dopo un’introduzione in cui l’autore descrive l’esperienza personale della ricerca segue una narrazione cronologica degli eventi in cui vengono inseriti aneddoti locali e spezzoni d’interviste e brani in cui si ritorna all’esperienza diretta dell’autore. Le interviste dunque non vengono riportate per intero ma ne vengono inseriti alcuni spezzoni, perlopiù singole frasi, che vanno ad inserirsi nella narrazione fatta dall’autore. Il testo quindi, pur procedendo principalmente sulla cronologia degli eventi del 1944, offre in parallelo uno spaccato del lavoro di ricerca dell’autore.
2.02 L’INTRODUZIONE STORICA DEL LIBRO
L’introduzione storica con cui si apre dal libro é interessante in quanto permette di capire la griglia concettuale in cui l’autore si muove ed da quale angolatura osservi l’evento che narra.
A pag.35 Russo commenta la caduta del fascismo del 25 luglio 1943 con“finalmente”, specificando che questa sia stata causata dal’“opposizione al Fascismo” e soprattutto dalle “sorti non affatto positive della guerra vera e propria”. L’autore prosegue scrivendo che la caduta di Mussolini aveva portato la guerra“nelle famiglie, casa per casa, contrada per contrada, contrariamente a quando il Fascismo imperava incontrastato”aggiungendo che l’esultanza delle folle all’annuncio della caduta dimostrava“quanto poco seguito avesse ormai sul suolo italiano il regime di Mussolini”.
EHMMM… Innanzitutto bisogna ricordare che Mussolini non fu destituito da oppositori del fascismo ma crollò su sé stesso e fu esautorato dal re. Le sorti della guerra non erano “non affatto positive” ma TRAGICHE e DRAMMATICHE. Poi iniziano le osservazioni interessanti: l’autore comunica che quando c’era LVI le cose andavano meglio poi però il popolo non lo ha amato più più perché aveva fatto male i calcoli riguardo alla guerra ma alla fine é stato esautorato da traditori/oppositori (Il re, Badoglio ecc.). L’introduzione storica rientra appieno nel ben noto mantra giustificazionista fascista riassumibile in “era figo ma poi ha fatto delle cazzate un po troppo grosse”.
Prosegue scrivendo che i tedeschi, che avevano subodorato in anticipo l’esautorazione di Mussolini“avevano cominciato a far affluire in Italia, col consenso dello stesso governo Badoglio, numerose truppe ben equipaggiate e armate di tutto punto”e che con l’armistizio dell’8 settembre“l’Italia praticamente ricominciava la guerra, in casa propria” sotto dominio tedesco”.
EHMMM… Dunque Russo dice che: I cattivi tedeschi erano scaltri e Badoglio una merda lasciando quasi intuire che la prosecuzione della guerra e l’arrivo dei nazisti in Italia furono causa sua.
Il“Re d’Italia e il capo del governo Badoglio con tutto il loro numeroso seguito e le loro famiglie avevano vigliaccamente gettato la spugna e, senza pensare a nient’altro che a salvare la propria pelle, si erano dati alla fuga […]”
EHMMM… Dunque Russo dice che: “Il Re e Badoglio avrebbero dovuto continuare imperterriti la guerra portando l’Italia ad una distruzione ancor più totale: secondo Russo il re e Bagoglio non proseguendo il conflitto hanno vigliaccamente tradito e umiliato la nazione”.
“[…] l’ex alleato tedesco, che s’era subito affrettato a gridare platealmente al tradimento invocando e minacciando vendetta ad alta voce”
EHMMM… Dunque Russo dice che: “Il “tradimento” del Re e Badoglio ha generato un casino ma ci siam pure dovuti sorbire l’umiliante manfrina dei tedeschi! Solo noi abbiamo diritto di dare dei “traditori” ai nostri “traditori””!
Prosegue raccontando di come lo stesso 8 settembre a Tarvisio 300 soldati della Guardia di frontiera, “per difendere l’onore del tricolore” “seppero opporsi con le armi alla tracotanza dei tedeschi che si erano affrettati a chiedere la loro resa” in una violenta battaglia che durò tutta la notte ma infine, sconfitti, ricevettero perlomeno l’onore delle armi dai tedeschi. Immediatamente dopo Russo fa notare che quella“fu il primo vero atto di resistenza in Italia”(grassetto mio), cui seguirono“tantissimi altri splendidi ed eroici atti contro i feroci oppressori”
EHMMM… Dunque Russo dice che: “I tedeschi erano tracotanti ma forti e giusti”. Ma questi 300 spartani si batterono per onor del tricolore o perché erano abbastanza svegli da capire cosa sarebbe loro successo (dopo l’8 settembre i nazisti deportarono circa un milione di soldati italiani che non accettarono di sottomettersi alla Germania/RSI)? É interessante osservare come Russo ammanti di positività la resistenza AI TEDESCHI mentre in tutto il resto del testo ammanterà di negatività la resistenza AGLI ITALIANI CHE HAN CEDUTO IL NORDITALIA AI TEDESCHI.
La liberazione di Mussolini e l’istituzione dell’RSI peggiorò la situazione ma“l’unico(governo ndr) ufficiale era nuovamente quello di Mussolini, voluto e imposto dai tedeschi”.
EHMMM… Quindi Russo considera l’RSI un male, ma un -male necessario- perché perlomeno forniva un minimo di stabilità. Interessante osservare come secondo Russo il Governo Badoglio avallato dal Re e in rapporti con gli americani non fosse degno di esser definito “ufficiale” al contrario di quello di Mussolini, nonostante fosse un mero burattino dei nazisti.
Il“rinato Fascismo”fu un nuovo risveglio soprattutto per fanatici. Fu un periodo di caos ed i nazisti fecero molti soprusi disumani a danno degli italiani. Un ferroviere del posto si oppose ai nazisti e dopo esser stato torturato é morto gridando “Viva l’Italia”.
EHMMM… Anche qui l’RSI viene criticato ma si addossano le colpe solo ai tedeschi ed ai “fanatici”. Poi si cita un caso-esempio di resistente patriottico.
Ma poi, “[…] com’era già accaduto nella vicina terra slava, nacque e si sviluppò la Resistenza all’oppressore con i “volontari della libertà”, meglio conosciuti come “partigiani”, che in Italia subito si divisero in due gruppi ben delineati: da una parte gli”osovani”, di ispirazione democratica, dall’altra i “garibaldini”, di ispirazione comunista”
EHMMM… Qui c’é il primo accenno di quel fenomeno noto come “virus partigiano” (vedi sotto) ossia germi provenienti dall’esterno (“la vicina terra slava”) che contagiano “noi”. Interessante poi la definizione dei due gruppi resistenziali: se effettivamente le Brigate Garibaldi erano legate al partito comunista, definire “democratiche” le Brigate Osoppo é estremamente limitativo e fuorviante.
INSERTO STORICO – parte 10 – LE BRIGATE OSOPPO
Le Brigate Osoppo nascono dal coordinamento di gruppi laici, liberali, socialisti e cattolici caratterizzati da una forte anticomunismo e soprattutto un profondissimo sentimento antislavo. Poiché i partigiani comunisti italiani collaborarono attivamente con i partigiani comunisti slavi si possono facilmente intuire le difficoltà di rapporto che intercorsero tra le Garibaldi e le Osoppo. Pur di contrastare un’eventuale espansione slava in Friuli (paura giustificata cui é interessante osservare la presenza di “proiezione junghiana”: vedi sotto) le Osoppo giunsero ad instaurare rapporti addirittura con i fascisti della X MAS. Le Osoppo, dunque, erano degli strani partigiani che nell’intento di combattere il comunismo fecero da ponte per tutta una serie di personaggi che negli anni a seguire proseguiranno la lotta antislava tra le fila della “O” e successivamente della Gladio e che, attraverso un processo di pacificazione nazionale sperimentato proprio nel “modello friulano” saranno collegati alle stragi della strategia della tensione:
“È un fronte unico che si costituisce in funzione anticomunista, in modo inavvertito dall’opinione pubblica che scambia il Movimento sociale italiano, fondato ufficialmente il 26 dicembre 1946, come espressione dei reduci della Rsi quando, viceversa, lo è dei servizi segreti italiani, americani, del Vaticano, Democrazia cristiana e Confindustria.A dare un contributo determinante alla sua formazione ci saranno, non a caso, gli uomini della divisione di fanteria di Marina “Decima” del principe Junio Valerio Borghese che, in Friuli e nella Venezia Giulia, sono stati all’avanguardia nella ricerca dei rapporti con i partigiani della “Osoppo” in nome dell’italianità.” (fonte: “il modello friulano”, Vincenzo Vinciguerra)
“Nelle pagine della storia italiana si racconta l’uccisione di un gruppo di partigiani della “Osoppo”, a Porzus, nel mese di febbraio del 1945, da parte di una squadra di partigiani garibaldini al comando di Mario Toffanin, “Giacca”.Si tace però che ad Ovaro, il 20 ottobre 1944, il capo del locale Cln, Rinaldo Cioni, conocordò con il commissario germanico, Franz Gnadlinger, l’eliminazione fisica del partigiani comunisti ritenuti più pericolosi, proseguendo “il lavoro intrapreso nel dicembre scorso”. (fonte:“il seme amaro”, Vincenzo Vinciguerra)
“Intanto nella valle del Koritnica ripresero vigore i partigiani di ispirazione comunista aggregati nel nome di Tito che intensificarono le loro azioni di vendetta e di morte”
EHMMM… La prima affermazione specifica sui partigiani “d’ispirazione comunista” (ergo: contagiati dall’esterno” – vedi “virus partigiano” sotto) mette le cose subito in chiaro: a differenza degli altri partigiani (quelli della Osoppo) che “davano battaglia a chi voleva continuare a tenere l’Italia e il suo territorio nella schiavitù e nella prepotenza dell’oppressore”, i comunisti invece no: loro compiono solo azioni di vendetta e morte e vogliono cedere pezzi d’Italia agli slavi.
Chi “era rimasto con l’Italia” aderendo all’RSI era nel mirino dei comunisti.
EHMMM… Dunque Russo sostiene che il protettorato tedesco dell’RSI era “Italia” (al contrario del meridione che con Badoglio e gli americani non era, sempre secondo Russo, “ufficiale”)
“Le truppe tedesche in alcune zone venivano accolte dalla popolazione locale con sollievo in quanto queste davano una certa sicurezza e una garanzia contro le incursioni dei partigiani”
EHMMM… Siamo in un luogo dove v’é strettissimo contatto tra popolazioni di lingue italiane, slave e germaniche. Nello specifico, l’area del tarvisiano fu pure tra quelle che vennero ottenute dal Regno d’Italia con la Grande Guerra, quindi proprio in una delle zone in cui il fascismo portò avanti la fortissima opera di italianizzazione forzata e propaganda antislava. Inoltre siamo in una zona alpina dalla religiosità fortemente radicata che é pure su una zona di passaggio obbligato in cui v’é pure una miniera d’importanza strategica e dove passavano le dorsali delle linee telefoniche che collegavano Roma-Vienna-Berlino. Non stupisce dunque che la zona fosse ampiamente militarizzata, fascistizzata e che quindi, data la grande vicinanza alla cultura germanica vi fossero località più filotedesche che filopartigiane. In particolare, dal testo traspare che Cave del Predil e Tarvisio fossero i due paesi più militarizzati ed in cui erano maggiormente presenti persone di simpatie fasciste, mentre le due Bretto sembra ospitassero diverse famiglie di partigiani (Bretto di Sotto era il paese di Socian che verrà incendiato dai nazisti per rappresaglia, Bretto di Sopra quello dove i nazisti rinvennero tra “la maggioranza di quelle famiglie” (pag.235) scorte di cibo destinati probabilmente ai partigiani )
Per concludere vien narrato di come nel primo dopoguerra vi fu sì, nella zona, italianizzazione forzata, che però non funzionò nella valle della Coritenza e dell’Isonzo, ma essendoci la miniera di Cave che dava lavoro alla comunità Russo non si spiega perché invece tra quelle genti“si stava acuendo giorno dopo giorno un odio impressionante, violento e vendicativo contro gli italiani, a causa soprattutto del sistema fascista italiano che aveva trasformato quella occupazione in una vera e propria oppres-sione politica e militare”
EHMMM… Come a dire: se un bel giorno i thailandesi s’impossessassero con la forza delle valli italiane imponendo a tutti di usare la loro lingua ed i loro costumi MA dessero lavoro a tutti nella loro fabbrica di salsa di soia (che prima faceva conserve di pomodoro), chi non si sottomettesse sarebbe uno stronzo.
2.03 STILE
Il rapporto che intercorre tra “300” ed i reali eventi della battaglia delle Termopili é forse quanto di più simile al rapporto che intercorre tra “Planina Bala” e gli eventi su cui é basato.
Sulla base della struttura e premessa storica appena descritti s’innesta un testo che ibrida elementi e stili diversi amalgamati da una descrizione degli eventi in cui l’autore s’immerge spesso nelle vicende narrate facendosi interprete di sensazioni e pensieri sia propri che di alcuni personaggi, addirittura fino al punto di arrivare a descrivere le sensazioni di orrore provate dagli uccellini del bosco (pag.127) contagiati dal “virus partigiano” (vedi sotto) utilizzando una prosa particolarmente coinvolta che conferisce al racconto aspetti romanzesco-cinematografici anche di un certo lirismo.
Se questa scelta premia in termine di scorrevolezza e coinvolgimento del lettore si rivela però problematica nel momento in cui il testo deve venir utilizzato come fonte di ricerca storica in quanto pone costantemente il lettore dinnanzi ad affermazioni e dettagli anche molto minuziosi di cui però non é ben chiaro quale sia la fonte da cui Russo le abbia attinte né se un determinato passaggio sia frutto di una testimonianza o dell’elaborazione personale dell’autore. Elaborazione peraltro molto evidente nei passaggi descrittivi:
“Nessun rumore, nessun alito di vento. Quei tanti carpini ancora scheletrici, quei faggi, quei noccioli, quei frassini ossuti e immobili! Solo ogni tanto il bramire frettoloso di un cervo, stridulo, quasi cupo, rompeva quel silenzio profondo, con la neve gelata che riluceva sinistra.” pag.122
La vaghezza riguardo a numerosissimi riferimenti, abbinata all’estrema minuziosità del dettaglio su aspetti più che secondari é una costante che si ripete in tutto il testo. Per esempio, quando vien riportato che “Al giovane Boris non era sembrato vero poter dare una mano al suo osannato ispiratore” (pag.97) é impossibile dedurre dal testo se lo stato di eccitazione interiore di Boris sia stato testimoniato da qualcuno o se si tratta dell’opinione dell’autore. Non si é dunque di fronte ad una corretta narrazione storica che risente dell’influenza dell’autore nella lettura degli eventi, bensì di un testo in cui eventi, opinioni e stile dell’autore sono legati a doppio filo in ogni aspetto. Questi tratti dello stile del testo rendono purtroppo impossibile osservare il tipo di lavoro eseguito da Russo senza esporne la prosa, in quanto se il “COSA AFFERMA” é spesso vittima di incongruenze (vedi sotto) é proprio nel “COME LO AFFERMA” che risiedono i meccanismi di tali incongruenze. Ciò implica purtroppo l’impossibilità di rendere noti gli errori di metodo e le incongruenze logiche del libro senza riportare i brani e passaggi che li contengono. Impossibile, ad esempio, comprendere la stranezza di una certa informazione fornita in due righe se non si han ben presenti i toni delle lunghe sviolinate che accompagnano informazioni di natura opposta, così come sarebbe impossibile far emergere la comunicazione implicita e sottintesa senza esporre quella esplicita.
2.04 LA (MALA)ESPOSIZIONE DELLE FONTI
Riguardo alle fonti del libro va fatta una prima chiara distinzione: il testo presenta testimonianze dirette, materiale fotografico d’epoca ed attuale, alcuni documenti dell’epoca, lettere e altro materiale, ma solo una parte di questo materiale é relativo ai fatti veri e propri poiché a causa della struttura del libro parte delle fonti riguarda la descrizione degli ambienti, della vita quotidiana nel 1943-44, aneddoti il cui scopo é fornire un’idea del periodo e del clima sociale, e testimonianze interessanti ma di secondaria importanza (per esempio: le testimonianze numericamente maggiori sono quelle relative alla vista dei cadaveri portati in esposizione dai nazifascisti nelle piazze dei paesi; testimonianze interessanti in quanto perfettamente concordi sullo stato dei corpi, ma che nulla dicono riguardo al modo in cui i corpi siano stati ridotti in quello stato). Sono presenti anche una poesia, foto dei famigliari delle vittime, foto delle autorità militari che presenziano alle onorificenze, ecc.
Le interviste, come già detto, non vengono trascritte nella loro interezza né riportate in calce bensì, nella prosecuzione del racconto, Russo inserisce frasi e spezzoni da esse estrapolate citando il nome dell’intervistato (non sempre a dir il vero) e lasciando spesso intendere che la narrazione che ne segue sia un’elaborazione delle dichiarazioni di quella stessa persona. Per esempio a pag.145 Russo riporta in virgolettato lo sfogo dell’anonimo figlio di un testimone anonimo che dichiara di aver dovuto mantenere per anni il segreto su quanto raccontatigli dal padre, ma al termine dello sfogo tali fatti tenuti segretinon vengono nemmeno narrati: dopo un paio di righe di commento di Russo sullo stato d’animo dell’anonimo figlio del testimone si riassume il tutto nella frase “Scene di odio e di vendetta atroce […]”, frase molto simile a quelle utilizzate immediatamente prima d’introdurre il figlio del testimone, ottenendo dunque un effetto panino (vedi sotto), cui segue una descrizione delle torture avvenute DENTRO la baita nonostante il virgolettato riporta chiaramente che il testimone anonimo si trovasse “nascosto dietro un grosso albero a poche decine di metri da quello scempio”, da che se ne desume che queste dettagliatissime “Scene di odio e di vendetta atroce […]” descritte successivamente a questa frase non possono esser state descritte a Russo dal teste citato.
“Il giovane comandante Perpignano (nella stanzetta principale di malga Bala ndr) intanto era costretto a seguire ogni cosa con gli occhi sbarrati, travolto dal dolore e dalla rabbia, da un terrore spasmodico e violento: perfino delle formiche affamate, attratte dal sangue, avevano cominciato a salirgli tra i capelli” (pag.146)
Può un uomo nascosto dietro a un albero a decine di metri da una malga vedere delle formiche che si arrampicano sulla testa di un uomo che sta all’interno alla malga?
2.05 SELEZIONE
Riguardo alle testimonianze dirette é necessario segnalare un ulteriore dettaglio che fa sorgere notevoli perplessità: é possibile osservare come gli stessi stralci d’intervista a Silvio Gianfrate (Srecko) vengano riportati due volte (pag.19 e pag.192) ma le due versioni differiscono fra loro con variazioni non giustificabili da semplici errori di trascrizione e che lasciano supporre un’intervento correttivo e/o selettivo dell’autore nel riportare le parole dell’intervistato. Nello specifico: nella versione di pag.19 Srecko dichiara che i sequestrati furono uccisi a malga Bala mentre nella versione di pag.192 il riferimento a malga Bala é completamente assente.
Altrettanto interessante é il modo in cui vengono presentati alcuni stralci dell’intervista al partigiano Hrovat. Per esempio: all’inizio del libro, a pag.16, vengono riportate in questo modo una domanda di Russo e la risposta di Hrovat:
[Russo ndr] “Ma perché i 12 carabinieri furono così barbaramente trucidati?” Una delle mie tante domande.
[Hrovat ndr]“E chi dice queste cose? .. lo… io non ero lassù… A colpi di piccone poi… No, no, mai fatto una cosa del genere noi partigiani! Coi picconi poi!… Su, su, dove prendevamo i picconi, i coltelli o le scimitarre? .. Sì e no avevamo qualche temperino… dodici carabinieri poi… Erano sì e no cinque, sei: pum pum, sono stati sparati e tutto è finito lì! Ma perché cercate queste cose ora? Non avete altro da fare in Italia voi giornalisti? Sono passati 50 anni… su mo’, a cosa serve riaprire certe ferite? .. Socian era il comandante militare, io il commissario politico” .
Interessante anche l’uso dei punti di sospensione che dovrebbero indicare una pausa di silenzio tra le singole frasi ma in realtà qui sembrano indicare che le singole frasi siano stata estrapolate da discorsi più ampio (magari in risposta a domande diverse), ossia presenterebbe ellissi che andrebbero invece indicate dai puntini di sospensione fra parentesi quadre ( […] ). Si osservi come con “Una delle mie tante domande” Russo censuri ulteriormente l’intervista impedendo al lettore di capire a che domande stia rispondendo Hrovat! Editata così l’intervista sembra suggerire che tra tante domande, a QUESTA, Hrovat abbia risposto letteralmente così e per chi legge l’impressione é che Hrovat, interpellato in maniera generica sui fatti, sbotti istericamente parlando in maniera impacciata all’intervistatore di colpi di piccone, temperini ecc. Ma confrontando la “risposta” di pag.16 con quella di pag.193 sorge il dubbio che la prima sia in realtà un collage di singole frasi (cherry-picking) provenienti evidentemente dalle risposte date a più domande diverse, estratte dall’intervista nella sua interezza e combinate assieme. Difatti a pag.193 la domanda posta da Russo é diversa ed é proprio Russo a introdurre nel discorso i corpi martoriati coi picconi:
[Russo ndr] “Ma perché infierire sui carabinieri in quel modo, coi picconi…!”
[Hrovat ndr] “Noi non si aveva picconi!… Nessun piccone è stato usato…! Quelle cose non si fanno. I partigiani non facevano quelle cose, non lo hanno fatto perché non lo sapevano fare!”
Negli stralci d’intervista presentati da pag.193 difatti troviamo frasi molto simili a quelle presentate a pag.16, anche qui presentate in successione separata da puntini di sospensione e mancanti delle domande di Russo:
“Ben 12 carabinieri, tenuti in vita per quasi due giorni? .. Su, mo’: dove prendevamo da mangiare per loro per tanto tempo?… Ma perché questo vostro interessamento a questa storia: è passato tanto tempo! Che inte- resse avete a rivangare questa vicenda?”
“Noi partigiani abbiamo sempre rispettato i carabinieri. Chi era coi fasci- sti no, non poteva essere da noi rispettato, ma i carabinieri cosa c’entra- vano? lo non ero su in malga… Ma è passato tanto tempo, come si fa a ricordare?.. E poi… 5 o 6 carabinieri uccisi.. .. 12!?.. No, non erano 12… Voi mi rivelate cose nuove che io non ho mai sentito… Sono cose del tutto nuove per me! … Questa cosa è stata opera di altri, non dei partigia- ni! E’ passato tanto tempo! Come pretendete che uno ricordi ancora que- sti particolari?.. 12 morti e tutti carabinieri?.. E’ assurdo, 5 o 6, non 12 e poi uccisi in quel modo! Mi fate venire i brividi!… Ammazzati poi a colpi di piccone! … No, no, mai fatta noi una cosa del genere. Dov’erano i partigiani non succedevano queste cose. Questa per noi era un’azione militare, non politica e questa è stata un’azione militare!”
In altre azioni i prigionieri venivano liberati o mandati a casa o sparati nell’azione, in questa no, come mai? .. Sono stati gli italiani a ridurre in quello stato i carabinieri o anche i tedeschi e poi hanno dato la colpa a noi. lo non credo sia successo questo che voi dite, noi si sparava ai prigionieri. Non abbiamo mai trucidato nessuno noi… Non avevamo mica coltelli, accette, picconi o scimitarre!… Su, mo’! Noi avevamo mitra, qualche temperino, mica picconi! … Ma dopo cinquant’anni voi cercate ancora queste cose? A chi interessano più?.. Cosa serve andare a riaprire queste ferite…. No, non mi va giù questa storia: nessuno li ha trucidati,glielo garantisco io. La mia parola… boh, dai, almeno al 60%, d’accordo? Con Socian ho sempre baruffato; però come commissario politico .. vincevo sempre io che ero più furbo!” “Ripeto che i carabinieri non erano nostri nemici, i fascisti sì, erano nemici!” “Ma voi giornalisti italiani non avete altro a cui pensare?… Dopo tanti anni tirate fuori ancora questa storia?” “Potevate aspettare ancora qualche anno, no?”
Sorge lecitamente il sospetto che Russo e Rinaldi, i quali non nascondono di aver provato enorme fastidio e sofferenza (pag.16) durante l’intervista a Hrovat a causa della loro antipatia naturale (pag.16) nei suoi confronti, abbiano esercitato particolare insistenza sull’ex-partigiano perché le sue risposte confermassero le storie su picconate e torture e che questi abbia reagito in malomodo (reazione che il testo lascia intendere essere segno di nervosismo da colpevolezza ma che può benissimo essere spiegata come la reazione di una persona irritata dal fatto di esser sfrontatamente accusato di essere un mostro). Non essendo note le domande a cui gli intervistati rispondono é non é possibile capire con esattezza l’andamento dell’intervista ma il tono stizzito di diversi stralci fanno supporre che l’intervistatore abbia pressato l’intervistato dando per scontato che si trattasse del membro di una compagnia di mostri.
Difatti pag.193 Russo scrive: “Ma perché trucidare i carabinieri in quel modo? A ogni mia domanda specifica, come questa, Silvo Gianfrate perdeva il controllo e alzava la voce, con gli occhi improvvisamente violenti”.“Ogni” e “Domanda specifica COME QUESTA” indicano chiaramente che le domande furono diverse e di tono simile a quella indicata, ossia una domanda in cui si da per certo che la brigata di Hrovat fosse composta da assassini spietati.
Ed a pag.194 Russo commenta così le risposte di Hrovat:
“Ci aveva quasi derisi il Hrovat, tentando di mettere tutto in ridicolo e in dubbio, facendo di tutto per confonderci le poche idee precise che in quel momento avevamo, le poche certezze che a ogni sua risposta vacillavano e di punto in bianco io mi ritrovavo a brancolare nel buio e nei misteri più fitti. Sarebbe stato un abile politico il signor Hrovat, almeno in Italia!”
Giusto per fare un esempio altrettanto violento: tu, si , proprio tu che stai leggendo, come reagiresti dinanzi a qualcuno che continua a farti domande specifiche sul modo in cui avresti violentato e fatto a pezzi un bambino dando per scontato che tu sia un mostro che commette atti del genere? Sorridendo pacatamente e offrendo una nuova tazza di the o perdendo il controllo, alzando la voce e fulminando con gli occhi questa persona insistente?
A pag.206 viene affermato che le interviste sono state registrate. Sarebbe interessante ascoltarle per intero per capire esattamente il tono con cui avvennero, che domande vennero poste, l’ordine delle risposte e se vi fu pressione sull’intervistato.
2.06 INTERVISTE, FARI E PANINI
Il modo in cui vengono utilizzati gli spezzoni d’interviste si attiene spesso a due modalità comunicative che qui chiamerò “metodo del faro” e “metodo del panino”.
Il primo consiste nel piazzare all’interno della descrizione degli eventi fatta da Russo un virgolettato che conferisce un falso senso di validità alla narrazione in cui é inserita nonostante gli elementi forniti nel virgolettato siano solitamente meno importanti della narrazione stessa. Un esempio lo si ha a pag.121,122 dove la narrazione del pasto avvelenato con soda caustica, varechina e pepe contiene al suo interno quest’unica frase-faro estrapolata da un’intervista:
“Noi abbiamo fatto da mangiare sia per i partigiani che per i carabinieri” – Ci confermerà in seguito la signora Mafalda, moglie di Lojs Gajger.
Se proprio ci si fosse dovuti limitare ad usare un unico spezzone d’intervista non avrebbe avuto più senso estrapolare la frase in cui vien data testimonianza dell’avvelenamento? O quello sui dolori provati dagli avvelenati? E invece niente: l’unica testimonianza scelta riguardo a questo episodio é la testimonianza della moglie di Gajger in cui dice semplicemente che hanno preparato da mangiare sia per gli uni che per gli altri. Quest’unica frase che non dice assolutamente nulla riguardo al punto nodale dell’episodio, inserita nella narrazione della cena genera nel lettore l’illusione che il racconto in cui é immersa sia la trascrizione delle dichiarazioni della signora Mafalda; cosa che Russo però non afferma affatto.
Esempi simili sono sparsi in tutto il libro ma il più impressionante é certamente quello delle torture. Da pag.137 a pag. 146 vengono descritte le torture eseguite sui dodici. La descrizione delle stesse é molto dettagliata:
Gli venne subito conficcato un legno a uncino, appositamente preparato poco prima, (“come quello che si usava una volta per tenere la padella del latte”) , tra il nervo posteriore dietro il calcagno e l’osso del piede: i due arti anzi furono accavalcati l’uno sull’altro in una morsa di sangue. Fu issato a testa in giù, con la parte terminale dell’uncino legata a una trave di sostegno del tetto della cucina (pag.144)
Tuttavia la narrazione delle torture presenta diversi stralci-faro di interviste che non dicono assolutamente nulla riguardo alle sevizie:
“Era una malga dove tutti d’estate portavano le proprie bestie, soprattutto pecore”. Così Bepi Flajs […] (pag.138)
“Quella volta non tutti potevano permettersi attrezzi in ferro e quindi si usavano pezzi di legno duro, in particolare pino e faggio: da questi pezzi duri si ricavavano accette e soprattutto picconi”. Così Bepi Flajs […] (pag.142)
“come quello che si usava una volta per tenere la padella del latte”(pag.144, non si sa chi sia la fonte di questa frase)
“Finalmente – mi ha confidato con le lacrime agli occhi il figlio di un pastore, il quale, nascosto dietro un grosso albero a poche decine di metri da quello scempio, aveva seguito tutto pietrificato e impotente – finalmente posso liberarmi di questo peso che mi opprime il cuore da tanti, tanti anni! Per quasi cinquant’anni ho dovuto nascondere questa verità, ma era tempo che tutto venisse alla luce! Mi sento finalmente libero, quasi leggero!”
Anche qui, poche frasi che non dicono molto fungono da illusorio faro-verità all’interno di una narrazione di cui non se ne conoscono le fonti: chi ha fornito a Russo certi macabri dettagli?
[…] con filo spinato, con le braccia dietro la schiena, coi polsi delle mani stretti ai piedi! Filo spinato che veniva poi agganciato ai genitali di quei poveri disperati i quali, muovendosi e dimenandosi nel dolore, automaticamente si sventravano (pag.145)
Un carabiniere riuscì a buttarsi per terra implorando con la foto di sua madre in mano e gridando di salvarlo per amor suo, ma quella foto gli fu strappata e conficcata in bocca. Primo Amenici, il papà di quei cinque bambini tutti in tenera età, finito giorni prima a Bretto in sostituzione di un altro carabiniere in licenza, riuscì a tirare fuori dalla giacca, prima che questa gli venisse strappata da dosso, la foto coi suoi cinque bambini e a mostrarla ai suoi assassini. Ma una picconata volante gli sventrò il cuore e quella foto gli fu conficcata nel petto, là dove fino a qualche attimo prima quel cuore aveva vibrato per quei suoi piccoli abbandonati per sempre (pag.145)
Da dove ha appreso Russo queste dettagliatissime descrizioni degli eventi non é dato saperlo, ma il testo si premura d’informarci dettagliatamente riguardo a dettagli di minor conto come il fatto che fu Flajs a raccontare che a malga Bala i contadini ci portavano le pecore d’estate e che non tutti (gli abitanti della Bausiza) avevano attrezzi di ferro. Questa moltiplicazione di frasi-faro provenienti da diversi testi genera nel lettore un “effetto panino” ossia illude il lettore che la somma di diverse testimonianze dia validità alle affermazioni prive di fonte in cui sono inserite.
2.07 ATTEGGIAMENTO PREVENUTO
Una conferma dell’atteggiamento forzatamente pregiudiziale dell’autore lo si può trovare per esempio a pag.196. Dopo che per tutto il testo Socian é stato descritto con affermazioni ed aggettivi come: il piccolo grande terribile dio della Coritenza / un padreterno privo di scrupoli o tentennamenti / colui che capeggia il nugolo di partigiani / un uomo di cui tutti avevano terrore / che porta avanti sconsiderate azioni / Era il diavolo personificato, esperto come nessun altro, padrone assoluto dei sentieri e delle strade, di giorno e soprattutto di notte /, quando Hrovat nell’intervista dichiara che la responsabilità (politica? militare?) dell’azione era di Socian, Russo commenta stizzito:
“porta il discorso su Socian che era morto da qualche mese dando a lui ogni responsabilità, tanto nessuno mai avrebbe più potuto avvicinarlo”
Ciò é assai interessante in quanto evidenzia un atteggiamento di negativizzazione forzata in cui gli archetipi necessitanti di continua riaffermazione: (1) il defunto Socian era il capo dei mostri e (2) tutti i partigiani sono mostri portano alla negativizzazione dell’affermazione di Hrovat che, pur venendo accettata in quanto confermante il primo archetipo, deve essere ammantata di negatività per riconfermare il secondo archetipotutti i partigiani sono mostri. Ecco che, anche se Hrovat fornisce a Russo un’informazione in linea con la sua narrazione degli eventi, l’autore aggiunge a quella stessa informazione una sbavatura di perfidia perché l’affermazione si conformi alla struttura pregiudiziale. Vi si può leggere anche un’elemento di proiezione junghiana in quanto accusare persone che non possono difendersi é esattamente ciò che fa Russo!
2.08 LE TANTE CONTRADDIZIONI DEL LIBRO
Nel testo sono relativamente frequenti anche affermazioni contraddittorie che vengono apparentemente attenuate dal fatto che gli elementi che si contraddicono sono spesso presentati in maniera discorsivamente separata oppure perché su determinati elementi vien posta particolare attenzione mentre gli elementi che li contraddicono vengono appena segnalati senza spenderci sopra nemmeno un commento. Alcuni esempi:
STUPORE PREANNUNCIATO? Si afferma che il sabotaggio alla centrale della miniera fosse inaspettato (pag.70) nonostante si affermi che l’attività principale dei partigiani fosse quella di effettuare sabotaggi soprattutto con lo scopo di interrompere la produzione della miniera e che i militi poi sequestrati fossero stati ingaggiati appositamente per difenderla. ( a questo proposito si veda un elenco dei sabotaggi effettuati da Socian alla miniera nel sottocapitolo 5.11)
VELOCI MA LENTI? Non si tiene nemmeno conto dell’illogicità secondo cui i partigiani riuscirono a fuggire velocemente da Bretto pur con un vantaggio di tempo ristretto (pag.150) attraverso un sentiero particolarmente impervio e rallentati dai dodici prigionieri e da un carico d’armi e vettovaglie (pag.101,102) e poi siano intimoriti dal fatto di poter esser raggiunti dai nazifascisti mentre si trovano in una malga isolata nel bel mezzo dei territori di cui erano signori incontrastati raggiungibile solo attraverso un sentiero impervio in cui nessun tedesco o italiano avrebbe mai pensato di avventurarsi (pag.139) anche perché non erano affatto pratici di quei territori come i partigiani (pag.155)
FURBI MA SCEMI? Con un certo contorsionismo Russo riesce a far passare l’impossibilità di eseguire fucilazioni ed a criticare i partigiani sostenendo a pag.186 che “fossero stati un pochino furbi” avrebbero potuto crivellare i corpi (per celare le torture). Quindi, ricapitolando: Russo sostiene che i partigiani NON potessero sparare perché il rumore avrebbe attirato immediatamente i nazifascisti ma al tempo stesso che i nazisti si muovevano in maniera impacciata (pag.186), che i partigiani spararono con un revolver ad un milite in fuga (pag.146) ma furono così“poco furbi”da non aver crivellato tutti i corpi.
PREOCCUPAZIONI NON PREOCCUPANTI? A pag.186 si sostiene che non fosse possibile eseguire fucilazioni sui monti perché l’eco (pag.139) avrebbe attirato l’attenzione dei nazifascisti ma, dopo aver segnalato a pag. 120 che malga Bala si trovava in una posizione “dove tedeschi e italiani non potevano assolutamente avvicinarsi senza essere precedentemente avvistati da lontano”, a pag.139 che “Nessun tedesco, nessun italiano avrebbe mai pensato di avventurarsi per quei ghiaioni scivolosi, col rischio di perdersi o di venir sorpreso dai nemici facilmente in agguato” perché “non conoscevano neanche l’esistenza” (pag.139) ed a pag. 127 che i tedeschi non sarebbero mai andati neanche fino a Logje“mai e poi mai sia i tedeschi che gli italiani, specie di notte, si sarebbero avventurati in perlustrazioni molto pericolose in quella zona aspra e isolata”, tanto che possono permettersi di far urlare tutta la notte i sequestrati con grida che squarciavano il silenzio e quindi nessuna preoccupazione da parte dei partigiani, a pag.146 si parla di un colpo di revolver sparato alla spalla di un milite della GNR che tentava di fuggire e non si capisce perché, una volta sparato un colpo non se ne fossero potuti sparare altri.
FREQUENTATISSIMO LUOGO ISOLATO? Da un lato sostiene che la scelta cadde su malga Bala in quanto isolata e difficile da raggiungere ma dall’altro sostiene che furono numerosi i pastori che non ebbero alcuna difficoltà a salire non visti per assistere di nascosto alle uccisioni (pag.147), tra cui l’anonimo padre di un amico di Toni Rinaldi che, a quanto sostiene, addirittura seguì quasi passo passo, di nascosto, la “via crucis” dei militi della GNR, la mattanza e la disposizione dei cadaveri (pag.18,109,139,142)
INCONTRASTATI TONTOLONI DEL TERRITORIO? Non solo malga Bala é isolata ma frequentatissima ma i partigiani, incontrastati signori di quei territori che si muovono con circospezione per controllare l’eventuale presenza di nazisti (pag.109) non si accorgono minimamente di essere circondati da diversi contadini che li hanno seguiti!
FIDATO COLLABORATORE POCO COLLABORATIVO? Gli incontrastati signori del territorio non si accorgono della presenza dei contadini ma (forse – vedi sotto) se ne accorge Gajger, “amico fidato” e “protettore devoto” dei partigiani (pag.14) che in qualche modo é conscio della presenza di Bepi Flajs (pag.147) tanto da andarlo a chiamare una volta spariti i fidati compagni partigiani (anche se il passaggio é poco chiaro e sembrerebbe che Bepi Flajs fosse tornato a Logje – vedi sotto).
SEGRETO PUBBLICO? Sostiene che la messinscena delle fucilazioni venne fatta nella certezza che nessuno avrebbe mai potuto sostenere il contrario (pag.197) ma che tutta la comunità viene a sapere fin da subito e nei minimi particolari cosa avvenne (pag.149).
PICCONATE COL TRUCCO? Il testo da un lato riporta le parole di Bepi Flajs secondo cui i partigiani dovevano far credere che i militi della GNR fossero stati semplicemente fucilati (pag.197) ma dall’altro che il massacro doveva essere volutamente violento e impressionante perché gli italiani ricordassero per sempre quella data (pag.121) e non si spiega in che modo un evento possa essere al contempo tenuto segreto e ricordato in eterno. Come si faccia poi a torturare delle persone con dei picconi ma in modo tale da far credere che siano stati fucilati non é dato sapere.
2.09 CONCESSIONI A CARO PREZZO
Il testo potrebbe non manifestare immediatamente il proprio manicheismo a causa di affermazioni critiche nei confronti del nazifascismo. Affermazioni che tuttavia s’innestano su una struttura fortemente di parte (lo si é ben visto osservando l’introduzione storica che apriva il testo) e che vengono fatte pagare a caro prezzo poiché a fronte di un numero estremamente esiguo di fredde critiche ad elementi specifici della storia nazifascista non vien fatta corrispondere una critica altrettanto blanda e limitata delle posizioni dei partigiani, bensì un rifiuto cieco e totale di ogni cosa li riguardi anche solo indirettamente. Alcuni esempi dei concetti espressi nel testo in cui sono ravvisabili concessioni esplicite ed i concetti-pegno impliciti che ne conseguono:
L’introduzione storica é sostanzialmente un “Mussolini ha sbagliato ad allearsi coi tedeschi MA, meglio LVI ed i nazi che Badoglio ed i comunisti”
L’odio antiitaliano dei partigiani nacque dai soprusi che subirono dagli italiani MA i partigiani erano comunisti e quindi in fondo se l’erano cercata.
I tedeschi erano terribili e cattivi MA erano obbligati a comportarsi così. E comunque meglio i tedeschi dei comunisti.
E così via: questo é sostanzialmente il livello delle concessioni fatte ed il modo in cui viene proposto é sempre lo stesso: la critica é esplicita (concessione) ma il concetto che ne vien fatto conseguire (prezzo) é implicito. Più avanti si vedrà meglio cosa vien messo sui piatti della bilancia dei prezzi.
2.10 AMORE E ODIO
Di eccezionale interesse é osservare il modo in cui Russo tratta i personaggi della vicenda e le persone interessate. Esempi specifici li si potrà osservare nel terzo capitolo di questo articolo, ma basti tenere a mente questo: se una persona sta simpatica e/o fornisce affermazioni utili a Russo, questa riceverà una descrizione amorevole e positiva. Al contrario: odio puro o silenzio assoluto. Qualche esempio veloce-veloce giusto per assaggio? Basterebbe già osservare come Socian vien descritto: così cattivo da poter far paura quasi a Satana in persona! Oppure il fatto che di numerosi testimoni indiretti ci vengono forniti i dati biografici ma ciò non avviene per il partigiano Hrovat che non le manda a dire a Russo quando insiste perché “confessi” ! Ma, come anticipato, questa differenza di trattamento verrà illustrata meglio nel prossimo capitolo.
2.11 INFORMAZIONI SUSSURRATE
Se alcune informazioni vengono urlate, commentate e ripetute ve ne sono tuttavia alcune che il testo riporta ma senza alcuna enfasi: vengono “buttate lì” per poi essere immediatamente dimenticate come non esistessero. Se osservate attentamente però é facile notare che hanno tutte una cosa in comune: sono tutte informazioni che potrebbero intaccare e/o smentire le affermazioni di Russo. Sorge quindi un dubbio, ossia: perché mai le avrebbe fornite? I casi sono diversi ma riassumibili a questi gruppi:
Informazioni che Russo era obbligato a riportare, come ad esempio i numerosi tentativi di sabotaggio dei partigiani in cui non viene fatto male a nessun paesano.
Informazioni utili ma a rischio, come la testimonianza del Venturini, che dichiara di esser stato per un po partigiano con la Garibaldi: informazione utile perché fa apparire il teste come una “fonte interna” ai partigiani ma pericolosa perché esce dallo schema “partigiano=demone senza contatti con la brava gente”
Gli esempi sono numerosi e già presenti negli altri sottocapitoli e pertanto eviterò di riproporli anche qui.
2.12 FALLACIE LOGICHE
Le contraddizioni del testo, unite all’atteggiamento pregiudiziale si manifestano attraverso diversi tipi di fallacia logica (maggiori dettagli QUI) e trucchi narrativi. Essendo presenti nell’interezza del testo, elencarli é impresa scarsamente utile in quanto, una volta compresi i meccanismi di queste fallacie, le stesse emergono automaticamente già dalle osservazioni di questo articolo. Per questo motivo mi limiterò ad elencare le tipologie di fallacia chiedendo a chi legge di tenerle a mente durante la prosecuzione della lettura
Straw men / uomo di paglia, ossia rapasentare in maniera infedele un avversario con lo scopo di abbatterlo e infangarlo.
Dissimulazione, ossia presentare dati in modo ambiguo.
Argumentum ad nauseam, ossia ripetere in continuazione determinate affermazioni con l’intento di far percepire all’uditore/lettore queste affermazioni come accettate.
Condanna delle alternative, ossia forzare le interpretazioni affinché convergano su una sola delle ipotesi possibili.
Affermazione del conseguente, ossia dare per scontata una connessione logica che scontata non é, attraverso una relazione causa-effetto semplificata.
Premesse contraddittorie, ossia proporre un ragionamento coerente basato però su premesse che si contraddicono fra loro.
Rimettere l’onere della prova, ossia fornire tesi e informazioni date per vere senza fornirne dimostrazione e fonti.
Eccezione che conferma la regola, ossia appellarsi all’eccezionalità ed unicità di un caso ma al tempo stesso trattandolo come un evento comune.
False premesse, ossia dare per vere delle premesse che non sono tali snaturando alla base ogni ragionamento successivo (simile al “premesse contraddittorie”).
Aneddottica, ossia aggrapparsi essenzialmente su testimonianze aneddotiche anziché inserire quest’ultime in un quadro logico coerente.
Trattamento di favore, ossia favorire le posizioni di una delle classi coinvolte nella narrazione.
Obiezioni insignificanti, ovvero elevare dubbi, anche validi, che riguardano argomenti secondari come se fossero elementi nodali di una teoria/affermazione.
Falsa inversione, ossia l’applicazione errata di [ A=B per cui B=A ] perlopiù in casi di generalizzazione (vedi) basati su dati particolari [Luca é moro e stronzo per cui tutti i mori di nome Luca sono stronzi]
Cherry-picking, (conosciuto anche come “suppressing evidence”) ossia selezionare solo gli elementi che confermano l’ipotesi di partenza.
Card-Stacking, ossia una tecnica tipicamente usata in pubblicità e propaganda che consiste nel porre continue attenzioni solo sugli aspetti che si vogliono trasmettere sorvolando invece su quegli aspetti che potrebbero mettere in discussione la narrazione imbastita
Generalizzazione, ossia attribuire, per semplificazione, a tutti i membri di una certa classe una determinata caratteristica.
Limitazione imposta, ossia introdurre limitazioni arbitrarie come se valessero universalmente.
Entimemi e non-detto, ossia lasciare che i significati profondi del messaggio emergano tra le righe senza mai affermarli direttamente (il “prezzo” fatto pagare dalle “concessioni”)
Falsa precisione, ossia dare supporto alla propria tesi agganciandoci informazioni molto dettagliate che tuttavia esulano dalla logica della tesi stessa.
Di fari e panini si é già parlato in maniera dettagliata in quanto facilmente evidenziabile anche con pochi esempi. I restanti meccanismi sono tutti più o meno presenti nel testo: alcuni con prepotenza (p.es. falsa precisione, generalizzazione, aneddotica), altri meno (falsa inversione); alcuni sono presenti in casi specifici (p.es. la limitazione imposta secondo cui Maria non poteva avere accesso ad un telefono) ed altri sono riscontrabili solo analizzando il testo nella sua interezza (p.es. generalizzazione). Pertanto li si riscontrerà non sempre attraverso punti specifici e affermazioni nette, ma man mano che verranno esposte le caratteristiche del mondo dipinto nel libro. Il lettore, ripeto, é invitato a tenere bene a mente le fallacie logiche qui elencate perché queste si rivelino spontaneamente.
3.00 IL MONDO DI “PLANINA BALA”
É particolarmente evidente che il mondo che traspare dalle pagine di “Planina Bala” noné una rappresentazione fedele e realistica di un territorio delle alpi friulane nel bel mezzo del secondo conflitto mondiale. Il mondo che traspare da “Planina Bala” é una rappresentazione ipersemplificata in cui una comunità omogenea e pacifica che sottostà per amor del quieto vivere al dominio del potente di turno (in questo caso i tedeschi) col quale ha un rapporto sia di timore che di rispetto. L’armonia della comunità però viene perturbata dalla presenza dei partigiani: esseri crudeli che scatenano il lato peggiore di tutti. Le varie caratteristiche del mondo, che ora verranno illustrate nello specifico, sono strettamente interconnesse fra loro (per questo si può parlar di “mondo”) e quindi i prossimi punti presenteranno necessariamente ripetizioni e rimandi circolari.
3.01 FRANZA O SPAGNA PURCHE’ SE MAGNA
La comunità del tarvisiano così come raccontata dal Russo é una comunità uniforme fatta di brava gente devota e rispettosa che sottostà al potere nazifascista per amore del quieto vivere. Uniformità spezzata solo dai partigiani, descritti come entità esterna, come cellula tumorale, come il lupo cattivo delle fiabe.
Il concetti di fondo é che nella comunità omogenea del tarvisiano non v’é lotta, non v’é tensione, non v’é divisione ma solo brava gente che s’adatta al potere dominante indifferentemente da quale sia. Nazisti, fascisti, romani, unni, longobardi, marziani: stessa cosa!
Poco importa ciò che vogliono i nuovi dominatori: imporre una dittatura? Culto della violenza? Sottomissione obbligata all’autorità? Abolire la libertà di stampa? Picchiare, uccidere o mandare al confino chi dissente? Trasformare le elezioni in una farsa? Imporre un regime corporativo totalmente sbilanciato a favore delle classi agiate? Militarismo estremo? Razzismo? Colonialismo? Sterminare brutalmente popolazioni non italiane? Deportare qualche migliaio di ebrei in Germania? VA TUTTO BENE! A patto che non si tocchi lo status quo basato sulla tradizione religiosa (a questo ci arriviamo tra un attimo)!
Poiché a questi continui richiami all’accettazione e sottomissione nei confronti del nazifascismo non segue alcuna apologia esplicita del fascismo stesso, il testo si potrebbe tranquillamente ascrivere alla pubblicistica afascista cattolica (sulla religiosità del testo vedi sotto) anticomunista proprio in quanto l’interesse principale é più rivolto a screditare i partigiani che ad elogiare il fascismo. Tuttavia, come vedremo, definire questo testo semplicemente afascista potrebbe essere limitativo.
Torniamo a noi: per riuscire a dipingere questa comunità omogenea ben disposta a sottomettersi all’autorità dominante per amor del quieto vivere, Russo é però obbligato a minimizzare ogni elemento che possa contrattare quest’immagine.
Difatti quando si trova costretto a citare persone del posto che collaborano coi partigiani evita di commentare (card-stacking inverso), come nel caso degli operai della miniera a pag.53 o l’arganista Krast di pag.214 che li aiuta a effettuare uno dei più imponenti sabotaggi alla miniera in cui lui stesso lavorava, o li descrive come vittime impaurite del terrore causato dal virus partigiano, come nel caso di Bepi Flajs e del contadino anonimo. Ma la forzatura é evidente, soprattutto nel caso delle persone su cui il “virus partigiano” agisce in modo ambiguo. Anche nel caso del Gajger questo meccanismo funziona male: Gajger é descritto ora come un fedele e fidato servitore dei partigiani, ora come un uomo che agisce solo per interesse, ora come un uomo che tenta di far buon viso a cattivo gioco. Il “virus partigiano” però, come già visto, in lui si manifesta in negativo solo a fatti compiuti, nella vecchiaia di Gajger che distrutto dagli eventi passati si autocostringe a vivere in un’abitazione cupa trafitto dai rimorsi, come colui che trovando la fede sceglie la via dell’insolazione eremitica.
Ma i richiami più forti restano quelli al mantenimento dello status quo: il primo pensiero del signor Berlot, che vive vicino della centrale elettrica attaccata dai partigiani, saputo che questa esploderà, é: “Così ora perdiamo anche quel poco di pane che abbiamo!”(pag.150). Il parroco Ivan Hlad raccomanda i paesani di non seguire i partigiani per non subire le ritorsioni tedesche. I carabinieri appena giunti per difendere la centrale elettrica dice siano subito presi in simpatia dalla popolazione. Il testo nel suo insieme sembra gridare “La guerra é altrove, qui non vi sono combattimenti: sono i partigiani a perturbare l’armonia”. Se i nazifascisti massacrano la popolazione per ritorsione contro i partigiani la responsabilità di ciò va data proprio a quest’ultimi: ai cattivi partigiani che hanno osato portare la guerra nella quiete delle pacifiche valli amministrate dai nazisti. Che tipo di comunità é allora quella descritta nel testo? É una comunità perbenista, qualunquista e piagnucolosa, fatta di “brava gente” innocente, poveri lavoratori che si lamentano del male che vien da un “fuori”. Una comunità omogenea unita dal vittimismo che deriva dal dipingersi come ultimi portatori di “sani valori” tradizionali originatisi in un tempo mitizzato in cui l’uomo era più vicino al “vero”.
Il piccolo mondo che fuoriesce dal testo di Russo é più in linea con una narrazione fiabesca che realista (piccola comunità unita ed omogenea, agitazione provocata da elemento perturbante con caratteristiche demoniache e aliene; narrazione semplificata concentrata sugli aspetti emotivi, ecc) atta a trasmettere una lezione morale (i nazisti erano cattivi, i fascisti, nonostante qualche eccesso, accettabili, mentre i comunisti erano e sono demoni che agiscono per il male). Essendo dunque in presenza di un’innesto fiabesco su temporalità storica si può pienamente parlare di mitologia. Nello specifico di una mitologia afascista di matrice cristiana (sulla religiosità del testo ci arriviamo, ci arriviamo…) ed anticomunista che non é interessata a giustificare l’agire dei fedeli di Mussolini ma lo accetta fintantoché questo non vada contro alla sfera religiosa cattolica. Dunque, se proprio bisogna cercare un modello di riferimento della comunità descritta da Russo non é nella storia, ma proprio nelle fiabe che lo si può trovare.
E quale fiaba o racconto per l’infanzia viene in mente quando si parla di una comunità omogenea di brave persone la cui tranquillità viene messa in repentaglio ripetutamente da un unico grande cattivo? A me vengono, vengono in mente… i Puffi!
Tutti diversi ma in fondo tutti uguali (la comunità nel suo insieme), concordi nel riconoscere come loro capo uno di loro (i “carabinieri” erano italiani come noi) cui viene attribuito il titolo di Grande in quanto anziano portatore dei valori tradizionali (la chiesa), che vivono in serena armonia (idem), ma questa tranquillità é continuamente messa a repentaglio da azioni scellerate (idem) portate avanti dal cattivo Gargamella (Socian) e la perfida Birba (i partigiani), che nella sua cattiveria é però anch’essa sottomessa a Gargamella (idem per partigiani con Socian).
Tutti buoni e innocenti. Al limite qualche concessione (c’è quello brontolone, quello vanesio, quello pigro), giusto per autoilludersi di saper rappresentare la molteplicità. Ma a dirla tutta, la comunità descritta in “Planina Bala” ha anche qualcosa in meno rispetto ai puffi: se nel momento del bisogno gli ometti blu sanno essere davvero comunità collaborando fra loro per sgominare il loro nemico, la comunità di “Planina Bala” si descrive come impaurita da tutto e da tutti ed anziché tirarsi su le maniche per combattere aspetta che un bullo si faccia notare più degli altri per poterlo insignire del ruolo di condottiero (i fascisti). É una comunità in cui la codardìa non si limita ad essere una caratteristica umana, ma viene esaltata a dovere morale la cui unica eccezione consiste appunto nel ruolo affidato al bullo, al quale é permesso esercitare violenza inaudita e illimitata, a patto che non tocchi lo status quo (solitamente bigotto e di matrice religiosa).
3.02 OMERTA’ A PUFFLANDIA
Russo insiste più volte nel ricordare che l’intera comunità venne subito a conoscenza dei fatti fin nei minimi particolari (pag.13,14,18,149) ma nessuno ebbe mai il coraggio di parlare. La cosa però suona piuttosto male: perché una comunità concorde nel condannare Socian e i partigiani per qualunque cosa succedesse in zona “anche quando lui non c’entrava niente” (pag.43), che non gli avrebbe nemmeno mai perdonato il fatto di aver “provocato” la rappresaglia tedesca di alcuni mesi prima e che ha nei confronti dei partigiani solo parole di disprezzo avrebbe paura anche a distanza d’anni di parlare di questi fatti?
Il testo lascia intendere che il motivo di tale paura fosse l’efferatezza dei partigiani, sebbene sempre il Russo ricordi che il massacro di una quarantina di partigiani nell’aprile 1943 (quello che sarebbe stato alla base della “vendetta”) avvenne proprio a causa del tradimento ad opera di un locale (pag.120) e che dunque c’era ben chi agiva e parlava contro i partigiani. Chi fu la persona del posto che tradì i quaranta partigiani? Subì forse vendette o ritorsioni da parte loro? Dal testo di Russo non é dato sapere. O meglio: il testo non cita nessun caso specifico di ritorsione partigiana nei confronti della popolazione locale se non accuse generiche (pag.42) che non si traducono mai in un nome, una data, un fatto accertato.
Al contrario vengono solo citate solo azioni di sabotaggio alla centrale, azioni contro gli occupanti tedeschi e per sommi capi anche alcune azioni dei partigiani private di contesto e motivazioni (pag.110). Buffo che l’autore non elenchi nessuna azione dei partigiani contro i civili, considerando l’impegno dell’autore nell’attribuire mostruosità ai partigiani, dato che il livello di approfondimento del testo arriva addirittura a descrivere i pensieri interiori dei militi della GNR negli attimi prima della morte (pag.141).
Il testo cita ad esempio il fatto che il parroco Ivan Hlad rimarcasse pubblicamente la propria posizione antipartigiana dinanzi alla comunità esortandola a non collaborare con loro (pag.51,52,252,265), cosa che lo porterà a nove anni di prigione “nelle mani degli uomini di Tito” (pag.252) eppure il testo specifica che “verrà liberato, ma sarà reso inoffensivo dalla ferrea repressione comunista” (non é chiaro cosa s’intenda con quel “reso inoffensivo”) e che nel dopoguerra potrà continuare ad esprimere la propria avversione verso i partigiani ad esempio portando le classi scolastiche in pellegrinaggio a malga Bala per celebrare una preghiera in ricordo dei militi della GNR (pag.18) e, si può aggiungere, consolidare nelle generazioni che seguirono la sua versione dei fatti.
In realtà quando il testo riporta azioni specifiche dei partigiani si tratta sempre di azioni di sabotaggio o agguati ai nazifascisti. Peraltro sempre descritte con un certo disprezzo e ponendo i nazifascisti come vittime inermi di partigiani vili e pericolosi (pag.52). Per questo motivo é interessante notare la totale assenza di commenti quando vien obbligatoriamente narrato di come durante l’attentato alla centrale elettrica i partigiani, trovandosi di fronte degli operai che vi lavoravano il crudele e spietato Socian… li avverte dell’imminente esplosione (pag.150) permettendogli di mettersi al riparo!
Ciò stride molto con l’impianto generale del testo e non sorprende dunque che gli operai della centrale riceveranno nel testo un trattamento ambiguo (vedi la parte in cui se ne parla relativamente al “virus partigiano”)
Secondo Russo i sentimenti dell’intera comunità nei confronti dei partigiani erano solamente di paura e terrore anche se per forza di cose una buona fetta della popolazione era per forza di cose filopartigiana (ma questa parte della comunità Russo non solo non la mostra ma ne sottace del tutto l’esistenza, tranne in brevi e rari sprazzi in cui non può evitarlo). Il fatto che Russo non sia in grado di documentare questo gran numero di abusi dei partigiani nei confronti dei civili si spiega se si tengono contemporaneamente in considerazione la già osservata illogicità di un eventuale atteggiamento negativo dei partigiani verso la popolazione e le caratteristiche pregiudiziali ed occultanti riscontrate finora nel testo di Russo che difatti si limita a vagheggiare ed alludere.
Russo dunque descrive una comunità compatta nel condannare i partigiani per qualunque cosa ma troppo impaurita anche solo per fare una segnalazione anonima ai nazifascisti nonostante, dice, fosse in buoni rapporti con le forze dell’ordine e con la dirigenza della miniera ed avesse rapidamente maturato rapporti di simpatia con i militi del GNF, nonostante il parroco esorti “privatamente e pubblicamente” (pag.51) la comunità a non appoggiare i partigiani (NB: perché mai avrebbe dovuto raccomandare la comunità in tal senso se questa era già solidamente compatta nel condannare Socian e soci, Russo non lo spiega) e sorvolando sull’importante tradimento del’43 da lui stesso riportato, dipinge invece una società che accetta di dover sottostare ai nazifascisti, dei quali ha si paura ma accetta tanto da non ritenerli nemmeno più di tanto colpevoli anche quando ammazzano civili, bruciano case e lasciano i cadaveri esposti per giorni per fare da monito.
Nonostante il quadro dipinto sia quello qui esposto, con nonchalanche a pag.176 segnala che qualcuno denunciò Maria Berlot accusandola di essere vicina ai partigiani (pag.176). “Stranamente”, nel testo i tradimenti e le segnalazioni dei partigiani vengono semplicemente riportati senza approfondire nonostante, visti i toni, ci si aspetterebbe un lungo panegirico sul coraggio di queste persone nel superare il tremendo ed intimo terrore nei confronti di una vendetta partigiana. Allo stesso modo viene riportato senza alcun commento uno stralcio di un’intervista ad un operaio delle miniere che testimonia di come all’interno della miniera chi accusava i partigiani del massacro lo doveva fare sottovoce “per paura gli uni degli altri” (pag.207) dichiarando anche qui che in realtà non TUTTA la comunità era antipartigiana. Russo però preferisce far passare l’intera ferra di comunità filopartigiana per “spie” e “traditori” infiltrati nella società della “brava gente”.
Sempre con la stessa assenza di commento o analisi, a pag.208 viene rivelato che almeno due-tre partigiani (di cui non viene fatto il nome) lavoravano in miniera assieme agli altri operai. Evidentemente Russo non é intenzionato a porre troppa attenzione su questi fatti che é tuttavia obbligato a segnalare.
Vien da chiedersi perché mai, all’epoca della pubblicazione del libro, un membro di una comunità così unita nel condannare la compagnia di Socian dovrebbe aver timore di qualche vecchio partigiano settanta-ottantenne e che senso possa avere per un contadino della Bausiza, valle che non conta più di venti case, di celarsi dietro all’anonimato. Quanti mai potranno essere i contadini della Bausiza per sperare di “scampare al terrore partigiano” semplicemente celando il nome? Anche perché, come Russo stesso dimostra a pag.235 e pag.239 il fatto che i dodici furono uccisi dai partigiani di Socian era un fatto noto alle forze dell’ordine anche a conflitto finito e non si vede perché una comunità compatta nel condannare Socian avrebbe avuto paura ad accusare Socian a dei carabinieri che già sapevano della colpevolezza di Socian.
Il fatto é che i partigiani vengono descritti, a seconda del tipo di emotività necessaria, ora come sparuti gruppi di elementi alieni alla comunità della brava gente ed ora come una potentissima rete tentacolare di stampo mafioso e questo non é che un tratto tipico della cultura di destra.
Perfetto concentrato di cultura di destra: autoassedio da bacilli corruttori esterni, culto dell’uomo della provvidenza, mito del martirio intenzionale, culto nobilitante della violenza e, non detto, elogio della sottomissione volontaria (fonte)
3.03 PARTIGIANI VS. BRAVA GGGENTE
Come visto il testo insiste molto nel ricordare che l’intera comunità fosse spaventata dai partigiani, ma quando tenta di documentare azioni dei partigiani verso la comunità i casi segnalati sono pochi ed estremamente lacunosi:
A pag.110 Myza Komac testimonia di aver visto “una donna, in cortile, mentre veniva uccisa dai partigiani” (pag.110) ma non viene riferito né chi fosse né quando ciò sarebbe avvenuto né di cosa fosse accusata (era forse una spia nazista?). Tuttavia il testo riporta anche l’opinione di Myza secondo cui “facilmente intendevano uccidere il marito di lei, non lei”. Come e perché sia giunta a tale conclusione non é dato sapere anche perché nemmeno il nome del marito viene rivelato.
A pag.42 si dice che Socian girasse casa per casa “col mitra spianato” ad obbligare gli uomini a seguirlo, specificando che “Chi osava opporsi o contrastarlo aveva finito di vivere in pace”. Non viene però segnalato neanche un caso di persona ammazzata per aver rifiutato di unirsi a Socian.
A pag.205 Francesco Mrakic testimonia: “Socian in quel periodo andava casa per casa, mitra spianato in mano, e costringeva tutti a seguirlo tra i partigiani. Chi rifiutava, finiva di vivere, nel vero senso della parola, perché diversi lui li faceva fuori seduta stante. Molti partigiani che io conosco sono stati costretti da lui a seguirlo solo per le troppe minacce ricevute. Anche con me ha usato lo stesso sistema”. Essendo ancora vivo si suppone che dunque Mrakic sia entrato a far parte della banda di Socian. Era dunque uno dei partecipanti della strage? Era un comunista? O un partigiano cattolico antislavo? Anche qui il testo non dice più nulla.
Un po poco per affermare che i partigiani facessero più paura dei nazifascisti le cui stragi pubbliche sono riportate anche dallo stesso Russo.
Eppure quando Russo deve elencare azioni partigiane le uniche di cui fornisce dati certi sono i sabotaggi (perlopiù alla centrale):
I partigiani compirono numerose azioni tra il 10 ed il 30 settembre 1943 (pag.51); il 10 ottobre 1943 fecero deragliare due treni della miniera (pag.51); pochi giorni dopo assaltano un furgone pieno di ufficiali tedeschi (pag.52); qualche settimana dopo falliscono nel tentativo di far scoppiare un altro trenino della miniera (pag.52); il 19 dicembre, con l’aiuto di alcuni operai, danneggiano parzialmente la centrale termoelettrica della miniera e quella idroelettrica di Plezzut (pag.52); gli scontri tra partigiani e tedeschi erano all’ordine del giorno, sia sulla strada che alla miniera (pag.54); un giorno riescono a far saltare le pompe del quindicesimo livello (pag.55); un’altra volta minarono il “frantoio” della miniera ma alcuni alpini ne impedirono lo scoppio (pag.55). E’proprio a causa di queste numerose azioni che il 4 gennaio 1944 l’ingegnere della miniera, che dava ordini ai soldati tedeschi
Ma nonostante ciò Russo afferma per ben due volte che l’assalto alla centrale elettrica di Bretto fu del tutto inaspettato (pag.77,100)
Interessante notare come proprio nel raccontare una di queste azioni, a pag.54, nel riportare un’azione gestita male dai partigiani é obbligato a rivelare anche che i partigiani sapevano essere magnanimi (lasciando libero l’ostaggio italiano), che anche un altro dei parroci locali era filotedesco, che i tedeschi torturavano i partigiani ed a nascondere la fine che fece il soldato tedesco rapito (forse per non rivelare che NON fu torturato?).
Le azioni partigiane che Russo meglio descrive sono elencate nel sottocapitolo 5.11 e, posso già anticiparlo: sono solo azioni di sabotaggio.
3.04 I DODICI ANGELI PATRIOTTICI
La differenza di trattamento dei vari personaggi di questa storia può esser riassunta da un solo aggettivo: cartoonesco. Il modo in cui ogni singolo personaggio viene introdotto, le osservazioni sulla sua persona, sul suo agire sono elementi particolarmente chiarificatori delle griglie concettuali entro cui l’autore si muove. La descrizione dei dodici é molto dettagliata ed é inserita in un rapporto perfettamente dicotomico con i partigiani. Per ogni carabiniere v’é una breve biografia, la descrizione della famiglia e degli affetti, dellle abitudini quotidiane e la vita di caserma. Sono tutti dipinti come dei bravi ragazzi, sani, onesti, timorosi di Dio e con la testa sulle spalle a cui é capitata una disgrazia terribile. Questi alcuni dei modi in cui vengono descritti:
disgraziate vittime predestinate / poveri, semplici uomini italiani con la divisa di carabiniere addosso / Erano italiani e carabinieri e volevano esserlo fino in fondo / patrioti / devoti / Avevano fatto il proprio dovere, fino all’ultimo / designati a morire per la Patria che non avrebbero potuto dimenticare né tradire / (per i carabinieri) era giusto morire con onore, nel nome dell’Italia che avevano sempre amato e difeso / L’importante era non aver paura, non mostrare loro, ai partigiani, di aver paura. Se dovevano morire, come ormai era chiaro, era giusto morire da eroi. Erano carabinieri, erano italiani e non potevano non morire che da carabinieri e da italiani, a testa alta, guardando in faccia i propri aggressori! / poveri, inermi e incolpevoli / 12 inermi e pacifici carabinieri / 12 figli
La vicinanza ai dodici si esprime anche indirettamente, ad esempio riportando le testimonianze e le foto dei loro parenti e le peripezie di questi per ottenere il trasferimento delle salme, aneddoti come quello della civetta che cantò il 24 marzo (pag.223) o della lana che la signora Koserog doveva usare per fare dei guanti ad uno di loro (pag.70,72,200,245). O con la testimonianza di Nino Mafezzini, che quel giorno sarebbe dovuto essere in caserma e quindi si salvò, o ancora riportando dettagli di contorno, come il nome del falegname che preparò le loro bare (pag.173) e numerose testimonianze di gente del posto che conobbe i militi o che ne vide i corpi martoriati.
L’intento, peraltro esplicito, del testo é quello di riabilitare la figura dei dodici in chiave eroico-nazionalista e martirologica:
“Certamente sono morti da eroi, certamente sono morti da martiri, immolati per la loro fede e il loro essere carabinieri e italiani” (pag.264)
Numerose le esortazioni al lettore a calarsi nei panni dei carabinieri, nel loro stato d’animo e nelle sensazioni da loro provate, fino al punto di descrivere i PENSIERI dei sequestrati. Ciò però avviene solamente per i carabinieri.
3.05 I SATANICI DEMONI DELLE MONTAGNE
Per i partigiani no.
Per i partigiani bastano giusto due dati biografici dei capi e innumerevoli richiami negativi. L’autore non tenta nemmeno di indagare sull’identità dei partigiani che avrebbero partecipato alla strage, se non molto timidamente verso la fine del testo citando solamente i nomi di alcuni partigiani sospettati di poter avuto far parte del gruppo: gli é sufficiente indicare chi fossero i capi che vengono descritti come esseri barbari e spregevolissimi. Nel testo di Russo i partigiani non sono persone: sono semi-umani rappresentati dagli aggettivi di disprezzo che gli vengono attribuiti. I partigiani di Russo non hanno amici né storia. I partigiani non hanno una vita: sono solo strumenti di una follia più grande di loro. I partigiani perturbano l’ordine del mondo con la loro stessa presenza. I partigiani non fanno parte della comunità, ma si nascondono all’interno di essa (pag.162). I partigiani non meritano neanche una foto (in realtà una vecchia foto di Socian é presente a pag.255, ma ai partigiani intervistati non viene riportata manco un’immaginina in formato francobollo e ciò da molto a cui pensare se invece a pag.175 troviamo la foto di un fienile della famiglia proprietaria del terreno in cui furono seppelliti i dodici e a pag.246 la foto della famiglia di un ex milite della GNR che partecipò al recupero dei corpi). Se i Carabinieri giunti in paese da poco si fanno subito benvolere e creano un legame con i locali (pag.95), i partigiani originari del posto invece sono malvisti da ogni paesano fino addirittura all’ex vicino di casa anch’egli ex-partigiano (pag.43) e vengono narrati come un corpo impazzito estraneo alla comunità ed alla socialità della “brava gente” del posto. Nel testo di Russo i partigiani non sono ex-soldati o padri di famiglia, non sono persone che hanno una religione o dei desideri: sono semplicemente “partigiani comunisti” e questo basta.
Nel testo di Russo partigiani sono ora tanti ora pochi, a volte appoggiati da molti ma più spesso da nessuno: questi indici di misura però non cambiano secondo criteri oggettivi ma vengono comunicati in negativo e/o per negazione su base emozionale. Per esempio: quando il testo si concentra sul disprezzo della comunità verso i partigiani questi sono solo la banda di Socian, ma quando il testo deve narrare la paura della comunità per i partigiani questi assumono la forma di una rete criminale dai mille tentacoli.
“Nonostante la presenza asfissiante dei tedeschi, i partigiani erano onnipresenti, ma invisibili come e più di prima” (pag.214)
Siamo qui di fronte ad una forma del noto paradigma dell’ “immigrato pigro-attivo” che é al contempo “troppo fannullone per voler lavorare” e “così attivo da rubarci il lavoro”. I partigiani sono descritti come “uomini di grande fedeltà e di sicura garanzia” per i loro capi ma al contempo si afferma che sono paesani diventati partigiani solo perché obbligati con la forza e le minacce da Socian: costretti con la forza a diventare belve sanguinarie.
Alcuni dei modi in cui sono descritti i partigiani senza nome (Socian e Ursic sono trattati a parte):
subalterni / sottomessi / quasi riverenti / diabolici / come cani da caccia, tenuti a digiuno e alla catena, cui viene concessa di colpo la libertà di azione e si scatenano violentemente e si avventano rumorosamente sulla preda / assetati di sangue e divorati dall’odio e dalla vendetta / feroci / carnefici / furiosi / violenti / ladri / comunisti fanatici e speranzosi oltre che eroi di pura razza (in senso di sberleffo ndr) / “ogni grido disperato di quei poveri malcapitati anzi era per (i partigiani) come un bacio di sollievo e di refrigerio appagante” (pag.127)
Queste descrizioni così estremizzate fan capire fino a che punto in questo testo le persone vengono letteralmente sostituite dai personaggi con cui vengono rappresentate.
Per quanto l’impegno di Russo nel demonizzare i partigiani sia totale, nell’arco dell’intero libro non é in grado di citare un solo caso in cui i partigiani abbiano malmenato/ferito/rapito/ucciso un solo civile ma, essendo obbligato ad elencare almeno alcune cose fatte dai partigiani elenca una serie di azioni di sabotaggio o guerriglia nei confronti dei nazifascisti tentando di porre l’accento negativo dove può, ad esempio quando a pag.52 dove un’imboscata mordi-e-fuggi dei partigiani ad una vettura di ufficiali nazifascisti viene commentata così:
Momenti di terrore indescrivibili coi partigiani che prontamente ed eroicamente guadagnavano la macchia e la popolazione che aveva ascoltato gli spari col cuore più che impazzito!
Quando invece deve descrivere episodi non negativizzabili li segnala freddamente, senza minimamente tentare un’accenno di commento:
Il gruppo di Silvo Gianfrate con un’azione a sorpresa riuscì a circondare ben quattro fortini in mano agli italiani: oltre 100 i prigionieri, lasciati però, subito dopo, liberi di fuggire e di mettersi in salvo. (pag.214)
A questo punto é interessante osservare l’uso dei tre aggettivi strettamente connessi tra loro: “partigiani”, “slavi” e “comunisti”.
Storia di 12 carabinieri barbaramente massacrati da partigiani sloveni comunisti il 25 marzo 1944 a Malga Bala perché italiani
Quando due di questi aggettivi compaiono assieme sono solitamente abbinati a termini negativi come “massacro” (pag.3), “odio e vendetta” “uccisione” (pag.7), “paura” e “minacce” (pag.233), “persecuzioni anche cruente” (pag.39), “uccisione di 12 inermi” (pag.13) “fanatici e speranzosi oltre che eroi di pura razza” (in senso di sberleffo ndr. pag.147), “diabolico piano” (pag.81), “Neanche alle bestie si fanno quelle cose” [NB: panino] (pag.205) “massacrati dagli odiati” (pag.219) “paura” “minacciare” (pag.233) “strage diabolica” (pag.247) “terrore” (pag.177) .
Ciò si ripete anche con negativizzazioni più sottili come quella a pag.74 in cui si parla della madre di uno dei “carabinieri” che era “lontano e tra i partigiani slavi”, ossia dando ai “partigiani slavi” la funzione del lupo cattivo della storia. Ciò avviene anche nelle attribuzioni negative specifiche per i capi partigiani, in particolare Socian.
3.06 JOSKO (Franc Ursic)
Interessante notare l’insistenza con cui Russo continui a chiamare Franc Ursic (Josko) con l’appellativo di “capo (o comandante) supremo” (7 volte), titolo attribuitogli solamente da Russo al posto della reale qualifica di comandante di distaccamento che nel testo viene usata solo una volta (dimostrando che Russo é perfettamente a conoscenza del grado reale di Ursic). Qualifica che Russo dichiara peraltro in maniera molto generica: “I capi del distaccamento però, e cioè Frane Ursic Josko, Silvo Gianfrate Srecko, Ivan Likar Socian e il commissario Lojs Hrovat, sembravano […]” (pag.109)
Fatto interessante perché evidenzia la volontà non trasmettere il dato storico reale, ma di caratterizzare il personaggio solamente attraverso lo status, peraltro dipinto come più elevato di quello reale. Il disinteresse umano e storico nei confronti di una determinata parte dei protagonisti della vicenda, confrontata con la vicinanza umana e spirituale ai carabinieri é particolarmente illuminante. E’altrettanto interessante osservare come se da un lato ad Ursic viene riservato un ruolo tanto importante, dall’altro é trattato come una figura assolutamente assente, che non decide né fa nulla. Ursic non parla né agisce né emana alcun carisma: é solamente una mera presenza.
3.07 SRECKO (Silvio Gianfrante)
Come già visto Srecko era ancora in vita all’epoca della ricerche di Russo e quindi lo ha potuto intervistare. Lo descrive come un uomo “gentile, alla mano, disponibile, da vero gentiluomo” che li accoglie nel suo “cortile di casa, alberato e fresco” e che solo quando Russo insisteva nel far domande “sul perché di quella strage, si faceva prendere dalla rabbia e dai fumi dell’ira” (pag.191). Durante l’intervista Srecko descrive minuziosamente alcuni episodi ma Russo lo incalza con domande sulle torture, sul veleno ed i picconi. Srecko s’innervosisce, perde il controllo, alza la voce e risponde che i dodici furono semplicemente fucilati. Russo conclude commentando che i partigiani ancora viventi mantenevano la linea di “insistere su particolari contrastanti” (pag.194) perché quella era la “parola d’ordine”. Il testo non tenta nemmeno di presentare la persona-Srecko, limitando a fornire la descrizione cortese dei suoi modi galanti, la sua reazione violenta alle domande di Russo e la posizione lapidaria dell’autore che sostanzialmente non gli vuol credere. Russo ci informa però che Srecko nacque il 1922 a Oltresonzia (pag.191)
3.08 HROVAT (Lojs Hrovat)
Come già descritto nel sottocapitolo sulla selezione delle fonti, Russo non nasconde affatto la sua antipatia a pelle per Hrovat. Russo lo descrive come un uomo “sicuro di sé”, di quelli che “tentano di girarti a loro piacimento, per allontanarti dal tuo problema reale” (pag.16). Ma quando Russo e Rinaldi iniziano ad insistere nel far domande che danno per scontata la colpevolezza dei partigiani, Hrovat non si limita a negare come Srecko e risponde per le rime. Ancor peggio che con Srecko, Hrovat non riceve alcun genere d’attenzione: il lettore viene informato che l’intervista avvenne il 19 giugno 1992 (pag.194) ma non viene spesa nemmeno mezza riga di biografia sull’uomo: né data né luogo di nascita.
3.09 SOCIAN (Ivan Likar)
Particolare attenzione viene riservata da Russo a Socian, il capo partigiano locale. Alcune delle frasi ed aggettivi a lui attribuiti sono:
energico / senza scrupoli / un padreterno, un piccolo dio / autoritario e deciso / focoso / scaltro / insopportabile / sanguinario / macellaio / La gente in genere non gli era favorevole / amava la guerra, per sua natura / Era considerato un dio dai suoi tanti ammiratori e sostenitori, il piccolo dio della Coritenza / In pochi anni si era creato una fama terribile in zona, tanto che al suo nome diverse donne si facevano velocemente il segno della croce invocando ripetutamente Dio / Andava casa per casa, da gente amica e sconosciuta, col mitra spianato […] per costringere gli uomini a darsi alla macchia con lui e gli altri partigiani / Chi osava opporsi o contrastarlo aveva finito di vivere in pace / guerriero nato, istintivo, specialista in mille trucchetti di guerra /
Russo insiste nel ricordare come Socian fosse malvisto dall’intera comunità, tanto che nel dopoguerra le madri apostroferanno i figli indisciplinati con lo spauracchio del partigiano urlando “Siete dei Socian!”, ma che all’epoca dei fatti tutti lo riverivano per paura. Così come per i partigiani in generale il testo non riporta nemmeno l’esistenza di una sola persona favorevole a Socian (tranne Boris che però é già descritto come vittima del “virus partigiano”), il che é strano se si considera che é lo stesso Russo a far notare per ben quattro volte che Socian viene celebrato come “eroe nazionale della Jugoslavia” (pag.14,19,215,257). Un eroe nazionale senza nemmeno un sostenitore? Non é che forse Russo ha dipinto l’intera comunità come omogenea alle posizioni di una sola parte evitando di mostrare la parte opposta della comunità rimuovendone le opinioni dal proprio quadro? In effetti vi é una certa linearità nel celare una parte (metà?) della comunità come se non esistesse se si vuol trattare i partigiani, che proprio da quella parte della comunità emergono, come un’entità aliena.
Non bastasse si aggiungono anche alcuni aneddoti melensi utili solo a negativizzare l’immagine di Socian, come l’aneddoto riportato a pag.215 che qui riporto per meglio far comprendere il livello: é il caso di quella che all’epoca era una bambina e che proverà “enorme delusione e una profonda amarezza” nei confronti di Socian in quanto gli promise di regalargli una bambola ma poi se ne dimenticò. (pag.215)
(Socian é ferito nel bosco ma viene accudito da una donna ed una bambina che vivono in una malga nei dintorni. E’ proprio la bambina che si occupa materialmente di portare il cibo al ferito ndr) “In questa occasione Likar riuscì ad accattivarsi la fiducia e l’affetto di quella ragazzina, a cui promise che, a guerra finita, le avrebbe fatto pervenire una bambola quale segno di ringraziamento. Ma poi non manterrà la promessa, anzi, incontrandola, non la riconoscerà neanche e la giovane di Fusine conserverà di lui, nel frattempo riverito eroe nazionale comunista sloveno, una enorme delusione e una profonda amarezza.”
Socian é un demone che si, é nato da queste parti ma non é un membro della comunità: é un mostro che deve solo essere combattuto.
Ma a pag.43 il Luciano Riccardo Aldegheri, vicino di casa dell’ormai defunto Socian, ricorda come a questi venisse data la colpa per qualsiasi cosa succedesse:
“Col tempo, nella zona del Coritenza e dell’Alto Isonzo s’era fatto un nome, come partigiano prima e come capo partigiano poi, tanto che a lui veniva attribuito qualsiasi tipo di azione, sia in bene che in male. Qualsiasi cosa succedeva insomma, la frase era unanime: “E’ stato Socian!” Era il parere di tutti, anche quando lui non c’entrava niente”.
Russo ricorda soprattutto come “l’intera comunità” se la prese con Socian per un caso in particolare, avvenuto nell’ottobre del 1943.
Nell’ottobre del 1943 “circa nove soldati tedeschi furono attaccati presso Passo del Predil vicino allo sbocco della galleria di Bretto. 3 (altre fonti parlano di 4) militari venero uccisi. Il giorno dopo i tedeschi circondarono Bretto, incendiarono tutto il paese e fucilarono tutti gli uomini radunati (il più giovane 16 anni)” (fonte: straginazifasciste)
Il ricordo dell’incendio e delle uccisioni da parte dei nazisti resteranno scolpite nella memoria della comunità locale (pag.43)
NB: Si dia per accettato che quando il testo parla di “comunità locale” intenda un’unica ed armoniosa comunità omogenea, la Pufflandia di Russo. Il rastrellamento venne ordinato da un certo Hempel, commissario tedesco del tarvisiano:
“A Bretto Superiore i soldati tedeschi operanti nella battuta, rinvenuti nelle abitazioni civili materiali di armamento e munizionamento nonché forti quantità di vestiario militare, incendiavano diverse case ed arrestavano alcune persone accusandole di collaborazionismo partigiano”(pag.240).
Anche militi italiani in servizio al passo Predil raggiunsero Bretto per seguire le operazioni.
Dalla testimonianza del carabiniere Brunero Caselli:“ […] i tedeschi rastrellarono tutti gli uomini, per lo più sloveni italianizzati dopo la guerra del 1915/18, e ne fucilarono 17. Quindi raggrupparono tutti i ragazzi che riuscirono a trovare, li misero davanti alla colonna che stavano formando e tutti insieme prendemmo la strada per il Passo. Con quello “scudo umano” i “titini” non osarono attaccare….” (pag.52)
I corpi vennero lasciati esposti per fare da esempio ai passanti finché, giorni dopo, il parroco Ival Hlad ottiene dalle SS il permesso di seppellirli (pag.53,62). Tuttavia, a detta di Russo, “l’intera comunità” non se la prende più di tanto con i nazifascisti per la strage da essi compiuta, e per l’incendio delle case bensì con Socian ed i suoi partigiani, colpevoli di aver provocato i tedeschi (pag.208)!
Qui la cosa si fa davvero eclatante:
I partigiani uccidono 3 o 4 tedeschi. I tedeschi per rappresaglia, anziché dar la caccia ai partigiani uccidono 16/17 civili ed incendiano l’intero paese (uccidendo un’altra persona rimasta in una delle case incendiate). E qual’é il commento di Russo a ciò? NESSUNO. Pagine e pagine a riportare sensazioni e voci di paese riguardo a Socian ma un’evento devastante come questo viene risolto sbrigativamente:
“Non è il caso di soffermarci oltre su questo”. (pag.12)
Ciò che traspare é un’impostazione del tutto accondiscendente verso la rappresaglia tedesca, come se fosse naturale ed accettato che ad un’azione di guerriglia i nazisti rispondessero ammazzando civili inermi. Possibile che delle persone intervistate dal Russo non ve ne fosse nemmeno una che abbia speso qualche parola contro i tedeschi? Possibile che TUTTI abbiano addossato la responsabilità della strage nazista ai partigiani? Quegli stessi partigiani che per il solo fatto di esistere dovevano essere supportati proprio da una parte della comunità che nel testo di Russo non appare mai? Il non detto che emerge da questo testo é strettamente connesso alla narrazione ipersemplificata della comunità dei Puffi: da un lato la brava gente che fa parte di una comunità armoniosa e pacifica (che é però disposta a sottostare “per amor della tranquillità” ai nazifascisti nonostante ne siano intimoriti) e dall’altro i partigiani: sparuti ed isolati bacilli esterni alla comunità che portano solo caos, distruzione, follia e morte in quanto aizzati dal demone-Socian. Qui siamo dinnanzi ad un topos ben noto della mitopoiesi fascista: quello del “tedesco che ci ammazza ma nel giusto”!
Bisogna spendere anche qui qualche parola…
Giusto per capirci: se domani un esercito alieno invadesse la Terra e dicesse ai terrestri “per ogni alieno che ucciderete noi ammazzeremo 300 umani” la soluzione sarebbe non combattere? Ecco, questo é sostanzialmente ciò che sostiene chi, in altri contesti, si fa bandiera di concetti quali onore, dovere, sacrificio, coraggio: l’elevazione della codardia a dovere morale.
Peccato che, come già visto, per far reggere la narrazione del “tedesco che ci ammazza ma nel giusto” Russo é costretto a nascondere l’esistenza di un’intera fetta della popolazione e mettere sbrigativamente in secondo piano episodi come l’uccisione brutale di una quarantina circa di partigiani, a passare l’improbabile tesi che nessuno in paese abbia attribuito la responsabilità della rappresaglia tedesca ai tedeschi stessi, ad usare ogni elemento negativo disponibile (per quanto parziale e strumentale) per demonizzare i partigiani ed agire in maniera specularmente opposta con i dodici sequestrati senza nessun interesse a fornire un quadro più realistico di una comunità divisa in vari gradi fra filocollaborazionisti e filopartigiani. Russo non lesina descrizioni sulla bontà d’animo del dirigente austriaco Krivitsch che tanto s’é fatto amare dalla gente del posto ma poi non osa commentare il fatto che proprio dei paesani lo uccisero nel maggio del 1945 (pag.50).
Nel testo i tedeschi sono una presenza malsopportata ma umana che manifesta violenza sui civili solo per colpa dei partigiani ed a causa della situazione in cui si trovano. I tedeschi sono descritti come un’entità ALTRA (per cui é possibile criticarne le brutalità) ma non ALIENA quanto i partigiani comunisti. Se i partigiani vengono da un’altro pianeta e non sono nemmeno classificabili come umani, i tedeschi sono lo stronzissimo cugino d’oltralpe che fondamentalmente non sarebbe diverso da noi ma, per l’appunto, é stronzissimo e ci stiamo un po sui coglioni a vicenda ma é sempre meglio degli alieni comunisti.
Ecco che i tedeschi possono essere anch’essi antiitaliani (pag.39) e dei criminali che compiono atrocità inenarrabili come gli esperimenti coi gas sui prigionieri del campo di sterminio della Risiera di San Sabba (pag.191,253), ma al tempo stesso il testo gli riconosce la dignità di chi concede l’onore delle armi (pag.36) ed é possibile che i dirigenti tedeschi delle cave si facciano ben volere dalla gente del posto (pag.50). Concessioni “umane” impossibili da trovare nei confronti dei partigiani.
Se [quegli stronzi dei nostri cugini] provano a comandarci li riempiamo di botte, ma se nei paraggi girano [alieni schifosi], con [quegli stronzi dei nostri cugini] ci tocca, ahinoi, far comunella.
Sostituire [quegli stronzi dei nostri cugini] con [i nazisti] e [alieni schifosi] con [partigiani slavi comunisti] ed ecco che il rapporto dell’autore con i tedeschi é bello che spiegato
Detto in altri termini: vittimismo e chiagni e fotti, ossia lamentarsi delle brutalità dei nazisti ma al tempo stesso tenerseli buoni. Tenerseli tanto buoni da… non chiamarli nemmeno “nazisti”!
Innanzitutto vengono raramente definiti tali: ai termini “nazis*” che compare solo 4 volte nel testo, “nazifascis*” (1 volta), “SS” (10 volte), RSI (20 volte), “fascis*” (56 volte) é invece preferito un più neutrale “tedesc*” (oltre 200 volte) e “italian*” (oltre 200 volte).
Una nota va fatta sull’uso di “fascis*”: nelle sue varie designazioni il termine “fascismo”, nel testo, viene usato per indicare il movimento politico mentre “fascist*” é perlopiù usato come aggettivo per caratterizzare entità reali e astratte (era fascista / occupazione fascista) ma quando il testo parla di persone, il termine fascist* viene utilizzato con estrema parsimonia (solo 13 volte, a pag.31,37,39,77,78,97,113,159,196,183,210). Stesso discorso su RSI ed SS.
Invece il fascismo, inteso come “entità ideologica”, é presentato come un qualcosa di limitato a Salò. Il testo é come se dicesse “nelle nostre valli il Fascismo con la “F” maiuscola non c’é; qui c’é solo brava gente che vuol -stare tranquilla- assogettandosi all’occupazione nazifascista per amor del quieto vivere”.
Russo insiste molto nel ricordare quanto l’”odio nei confronti degli italiani” da parte dei partigiani slavi sia nato a causa di anni di persecuzioni fasciste (deportazioni, prigionia, scomparsa e/o morte di parenti) e non indaga tale affermazione più a fondo, come se ciò bastasse a giustificare una mattanza in stile “Hostel”. Ma non é l’unico caso di concessione: quando deve narrare di come
“gli alpini italiani si erano serviti del tradimento e dell’inganno ad opera di un locale e non avevano avuto alcuna pietà per i caduti, ben 38, legati con filo di ferro e trascinati a valle come tronchi di legna, orrendamente deturpati e sfigurati” (pag.120)
Russo non riporta alcuna traccia di odio o ferocia da parte degli alpini. Nessun viaggio interiore nella psiche, nessun incitamento ad immedesimarsi. Eppure la brutalità degli alpini nei confronti dei partigiani é evidente. Il trattamento riservato da Russo alle ben documentate stragi compiute dai nazifascisti consiste nel sorvolare sbrigativamente trattandole come errori, eccessi di giusta brutalità, normale sacrificio di guerra, mentre al contrario il trattamento riservato alla figura dei partigiani é quello della mostrificazione orrorifica e spirituale.
L’errore di fondo che permea tutto il lavoro dell’autore consiste nell’usare le dichiarazioni su specifici eccessi nazifascisti come concessioni (vedi sopra) per poi ritenere che queste semplici concessioni bastino a garantire una presunta equità di trattamento delle due parti coinvolte (partigiani e nazifascisti): in realtà queste concessioni, perlopiù blande, superficiali o limitate a casi particolari, vengono utilizzate come moneta da spendere nella demonizzazione totale dei partigiani.
“E il piatto di quella infuocata bilancia non poté non pendere in maniera drastica e impressionante contro i prigionieri, rei di essere carabinieri e italiani, vittime designate sull’altare dell’odio e della vendetta nazionalistica estrema: bisognava sacrificare loro, come da programma, perché loro, più di ogni altro appartenente alle forze militari e di occupazione, rappresentavano l’Italia e il governo italiano: nessuna pietà quindi per quei carabinieri italiani, nessuno sconto, anzi l’esecuzione doveva essere terribile e tremenda e doveva servire da monito a tutti gli altri”. (pag.121 – grassetti miei)
Non una mezza riga con questi toni é riscontrabile nelle descrizioni compiute dai nazifascisti. Ammettere anche solo parzialmente alcuni errori dei nazifascisti per dare l’impressione di equità é un “costo narrativo” che l’autore fa ripagare con una mostrificazione della figura del partigiano tanto profonda da volerne descrivere addirittura l’anima.
Secondo quanto riportato da pag.150 da una testimonianza riguardo a ciò che avvenne successivamente al sabotaggio della centrale e della casermetta veniamo a sapere che vennero chiamati i paracadutisti tedeschi a presidiare la centrale, ma essendo la caserma distrutta presero possesso dell’adiacente stalla di proprietà di Francesco Kemper e nel far ciò ne ammazzarono tutte le pecore per cibarsene. Kemper dovette sottostare all’imposizione facendo buon viso a cattivo gioco.
FERMI TUTTI!!!! Qui il Russo riporta un evidente abuso dei nazisti e ne descrive la malsopportazione del Kemper senza nessuna demonizzazione, nessun aggettivo spregiativo, nessun richiamo a Dio o stragi di agnelli sacrificali: niente di minimamente paragonabile alla visione demoniaca delle azioni partigiane! I tedeschi sono però rei di compiere il sopruso “senza alcuna cortesia” e di non invitare il padrone di casa o i suoi colleghi a “partecipare al pasto” (!!!) mentre i partigiani, come già visto, trasmettono addirittura un “virus” che corrompe tutto ciò che li circonda.
Nel testo le denunce contro le atrocità naziste sono sempre molto generiche o riguardanti “altri” (slavi): quando violenze e soprusi dei tedeschi riguardano “noi” (gli italiani), viene tutto stemperato, ammorbidito. Da un aneddoto minore come i nazisti sgarbati che si mangiano le pecore altrui senza invitarlo al pasto si passa dunque ai nazisti cattivoni che incendiano un villaggio e ammazzano civili ma la colpa non é loro bensì dei partigiani brutti.
3.11 IL CONTAGIOSO VIRUS PARTIGIANO
I partigiani di Russo possiedono una caratteristica interessante: contagiano col loro male tutti coloro che hanno la sventura di starvi accanto. Chi viene “toccato” dall’aura partigiana s’imbruttisce, si corrode dentro, perde l’anima o é costretto a trascorrere un’esistenza fatta di incubi e tormenti. Nessuno scampa: in “Planina Bala” tutti coloro che vengono in contatto con i partigiani restano contagiati (a dire il vero ci sono alcune eccezioni e, come vedremo, sono INTERESSANTISSIME). A questo proposito é interessante osservare i singoli casi, sia di chi s’é preso il virus partigiano, di chi invece al virus ha resistito e soprattutto alcuni casi ambigui:
A pag.97 Russo evidenzia come Boris, appena tredicenne, sia già stato corrotto dalla figura del partigiano Socian: “Al giovane Boris non era sembrato vero poter dare una mano al suo osannato ispiratore” e si presti ad emularne la follia.
Lo stesso avviene con la giovane lavandaia Mirka che, pur descritta come ragazza “allegra e socievole un po’ con tutti, di facile amicizia e di amena compagnia” (non si capisce bene se ciò vada inteso alla lettera o sia un modo velato d’intendere che fosse una ragazza sessualmente molto disponibile), corrotta anch’essa da Socian, sviluppa un partecipato entusiasmo nel fare da esca per la trappola: “La Mirka non sembrava affatto in imbarazzo, anzi quella sera era più esilarante del solito, perfino più curata fisicamente e con un entusiasmo accattivante e trascinante” (pag.98).
Anche Maria (Myza?) e Mafalda, rispettivamente sorella e moglie del Lojs Kravanja-Gajger, manifestano la loro corruzione nel gioire dei doni materiali ricevuti dai partigiani in pagamento dei loro servigi. Gioia che viene espressa con la totale indifferenza al fatto che i partigiani lì presenti stessero decidendo della vita o della morte dei dodici sequestrati. La corruzione diviene ancor più esplicita quando con gentilezza ed ospitalità più cordiali e generose del solito (pag.119) le donne versano sale e soda caustica nel cibo per i carabinieri “nella ilarità generale” (pag.122). In epoca attuale Mafalda tenterà di “spegnere ogni entusiasmo” e scoraggiare ogni tentativo di ricerca e di approfondimento” del Russo (pag.15), il che é segno del perseverare nel tempo del virus.
Il fatto che l’anonimo “attivista” di Pluzna tradisca il gruppo di Socian poco dopo avergli servito da mangiare é chiaramente un segno della perfidia e corruzione che lo ha contagiato (pag.214)
Anche i sequestrati vengono corrotti dall’aura diabolica dei partigiani che alimenta divisioni e accuse reciproche e frantuma la coesione umana tra loro (pag.113), salvo ricompattarsi al mattino successivo con estremo pathos e lirismo patriott-ero(t)ico nell’affronto della morte (pag.130), ma nonostante ciò alla fine muoiono tutti.
Russo percepisce i segni del male anche direttamente quando incontra di persona Hrovat, verso il quale nutre immediatamente una antipatia naturale (pag.16)
Pure i partigiani stessi, vittime della loro stessa corruzione, sono in contrasto fra loro (pag.119) ma la loro mostruosità ha sempre il sopravvento, soprattutto a causa di Socian che non ha mai nessun tentennamento nel suo agire satanico.
I nazisti sono a loro volta contagiati dal virus partigiano: da quanto traspare dal testo i nazisti non fanno alcunché di male tranne quando perturbati dal virus partigiano. É a causa del virus partigiano che i nazisti sono costretti a bruciare il paese e fucilare 16/17 civili inermi (pag.43,52)
Anche gli uccelli del bosco, percependo (uno “strano sentore”) la corruzione partigiana ammutoliscono all’alba che precede il massacro (pag.127)
Non ultimo il sole nel cielo, che a poche ore del massacro “sembrava faticare quella mattina a farsi strada, quasi voglioso di nascondersi, quasi voglioso di non vedere o di scomparire” (pag.143) “Perfino il sole s’era nascosto tra le nubi, quasi a voler celare al Creatore della vita quella macabra carneficina” (pag.145).
Gli anonimi contadini che secondo quanto riporta Russo assistettero di nascosto agli eventi di cui non vengono forniti né i nomi né le testimonianze, se non dei generici hanno visto, erano lì si presume ne siano terrorizzati proprio in quanto anche a distanza di anni non rivelano i propri nomi per paura. In almeno un caso questo profondo turbamento viene trasmesso dal padre al figlio semplicemente narrandogli quanto visto (pag.145), turbamento tanto profondo da farlo scoppiare in lacrime nel momento in cui racconta a Russo la “verità” ripetutagli dal padre all’inverosimile. Ma l’essersi tolto questo peso dal cuore che dovette nascondere “per quasi cinquant’anni”, oltre a generare un tremore provocato dalla commozione lo fa sentire “finalmente libero, quasi leggero” come un peccatore che si redime nel sacramento della confessione. Vi sono però delle persone sulle quali il virus partigiano non funziona molto bene.
3.11.01 QUELLI CHE RESISTONO AL VIRUS
Ossia persone venute a contatto con i partigiani ma che non sono state toccate dal virus.
MYZA KOMAC“una persona gentile e alla mano oltre che delicata e -gran lavoratrice-“ che ne stava lì “in solitudine, in compagnia del silenzio, della natura verdeggiante e delle sue poche caprette” (pag.17,110) e quando testimonia a Russo con fare “dolce” di aver visto i partigiani camminare sui monti con i sequestrati appresso lo fa con “gli occhi lucidi” (pag.18,110). Una donna che viveva una vita fatta di “campagna, le bestie in casa, i bambini piccoli, d’estate le bestie in Bala”, “che sarebbe potuta scorrere tranquilla se non fosse stato per la guerra e per la presenza continua e minacciosa dei partigiani”. Una donna con cui i partigiani ce l’avevano perché non si era unita a loro ed aveva convinto il marito a fare lo stesso.
VITTORIA FOCHESATO “nonnina gentile, alla mano, vivace e con una memoria di ferro, come si sul dire, molto schietta e di poche parole”
Nipote di uno dei contadini anonimi della Bausiza che assistettero agli eventi inveisce contro Socian, dice che non é vero che siano stati i tedeschi, che tutti sanno come siano andate le cose per davvero, che Gajger all’inizio si vantava di aver partecipato ai fatti ma poi ha cominciato a smettere per paura di ritorsioni. Aggiunge che a guerra finita alcuni di quei partigiani (i nomi non vengono fatti) sarebbe partito per il Belgio NELLA SPERANZA DI DIMENTICARE (ma come faccia ad affermare che la motivazione fu quella e non una motivazione economica come nella maggior parte dei casi d’emigrazione di quegli anni non é dato sapere). Interessante notare che ci venga fornito il nome della nipote ma non del contadino: eppure se ci fosse paura della “vendetta dei partigiani” l’aver nominato la nipote permetterebbe molto facilmente agli ultrasettuagenari ex combattenti del posto capire chi sia lo zio della Signora Fochesato.
MARIA SULIN“vecchietta arzilla e gentilissima, piena di vita e senza mezzi termini”
Impiegata comunale che il 10 ottobre 1943 si trovava sul camion dei tedeschi che venne assaltato dai partigiani (e che faceva sul camion pieno di nazisti? era forse una loro collaboratrice?). Dice di essere informata sui fatti perché ha lavorato molti anni in comune e che Socian “andava casa per casa, mitra spianato in mano, e costringeva tutti a seguirlo tra i partigiani. Chi rifiutava, finiva di vivere, nel vero senso della parola” e che anche con lei “ha usato lo stesso sistema” (quindi le cose sono due: o la signora Sulin é stata partigiana oppure é un fantasma che parla. Hmmm…)
ADA PELLIZZARI “una gentile, sensibile, amorevole signora”
Testimonia che suo fratello Osvaldo Pellizzari, su cui si vocifera facesse parte del gruppo di partigiani di Socian, combatté invece con le forze di Mussolini contro in Francia e Grecia-Albania, dove rimase prigioniero fino a dopo la fine del conflitto.
Aggiunge che nella sua famiglia c’era un partigiano: Vladimir Cernuta (ma non é chiaro se facesse parte del gruppo di Socian e se si, da quando). Infine ricorda la scena orribile dei cadaveri dei militi della GNR esposti.
MARY (sorella di Ursic e moglie di Socian)“una vecchietta gentile, rispettosa, affabile, disponibile”. Racconta di come Ursic venne tradito dai compagni
Cos’hanno in comune queste persone? Sono tutte donne, antipartigiane e che forniscono informazioni utili a supportare la versione dei fatti sostenuta da Russo o perlomeno la sua descrizione del mondo. Interessante osservare come tutte queste donne che forniscono materiale utile vengano descritte con estrema positività da Russo.
3.11.02 QUELLI SU CUI SI SORVOLA
Ossia persone venute a contatto con i partigiani su cui Russo non fa alcun commento che possa indicare se abbiano preso il virus partigiano o ne siano rimaste indenni.
IL PADRE DELL’AMICO DI RINALDI di cui non viene data testimonianza di drammi personali, anche se a dirla tutta non viene nemmeno data testimonianza di cosa avrebbe visto (pag.18), di chi fosse e che ne fu di lui (si presume però sia un contadino della Bausiza). Anzi: a guardar bene dice solo di aver seguito i partigiani ed aver “visto tutto” senza fornire alcun dettaglio. Boh? Forse però potrebbe essere inserito nell’elenco delle vittime del virus perché a quanto pare il figlio, semplicemente sentendo il racconto degli eventi appare sconvolto (pag.145) e quindi possiamo figurarci che anche il padre potesse esserlo altrettanto.
GIOVANNI VUERICH, un operaio delle miniere e compagno di lavoro di Tona Flajs, marito di Myza Komac. Dice che all’inizio tutti dicessero fossero stati i tedeschi a massacrare coi picconi i carabinieri, tra cui due-tre suoi compagni di lavoro che avevano fatto parte di quel gruppo di partigiani.
VIGJ VENTURINI, alpino del Reggimento tagliamento che aveva partecipato al recupero dei cadaveri a malga Bala prosegue la guerra “un po’ con altri gruppi di alpini, un po’ dandosi alla macchia, un po’ coi partigiani della Garibaldi” (pag.250), ossia brigate legate al partito comunista.
FERDINANDO KRAVANJA. Classe 1927. Ex partigiano sloveno compagno di Socian (ma solo verso il termine del conflitto: non all’epoca dei fatti, anche se a Tarvisio si vocifera diversamente) dice che “Socian, non solo con la storia dei carabinieri, ma anche e soprattutto con quella, ha fatto molto male alla causa slovena!”. La dichiarazione può apparire interessante in quanto chi parla é un ex partigiano, tuttavia bisogna tener conto che si tratta sempre dell’opinione di qualcuno che non ha assistito ai fatti (all’epoca aveva diciassette anni e non sappiamo cosa facesse) che potrebbe benissimo essersi convinto della bontà della versione propagandata dai nazifascisti. Aggiunge inoltre che tra i partigiani di Socian vi era anche tal Cirillo Kaska di Cave (oramai deceduto) ma che anche questi vi entrò solo verso la fine del conflitto.
LUCIANO RICCARDO ALDEGHERI Ex partigiano che si unì al gruppo di Socian ma solo ad ottobre del 1944. Parla molto male di Socian mostrando di non averlo in simpatia e lo descrive come un focoso e spavaldo sanguinario. Al tempo stesso fa notare che “qualsiasi cosa succedeva, la frase era unanime: “E’ stato Socian!” Era il parere di tutti, anche quando lui non c’entrava niente” (pag.43). Pure lui attribuisce a Socian la responsabilità della rappresaglia dei nazisti nel 1943 e dice che la popolazione ed i partigiani stessi non gli erano favorevoli. Dice che tutta la comunità sapeva esattamente cosa fosse successo in malga Bala (pag.149) e che l’azione di malga Bala “certamente era sfuggita di mano agli stessi promotori”.
QUALCUNO DEI SUBALTERNI A pag.120 Russo parla di uno o più partigiani del gruppo di Socian che, mesi dopo i fatti, diranno che forse sarebbe stato preferibile liberare gli ostaggi. Chi sono questi subalterni? Con chi parlarono? Anche questo non é dato sapere…
GLI OPERAI DELLA CENTRALE E LA MOGLIE DI UNO DI ESSI che, tuttavia subiranno all’epoca sospetti ed un’accusa di collaborazionismo, così come un atteggiamento un po incerto da parte di Russo, che si mette nei loro panni quando tentano di salvare la centrale (pag.150) ma poi mette in dubbio la possibilità che la Maria Berlot, moglie di uno di questi, possa aver telefonato alla Direzione della miniera (pag.155) nonostante questo dettaglio sia riportato in una lettera di un colonnello della GNR motivando i suoi dubbi “in quanto quella volta il telefono, specie a Bretto di Sotto, doveva essere un qualcosa di estremamente raro e prezioso e non a disposizione della moglie del sorvegliante della centrale”. La donna infine verrà arrestata perché sospettata di collaborare coi partigiani per essere temporaneamente liberata grazie alle pressioni di un “carabiniere” della GNF ed essere successivamente riarrestata. Altro elemento di dubbio sollevato da Russo a pag.177 é che il 24 marzo (il giorno dopo l’assalto alla centrale) la donna si recò in Bausiza per acquistare “un po’ di burro, formaggio e soprattutto latte”, ed in quell’occasione s’accorge del passaggio di partigiani e sequestrati. Tornata a casa racconta quanto visti ai famigliari, la voce circola e viene arrestata (ma se la fonte di queste informazioni non é Maria Berlot stessa bisogna dedurre che sia uno dei parenti che la tradirono?).
Dinnanzi al caso di una persona che Russo non sa bene se inquadrare come collaboratrice dei partigiani o vittima sfortunata del virus partigiano assistiamo ad una totale assenza di commenti: nessuna invocazione mistica né demonizzazione.
BEPI FLAJS ha invece l’onore di essere il caso più interessante tra quelli qui elencati. Nel testo é l’unica persona citata con nome ed entrata in contatto coi partigiani su cui il virus partigiano sembra non aver avuto effetto se non per una generale “paura” nei loro confronti. A differenza di coloro che hanno sconfitto il virus partigiano, Bepi Flajs non mostra alcun segno di redenzione. In effetti, pur essendo il testimone più importante dell’intero libro (vedi sotto) é strano non osservare nemmeno una riga che ci parli della sua persona. O meglio: viene semplicemente descritto come una persona vicinissima a Gajger e Mafalda e che ha dovuto sempre fare buon viso a cattivo gioco coi partigiani in quanto ne era impaurito (pag.147); viene inoltre descritto come un uomo che agisce secondo le disposizioni del Gajger (pag.147). Ma pur avendo queste informazioni base sul ruolo di Bepi Flajs non sappiamo nulla della PERSONA Bepi Flajs. Strano: abbiamo qualche dato biografico e breve descrizione di persone che riportano informazioni di seconda mano ma non ci vien detto nulla della fonte principale del libro? Molto strano.
Cos’hanno in comune queste persone e cosa li distingue da quelle che sono rimaste con certezza indenni dal virus partigiano? Sono tutte persone la cui testimonianza é interessante ma potrebbe far stridere la narrazione portata avanti dal libro:
Vuerich testimonia che alcuni partigiani erano operai della miniera e che vi lavorassero anche nei giorni a ridosso dell’uccisione dei dodici. Poiché dalla sua testimonianza sembra che ciò non fosse un gran segreto tra gli operai (e ciò contraddirebbe non poco l’immagine di “comunità unita” che emerge dal testo), Russo non si sofferma su questa testimonianza e passa avanti preferendo non commentare.
F.Kravanja é un ex partigiano e per questo motivo le uniche cornici in cui lo schema di Russo potrebbe inserirlo sono quelli dell’uomo bestiale (come Hrovat) o dell’uomo condannato a vivere in un incubo (come Gajger). Ma F.Kravanja fa un’affermazione che é al contempo utilizzabile ma pericolosa per l’impianto della tesi sostenuta: F.Kranavja critica Socian ma senza avere elementi di testimonianza diretta. Si é dunque di fronte ad una mera opinione personale che potrebbe sembrar avere un qualche valore in più rispetto alle altre in quanto proveniente da un partigiano. Ciò inoltre potrebbe alimentare qualche ragionamento sui tipi di rapporti che intercorrevano tra i vari gruppi partigiani, sulle diverse posizioni e vedute, smontando l’idea di un “unicum” bolscevico. L’autore dunque preferisce evitare ogni approfondimento lasciando solo i commenti negativi su Socian, facendo intendere che anche qui si sia di fronte ad un caso di virus partigiano che porta i bolscevichi a litigare non solo col mondo ma anche tra di loro senza (mai specificarne il) motivo. A differenza dell’affermazione negativizzata di Hrovat vista al punto 2.05 qui non é possibile effettuare un’operazione simile perché anziché avere due affermazioni di cui una completamente accoglibile ed una neutra, qui ci si trova dinnanzi ad un’unica affermazione che per essere accolta va maneggiata con cura.
Aldegheri fornisce una descrizione di Socian perfettamente in linea con l’immagine che ne dà Russo. Ma anche Aldegheri é un’ex partigiano e ciò, come nel caso di Kravanja si rivela al tempo stesso un’arma a doppio taglio: da un lato appare come una fonte “interna” ma dall’altro potrebbe disgregare l’immagine del “fronte unico partigiano” (domanda: premesso che a quanto ne so Socian poteva benissimo essere un impetuoso e passionale figlio di buona donna antipatico a tutti senza che ciò ne faccia un mostro, non é che Aldegheri fosse un partigiano cattolico che ce l’aveva con Socian, magari perché era comunista o per antipatia “a pelle” come quella di Russo con Hrovat? Purtroppo il testo, che a pag. 174 pubblica la foto del fienile della famiglia proprietaria del terreno su cui sorse il cimitero in cui furono sepolti i dodici, non riserva la stessa meticolosità informativa e ricchezza di dettaglio sulle fonti “interne”)
Il fatto che l’alpino Venturini ad un certo punto decida di entrare in una brigata partigiana non riceve alcun tipo di commento, forse perché obbligherebbe a reinquadrare la resistenza da un “unicum bolscevico” ad una formazione temporanea e variegata.
Del trattamento ambiguo con cui vengono narrati gli operai della centrale si é già detto mentre invece di Bepi Flajs si vedrà in maniera dettagliata più avanti.
3.11.03 IL REMITTENTE
Russo percepisce nuovamente di persona il male quando incontra Lojs Kravanja-Gajger, il postino dei partigiani: che va ad intervistare “in una stanza più che angusta dove da anni s’era condannato a vivere travolto dagli incubi, mi era sembrato di essere a contatto diretto col diavolo in persona: risento ancora oggi la pelle ritirarsi e raggrinzirsi gelata, al ricordo!” (pag.14).
La vita travolta dagli incubi a cui Gajger (sempre descritto come fedele servitore dei partigiani) “s’era condannato”, é il contrappasso necessario affinché espii i propri peccati. A differenza dei partigiani intervistati da Russo che non mostrano alcun segno di pentimento, delle donne che accompagna con parole di cortesia e delle persone su cui evita di esprimere pareri, dal testo traspare che Gajger ora é almeno interiormente conscio del male con cui ha vissuto e ciò é indice di un possibile ravvedimento e salvazione. Il fatto che Gajger viva travolto dagli incubi é quindi segno di uno struggimento derivante dalla presa di coscienza di esser stato nell’errore ed é grazie a questa frattura che s’intravede la possibilità di una rinascita ed avvicinamento al vero; dunque, la sua testimonianza-confessione, per atto di fede, acquisisce credibilità. Vengono anche segnalati alcuni tratti del Gajger pre-remissione, ossia “duro e scontroso, chiuso, solitario” (pag.112) che, se non sono ancora segni del virus sono indici di un qualcosa che non va e che dimostrano la “natura” incline a contrarre il virus del Gajger.
3.12 LA GUARDIA NAZIONALE REPUBBL…… EHMMM…. CARABINIER….
Abbiamo già osservato come il testo preferisca parlare di “tedeschi e italiani” anziché di “nazisti e fascisti” e della mole di aggettivi negativi destinati ai partigiani cui non viene mai riconosciuto alcunché di umano, ma il caso più eclatante é il modo in cui vengono nominati i 12 sequestrati!
INSERTO STORICO – parte 11 – LE DIVISE DELLA GNR
I membri dell’arma dei carabinieri che aderirono alla RSI vennero fatti confluire nella Guardia Nazionale Repubblicana (GNR), forza armata istituita l’8 dicembre 1943 per sostituire ed inglobare i Reali Carabinieri, la MVSN e la Polizia dell’Africa Italiana. I compiti della GNR erano teoricamente quelli propri dei carabinieri anche se in realtà prese parte soprattutto alla repressione contro i partigiani (fonte). La GNR fu una tra le varie formazioni armate repubblichine, definita anche “la quarta forza armata della repubblica” (fonte: Frederick W. Deakin, “Storia della Repubblica di Salò” Torino, Einaudi, 1963; pag.874,875) che agivano con un certo grado di autonomia sia decisionale che di bilancio in un mix di collaborazione e rivalità reciproca. Fu una delle prime milizie istituite dalla RSI e una delle più consistenti per numero di uomini ed armamento per un totale di circa 140-150.000 uomini al momento della sua istituzione.
Il 24 dicembre 1943 la RSI rese noto il decreto istitutivo della GNR che “segnava la cessazione ufficiale dell’Arma dei carabinieri su tutto il territorio della Rsi” (fonte: Giorgio Pisanò, “Gli ultimi in grigioverde. Storia delle forze armate della Repubblica sociale italiana” Milano, Fpe, 1967; pag.1701). Dopo quella data, dunque, nei territori occupati dalla RSI non esiste più il corpo dei carabinieri.
Teoricamente i carabinieri confluiti nella GNR avrebbero dovuto indossare l’uniforma grigioverde da paracadutista mod.42 ma in realtà la fornitura delle nuove divise fu disomogenea e non sempre completa e quindi la stragrande maggioranza dei militi mantenne l’uniforme mod.33 propria dei carabinieri cambiandone però fregi, distintivi e mostrine (fonte QUI e QUI). Non rare le situazioni in cui, per esempio, una divisa nuova veniva abbinata ad un berretto vecchio o il contrario). Il mantenimento delle unità di provenienza, delle caserme e dell’uniforme spiega come all’epoca restasse nell’uso comune il termine “carabinieri” per indicare militi della GNR provenienti dall’arma dei carabinieri.
Caratteristica della GNR che preoccupava non poco Mussolini fu il fatto che “la maggior parte delle classi tra i 20 e i 40 anni era internata in Germania, e benché la nuova Guardia nazionale repubblicana a parole riuscisse a raccogliere, insieme con i suoi vecchi quadri circa 140-150.000 uomini, si trattava per lo più di ragazzi tra i 15 e i 17 anni senza disciplina e senza addestramento militare” (fonte). Non é il caso dei militi a controllo della centrale di Bretto, le cui età al momento dei fatti andavano dai 20 ai 44 anni.
Dunque: nonostante i 12 militi di guardia alla centrale fossero militi della GNR e venissero indicati come “militi della polizia repubblicana” anche nell’articolo del Gazzettino di Padova pubblicato da Russo (che dichiara di aver trovato documenti sugli eventi di malga Bala proprio “Nell’archivio dell’Ufficio Storico del Comando generale della Guardia Nazionale Repubblicana di Brescia” (pag.153), nel testo i dodici militi di guardia alla centrale elettrica vengono chiamati “carabinieri” oltre 400 volte mentre la loro appartenenza alla GNR viene indicata solo 3 (tre) volte (p.es quando a pag.186 scrive “carabinieri rei di essere italiani e schierati con la Repubblica Sociale Italiana di Mussolini” o la segnalazione a pag.245 che i “carabinieri” della compagnia di Tolmezzo indossavano “tutti e sempre” la “divisa d’appartenenza alla Repubblica Sociale Italiana”).
Perdipiù a pag.176 Russo parla pure di “diverse corrispondenze” tra il “Gruppo dei carabinieri di Udine” e il “Comando Generale della Guardia Nazionale Repubblicana di Brescia” creando nel lettore impreparato l’illusione che nell’RSI carabinieri e GNR fossero due entità distinte.
Anche nel notiziario della Guardia Nazionale Repubblicana del 28 marzo 1944 si parla dei dodici militi come “distaccamento G.N.R. ivi di vigilanza” (pagina 31 del notiziario, reperibile QUI)
Il fatto che nel testo l’autore si rivolga ai dodici sequestrati usando oltre 400 (quattrocento) volte il termine “carabinieri” attribuendogli sfuggevolmente solo per tre volte l’appellativo di “guardie repubblicane” rende evidente che si tratti di un tentativo di sfumare la loro aderenza al fascismo concentrandosi su una connotazione più neutra e politicamente spendibile (“dodici carabinieri uccisi” é più spendibile di “dodici repubblichini fascisti della GNR uccisi”). A pag.149 Russo dichiara che tutti i dodici militi furono “aderenti involontari” della RSI senza però aver mai specificato in nessuna parte del testo le posizioni personali dei dodici militi nei confronti dell’RSI e del fascismo e dunque senza giustificare in base a cosa sostenga fossero “involontari”.
Il fatto che lo stesso meccanismo avviene anche utilizzando prepotentemente “italiani” e “tedeschi” al posto di “nazisti” e “fascisti” con l’intento di dipingere una comunità omogenea conferma ulteriormente la volontà di Russo di non fare vera ricerca storica ma di propagandare in una forma “vendibile” la (debole) versione dei fatti che appoggia.
3.13 LETTURA RELIGIOSA DEGLI EVENTI
Come già accennato, la narrazione dei fatti risponde a canoni di mitologia afascista di matrice cristiana. Se l’afascismo si evince dalla premessa storica e dal modo in cui vengono trattati e descritti partigiani e nazifascisti, la cristianità si evince sia dai commenti personali dell’autore che da una lettura degli eventi in chiave martirologica.
Giusto per dare un senso della misura dei richiami alla fede religiosa, il conteggio dei termini usati con tale attinenza religiosa é:
Dio (20 volte), martir* (19 volte) sacrific* (12 volte), infern* (9 volte) diabol* (8 volte), “piccolo dio della Coritenza” [inteso come dispregiativo nei confronti di Socian] (8 volte), tradizion* (7 volte), via Crucis (4 volte), Gesù (4 volte), diavolo (3 volte), Signore (3 volte), Padre (3 volte), Padrone della vita (2 volte), Maria (2 volte), cieli (2 volte), moral* (2 volte), Giudice eterno (1 volta), “furia satanica” (1 volta), Madonna (1 volta), Padreterno (1 volta), sacro (1 volta), spiritualità (1 volta), sovrannaturale (1 volta), Creatore (1 volta)
Si tratta di circa un richiamo ogni due pagine e mezzo: decisamente eccessivo per un testo che si propone di esporre un lavoro di ricerca storico (che dovrebbe limitare il più possibile le interpretazioni personali).
“Certo, solo l’uomo con la sua intelligenza e la sua potenza è capace di gesti così raccapriccianti, di azioni così infamanti e crudeli! Come sarà il loro atteggiamento quando, gioco forza, saranno costretti come tutti gli altri esseri viventi a presentarsi a loro volta in giudizio, davanti al Padrone della vita?” (pag.123)
Ad una lettura attenta non sfuggono nemmeno segnali meno espliciti di religiosità cristiana, come il fatto che a pag.130, narrando della salita dei dodici verso malga Bala (descritta come una “via crucis”), l’autore inserisce alcuni dettagli: la presenza si un maestoso faggio “a tre, enorme, divaricato, quasi impressionante per la sua mole e la sua maestosità” e di uccellini “Ogni tanto vispi pettirossi e gruppetti di cardellini irrequieti saltellavano impazienti mostrando un mondo ormai perso per sempre”. Maestosi alberi trinitari e irrequieti uccellini di un “mondo ormai perso per sempre” non sono elementi casuali: vengono presentati come segni ultraterreni carichi di significava mistica e salvifica.
Gesù invece ha detto: “Amate i vostri nemici e pregate per i vostri persecutori, perché siete tutti figli di uno stesso Padre, il quale fa sorgere il sole sopra i mal- vagi e sopra i buoni e fa piovere sopra i giusti e sopra gli ingiusti. Amatevi dunque tra voi, come lo vi ho amato! E perdonatevi tra di voi, così come chiedete perdono per voi al Padre vostro che è nei cieli!” (pag.265)
La lettura religiosa si lega a doppio filo ad un nazionalismo di fondo che viene evocato sempre attraverso un generico senso d’appartenenza all’essere italiani che si manifesta perlopiù in negativo; in opposizione ai partigiani che non possono far altro che odiare l’Italia:
“Carabinieri rei di essere italiani”, “uccisi perché italiani” ed altre formule simili si ripetono, in maniera esplicita o meno, almeno una ventina di volte.
“Erano carabinieri, erano italiani e non potevano non morire che da carabinieri e da italiani, a testa alta, guardando in faccia i propri aggressori!” (pag.142)
“erano stati designati a morire per la Patria che non avrebbero potuto dimenticare né tradire” (pag.130)
La Patria che emerge dalle parole del Russo é esattamente la “Patria” nel senso primo del termine, ossia terra dei padri, terra del Padre: un concetto di “tradizione” applicato su un territorio e che l’omonima entità-amministrativa che la occupa deve rappresentare. La Patria (nel senso di Nazione-Italia) é dunque un’entità che come un velo deve ricoprire la Patria (nel senso di terra dei padri) con una tale precisione da non esser più distinguibili l’una dall’altra, come una Gerusalemme celeste che combacia perfettamente alla Gerusalemme terrena. E non é la Gerusalemme celeste a doversi adattare a quella terrena bensì il contrario: una volta stabiliti i confini della patria celeste quella terrena deve adattarvisi per rappresentarla materialmente. Italianizzandosi, fascistizzandosi…
3.14 IL PARALLELO CON LA PASSIONE DEL CRISTO
Commenti e richiami religiosi non si limitano ad essere mere note a margine della narrazione ma arrivano a fungere da colonna interpretativa degli eventi, al punto tale che diviene lecito chiedersi fino a che punto determinati dettagli ed episodi abbiano ricevuto (volontariamente o involontariamente) un’attribuzione di peso maggiore o minore affinché meglio rispondessero allo scheletro interpretativo su cui l’autore s’è poggiato. Nello specifico é possibile osservare lo strettissimo parallelismo tra la narrazione del testo con quella della passione di Gesù:
Perpignano che viene obbligato a farsi aprire la caserma come un Giuda obbligato. Il raggiungimento della malga come via Crucis. La vista dell’albero a tre fusti come simbolo trinitario e della danza degli uccellini che mostrano “un mondo perso per sempre” come preannuncio del destino. L’offerta di acqua zuccherata come la spugna intrisa d’acqua e aceto. Il peso dei beni fatti trasportare dai dodici come peso della croce. L’indecisione di alcuni partigiani come parallelo dei processi di Caifa e Pilato (il primo dei quali avviene nel bel mezzo della notte, come la notte tra il 24 ed il 25 passata dai dodici in attesa della fine). Socian che impone la sua volontà sui partigiani come i sacerdoti giudaici che spronarono la folla. Lo sberleffo e le risate delle donne della Bausiza che han ricevuto in dono quanto prelevato dalla caserma come i soldati che si dividono le vesti strappate del Cristo. L’ilarità che continua durante la somministrazione del cibo avvelenato come parallelo dei centurioni che si fanno gioco di Gesù ponendogli la corona di spine (con la variante contro-eucaristica dell’avvelenamento in sostituzione del pane e vino eucaristici durante l’ultima cena dei dodici). L’accettazione eroica del proprio martirio (stavolta non in nome del Padre-Dio bensì in nome del Padre-Nazione: patriottismo). Le torture come flagellazione e messa in croce. Gli sputi dei partigiani come gli sputi dei centurioni. I colpi di piccone e di scarponi chiodati come i chiodi della crocifissione. I contadini che seguono la processione ed osservano impotenti come le donne che assistono da lontano alla crocifissione sul Golgotha dietro ai soldati romani. Il silenzio degli uccelli del bosco ed il sole celato come segnali divini. La sistemazione dei corpi sotto una roccia come deposizione di Gesù. Bepi Flajs che sta dalla parte sbagliata ma (testimoniando i fatti) si converte come Longino; stessa cosa per il ventunesimo partigiano che fugge, come fosse un centurione convertito. Il filo spinato attorno ai corpi come ulteriore parallelo alla corona di spine. I partigiani che prima si vantano del fatto ma poi negano tutto come il triplice rinnegamento di Pietro.
Al termine del massacro, prima che intervenga Gajger a sistemare i corpi, Russo scrive testualmente (grassetti miei):
Erano tutti in silenzio, l’euforia era di colpo svanita e un grosso velo aveva cominciato ad opprimerli in maniera ossessiva: unico loro scopo era ora di allontanarsi in fretta da quell’altare su cui avevano compiuto quel tanto sospirato sacrificio.
E tutto ciò avviene a pochissimi giorni dalla Pasqua (che quell’anno cadeva il 9 aprile)!
Ecco che si esplicita quella che é la motivazione profonda della mattanza così come la trasmette il testo di Russo, ecco che si spiega perché il testo insiste tanto sulla brutalità degli eventi ma vagheggi fumosamente sulle motivazioni che le avrebbero provocate: il significato profondo che ne vuol dare non é né di una strategia di guerriglia (come già visto: non poteva esserlo) né di un evento meramente operativo (troppo brutale e gratuito per esserlo), né di una reazione d’impeto (troppo programmato per esserlo) bensì di un sacrificio rituale, un sacrificio umano!
Ecco che il simbolismo evocato da Russo ed attribuito alle decisioni dei partigiani, che scelgono specificamente i dodici militi non perché casualmente a guardia di un obiettivo strategico, ma perché rappresentanti dei valori che devono esorcizzare ritualmente (l’italianità). Ecco perché opera il ribaltamento dell’azione da sabotaggio con conseguente sequestro a sequestro con sabotaggio di contorno.
Un sacrificio di italiani per rimarcare la propria natura slava e dunque “altra”. E nel testo che tipo di alterità differenzia gli slavi, dai tedeschi e dagli italiani? L’essere comunisti!
Come nelle peggiori fantasie degli inquisitori rinascimentali che condannavano ad orribili dolori (con la tortura) e morti ritualizzate (in piazza) “streghe” colpevoli di provocare dolori (con la magia) e morti ritualizzate (nei sabba), é impossibile non accorgersi del doppio tipo di correlazione cui si é di fronte! Innanzitutto il parallelismo storico:
BENE – MALE
Fede – Stregoneria
Fede – Comunismo
NOI – LORO
Ed in secondo luogo l’esatto ripetersi di quei meccanismi di proiezione (sempre in senso junghiano) che se tra medioevo e rinascimento han fatto si che il potere dominante (la chiesa) potesse dipingersi un nemico che altro non era se non una versione speculare di sé stesso (messe nere come opposto speculare della messa religiosa, crocifissi rovesciati, bacio mistico col demonio ma sull’ano anziché sulla bocca, contro-rituali ecc…), oggi si ripetono tali e quali seppur adattati al nuovo contesto. Il partigiano, dunque, in quanto comunista (ossia lontano da Dio e dunque affine a Satana) e slavo (“altro”) diviene una figura aliena, la rappresentazione totale del male, l’ ALTRO per antonomasia su cui riversare ogni genere di nefandezza e orrore “anche quando [lui] non c’entra(va) niente”: é l’orwelliano Goldstein di 1984 su cui va proiettato tutto l’odio che si porta dentro, é il Babau, il lupo cattivo delle fiabe, Gargamella. I partigiani sono il caos che perturba l’armonia del mondo. Ecco che i partigiani divengono i “satanici demoni delle montagne”; ecco che diffondono il “virus partigiano”; ecco che così come le streghe son colpevoli semplicemente del fatto d’esser streghe, anche i partigiani son colpevoli del solo esser partigiani (la metonimia partigiano = comunista avviene banalmente per generalizzazione); ecco che per dicotomia bisogna rappresentare i dodici come degli esempi di perfezione. Ecco che Russo elogia i partigiani della Osoppo che combattevano contro gli invasori ma accusa i partigiani di Socian che combattono contro i tedeschi usurpatori: tutto parte dal fatto che partendo da una lettura del mondo fondata su materiali mitologici della cultura di destra e cattolica, il “comunista” é l’attante perfetto su cui riversare (proiettare) tutti i propri mali interiori e poco importa se questi attacchi seguono un filo logico.
Prima ancora di una lotta di ideologie, prima ancora di una lotta di classe, questa é una lotta fra modelli di pensiero opposti e inconciliabili.
Ecco emergere la palese contraddizione per cui agli occhi di chi affonda le proprie radici in un mix di cultura di destra il peggior male attribuibile ad un comunista (ateo che rinnega Dio) é ritenere compia atti di violenza ritualizzata fine solo a sé stessa (gesto inutile) e dunque di senso simbolico, ma sempre inteso (anche se non sempre consciamente) in chiave religioso-spirituale. Un sacrificio ateo per un non-Dio, un contro-Dio, Satana. Il comunismo come (cripto) satanismo. E poiché i partigiani, essendo per generalizzazione tutti comunisti, si giunge a:
Partigiano = Satanista
Questa é la chiave con cui il testo interpreta e dà senso alla narrazione della versione strage. La versione conflitto a fuoco viene quindi rifiutata a priori in quanto non leggibile in chiave martirologica poiché non é possibile attribuirle un senso spirituale in quanto NON basata su un gesto inutile.
Per concludere assume significanza anche il valore numerico delle persone coinvolte negli eventi qui trattati: i militi della GNR erano 12 come gli apostoli mentre il numero di 18 partigiani accettato da Russo (pag.147), per lo svolgimento del massacro sale a 21 (pag.127), perfetto contraltare speculare del numero evangelico (12-21). I partigiani come opposto ideale dei militi della GNR.
3.15 LE MOTIVAZIONI DEI PARTIGIANI…PER IL PUBBLICO
Seppur il testo trasmetta prepotentemente l’idea secondo cui l’uccisione dei dodici aveva come scopo la messa in atto di un sacrificio rituale motivato dalla vendetta, questa non viene mai esposta in maniera esplicita in quanto idea indicibile. Questa indicibilità si spiega perfettamente se si tengono conto da un lato le origini di tale idea: non origini fattuali (non esistono prove o casi simili) bensì dalla proiezione (in senso junghiano) di idee senza parole (in senso jesiano) manifestate attraverso una chiave interpretativa cristiana e dall’altro l’atteggiamento dell’autore che, esattamente come cela i militi della GNR sotto l’etichetta di “carabinieri” ed i nazifascisti sotto le generiche identità linguistiche di “tedeschi” ed “italiani”, lima gli aspetti meno vendibili della sua versione affinché risultino accettabili dal pubblico cui si rivolge.
Per questo motivo il testo non riporta:
Dodici fascisti repubblichini militanti nella GNR uccisi da comunisti slavi in un omicidio rituale
ma scrive:
Dodici carabinieri torturati brutalmente dai partigiani perché italiani
e quel che comunica é:
Dodici giusti martiri torturati e uccisi da demoni comunisti alieni e semi-umani in un atto sacrificale esorcizzante simbolicamente il proprio odio contro la legge di Dio
Il testo dunque deve al tempo stesso comunicare questo senso pur scrivendo apertamente altro (a proposito di proiezione junghiana: qui il parallelo con la tesi di Russo secondo cui le torture che dovevano essere al tempo stesso un messaggio forte ma celato può dar moltissimo a cui pensare) e quindi vengono proposte alcune motivazioni terrene che vengono buttate nel testo senza soffermarsi troppo a commentare (e non é certo un caso se certe informazioni vengono fornite quasi con distrazione, senza soffermarcisi sopra)
pag.120 Russo indica nella distruzione della centrale lo scopo principale dell’azione, ma poche righe dopo specifica che Socian insistette perché i suoi uomini non desistessero dal compito prefissato di torturare senza pietà i militi della GNR per vendicare le persecuzioni subite dalle proprie famiglie ed il massacro di una quarantina di partigiani (“martiri” che “gridavano ancora vendetta”) avvenuto il 26 aprile 1943.
Quindi, andiamo con ordine: Russo sostiene che lo scopo principale era sabotare la centrale (pag.120), ma anche vendicare il popolo slavo (pag.77) del massacro di decine di partigiani avvenuto il 26 aprile precedente (pag.120) e vendicare pure i partigiani stessi dei soprusi inflitti dai fascisti a loro (pag.214) ed alle loro famiglie (pag.120) perché i partigiani erano divorati da odio (pag.29) anti italiano, ma anche impossessarsi delle armi della caserma (pag.102). Socian dunque convinse i suoi a rapire una dozzina di “carabinieri” militi della GNR scelti perché simbolo dell’Italia (pag.97) nella data, anch’essa simbolo, del 23 di marzo (solennità civile fascista) affinché gli italiani la ricordassero per sempre (pag.121), per torturarli però due giorni dopo in un luogo inaccessibile ove nessun nazifascista si sarebbe mai recato (pag.139) col forte rischio che la scoperta dei cadaveri avvenisse settimane o mesi dopo.
Eppure nel testo, fin dalla copertina, si ripete numerose volte che i 12 militi della GNR vennero uccisi “solo perché italiani” e nonostante a pag.120 lo scopo principale dell’azione sia indicata nella distruzione della centrale, nell’arco di tutto il testo il mantra che viene continuamente ripetuto é quello dell’ “uccisi solo perché italiani”.
Russo non spiega perché la data scelta non fosse il 26 aprile, come parrebbe logico nel caso di una vendetta per un fatto avvenuto il 26 aprile, né perché un’assassinio pianificato per tingere d’orrore la data simbolica del 23 marzo sarebbe stato eseguito il 25 marzo. L’unica giustificazione che se ne evince é che i dodici militi della GNR servissero per trasportare in montagna armi e beni rubati dalla caserma ma appare alquanto bislacca la combinazione di obiettivi simbolico-comunicativi (la strage) ed obiettivi meramente operativo-logistici (sabotaggio e trasporto armi) non tanto in un’unica operazione tattico-simbolica quanto in un pastiche di quelle che appaiono come due diverse operazioni malcombinate (A e B) con quattro diversi obiettivi: l’idea di sabotare centrale elettrica e relativa casermetta (A.1) sequestrandone gli occupanti (A.2) e utilizzarli per il trasporto dei beni (A.3) é già di per sé operazione complessa e aggiungere a tale schema l’esecuzione di un sacrificio rituale (B.4) da svolgersi due giorni dopo la data-simbolo cozza non poco all’interno del quadro (in realtà, come vedremo, c’é un motivo per cui Russo sposta l’uccisione al 25 marzo, ma non ha nulla a che vedere con strategie militari o simbolismi).
Non viene nemmeno spiegato in base a quale ragionamento solo i militi della GNR / Carabinieri sarebbero assurti al grado di “unici veri rappresentanti dell’Italia e soprattutto della Repubblica Sociale Italiana di Mussolini” quando, di fatto, ogni forza armata fascista era di per sé un rappresentante del fascismo e dell’Italia (pag.149).
Lo stesso Russo ammette che l’attività principale dei partigiani della zona consisteva nel portare avanti continui e ripetuti sabotaggi atti ad interrompere o rallentare le attività della miniera (che alimentava l’industria bellica tedesca e di conseguenza il conflitto) e che quindi l’episodio qui trattato sarebbe un caso unico ed assolutamente eccezionale. L’unico caso in cui Socian ed i suoi uomini, anziché mirare ad un obiettivo puramente strategico avessero deciso di compiere una mattanza simbolica rituale.
Russo tenta di dare credito a questa evidente stranezza nelle pagine 186,187 e 188 sostenendo che i partigiani “si erano “fatti prendere la mano” e che quell’azione “risultò oltraggiosa perfino del nome del partigiano e si trasformò in onta vergognosa per il comunismo nascente di Tito”, onde per cui subiranno un processo interno “per aver deturpato l’immagine del partigiano comunista slavo” che porterà a degradare “più di qualcuno” di essi e “lo stesso Socian vedrà interrotto e per qualche tempo compromesso il proprio prestigio e il proprio potere. Lo stesso Franc Ursic, come stiamo per vedere, verrà isolato, abbandonato e tradito dai suoi stessi uomini, solo perché si era fatto sfuggire di mano l’azione della Bala”. Da dove abbia appreso le informazioni su questi processi non é dato sapere ed in ogni caso ciò cozza decisamente con l’idea di una vendetta rituale pianificata per settimane! Ma come? Pianificano per settimane con il “capo supremo” un’uccisione eccezionalmente brutale per rovinare in eterno la memoria del 23 marzo ma proprio il fatto che le uccisioni furono brutali é ora segno del fatto che si fossero fatti prendere la mano?
Brutalità che non doveva essere brutale? Un’azione spettacolare che deve fungere da messaggio ma nascosto? Fatti del 25 marzo che dovrebbero rovinare la memoria del 23 marzo?
Più volte nel testo Russo insiste sul fatto che la popolazione locale venne a sapere fin da subito cosa avvenne in malga “fin nei minimi particolari” (pag.183) lasciando intendere che la comunità condivideva la versione dei fatti ora riportata nel testo di Russo senza indagare troppo a fondo il fatto che spesso la comunità accusasse Socian “anche quando lui non c’entrava niente” (pag.43). Nel testo vengono riportate anche alcuni interventi di persone che avevano saputo dei fatti per via indiretta e di cui non se ne capisce l’utilità se non il fare da pezza d’appoggio alla strampalata ipotesi di Russo.
Ma improvvisamente a pag.185 si riporta che in realtà non circolasse una, bensì almeno QUATTRO versioni dei fatti molto diverse da quella di Russo!
Versioni che Russo sostiene furono propagandate (ma da chi ed in che modo non lo specifica) nonostante “tutti gli abitanti del territorio sapevano ormai per filo e per segno ogni particolare sulla strage della Bala” anche se non osavano parlare a causa della paura (“anzi il terrore”) dei partigiani. Paura sulla cui assenza di motivazioni già si é detto.
VERSIONE UNO:“La versione più divulgata e accreditata” diceva che i dodici furono uccisi dai tedeschi per farne cadere la responsabilità sui partigiani per aumentare la tensione e inasprire le azioni contro gli slavi. (La versione più diffusa tra la popolazione locale scagiona del tutto i partigiani ed accusa i tedeschi!) [versione citata anche a pag.196,197,205,208,247]
VERSIONE DUE: Diceva che i dodici fossero stati uccisi da altri fascisti italiani per farne cadere la responsabilità sui partigiani, aumentare la tensione e inasprire le azioni contro gli slavi. (Anche la seconda versione che circolava scagiona completamente i partigiani ma stavolta incolpa gli italiani) [versione citata anche a pag.196,197]
VERSIONE TRE: Diceva che i dodici furono uccisi dai partigiani in una normale imboscata e poi i tedeschi, scoperti i corpi, li deturparono dentro la malga (da qui il sangue sulle pareti) per farne cadere la responsabilità sui partigiani per aumentare la tensione e inasprire le azioni contro gli slavi. (La terza versione é sostanzialmente quella proposta anche da Franc Crnugelj ed inserisce le uccisioni in un contesto di guerra ma scagiona i partigiani dalle mostruosità addebitandole ai tedeschi per motivi di propaganda) [versione citata anche a pag.197]
VERSIONE QUATTRO: Diceva che i dodici fossero stati uccisi dai Domobranzi (slavi filonazisti) (Anche la quarta versione scagiona i partigiani accusando un gruppo filonazista slavo) `versione citata anche a pag.193,197,264]
La semplice esistenza di queste versioni la dice molto lunga sulla qualità delle informazioni giunte in paese. Russo sostiene che i contadini che assistettero alla mattanza raccontarono alla comunità del massacro compiuto dai partigiani, tanto che “Tutti sapevano fin nei minimi particolari” (pag.14,18,149,183,205,206,207,208,), ma se ciò corrispondesse a realtà non si spiegherebbe la nascita, in una comunità compatta e omogenea nell’accusare sempre i partigiani (pag.43) ed informata di un terribile crimine commesso da quegli stessi partigiani, di versioni favorevoli…. ai partigiani!
L’esistenza di queste versioni la dice pure lunga sulla considerazione di partigiani, fascisti e nazisti all’interno della comunità: solo nazisti e fascisti vengono ritenuti capaci di portare a termine un tale crimine. Molto interessante se si considera che la comunità descritta da Russo era unanime e compatta nel condannare i partigiani.
E Russo come commenta queste versioni? Russo le scarta in toto ritenendole irrealistiche, preferendo la versione ottenuta combinando le proprie fonti (che tra un attimo vedremo). In particolare, sempre a pag.185 asserisce che “è puerile pensare che si possano scongelare corpi, straziarli a crudo con picconi e altro e riportarli poi nella medesima posizione. Mai visto un corpo congelato spruzzare sangue e lasciare tracce così evidenti e macabre come quelle rinvenute da persone ben identificate all’interno della malga.”
Osservazione strana in quanto lo stesso Russo a pag.161 riporta la testimonianza di Nino Mafezzini (“carabiniere” della GNR che partecipò al recupero delle salme) secondo cui i corpi, a diversi giorni di distanzaerano ancora in grado di sporcare di sangue chi li maneggiava: “[…] siamo tornati a valle, sfiniti e imbrattati di sangue umano, quello dei miei compagni, acqua e neve”. Trattandosi inoltre dello stesso teste che a pag.159 descrive i corpi con le parole “erano come sassi, pezzi congelati e deformi” é lecito chiedersi quanto di queste parole vada inteso come mera descrizione figurativa e quanto vada preso alla lettera, specie relativamente al grado di congelamento dei corpi, anche perché secondo la testimonianza di Nino Mafezzini sembrerebbe che non abbia nevicato granché tra il momento dell’uccisione ed il recupero dei cadaveri dato che i segni di trascinamento dei corpi erano ancora visibili sulla neve stessa (pag.158).
Interessante anche notare il fatto che in questo caso venga rimarcato da Russo che le tracce all’interno della malga sono stare rinvenute da “persone ben identificate”, in quanto, effettivamente, le uniche testimonianze di prima mano chiare e certe che Russo ha a disposizione riguardo a ciò che avvenne nella malga non sono quelle di chi partecipò all’uccisione dei dodici ma di chi partecipò… al recupero e identificazione delle salme (Russo non dà alcuna considerazione ala testimonianza del partigiano Srecko ritenendola menzognera)!
4.00 LE TORTURE
A questo punto bisognerebbe entrare nel vivo della vicenda, ossia analizzare il lavoro eseguito da Russo per giungere alla sua ipotesi su cosa accadde ai dodici dopo che furono sequestrati il 23 marzo 1944. Tuttavia, per meglio poter effettuare questo lavoro, é indispensabile tenere a mente anche ciò che avvenne nei giorni successivi e quindi il capitolo inerente al momento-clou della vicenda é spostato al capitolo 7.
5.00 GLI EVENTI SUCCESSIVI
La storia narrata in “Planina Bala” é profondamente debitrice della “storia di questa storia”, ossia delle convinzioni sull’episodio sedimentatesi negli anni tra la popolazione locale. Prima fra tutte la “segretezza” e la vergogna con cui tale episodio veniva raccontato.
5.01 LE RICERCHE NON-RICERCHE
Riguardo alle ricerche dei dodici il testo fornisce indicazioni diverse che, osservate una ad una, danno l’impressione di una totale mancanza di coordinamento e collaborazione tra le forze su cui però spicca l’azione dei tedeschi:
Le ricerche cominciarono il 24 marzo 1944 (pag.152)
I nazifascisti erano più preoccupati della centrale che della sorte dei dodici (pag.154, 231,)
Le operazioni di ricerca venivano seguite e controllate dai tedeschi, i quali, in gran numero, ispezionavano case e fienili alla ricerca di partigiani (pag.162)
I “tedeschi” effettuarono rastrellamenti nella zona (pag.236)
Le ricerche coinvolsero anche: Guardia Nazionale Repubblicana, Alpini del Reggimento “Tagliamento”, Milizia Confinaria.
Italiani e tedeschi “[…] mai come in quei giorni avevano ispezionato il territorio (pag.156)
I militi italiani, pur intensificando le perlustrazioni, anche dopo diversi giorni non trovarono nulla (pag.153)
I partigiani avrebbero ucciso i dodici senza usare armi da fuoco perché i nazifascisti erano alle loro calcagna e non volevano attirarli col rumore.
Gli alpini del “Tagliamento” intensificano le perlustrazioni ma senza alcun risultato.
I “carabinieri” di Tarvisio della compagnia “Tolmezzo” non partecipano alle ricerche né avevano un’idea chiara di cosa sia successo (pag.219)
La fonte più interessante presentata da Russo riguardo alla situazione post-sabotaggio che ci viene presentata é una lettera inviata il 25 marzo 1944 dal ten.col.Angelo Viticci, comandante del Gruppo di Udine della Legione “Carabinieri” al Comando generale di Trieste di cui vengono riportati alcuni stralci inframmezzati da una trascrizione di Russo del testo (testo che si apre con un riferimento ad una precedente segnalazione della tenenza di Tarvisio numero 4/22 del 23 marzo 1944). La divisione fra testo citato e trascrizione non é chiarissima ma presumendo che gli stralci non virgolettati siano quelli trascritti se ne desume:
“verso le ore 21 del 23 corrente certa Bertolotti Maria ecc. ecc., moglie di Giacomo Koserog, sorvegliante della centrale elettrica di Bretto Inferiore, a mezzo telefono informava la Direzione della Miniera che circa mezz’ora prima i partigiani avevano fatto saltare detta centrale dove doveva trovarsi il marito, del quale non aveva notizie, aggiungendo che nulla sapeva dei carabinieri addetti alla sorveglianza della centrale stessa”.
[IL SEGUENTE PASSO E’ DI RUSSO] Alle ore 23 il sottotenente Squadrelli avvertiva la tenenza di Tarvisio dell’accaduto precissando di aver già informato il comando tedesco, il quale la stessa sera aveva inviato un reparto del Presidio tedesco di Plezzo.
“Nelle prime ore di ieri unitamente al predetto ufficiale, all’ingegner Hempel e a personale della miniera stessa, il comandante la tenenza si è recato per le indagini del caso, a Bretto”
[IL SEGUENTE PASSO E’ DI RUSSO] dove poco dopo è giunto il comandante della compagnia di Tolmezzo, Santo Arbitrio. In occasione di quella ispezione, venne constatato che gli ordigni esplosivi avevano danneggiato una turbina, il fabbricato della centrale e altri accessori elettrici dei quadri, mentre
“la vicina casermetta ove alloggiava il distaccamento dell’Arma”
[IL SEGUENTE PASSO E’ DI RUSSO] era andato completamente distrutta. Segue l’elenco dei carabinieri in servizio,
“della sorte dei quali non è stato possibile raccogliere alcuna notizia”.
[IL SEGUENTE PASSO E’ DI RUSSO] Dall’interrogatorio degli operai Andrea Cuder e Giacomo Koserog il gruppo in visita riuscì a sapere che il pomeriggio precedente il vice brigadiere e due carabinieri, uno dei quali -con biancheria sporca che recava alla lavandaia-, si erano allontanati dalla caserma e che verso le 18 erano stati visti in un bar di Bretto.
“Non è stato assolutamente possibile stabilire come i partigiani siano riusciti ad agire indisturbati né quale sia stato il comportamento dei carabinieri dato che nessuno ha udito colpi d’arma da fuoco da lasciar supporre un conflitto”.
“Gli operai Cuder Andrea, Koserog Giacomo e Komac Giovanni hanno dichiarato di non aver riconosciuto nessuno dei banditi che parteciparono all’azione criminosa e che si presume si trovino accantonati in zona prossima a quella compresa tra la chiusa di Plezzo e Plezzo.”
“Sono in corso i lavori della centrale la quale a quanto si presume potrà essere messa in efficienza fra una decina di giorni”.
Russo fa notare che la lettera é incentrata più sui danni alla centrale che alla sorte dei dodici.
Io faccio notare che le parti non riportate in originale hanno tutte in comune il contenere i riferimenti di grado e compagnia delle persone e degli enti citati, ossia, in originale, potrebbero essere rivelatori della loro appartenenza alla Guardia Nazionale Repubblicana. Faccio pure notare che il sottotenente Quadrelli, saputo del sabotaggio della centrale avverte PRIMA il comando tedesco e solo dopo la tenenza di Tarvisio, il che offre un’immagine molto chiara della gerarchia tra diversi corpi coinvolti.
In sostanza il quadro sembra questo: partirono immediatamente operazioni di ricerca gestite dai “tedeschi” che, in gran numero, controllavano seguivano l’intera operazione di ricerca ispezionando e mettendo a soqquadro case e fienili (pag.162) mentre le diverse milizie italiane, che erano sottoposte agli ordini tedeschi (pag.152), sembra non furono ben informate dei fatti: parrebbe che alla tenenza di Tarvisio della GNR non abbiano avuto un’idea precisa di cosa fosse accaduto ai loro colleghi di Bretto (pag.219) se non ad alcuni giorni di distanza (pag.200) né sapessero bene l’una cosa stesse facendo l’altra (un banale esempio di come funzionassero le relazioni quotidiane tra i diversi corpi é l’aneddoto a pag.200,201) nonostante gli operai della centrale avessero chiaramente indicato il responsabile in Socian (che era noto alle autorità, tanto che ne possedevano anche una foto segnaletica) nessuno della comunità locale che (secondo l’autore) seppe fin da subito e nei minimi particolari cosa avvenne (pag.149) in quei giorni e in quelle settimane si preoccupò di assicurare alla giustizia il tanto temuto e famigerato Socian e far piena luce sugli avvenimenti comunicando ciò che sapeva.
FERMI TUTTI!!! In precedenza Russo afferma che diversi contadini furono in grado di seguire di nascosto partigiani e “carabinieri” fino alla malga senza farsi notare nonostante quei territori fossero territorio incontrastato dei partigiani comunisti (pag.99) e che i partigiani vennero già visti al mattino successivo da diversi contadini e bambini ed ora dice che i nazifascisti brancolarono nel buio per giorni.
Anche qui c’è qualcosa che non torna: Russo sostiene che la popolazione avesse in simpatia i “carabinieri” militi della GNR, che fosse impaurita dagli odiati partigiani (che, come già visto: sono pochi e isolati quando li si odia ma tanti ed appoggiati da una rete tentacolare quando se ne ha paura), che il parroco di Bretto invitasse pubblicamente i concittadini a non parteggiare per i partigiani e che succede? Quando i tanto odiati partigiani rapiscono i tanto amati militi della GNR non v’é una sola persona che fornisce manco una dritta anonima ai nazifascisti, né i nazifascisti tentano di ottenere informazioni da uno dei contadini? Nessuno interrogò mai i contadini della Bausiza? Si parla di ispezioni in case e fienili ma il contrasto tra: [odio per i partigiani+simpatia per i dodici+immediata e precisa conoscenza degli avvenimenti] e [mancata collaborazione con milizie in cerca dei dodici] stride non poco.
“I tarvisiani in quei giorni di Pasqua di quel 1944 non si dimenticarono dei loro carabinieri barbaramente massacrati dagli odiati partigiani slavi e più di qualcuno si portò fino al nuovo cimitero oltre Tarvisio basso, sulla strada per Cave, per una preghiera e un mazzo di fiori” (pag.219)
Per giustificare ciò Russo si appella al terrore della popolazione sia nei confronti di quei partigiani di cui non é stato in grado di documentare nemmeno un solo atto certo di inciviltà verso la comunità locale, sia dei nazisti che quando compiono una strage ed incendiano l’intero paese comunque non ne sono fino in fondo responsabili.
Il perché non avvenga alcun tipo di operazione di rappresaglia contro i partigiani non viene affrontato da Russo nonostante la stranezza della cosa!
Ma come? Cinque mesi prima, per l’uccisione di tre-quattro dei loro, i nazisti compiono una strage ed incendiano un’intero paese ed invece adesso, con dodici militi torturati a morte dopo averli rapiti beffando l’intero apparato di sicurezza non fanno nulla di nulla, ma proprio assolutissimamente nulla e Russo non s’interroga sulla stranezza di ciò?
Ciò che viene rimarcato anche da Russo é il fatto che i nazifascisti fossero più interessati a ripristinare e mettere sotto controllo la centrale che a cercare i dodici (pag.153), ma questo di certo non può giustificare una totale assenza di intervento vista la gravità dell’affronto subito.
Russo sembra sostenere che non vi fu alcuna reazione perché essendo concentrati sul ripristino della centrale, i nazifascisti non avessero interesse a colpire i responsabili di quell’affronto, ma al tempo stesso rimarca come, dal momento della scoperta, per settimane la propaganda utilizzò i corpi martoriati dei dodici militi della GNR proprio per colpire i partigiani dipingendoli come dei mostri. Quei corpi deturpati furono per i nazifascisti un’arma eccezionale da scagliare contro i partigiani.
Dunque quando parliamo di nazifascisti parliamo di pasticcioni disorganizzati e dal pugno di seta? O, forse, stiamo parlando di qualcuno che non é stato in grado di catturare/uccidere i partigiani e, per non tirar troppo la corda nei confronti della popolazione locale che già aveva subito una pesante ritorsione in autunno, decise di agire diversamente ed usare questi cadaveri per fare propaganda antipartigiana tra la gente del posto e che quindi maggiore era lo scempio dei cadaveri e maggiormente sarebbero risultati un’arma potente?
5.02 LE DUE VERSIONI DELLA SCOPERTA
Dopo alcuni giorni (non viene specificato quanti, ma si può presumere ciò sia avvenuto il 30 marzo – vedi pag.162) una pattuglia di tre soldati tedeschi giunse in Bausizia e chiese informazioni agli abitanti della zona su quale sentiero intraprendere per andare da lì fino alla val Trenta (p.155). Chiesero informazioni a Myza Komac, Tona Suler ed il padre Josef. Tutti li sconsigliarono a causa della neve in quota. (NB: si presume che l’unica testimonianza di ciò sia Myza Komac in quanto non vien mai indicato che i Suler siano stati intervistati. Manca invece ogni riferimento temporale sull’evento)
Da qui in poi il racconto prosegue come in altri punti senza citare alcuna fonte ma proponendo due versioni:
VERSIONE UNO: I tre proseguono lo stesso ma sbagliano strada . Dopo diverse ore di marcia vedono malga Bala e vi si avvicinano per chiedere informazioni (NB: avrebbero sbagliato addirittura valle senza accorgersene proseguendo “per diverse ore” stando a nord del Pihavec anziché al sud e ciò implicherebbe una conoscenza della zona praticamente nulla). Qui, “con enorme meraviglia” trovano i cadaveri che spuntano “dalla neve come tronchi accatastati” (pag.156) e ridiscendono a valle per segnalare la cosa. Ma Russo osserva che secondo “Qualcuno degli osservatori postumi ritiene che questo episodio può anche non essere vero, in quanto sembra confezionato ad arte” (grassetto mio) e propone una seconda versione:
VERSIONE DUE: La scoperta dei corpi sarebbe avvenuta su soffiata di qualcuno della Bausiza o per tradimento di un partigiano.
A sostegno della prima versione dunque v’é probabilmente la sola testimonianza di Myza Komac la quale può solo aver riferito di aver dato indicazioni a tre tedeschi senza però sapere, poi, cosa questi abbiano fatto, che strada abbiano percorso o che emozioni abbiano provato alla vista dei corpi. Non si tratta dunque di una prova ma della testimonianza di una donna che un certo giorno diede un’indicazione a dei soldati e poi non vide quel che accadde.
Ma che trattamento offre Russo alla seconda versione dopo aver citato quella da lui ritenuta veritiera solo una testimonianza che dice assai poco? La scarta perché…non ci sono prove! Per dare maggior conferma a questa decisione rimarca che la gente del posto era terrorizzata degli italiani e dei tedeschi che “mai come in quei giorni avevano ispezionato il territorio” (pag.156) ma al tempo stesso riporta che secondo Gajger i tedeschi furono probabilmente informati da “qualche partigiano scappato dal gruppo” (pag.156), ipotesi che Russo scarta sostenendo che se così fosse i corpi si sarebbero ritrovati immediatamente dopo lo scioglimento del gruppo ad azione terminata anziché a diversi giorni di distanza e che questo partigiano sarebbe stato arrestato (ma non considera che l’informazione potrebbe essere stata data alcuni giorni dopo, né che potrebbe esser stata fatta pervenire ai nazisti per vie traverse, né che eventuali spie fra i partigiani avrebbero potuto esser comode anche in futuro, né che l’informazione potrebbe esser stata fornita in maniera generica come “una malga dopo la piana della Bausiza, nella valletta che porta in val Trenta”) ed aggiunge che “Quei tedeschi non stavano affatto cercando i carabinieri; andavano per conto proprio diretti in val Trenta” (pag.157) senza spiegare in base a cosa possa affermare ciò (NB: bisogna anche osservare che in quei giorni in cui si stava battendo il territorio come non mai per cercare i dodici scomparsi, raggiungere la val Trenta passando a piedi sui ripidi sentieri innevati della Bausiza quando la si poteva molto più agevolmente raggiungere con gli automezzi passando da Sonzia e Trenta a rigor di logica sembra più essere un’operazione di ispezione del territorio che una scampagnata “per conto proprio”).
In ogni caso ciò su cui entrambe le versioni concordano é che i cadaveri vennero trovati dai tedeschi.
5.03 IL RECUPERO DELLE SALME
L’ex alpino Vigj Venturini testimonia che:
“Poi una mattina siamo stati chiamati e avviati a piedi dapprima verso il Passo Predil e poi verso la Bausiza: l’ordine era di seguire i carabinieri, i militi della Milizia e i tedeschi al recupero di 12 carabinieri scomparsi da una settimana e rintracciati in alta montagna.“(pag.159)
Una volta giunti sul posto “Nella malga era sangue dappertutto, per terra, sulle pareti, sulle travi soffitto […] C’erano alcuni picconi sporchi di sangue, pale, pezzi di legno…” (pag.160 grassetti miei)
“Nel proseguire, i tedeschi ci precedevano e sembrava che sapessero già tutto. Da qui il pensiero, mio e degli altri, che a uccidere i carabinieri fossero stati proprio loro!“(pag.158)
Mentre l’ex carabiniere e milite della GNR Gino Milanese di stanza ad Udine riporta di esser stato inviato in treno alla tenenza della GNR di Tarvisio dopo che ad Udine giunse la comunicazione del recupero delle salme da parte dei tedeschi.
Quattro salme vengono recuperate il 31 marzo. A causa delle condizioni meteo le altre otto vengono recuperate il 2 aprile (pag.162). I corpi vengono radunati in una fortezza.
Angelo De Guglielmi, “carabiniere” della GNR che partecipò al recupero delle salme testimonia che quando giunse a malga Bala i tedeschi già erano lì (pag.201).
Gino Milanese, “carabiniere” della GNR che partecipò al recupero delle salme testimonia che dei vari militi lì presenti solo i più temerari compirono le operazioni di primo recupero dalla catasta di corpi. Lui personalmente svenne.
Vigj Venturini, “carabiniere” della GNR che partecipò al recupero delle salme testimonia che i tedeschi precedevano i militi italiani (pag.158) e che le operazioni si svolsero in fretta nel timore di esser colti anch’essi da un attacco partigiano e che, messi i corpi in teli fatti a barelle, ognuno sorretto da due-tre uomini li han portati giù per la discesa gelata scivolandovi spesso. A valle caricarono ogni corpo su un mulo e così si avviarono verso la fortezza (pag.159).
Nino Mafezzini, “carabiniere” della GNR che partecipò al recupero delle salme testimonia che le barelle vennero improvvisate con teli militari e rami d’albero, dopodiché, una volta portati in fondo al sentiero, ne caricarono due per mulo (pag.161). Inoltre ricorda che i militi che parteciparono al recupero tornarono a valle sfiniti ed imbrattati di sangue, acqua e neve (pag.162)
Cesare Maria Squadrelli, sottotenente del Reggimento Alpini Tagliamento. Testimonia che uno solo dei corpi aveva una ferita da arma da fuoco, probabilmente ad una spalla. (pag.167)
Mafezzini e De Guglielmi, devono spostare le salme, ma prima debbono tentare di identificare i corpi.
“Erano talmente mal ridotti che era praticamente difficile distinguerli uno dall’altro: erano come sassi, pezzi congelati e deformi: una visione terribile e indimenticabile!” (Nino Mafezzini, pag.159)
5.04 L’INCENDIO DELLA MALGA
A pag. 136 Nella didascalia di una foto attuale dei ruderi della malga, Russo scrive che
“l’incuria, il tempo e mani ignote hanno fatto sì che di “quella” malga rimanessero solo desolazione e lamiere contorte”
A pag.162 Russo scrive che al termine del recupero delle salme qualcuno incendiò la malga sperando di distruggere i segni della violenza.
A pag.257 Russo scrive che la malga fu data alle fiamme dai militi italiani mei primi giorni d’aprile 1944 quando portarono giù i corpi (e che la malga fu successivamente ricostruita)
Si può presumere l’incendio della malga avvenne al termine del recupero delle ultime salme, ossia il 2 aprile ma é lecito domandarsi fino a che punto un atto del genere possa esser motivato, come sostiene Russo, dal voler esorcizzare un orrore e se ciò non possa esser invece inteso anche come metodo per cancellare delle prove.
5.05 PROPAGANDA
Per i nazifascisti quelle dodici salme massacrate sono uno strumento di propaganda antipartigiana potentissimo e difatti le usano per tirare acqua al loro mulino (pag.173)
Il 2 aprile 1944 anche le ultime salme vengono radunate nella fortezza, dopodiché (presumibilmente il 3 aprile) vengono caricate su un camion della miniera che su ordine del capitano Max Vogrin viene mandato a fare uno shock-tour per mostrare i cadaveri alla popolazione “per un richiamo e un monito ufficiale alla popolazione locale tra cui si nascondevano da sempre i partigiani” (pag.162).
Il tour comincia a Plezzo dopodiché il camion si reca a Bretto di Sotto per lo stesso motivo. Successivamente il camion sostò brevemente davanti alla chiesa per poi proseguire verso l’officina meccanica dell’autista del camion (Attilio Cumini), con una pompa dell’acqua ripulì alla meglio le salme. Svolta questa operazione il camion proseguì in direzione di Tarvisio per scaricare i cadaveri nel campo scelto per la sepoltura (che avrebbe “inaugurato” il nuovo cimitero) ma ad operazione già iniziata giunse dai tedeschi l’ordine di portare le salme in piazza anche a Tarvisio e a Cave. Il testo riporta le testimonianze con nome e cognome di numerose persone che all’epoca assistettero al macabro spettacolo (vedi sotto).
I tedeschi appesero sugli alberi della piazza e davanti al municipio manifesti antipartigiani con foto dei macabri dettagli dei corpi martoriati, che furono osservati da numerose persone incuriosite (pag.219), non solo nel tarvisiano, ma in tutto il Friuli (pag.175) e tutti i giornali pubblicarono a ripetizione articoli con foto e particolari agghiaccianti (pag.175).
(i tedeschi stavano) “[…] tirando l’acqua al proprio mulino, cercando di convincere i dubbiosi sulla bontà e sulla necessità di continuare nella loro alleanza per far quadrato comune contro la crudeltà dei partigiani, alleati degli anglo-americani” (pag.173)
“Dalle foto e dalla osservazione diretta dei cadaveri, tutti si erano convinti, pur senza prove dirette, che i carabinieri erano stati barbaramente massacrati coi picconi, pale e spranghe” (pag.219 – grassetto mio)
Il 4 aprile 1944 viene tenuta una cerimonia funebre che si protrasse quasi fino a sera cui partecipano paesani e militi nazifascisti. I nazisti perseverarono nell’utilizzo mediatico dei corpi martoriati per convincere la popolazione dell’inaffidabilità degli slavi e favorire una maggior collaborazione della popolazione (pag.175). Russo riporta tre dei testi che circolarono allora:
Articolo giornalistico dell’aprile 1944” di cui non é specificata né la testata né la data né la firma:
L’opera dei “Liberatori” nella vera luce Metodi comunisti per la conquista del mondo. Questi terrificanti documenti fotografici non richiedono commenti. Sono sufficienti pochi particolari su questa spaventosa strage. Sono i resti mortali di dodici carabinieri, vittime del bestiale odio assassino di una banda di banditi bolscevichi. Le vittime sono state martirizzate il 23 marzo u.s. nelle vicinanze di Cave del Predil. Le vittime denudate sono state poi uccise bestialmente a colpi di piccone. Ecco i sistemi degli alleati dei “liberatori”! Caduta la pelle d’agnello con la quale il lupo bolscevico cerca di ammantarsi, ci appare con quali mezzi e sistemi, che giungono fino all’assassinio consumato nel modo più bestiale, s’intendano realizzare le grandi promesse del comunismo: lavoro, pane e pace. Tutti coloro che si ostinano ancora a credere in un comunismo migliore di quello che finora ha macchiato il mondo di sangue, hanno qui un ulteriore esempio da meditare: questo è il vero comunismo, questi sono i sistemi del bolscevismo bestiale, questi gli alleati di coloro che si dichiarano liberatori del mondo, questi i metodi dei senza Dio. E chi non vuoI sentire e non vuoI capire insulta con la sua incredulità e la sua incoscienza la memoria di migliaia e migliaia di martirizzati dal mostro rosso, mai sazio di sangue. L’altra mattina sono state tributate a Tarvisio, solenni e commoventi onoranze alle salme dei dodici militi, caduti nell’adempi- mento del loro dovere. I dodici feretri erano scortati da reparti armati italiani e tedeschi; corone di fiori freschi avevano inviato il Comando Militare di Tarvisio e quello di Udine, il Comune di Tarvisio, vari Comandi della C.N.E., compreso quello del Gruppo di Udine, diversi enti e civili. Dopo impartita l’assoluzione in Chiesa, le salme sono state accompagnate al cimitero ed ivi pietosamente tumulate, nel mentre una triplice salve di fuciliera – sparata da un reparto tedesco – salutava i caduti rendendo onore alla loro memoria.
Articolo del Gazzettino di Padova del 7 Aprile 1944
Volantino fascista pubblicato in varie zone del Friuli (pag.181):
“FRIULANI”: Con cinismo diabolico, con atrocità che può scaturire soltanto da cervelli asiatici, i prezzolati dei bolscevichi e del “liberatori” hanno commesso ai confini della nostra Provincia, il 23 marzo u.s. un’al- tra afferrata strage, martirizzando e massacrando dodici carabinieri. Questi martiri del dovere, colpevoli solo di compierlo con dedizione al servizio della Patria, vennero trascinati sulla montagna, denudati, torturati nel modo più atroce ed infine uccisi a colpi di piccone. Crivellate di ferite orribili (a taluni vennero perfino strappati gli occhi), le povere vittime con le gambe legate con fili di ferro, vennero trascinate lontano dal luogo del delitto, gettate in un burrone e coperte di neve. Lavoro, pane, pace è la bella menzogna promessa dai cosiddetti “liberatori”. Ma gli atti di bestiale violenza testimoniano che anch’essi sono pari ai bolscevichi nel sadismo e nella crudeltà. Questi fatti esecrandi non aprono gli occhi anche a voi che finora avete creduto ciecamente alle parole malate dei bolscevichi? Per voi che in buona, ma anche spesso in mala fede, sperate ostinatamente in un comunismo migliore di quello che finora, travestito da agnello, ha macchiato il mondo di sangue, sia questo un monito che apra gli occhi e illumini le coscienze. Questo è il vero bolscevismo, questi sono gli alleati degli angloamericani, che dopo aver invaso parte della Patria, dopo averla inumanamente devastata, consegnano ancora i nostri bambini alla Russia comunista, perché colà, secondo l’educazione bolscevica, se ne facciano altrettanti bestiali rinnegatori di Dio, quali essi sono. Questi sono i metodi con i quali i comunisti si sono prefissi di conquistare il mondo. Vorremmo noi italiani assistere alla rovina completa, non solo materiale ma anche morale e spirituale della nostra Patria, paese di antica civiltà della storia gloriosa, senza opporci con tutte le nostre forze a tale tremenda eventualità, in modo da far sì che, in tante immeritate disgrazie che ci hanno colpito, almeno le nostre più sacre tradizioni culturali, religiose e dello spirito siano salve?
E’del tutto evidente che la versione diffusa dai quotidiani e dal volantino di propaganda é ESATTAMENTE quella adottata da Russo.
5.06 C.S.I. TARVISIO
Da quanto riporta il testo non sembra vi fu un’analisi dei corpi e delle mutilazioni, tuttavia:
“Dalle foto e dalla osservazione diretta dei cadaveri, tutti si erano convinti, pur senza prove dirette, che i carabinieri erano stati barbaramente massacrati coi picconi, pale e spranghe” (pag.219 – grassetto mio)
Le numerose testimonianze degli italiani che parteciparono al recupero delle salme o assistettero allo shock-tour dei cadaveri sono sostanzialmente concordi nella descrizione dei particolari più impressionanti delle mutilazioni subite, anche se in alcuni casi non é chiaro se i testi citati da Russo raccontino ciò che hanno visto di persona o ciò che veniva raccontato in paese. Al solito vien dato ampio spazio alle emozioni si orrore e sgomento provato da questi testimoni che all’epoca erano perlopiù bambini.
semidenudati (pag.167)
quasi tutti nudi (pag.167)
qualcuno aveva come stracci addosso (pag.167)
nudi, con addosso alcuni stracci (pag.199)
le salme erano livide (pag.168)
diversi buchi sulla fronte, sul petto, sul collo (pag.167, 173)
un chiaro colpo d’arma da fuoco sulla spalla di uno dei cadaveri (pag.167)
si vedevano i segni dei chiodi degli scarponi (pag.168)
segni dei chiodi delle scarpe ben evidenti in faccia (pag 199)
qualcuno aveva la bocca come cucita con fil di ferro (pag.168)
qualcuno aveva filo spinato attorcigliato attorno ai piedi (pag.167)
qualcuno aveva filo spinato attorcigliato attorno al collo stretto sulla bocca (pag.167)
qualcuno aveva il fil di ferro che stringeva la bocca (pag.199)
qualcuno era senza occhi
qualcuno forse non aveva più gli occhi (pag.168)
i testicoli in bocca (pag.199)
i genitali “congelati” in fronte (pag.199)
genitali strappati (pag.173)
qualcuno aveva il petto squarciato (pag 199)
qualcuno aveva le braccia distorte (pag. 199)
Maggiormente interessanti sono le testimonianze dei recuperanti riguardo i corpi:
NINO MAFEZZINI: Mucchio informe di corpi straziati e seminudi sotto un grande sasso / solo un segno d’arma da fuoco su uno dei corpi / corpi accatastati gli uni sugli altri, di cui quello maggiormente deturpato era in cima, il quale presentava ancora fil di ferro ai piedi / talmente malridotti da risultar difficile distinguere l’uno dall’altro / sangue indurito un po ovunque. Vien da chiedersi in una situazione tale come sia possibile comprendere semplicemente a vista se i corpi presentassero ANCHE ferite d’arma da fuoco.
VIGJ VENTURINI: Corpi accatastati sotto un grande sasso / corpi congelati / pochi stracci inzuppati di sangue addosso / evidenti segni di picconate in tutto il corpo e sul viso / cuore fracassato / occhi sventrati / testicoli strappati / fili di ferro alle caviglie e sulla bocca / maciullati e irriconoscibili / alcuni avevano gambe distorte, facilmente spezzate, contorte e poi congelate / corpi violacei con grosse chiazze giallastre
E le testimonianze dei recuperanti sulle condizioni della malga:
NINO MAFEZZINI: pareti e soffitto del casolare macchiati di sangue / sul soffitto materia cerebrale / sul pavimento un solo piccone senza manico vicino a pezzi di legno macchiati di sangue / segni di trascinamento dalla malga al sasso sulla neve (pag.158)
VIGJ VENTURINI: sangue dappertutto nella malga, sia su pareti che soffitto e travi / alcuni picconi sporchi di sangue, pale e pezzi di legno /
Anche qui sorge qualche perplessità: com’è possibile sperare di poter comprendere a vista se su corpi violacei e giallastri induriti dal freddo, segnati da diverse mutilazioni, amputazioni, segni di scarpate, colpi di piccone, filo spinato, graffi da trascinamento, sangue rappreso (e, a questo punto di decomposizione si può supporre anche la fuoriuscita di liquidi corporali dagli orifizi) ci fossero anche fori di proiettile?
INSERTO MEDICO: Nel momento della morte iniziano i un processi chimici di decomposizione che dopo un iniziale rilassamento del corpo portano invece all’irrigidimento muscolare noto come rigor mortis. Lo stato di rigidità si esaurisce dopo un certo lasso di tempo a causa dell’accelerato decadimento cellulare. Vari fattori influiscono sulla durata dei tali processi, in primo luogo la temperatura: sead una temperatura di 20-25°C la rigidezza dura circa 24-36 ore, a basse temperature il processo può invecedurare diversi giornifino addirittura a fermarsi e bloccare la decomposizione in caso di congelamento e/o assenza d’aria.
Durante il processo di decomposizione uno dei segni più visibili é il cambiamento di colore dell’epidermide, che passa da un iniziale biancore al verde, dopodiché al giallo, fino a giungere al rosso-violaceo ed infine al nero. Come già detto, a seconda delle condizioni e della temperatura cui si trova il corpo, anche queste variazioni di colore possono verificarsi con tempistiche e durate molto diverse. Invece nel caso di cadaveri lasciati immediatamente congelare si passa direttamente da un iniziale bianco bluaceo ad un grigio-giallognolo.
Il colore dei cadaveri dei dodici, descritti dal Venturini come“violacei con grosse chiazze giallastre” (pag.160) indicherebbe (é una mia speculazione) che il decesso risalisse effettivamente a diversi giorni prima e che la temperatura esterna, almeno fino a quel momento era abbastanza bassa da rallentare il processo di decomposizione ma non abbastanza da interromperlo (ossia: faceva freddo ma non tanto da congelare i corpi), forse perché i corpi restarono all’interno della malga o forse perché le giornate immediatamente dopo l’uccisione non furono eccessivamente fredde ed i corpi furono esposti al sole. In effetti l’inverno 1943/1944 risultò forse quello più mite del decennio ’40 tanto che a febbraio si registrò un insolito aumento delle temperature (fonte: utenti di MeteoNetwork), ma bisogna fare queste valutazioni con cautela in quanto la posizione di malga Bala (a quota superiore ai 1100 metri e dunque soggetta a possibili fenomeni d’inversione termica e sita nel bel mezzo di una valle chiusa in cui i depositi nevosi possono divenire molto voluminosi) non permette di determinare le condizioni meteo del luogo semplicemente da una media delle zone circostanti.
I cadaveri erano dunque “congelati” da diversi giorni, in stato di rigor mortis rallentato dal freddo o si erano “congelati” dopo il 30 marzo, ossia dopo il primo ritrovamento dei corpi? Russo c’informa di “bufere improvvise e violente” tra il 31 marzo ed il 1 aprile (pag.162) che rallentarono le operazioni di recupero ma non segnala nessun caso in cui il maltempo rallentò le ricerche a tappeto nei giorni precedenti. E’ forse lecito chiedersi se i cadaveri non furono invece lasciati all’interno della malga, dove il processo di decomposizione risentiva meno delle temperature esterne, oppure esposti sotto il sole di una fine marzo relativamente mite per poi essere trascinati sotto la roccia grande il 30-31 marzo e congelare durante la bufera immediatamente successiva?
INSERTO BALISTICO Non sapendo che armi avesse a disposizione il gruppo che sequestrò i dodici si può solo fare qualche congettura generica: solitamente i partigiani non avevano una grande disponibilità d’armi e perlopiù utilizzavano quelle che riuscivano a rubare ai fascisti. Il fucile più diffuso era il Carcano Mod. 91, che utilizzava diversi calibri e munizioni, su cui spiccava il modello 91/38 (Mod.91 Cal. 6,5) che montava le6,5 x 52mm Mannlicher-Carcano, mentre le pistole più comuni era le semiautomaticheBeretta M34 e M35che utilizzavano proiettili 7,65mm Browning.
Le ferite provocate con questi tipi d’armamento possono essere molto diverse, a seconda che si spari un colpo a distanza con fucile,
Ma i casi più comuni sono simili a questo colpi da distanza intermedia (inferiore a 50 cm) che imprimono sulla pelle il tatuaggio della polvere da sparo:
(Fonte: Di Maio, Gunshot Wounds 2nd edition)
Questo tipo di ferite però a volte può essere confuso con altri tipi di lesioni come ad esempio microemmorraggie sottocutanee o morsi d’insetto:
(Fonte: Di Maio, Gunshot Wounds 2nd edition)
Perché faccio questo appunto su microemmorraggie ed insetti? Beh, a causa di una nota che Russo fa a pag.146 quando narra di Perpignano che, mentre é appeso al testa un giù ad una trave dentro la malga:
“[…] perfino delle formiche affamate, attratte sangue, avevano cominciato a salirgli tra i capelli. I loro morsi saranno poi accertati sulla pelle del povero martire giorni e giorni dopo quell’efferato avvenimento!”
Questa nota merita già un’immediato approfondimento anticipando qualcosa dal capitolo sulle torture: innanzitutto vien da chiedersi che razza di formiche girino in inverno sulle montagne innevate del tarvisiano con un’aggressività tale da farle attaccare un uomo ancora vivo perché attratte dal suo sangue. Ma anche ammesso che una colonia di temibili formiche vampiro del Madagascar si fosse stabilita in Bausiza, da dove ottiene quest’informazione il Russo? Non certo dal Gajger o da Bepi Flajs, né da Hrovat o da Srecko che di formiche non ne parlano affatto. Nemmeno i numerosi intervistati che assistettero allo shock-tour ne parlano (vedi sotto)! Forse non erano formiche ma mosche (a marzo)? O altri insetti insolitamente invernali? A pag.146 si afferma che i corpi vennero esaminati dal medico Francesco Ferrante di Tarvisio e che fu lui a stabilire che solo un “carabiniere” presentava una ferita d’arma da fuoco alla spalla, il che lascia intendere che forse fu sempre lui a stabilire che quei segni fossero morsi di formica:
“I loro morsi saranno poi accertati sulla pelle del povero martire giorni e giorni dopo quell’efferato avvenimento!” (pag.146)
Fu Ferrante a stabilire che si trattassero di morsi di formica? E chi é questo signor Ferrante? Era un fedele servitore dei nazisti? O un buon uomo obbligato a sottostare alle loro imposizioni? Un medico imparziale ed esperto in ferite d’arma da fuoco? Un medico di base che perlopiù curava piccoli malanni? Russo ha in mano la relazione del Ferrante? Come sa che fu questo Ferrante a compiere le osservazioni ed a quali conclusioni giunse? Nulla di tutto ciò é dato sapere: queste domande, nel testo, non vengono nemmeno affrontate! Però da pag.71 a pag.74 Russo ci tiene ad informarci approfonditamente riguardo ad una cena dei “carabinieri” a base di coniglio che però, forse, era gatto.
Quei “morsi di formica” erano forse punture d’insetto avvenute post-mortem o tatuaggi d’arma da fuoco? Non possiamo saperlo, ma certo l’aver evocato un poco probabile assalto di formiche appare sospetto, specie perché fatto in un testo che nega un tipo d’uccisione (con armi da fuoco) caratterizzato proprio dal poter lasciare segni confondibili con morsi d’insetto.
Ricapitolando: lo stato dei corpi ci viene riferito da ex militi della GNR all’epoca di circa vent’anni e che, a quanto ne sappiamo, privi di reale esperienza di guerra e contatto con cadaveri o ferite da arma da fuoco. Altre testimonianze sui corpi giungono da coloro che assistettero, perlopiù giovanissimi, allo shock-tour e dalle osservazioni (non riportate direttamente) fatto da un medico di cui non vien detto nulla. Ma se i cadaveri furono davvero esaminati che bisogno ha Russo di specificare a pag.219 che “[…] tutti si erano convinti, pur senza prove dirette, che i carabinieri erano stati barbaramente massacrati coi picconi, pale e spranghe”?
In ogni caso con dei corpi tanto malmessi sembra abbastanza facile che militi inesperti e civili si siano limitati a notare gli aspetti più vistosi delle ferite interpretandole grossolanamente poiché privi d’esperienza a riguardo.
5.07 LE CHIACCHERE DEL PAESE
Forse il capitolo più divertente del libro é quello relativo alla raccolta di testimonianze sparse di testimoni indiretti. É una raccolta di chiacchere di paese, note di colore, informazioni secondarie e, raramente qualche notizia potenzialmente utile su cui però Russo non si sofferma. In molti casi si tratta semplicemente di testimonianze di chi vide i corpi recuperati e portati dai tedeschi nei vari paesi affinché la popolazione locale si convincesse della brutalità dei partigiani; testimonianze che Russo riporta come a voler confermare la propria versione dei fatti procedendo per accumulo di conferme indirette senza mai tener conto di quanto da lui stesso scritto a pag.219, ossia che “tutti si erano convinti, pur senza prove dirette, che i carabinieri erano stati barbaramente massacrati coi picconi, pale e spranghe”. Le dichiarazioni sono perlopiù accomunate dal fatto che gli intervistati parlano dei partigiani come belve selvatiche, della paura di parlare di questi fatti e v’è a volte una descrizione amichevole che Russo fa delle donne che confermano la sua tesi:
LEOPOLD KOMAC
Operaio (?) della miniera di Cave. Dice che tutti sapevano, che conosceva tutti quei carabinieri e che in miniera la gente non parlava “per paura gli uni degli altri” (quindi non tutti in miniera erano antipartigiani) e che erano tutti impauriti dai partigiani.
GIOVANNI VUERICH
Operaio delle miniere compagno di lavoro di Tona Flajs, marito di Myza Komac. Dice che all’inizio tutti dicessero fossero stati i tedeschi a massacrare coi picconi i carabinieri, tra cui due-tre suoi compagni di lavoro che avevano fatto parte di quel gruppo di partigiani.
VITTORIA FOCHESATO “nonnina gentile, alla mano, vivace e con una memoria di ferro, come si sul dire, molto schietta e di poche parole”
Nipote di uno dei contadini anonimi della Bausiza che assistettero agli eventi inveisce contro Socian, dice che non é vero che siano stati i tedeschi, che tutti sanno come siano andate le cose per davvero, che Gajger all’inizio si vantava di aver partecipato ai fatti ma poi ha cominciato a smettere per paura di ritorsioni. Aggiunge che a guerra finita alcuni di quei partigiani (i nomi non vengono fatti) sarebbe partito per il Belgio NELLA SPERANZA DI DIMENTICARE (ma come faccia ad affermare che la motivazione non fu la stessa motivazione economica che negli stessi anni spinse migliaia di italiani ad andarsene in Belgio non é dato sapere). Interessante notare che ci venga fornito il nome della nipote ma non del contadino: eppure se ci fosse paura della “vendetta dei partigiani” l’aver nominato la nipote permetterebbe molto facilmente agli ultrasettuagenari ex combattenti del posto capire chi sia lo zio della Signora Fochesato.
FRANCESCO MRAKIC
Operaio della miniera di Cave dice che tutti sapevano delle atrocità partigiane e se ne vergognavano. Dalla sua testimonianza ci sembra di capire che sia stato “obbligato da Socian” ad entrare nella sua brigata partigiana, ma il testo non fornisce alcun dettaglio.
BEPI CUDER
Operaio della miniera di Cave inveisce contro Socian che ha iniziato a disprezzare dopo i fatti del 23 marzo e che suo nipote, Karlo Cuder faceva parte di quel gruppo
ANDREA CERNUTA
(Non viene specificato nulla di questo testimone se non che é di Bretto). Dice che tutti sapevano
SIGNORA CUMINI
Moglie di un figlio dell’autista Attilio Cumini che trasportò le salme col camioncino. Dice che tutti sapevano.
ANGELA NOVAK “dalla voce dolce e delicata”
In diverse famiglie, tra cui la sua, si diceva “Siete dei Socian” ai figli indisciplinati
SIGNORA MUSINA E MARITO TONA MARKA
Dopo i fatti del 23 marzo tutti avevano paura di subire un’altra ritorsione nazifascista.
PARROCO SLAVKO CERNIGOJ
Dice che Socian si credeva un piccolo dio.
ADA PELLIZZARI “una gentile, sensibile, amorevole signora”
Testimonia che suo fratello Osvaldo Pellizzari, su cui si vocifera facesse parte del gruppo di partigiani di Socian, combatté invece con le forze di Mussolini contro in Francia e Grecia-Albania, dove rimase prigioniero fino a dopo la fine del conflitto.
Aggiunge che nella sua famiglia c’era un partigiano: Vladimir Cernuta (ma non é chiaro se facesse parte del gruppo di Socian e se si, da quando). Infine ricorda la scena orribile dei cadaveri dei militi della GNR esposti.
ANGELA (ANNA) POHAR KLAVORA ED IL MARITO TONA VALAS
Dicono che tutti sapevano e testimoniano lo stato dei corpi mostrati nello shock-tour e dice che Perpignano frequentava la signora Ida Manganella (che siano la “Iva” figlia di “Anna” parente di Myza Komac di cui Russo parla a pag.17?)
ANNA STRUKELJI “una signora dolce e sofferta che dalla distruzione di Bretto, il suo paese di origine, cioè da quell’l1 ottobre 1943, non ha più avuto -un giorno di sole nella sua vita-”
Operaia della miniera dice che non si faceva che piangere per i danni causati dai partigiani. Che ha visto i cadaveri deturpati portati in esposizione dai nazifascisti
NINO MANGANELLA
Nipote di uno degli operai della centrale. Pensa che tutta la storia fu una bravata mele organizzata che portò vergogna ai partigiani sloveni.
SIGNOR SULIGOI
Studioso di Plezzo. Commenta gli avvenimenti dicendo che a suo avviso questa vicenda fu una “papera” (sic) e che il movimento ufficiale dei partigiani (Ma di che “movimento” parli non é chiaro: il NOV i POJ? Cosa intende con quell’ -ufficiale-?)
DON RUPNIK
Parroco di Caporetto dice che qualcuno gli dichiarò che i militi della GNR avevano “avuto quello che si meritavano” ma molta più gente invece era indignata della vicenda.
SANDI SOSIC
Dice che Socian agiva a nord di Plezzo e Srecko a sud ma si riunivano solo per le azioni più importanti, mentre il capo brigata era Ursic
FLORIANO SOSIC E L’AMICO DINO ZANGRANDI
Dicono che Socian era terribile, che i partigiani non ce l’avevano con l’Italia ma contro i fascisti, che in malga Bala non poterono sparare per non essere sentiti dai fascisti (ma a pag.146 Russo non parlava di un colpo di revolver?). Ah, dicono anche che tutti sapevano.
FERDINANDO KRAVANJA
Classe 1927. Ex partigiano sloveno compagno di Socian (ma solo verso il termine del conflitto: non all’epoca dei fatti, anche se a Tarvisio si vocifera diversamente) dice che “Socian, non solo con la storia dei carabinieri, ma anche e soprattutto con quella, ha fatto molto male alla causa slovena!”. La dichiarazione può apparire interessante in quanto chi parla é un ex partigiano, tuttavia bisogna tener conto che si tratta sempre dell’opinione di qualcuno che non ha assistito ai fatti (all’epoca aveva diciassette anni e non sappiamo cosa facesse) che potrebbe benissimo essersi convinto della bontà della versione propagandata dai nazifascisti. Aggiunge inoltre che tra i partigiani di Socian vi era anche tal Cirillo Kaska di Cave (oramai deceduto) ma che anche questi vi entrò solo verso la fine del conflitto.
ANGELA (DELLA MEA?) E LA MADRE AMELIA DELLA MEA Dicono che si aveva paura dei partigiani e testimoniano lo stato dei corpi visti allo shock-tour
MARIA SULIN “vecchietta arzilla e gentilissima, piena di vita e senza mezzi termini”
Impiegata comunale che il 10 ottobre 1943 si trovava sul camion dei tedeschi che venne assaltato dai partigiani (e che faceva sul camion pieno di nazisti? era forse una loro collaboratrice?). Dice di essere informata sui fatti perché ha lavorato molti anni in comune. (???)
L’elenco di testimoni più corposo e completo del libro (hanno tutti un nome e di molti vien specificato pure dove risiedono) é quello di coloro che testimoniano chiacchere del paese, opinioni personali e poco altro, tutti accusanti i partigiani nonostante “la versione più divulgata e accreditata sosteneva che i carabinieri rinvenuti congelati e orribilmente deturpati in malga Bala fossero stati uccisi dai tedeschi” (p.185). Il sospetto che questo lungo e corposo elenco sia stato inserito nel testo solo per controbilanciare la magrezza delle prove (aneddotica e card-stacking) a favore della versione sostenuta può farsi facilmente certezza.
5.08 TESTIMONI IN FAMIGLIA
Oltre a molti testimoni che partecipano alle interviste con un coniuge/amico/parente con cui condividono le opinioni siamo forse di fronte ad una possibile rete di testimoni vicinissimi fra loro:
Myza Komac Flajs della Bausiza é sposata a Toni Flajs e ha una nipote di Cave chiamata Iva cui é imparentata per via della madre di Iva, Anna. Myza é forse pure parente del testimone Leopold Komac.
Toni Flajs, che si suppone viva in Bausiza con la moglie Myza Komac Flajs, non é forse parente di Bepi Flajs, anch’egli della Bausiza (località di neanche 20 case)? Che siano fratelli o primi cugini?
La signora Iva (pag.17) é forse Iva Manganella moglie del testimone Nino Manganella
Anna (pag.17), figlia di Iva, potrebbe essere Anna Strukelj o, meno probabilmente Anna Pohar Klavora
Ferdinando Kravanja é forse parente di Lojs Kravanja (Gajger)?
Di certo Lojs Kravanja (Gajger) é sposato con Mafalda, di Uccea ed ha una sorella di nome Myza (pag.148).
Komac Giovanni é parente di Myza Komac Flajs?
E’abbastanza comune che in comunità non particolarmente ampie s’incontrano nomi simili e persone strettamente imparentate, per cui ciò NON dovrebbe costituire un elemento a sfavore delle testimonianze. Ciò che invece fa sorgere dei dubbi é il fatto che in un testo in cui é già evidente lo spostamento dell’attenzione (tipo i militi della GNR che vengono chiamati sempre “carabinieri” ed i nazisti ridotti banalmente in “tedeschi”), si citino alcune persone solo per nome oppure persone dallo stesso cognome oppure col nome da nubile e poi da sposata e che abitano praticamente una a ridosso dell’altra evitando ogni chiarimento su chi siano e che relazione intercorra (o non intercorra) fra loro. Tutti questi nomi che ritornano meriterebbero un minimo di chiarimento, soprattutto a causa delle numerose altre incongruenze del libro. Tanta imprecisione grossolana fa sorgere il sospetto che si voglia celare la vicinanza dei vari testimoni per farli apparire maggiormente slegati ed indipendenti gli uni dagli altri.
Se così fosse avremmo ben nove testimoni (in particolare il trio Gajger, Bepi Flajs e Myza Komac) imparentati e/o perlomeno vicinissimi tra loro. Chi sono le “Ida e Anna” di pag. 17? Ferdinando Kravanja é forse il fratello di Lojs Kravanja? Gajger e Bepi Flajs sono cugini o amici per la pelle fin da giovani? Che questa Myza sia Myza Kravanja sposata in prime nozze Komac ed in seconde nozze Flajs? Dubbi che sorgono a causa dell’ambiguità del testo.
5.09 IL SILENZIO PARTIGIANO
Nel discendere da malga Bala, uno dei 21 partigiani, con la scusa di un bisogno corporale fugge (pag.183). Non sappiamo da dove sia giunta quest’informazione, né chi fosse quest’uomo, né che posizioni umane e politiche avesse né dove sia andato né perché (potrebbe essere colui che informò i nazisti? E’un’ipotesi che nel libro non viene nemmeno presa in considerazione) ma sappiamo che a Russo questa semplice informazione basta per considerarla dimostrazione di dissidi interni su quanto avvenne in malga.
I partigiani dunque si disperdono in più gruppetti e tornano autonomi (pag.183)
Russo scrive che l’azione di malga Bala, a differenza di altre non viene “osannata, pubblicizzata, ampliata e glorificata” come le precedenti ma venne fatta cadere velocemente nel dimenticatoio (pag.183) nonostante l’azione fu volutamente violenta e impressionante proprio perché gli italiani ricordassero per sempre quella data (pag.121). E su questa stranezza ho già detto.
5.10 LA NON-REAZIONE DEI NAZIFASCISTI
Socian era ricercato ma “solo sulla carta” poiché “nessuno effettivamente faceva qualcosa per sorprenderlo o arrestarlo, né i carabinieri, né i militi della Milizia, né i finanzieri e neppure gli alpini del Tagliamento; tanto meno i soldati tedeschi […]”. Non v’é nessuna azione, nessuna rappresaglia contro la popolazione, niente di niente. La stessa popolazione si aspettava una “vendetta tedesca” (pag.187) con una rappresaglia come quella di Bretto dell’ottobre precedente (che seguì l’uccisione di tre soli nazisti), ma ciò non accade. L’azione che i nazifascisti effettivamente compirono contro i partigiani fu fare propaganda antipartigiana con le foto dei corpi dei dodici. Nei giorni in cui vennero effettuate le ricerche l’unica cosa che fecero i “tedeschi” fu mettere a soqquadro case e fienili (pag.162), ma non effettuarono alcuna esecuzione “d’esempio”. Perché?
L’ipotesi più probabile a mio avviso é che avendo già tirato molto la corda con la strage di ottobre e consci che un’ulteriore azione del genere avrebbe minato eccessivamente i rapporti con la comunità locale, i nazisti preferirono stavolta volgere la paura della popolazione non verso sé stessi bensì verso quei partigiani che godevano dell’appoggio locale (se la popolazione fosse stata davvero compatta nel condannare i partigiani non sarebbe stato necessario spingere con così tanta forza la propaganda). Ne deriva che i corpi massacrati, nelle mani dei nazisti furono un potentissimo strumento mediatico. Non solo: maggiori erano le mutilazioni e maggiore era la loro forza mediatica.
5.11 LO STUPORE DEI PARTIGIANI
5.12 POSTUMI PARTIGIANI
Russo scrive che dopo l’azione di malga Bala i partigiani si resero conto di averla fatta grossa con quell’esecuzione che “doveva essere terribile e tremenda” per “servire da monito a tutti gli altri” (pag.121) e fu “preparat(a) minuziosamente” (pag.104) per far “morire in maniera atroce” dei carabinieri “a nome di tutti gli italiani”, ma al tempo stesso scrive pure che il fatto che fosse tanto violenta é indice che qualcosa era stato “fatto sfuggire di mano” (pag.187).
L’esecuzione volutamente atroce preparata minuziosamente risultò, dice, oltraggiosa per l’immagine del partigiano comunista sloveno e per il nascente comunismo di Tito (pag.187). Per questo i partigiani di Socian subirono un sommario processo in cui alcuni vennero degradati e Socian “vedrà interrotto e per qualche tempo compromesso il proprio prestigio e il proprio potere” “ma dopo riuscì a riabilitarsi quasi del tutto” (pag.187).
Anche qui ripeto quanto sia strana l’ipotesi di Russo di un piano studiato a tavolino per essere un monito esemplare MA al tempo stesso che “sfuggì di mano”.
Dopodiché Russo elenca alcuni eventi ed azioni che riguardarono i partigiani del gruppo di Socian nelle settimane e mesi successivi, commentando che le azioni si intensificarono anche per far dimenticare gli eventi della Bala:
Due partigiani vennero uccisi nel bar “Golobar”
Russo scrive che seminarono “terrore e morte” nel territorio che va da Saga a Caporetto, dalla resina alla Raccolana, da Plezzo a Lepena, da Sonzia a Oltresonzia fino alla val Natisene, ma non specifica nemmeno un caso in cui dei civili furono uccisi o fatti terrorizzare.
Compirono diversi tentativi di sabotaggio alla linea telefonica che passa da Plezzo e collega Roma a Vienna e Berlino
Compirono un violento attacco al forte della chiusa provocando numerosi morti e feriti.
I nazisti, inseguendo i partigiani, grazie al tradimento di un “attivista” di Pluzna, uccisero Svonko assieme a due ragazze adolescenti che appartenevano al gruppo di Socian
Silvio Gianfrante riuscì a circondare quattro fortini in mano agli italiani, facendo oltre cento prigionieri che però liberò subito (pag.214 qui nessun commento da parte di Russo)
Socian attentò più volte alla miniera
Grazie alla collaborazione dell’operaio Krast, i partigiani di Socian raggiunsero il 15° livello sotterraneo della miniera, catturarono il guardiano Pietro Favaretto “costringendolo al silenzio” (non é chiaro se intenda dire che fu semplicemente minacciato o é un’eufemismo per intendere che fu ucciso) e dopo aver sistemato delle cariche si diedero alla fuga. Le esplosioni fecero scuotere l’intero abitato di Cave ed allagarono tutti i livelli inferiori della miniera, che restarono impraticabili per oltre un anno.
Socian, assieme ad altri 32 partigiani (ossia in 33, come gli anni di Cristo) tentarono un’operazione in Austria che però andò male (Russo commenta che “quei tedeschi erano più preparati di quelli operanti tra Plezzo e Cave” e che i partigiani dovettero fuggire precipitevolissimevolmente)
Nonostante il testo riporti costantemente che i partigiani terrorizzassero la popolazione con continue azioni violente contro la comunità, le uniche azioni che il testo documenta sono operazioni di sabotaggio e guerriglia
Infine Russo sostiene che Ursic fu “isolato, abbandonato e tradito dai suoi stessi uomini solo perché si era fatto sfuggire di mano l’azione della Bala” (pag.187). Pure in questo caso si tratta di un’affermazione che non ha né fonte né spiegazione al di fuori dei pensieri di Russo.
5.13 PRIMO DOPOGUERRA E DIMENTICATOIO
INSERTO STORICO Al termine del conflitto l’Italia si ritrovava divisa e distrutta, lo scenario internazionale era cambiato drasticamente dall’inizio della guerra e gli sforzi per rimettere in sesto le infrastrutture convivevano con tensioni politiche, economiche e sociali ancora altissime. Si iniziò a discutere seriamente del nuovo assetto istituzionale (monarchia o repubblica), i diversi gruppi partigiani continuavano ad esistere nei rispettivi partiti di riferimento. Il confine orientale si ritrovava in una situazione ambigua, contesa fra Italia e Jugoslavia in una lotta di confine che, per interessi strategici, si estendeva fino a Stati Uniti e Russia.
Nel settembre 1943, con la caduta del fascismo, nelle zone del confine orientale che venivano liberate si assistette al periodo delle “foibe istriane“: una serie di linciaggi ed esecuzioni anche molto violenti che si verificarono nell’arco di venti giorni a causa di un momentaneo vuoto di potere causato dall’Armistizio di Cassibile in cui la rabbia della popolazione locale nei confronti degli occupanti fascisti esplose in maniera tanto caotica da esser difficilmente contenuta dal controllo partigiano che riuscì a stento
“[…] a imporre parvenze di processi e disciplina a quella che fu più che altro l’esplosione della rabbia popolare covata in un ventennio di violenze, portate poi al parossismo con l’invasione della Jugoslavia. Questa situazione si tradusse in veri e propri linciaggi, condotti in taluni casi da criminali comuni infiltrati, alcuni dei quali furono poi identificati e condannati a morte dalla stessa giustizia partigiana” (fonte)
Gli episodi di vendetta anche nazionalistica portarono all’uccisione di 200-500 (max 700) tra fascisti e collaborazionisti jugoslavi, cui seguì uno strascico di condanne a morte di alcuni dei colpevoli da parte della giustizia partigiana ed una prima ondata di fughe verso l’Italia di fascisti che temevano di finire in mano degli jugoslavi. A questa prima ondata di fughe, che dopo aver raggiunto l’apice nel 1944 si protrasse fino al termine del conflitto, seguirono altre ondate questa volta composte perlopiù da civili: si trattò in alcuni casi di sfollamenti dovuti ai bombardamenti angloamericani, emigrazioni volontarie dovute dal non voler vivere in terre ora governate da comunisti o dall’aver perso il possesso di beni e terreni ricevuti dal governo fascista che dopo averle strappate alla popolazione slava li aveva ridistribuiti a famiglie italiane e che ora ritornavano in mani jugoslave.
Al termine del conflitto, esattamente come avvenne in diverse parti d’Europa, seguì un periodo di rivalse anche omicide su coloro che in qualche maniera collaborarono coi regimi nazifascisti. Nuovamente la rabbia popolare si riversò in maniera disordinata colpendo il nazifascista “che la farebbe franca”, la spia vera o presunta, il funzionario che permise il mantenimento del regime, l’amante di un soldato tedesco, l’insegnante ed il postino. In tutto ciò s’inserirono ovviamente anche questioni personali che non avevano a che fare direttamente con il conflitto.
Giustizia sommaria, umiliazioni pubbliche, soprusi, percosse, e stupri a danno di donne tedesche si verificheranno un po in tutte le zone colpite da occupazione.
Nel primo dopoguerra verranno istituiti rifugi per gli esuli istriani in diverse città d’Italia ove però l’arrivo di questi profughi fu spesso motivo di tensione in quanto erano unanimemente considerati fascisti o filofascisti (si ricordano a proposito le proteste dei ferrovieri di Bologna e dei portuali di Venezia ed Ancona).
Ci si chiedeva, in quei mesi, come comportarsi con ex fascisti, collaborazionisti e rappresentanti del fascismo che magari non s’erano macchiati direttamente di crimini, ma col cui agire o non-agire avevano permesso il mantenimento del regime. I fascisti, nel frattempo, cercavano di reintegrarsi nella società, sottacendo o rinnegando il proprio passato in cerca di una sorta di nuova verginità, celando, sminuendo e mascherando le proprie responsabilità.
E’ in questo clima che la vicenda di malga Bala viene fatta cadere nel dimenticatoio. Russo lamenta di come le informazioni del periodo sui fatti di malga Bala siano grossolane ed imprecise. Un caso su tutti é un testo presentato a pag.235 datato 5 ottobre 1945 dal vicebrigadiere di Cave Adolfo Ballerino in cui la strage ed incendio di Bretto dell’ottobre 1943 vengono segnalati come avvenuti “In un giorno imprecisato del mese di marzo 1944 e precisamente qualche giorno prima da quello in cui avvenne l’uccisione dei carabinieri”, che i (tre-quattro) tedeschi la cui uccisione scatenò la rappresaglia nazista erano “un numero imprecisato”, il commissario Hempel viene trascritto “Empel”, l’incendio del paese e strage di civili sono ridotti ad un sibillino “rastrellamento con la conseguenza della distruzione immediata della frazione” e che:
“Risulta che pochi giorni dopo della costituzione del Distaccamento, a causa delle rappresaglie compiute da parte dei tedeschi alle famiglie di Bretto, un gruppo di partigiani slavi si presentava al Distaccamento dei Carabinieri col proposito dì chiedere informazioni circa gli atti di rappresaglia compiuti ai danni della popolazione di Bretto Superiore. A tale dichiarazione, i carabinieri, i quali come sempre e dovunque collaborarono con i partigiani, permettevano l’accesso al Distaccamento senza pensare che potevano essere prelevati, condotti altrove per le torture che subirono”
“Non risulta che i carabinieri del Distaccamento sopra accennato abbian preso parte a fatti d’armi o che abbiano partecipato a rastrellamenti“
“E’ da escludere che i carabinieri del Distaccamento di Bretto vennero trucidati dai tedeschi, […]”
(pag.235 – grassetti miei)
Russo commenta amaramente che questi testi siano segno di disinteresse e scarso approfondimento
“E’ difficile per noi oggi decifrare questo linguaggio e cercare di capire le ragioni di tali affermazioni. Possiamo solo tentare di capire il più possibile, ricordandoci che in quel periodo sia a Cave che a Tarvisio si viveva con la paura che alcuni partigiani slavi comunisti potessero varcare il Passo del Predil e minacciare da vicino la popolazione e le autorità competenti. Diversamente non si spiegano certe affermazioni” (pag.232)
Russo spiega il tutto con il terrore dei partigiani. Eppure é assolutamente lampante ciò che il testo rivela di sé: il suo succo é “noi carabinieri siamo buoni, collaboravamo addirittura con i partigiani; i tedeschi hanno fatto solo dei rastrellamenti (la distruzione del paese era un fatto troppo evidente per non esser citato seppur tanto lievemente ndr) ma noi non abbiamo mai collaborato con loro né abbiamo mai sparato un colpo contro nessuno. Ah! i tedeschi non sono neanche responsabili di quel brutto fatto dei dodici uccisi”. L’uso di date generiche o sbagliate potrebbe al tempo stesso essere un errore o una scelta volontaria per complicare il lavoro di chi volesse fare qualche ricerca dettagliata. E se ci fosse qualche dubbio basta far notare che il testo venne redatto ad ottobre del 1945, quando lo status degli ex repubblichini era ancora da definirsi e questi (tra cui i carabinieri) tentavano di ripulire le proprie posizioni.
INSERTO STORICO Sarà solo nel giugno del 1946, con l’amnistia Togliatti che repubblichini e collaboratori potranno sentirsi certi dell’impunità, ma questo nell’ottobre del 1945, all’epoca della redazione dei documenti riportati da Russo, non si poteva ancora sapere. Solo diversi decenni dopo, con la scoperta dell’armadio della vergogna, si avrà la prova certa di ciò che avvenne in maniera sistematica in quei mesi ed anni, ossia l’occultamento volontario da parte di funzionari italiani della documentazione relativa a crimini di guerra atroci permettendo così a centinaia di criminali ed assassini di restare in circolazione impuniti. E se ciò fu possibile per stragi e crimini di guerra e non v’è da stupirsi che lo stesso occultamento avvenne anche su casi meno noti o minori. Ciò che accadde in quegli anni fu un gioco di temporeggiamenti, tensioni, carte bollate, equilibrismi e muri di gomma: l’Italia non si mosse per fare chiarezza sui crimini dei nazifascisti per evitare che al tempo stesso Jugoslavia, Libi, Etiopia ecc. chiedessero a loro volta conto all’Italia dei crimini fascisti ed in questo fu, se non aiutata, perlomeno non ostacolata a livello internazionale dai paesi interessati più al fatto che l’Italia si riprendesse in fretta per contrastare il blocco sovietico, che non alla risoluzione dei crimini che aveva effettuato. In effetti tali richieste arrivarono dalla Jugoslavia quasi immediatamente e la risposta italiana fu quella di temporeggiare, così come con le richieste della Grecia, così come vennero fatte lentamente affossare le richieste etiopi mentre quelle Libiche si risolveranno formalmente solo nel 2008.
Un altro documento, presentato a pag.239 e datato 6 ottobre 1945, segue grosso modo le stesse linee: dice che la zona fosse continuamente assediata dai partigiani, sposta la strage di Bretto da ottobre 1943 a febbraio 1944, parla dell’incendio ma dice solo che vennero arrestate alcune persone, che il colonnello Hemel, per disperazione, istituì il distaccamento della centrale, ma che la mera presenza di questo nucleo fisso di carabinieri “determinava nei patrioti jugoslavi un accresciuto sentimento d’odio verso i nostri militari e la falsa convinzione che i medesimi erano stati colà dislocati per ostacolare l’attività partigiana. Con tale premessa riesce ben comprensibile il bestiale proposito e la carneficina che i partigiani slavi compirono sui dodici carabinieri. Otto giorni dopo il massacro, con un secondo rastrellamento nazifascista, le dodici salme potevano venir rintracciate e recuperate. L’opinione pubblica in merito è unanime nel riconoscere che l’eccidio fu commesso dai partigiani jugoslavi” (pag.240). Dopodiché continua parlando di “LIKER” e di JANKO” parlandone come se si trattasse di due persone diverse.
Se nel primo testo quel’ “Empel” potrebbe suggerire una redazione sotto dettatura ad un dattilografo italiano non germanofono, qui la separazione di Socian in due persone distinte, potrebbe indicare che il testo venne redatto da persone nient’affatto immerse nella realtà locale (non é da escludere anche in questi casi la possibilità che si tratti di errori voluti). Anche qui si sminuisce la brutalità tedesca (evitando perlomeno il ridicolo tentativo di camuffamento dell’incendio visto nella lettera precedente) ma c’é una fortissima componente di odio antislavo. Se nel testo precedente gli slavi erano accusati dei fatti di malga Bala per esclusione (non motivata) dei tedeschi, qui li si accusa esplicitamente ma appoggiandosi al fatto che ciò sia opinione pubblica condivisa. Nonostante il linguaggio più diretto ed una maggiore componente antislava, anche questo testo si premura di far passare i militi della GNR come neutri spettatori di fatti qui descritti.
L’autore rimarca che nel dopoguerra i fatti di malga Bala furono presto dimenticati e che anche tra i militi dell’arma quell’evento rimase nella memoria solamente come una macchia di cui vergognarsi in quanto la convinzione diffusa era che Perpignano si fece fregare (pag.237). Col passare degli anni, poi, le nuove generazioni ne avrebbero saputo sempre meno.
In realtà, leggendo il testo di Russo vedo emergere una motivazione di questo silenzio radicalmente diversa. Come Russo stesso afferma a pag.185 e pag.219 la popolazione era convinta che il massacro fosse stato opera dei tedeschi e che fosse avvenuto con picconi e spranghe ma al tempo stesso la distruzione della centrale elettrica (che ai tedeschi non poteva far certo piacere) dimostrava chiaramente l’intervento partigiano. I militi italiani, invece, erano stati sì coinvolti nel recupero delle salme, ma sempre sotto controllo nazista (vedi sottocapitolo 5.01). La mia impressione dunque é che fin dai primi momenti fu chiaro a tutti che la vicenda dei cadaveri martoriati venne trattata in modo “sporco” dai nazisti ma sia i filofascisti che gli stessi militi repubblichini furono costretti a far buon viso a cattivo gioco. Per questo ritengo che se vi fu questo silenzio sulla vicenda non si trattò di silenzio omertoso dovuto a paura, né silenzio per “vergogna” del comportamento di Perpignano, bensì silenzio riguardo a qualcosa di cui proprio chi non parlava aveva di che vergognarsi, ossia l’aver apertamente sostenuto una versione dei fatti che sapevano falsa.
Se posso permettere un paragone azzardato direi che siamo di fronte a quello stesso meccanismo per cui le centinaia di migliaia di persone che all’epoca dei fatti difesero a spada tratta un certo presidente del consiglio che abusò del proprio potere per proteggere una prostituta minorenne con la quale aveva avuto dei rapporti durante dei festini orgiastici, a distanza di anni parlano di quei fatti a bassissima voce, mormorando fra i denti varie versioni del “Si, in effetti ha sbagliato MA…” cui seguono altrettanto fantasiose varianti del “quando c’era LUI” (LUI, non LVI, che non son proprio la stessa cosa anche se vengon entrambi da quello stesso polverone lì)
6.00 POTREBBE ANCHE ESSERE ANDATA COSI’
A differenza di quanto fa il libro “Planina Bala” ritengo che quanto ora affermerò si tratta di una MIA PERSONALISSIMA IPOTESI NON AVVALORATA DA ALCUNA PROVA OGGETTIVA E SENZA ALCUNA PRETESA DI STORICITÀ’ e che si, qualcuno potrebbe ritenere anche falsata dalle mie impostazioni di fondo che tuttavia non nascondo avendole esplicitate negli inserti storici di questo post.
Basandomi proprio sulle informazioni provenienti da “Planina Bala” (una volta ripulite, ovviamente) ritengo che uno scenario più plausibile sia il seguente:
SABOTAGGIO) I partigiani compiono il sabotaggio alla centrale, forse con la collaborazione di alcuni operai. Sono presenti Ursic, Socian e Srecko. Dopodiché riescono ad introdursi nella casermetta e sequestrano i dodici militi della GNF giunti da pochissimo nel territorio (tutta la menata sulla parola d’ordine é ridicola e trascurabile, nonostante Russo ci insista perché il suo intento é “riabilitare” Perpignano portandolo allo stato di sacra vittima).
MOTIVAZIONE) Il motivo del rapimento é lo stesso di tutti i rapimenti partigiani: scambio di prigionieri (magari compagni di Ursic rinchiusi chissà dove, il che potrebbe fornire un motivo per giustificarne meglio la presenza) e/o offerta della possibilità di passare dalla parte della resistenza. I dodici militi difatti erano arrivati da pochissimo e non stupisce possano aver dato l’idea di essere potenziali avversari del fascismo.
FUGA) Fuggono attraverso il percorso effettivamente indicato e giungono in Bausiza e probabilmente facendo effettivamente trasportare ai sequestrati parte delle scorte della casermetta (ma non una quantità eccessiva: dovevano fuggire di notte ed in fretta su un sentiero molto impervio). Alcuni abitanti della zona vedono la carovana passare ed interagiscono con loro.
NOTTE ?)Da qui in poi il racconto che fornisce Russo é assai inquinato e gli elementi certi che fornisce sono troppo pochi e incerti per farsi un’idea esatta di cosa accade, ma considerando che la storiella della soda caustica é certamente una fregnaccia (che dodici persone assumano contemporaneamente e non forzatamente un piatto di -boh, zuppa?- condito di varechina e soda caustica senza accorgersene dall’odore appare alquanto improbabile), che la dichiarazione di Mafalda riguardo al fatto che fecero da mangiare sia per i partigiani che per i sequestrati non ha nessun indice temporale, che la presenza di Ursic non era certo indispensabile e che (come vedremo) considerare come data delle uccisioni il 25 marzo anziché il 24 é probabilmente una forzatura forse di vero c’é che prima di salire in Bala fecero una sosta a mangiare nascosti nei fienili di Gajger in Logje.
UCCISIONI) Notte da Gajger o meno ci ritroviamo infine a malga Bala dove si possono immaginare quattro scenari:
a1) Scenario ostaggi. Se il sequestro fu inteso per uno scambio di prigionieri si può supporre qualcosa andò storto (p.es: quando Ursic giunge potrebbe aver comunicato che i compagni da liberare erano già stati uccisi) e si decise di fucilare i prigionieri in quanto non più utili come ostaggi ed indisposti a passare da parte dei partigiani.
a2) Scenario scelta. I dodici militi posti dinnanzi alla scelta dello schieramento scelgono l’RSI ed i partigiani li fucilano.
b1) Scenario scontro a fuoco 1: i tedeschi sono alle calcagna dei partigiani e questi decidono di fucilare i militi sequestrati
b2) Scenario scontro a fuoco 2: i tedeschi raggiungono i partigiani ed i dodici militi sequestrati si trovano fra il fuoco incrociato di partigiani e tedeschi (Versione Crnugelj)
Purtroppo Russo non riporta alcunché delle motivazioni espresse dai partigiani che non siano quella da lui proposta, ma a pag.196 v’é questo botta-e-risposta tra Russo e Hrovat che, pur prendendolo con estrema cautela (s’é ben visto quanto siano tagliuzzate le interviste di Russo), se confermata potrebbe far pendere verso gli scenari “a1” e “a2” (che a mio parere sembrano le più plausibili)
Chi ha ammazzato i carabinieri? “Noi!” In “quel” modo? “No, noi li abbiamo sparati!”
In ogni caso, una volta morti i dodici, i partigiani se ne vanno da malga Bala.
GAJGER E FLAJS) Gajger, rimasto sempre a Logje, saputo che i sequestrati erano stati uccisi il 24 marzo, il giorno dopo va a malga Bala per recuperare i beni e le divise dei militi uccisi (di iniziativa propria o su richiesta dei partigiani). Nel caso delle versioni scontro a fuoco ciò potrebbe aver avuto come scopo anche il dare una minima sistemazione ai corpi. Si fa aiutare da Bepi Flajs cui chiede di salire con lui per aiutarlo. Giunti in malga Gajger vede numerosi bossoli a terra (pag.186) [interessante notare come Russo ne parli, dicendo che –Solo Lojs Gajger ci ha dichiarato di aver trovato davanti la porta della malga “un mucchio enorme di bossoli”, segno evidente che i carabinieri erano stati sparati-. Se Gajger fosse stato sul posto durante le uccisioni avrebbe semplicemente visto i bossoli, ma quel trovato fa intendere che si trattò di una scoperta, il che pone la presenza in malga di Gajger solamente dopo i fatti e non durante]
RICERCHE) Nei giorni seguenti si effettuano ricerche ed i tedeschi trovano i corpi il 30 o 31 marzo (nel caso degli scenari scontro a fuoco 1 e 2 se ne dovrebbe dedurre che i militi della GNR passarono diversi giorni assieme ai partigiani oppure che lo scontro avvenne il 24 marzo e la “scoperta” avvenne al 30 o 31 marzo perché vi fu maltempo anche in quei giorni e/o che i nazisti temporeggiarono per decidere che fare con i corpi. Entrambi i casi mi sembrano tuttavia meno probabili dell’escuzione -ammessa da Hrovat- dei dodici seguita a giorni di ricerche infruttuose)
RECUPERO) Sta di fatto che i corpi vengono ritrovati dai nazisti i quali decidono di sfruttarli a loro favore per fare propaganda antipartigiana, in quanto la popolazione già subì un duro colpo ad ottobre e che dopo tale “bastonata” ora conveniva usare un mix di “paura e carote” per non tirar troppo la corda. Pertanto i nazisti decidono di infierire sui corpi per renderli degli atti d’accusa contro la resistenza. Dopodiché trascinano i corpi fuori dalla malga nel modo in cui sapevano farlo: ossia con modi non dissimili da quelli usati dagli alpini sul Golobar. Col filo spinato. Fatto ciò avvertono le milizie italiane che si occupano materialmente al recupero ma sempre sotto l’occhio vigile dei nazisti.
PAESE) In paese tutti capiscono cosa sia successo davvero (“La versione più divulgata e accreditata” era proprio quella che accusava i tedeschi), anche coloro che stanno dalla parte del nazifascismo e della Germania che dunque si trovano a dover difendere e propugnare una versione dei fatti che sanno ben essere falsa.
DOPOGUERRA) Dopo la caduta del nazifascismo i militi delle forze dell’ordine tentano di confondere le carte per allontanare da sé ogni responsabilità di quei fatti. A livello documentale dunque si crea una gran confusione. L’evento però vien presto lasciato dimenticare. Resta dunque un ricordo vago di una vicenda “sporca” che gli ex-fascisti non rivangano perché consci di aver partecipato ad una menzogna scomoda (cui in pochi credettero) e gli ex-partigiani non rivangano perché il fango della propaganda é ancora rimasto attaccato a quei fatti.
RICORDO) Solo diversi decenni dopo, una volta caduto il muro di Berlino, quando la memoria dei fatti si era ridotta al lumicino le mutate condizioni politiche hanno permesso lo sdoganamento degli (ex? neo) fascisti e l’inizio di quel periodo di revisionismo storico iniziato appunto negli anni ’90 ed in cui siamo, purtroppo, ancora immersi e che ha incluso la storia di malga Bala.
E’ impressionante osservare come la versione dei fatti appena proposta (che nonostante i buchi appare decisamente più plausibile e coerente di quella proposta da Russo) possa nascere proprio usando informazioni tratte da “Planina Bala” e questo non certo a causa di completezza del testo (anzi), ma poiché la debolezza delle tesi che il libro afferma obbligano l’autore a cercare di farle sembrar plausibili e lineari consolidandole anche sia con conferme d’opinione che con brandelli di informazioni valide, le quali tuttavia contraddicono proprio ciò che l’autore vorrebbe sorreggessero! Un po come cercare di far sembrare solido un edificio di gelatina aggiungendovi con delicatezza dei vistosi blocchi di metallo in alcuni punti strategici, ma basta un leggero tremore perché questi blocchi inizino a far sentire il proprio peso e distruggere l’edificio dall’interno.
7.00 LE (S)TORTURE
E finalmente arriviamo al clou della vicenda secondo l’interpretazione di Russo. Dunque, cercando di salvare il salvabile si potrebbe a questo punto tentare lo sforzo di mettere una pietra sopra sopra a tutto quanto visto finora nell’idea che si tratti di eccessi, contraddizioni e personalismi di Russo, perdonabili in quanto il nocciolo della vicenda é comunque adamantino. L’impresa é ardua ma tentiamola comunque e concentriamoci quindi sul nocciolo dei noccioli della versione strage, ossia cosa sia avvenuto tra il 23 marzo 1944 ed il 25 marzo 1944 dopo il sabotaggio alla centrale, secondo la versione di Russo. Il racconto di tali eventi, nel libro, va da pag.101 a pag 148. Come per il resto del libro, anche qui la narrazione é inframmezzata da commenti, opinioni personali, aneddoti sulle interviste, frasi estratte dalle interviste, alcune foto della malga attuale ecc. Anche qui non é sempre facile capire chi siano le fonti delle singole informazioni né se una determinata informazione provenga appunto da una fonte o se sia frutto della fantasia descrittiva dell’autore (e le descrizioni degli uccellini saltellanti a pag.131 e la descrizione dei sentimenti del “carabiniere” Franzan a pag.141 sono lì a dimostrare che l’intervento personale nella narrazione é certamente presente).
7.01 I TESTIMONI DELL’UCCISIONE
PARTIGIANI PRESENTI ALLE UCCISIONI
– Silvo Gianfrate (Srecko)
PARTIGIANI NON PRESENTI ALLA STRAGE
– Lojs Hrovat
La posizione dei partigiani é chiara: confermano le uccisioni per fucilazione ma non le torture e manifestano la convinzione che i cadaveri siano stati sfigurati successivamente per fare propaganda antipartigiana.
TESTIMONI CON NOME DELLA PRESENZA DEI PARTIGIANI IN BAUSIZA – Myza Komac
– Qualcuno di quel territorio della Slovenia
Myza Komac testimonia la presenza dei partigiani e dei dodici sequestrati in Bausiza (pag.17,110).
TESTIMONI ANONIMI DELLE UCCISIONI
– L’anonimo figlio di un pastore, amico di Toni Rinaldi (pag.18) che racconta a Russo “quanto suo padre gli aveva ripetuto all’inveroverosimile” tra le lacrime, ma nel testo non vien riportato solo lo sfogo di pianto ma non si fa accenno ad un solo fatto testimoniato: si parla solo di “scene di follia” (pag.145,264)
– “Qualcuno di quel territorio della Slovenia” che ricorda delle “urla agghiaccianti” ma non é dato a sapere dove né quando né chi fosse né dove si trovasse esattamente né perché (pag.127). Potrebbe benissimo essere il figlio del pastore di cui sopra
Questo/i testimone/i anonimo/i in realtà, come vedremo, testimonia/no ben poco. I testimoni anonimi vanno sempre presi in considerazione con estrema cautela in quanto, proprio a causa del non rivelare chi sono, non offrono alcuna garanzia d’affidabilità all’infuori del grado di precisione e coerenza delle loro dichiarazioni che necessiteranno dunque di riscontri maggiori di quelli richiesti ai testimoni identificabili per poter essere credute. In questo caso però siamo di fronte a testimonianze indirette di (un) anonimo/i che si limita(no) a confermare informazioni prive di riscontro fornite (forse) da altri. Un esempio di questa inutilità delle testimonianze anonime lo si può notare a pag.18 in cui l’amico di Rinaldi, parlando del padre dell’amico anonimo racconta che: “[…] aveva seguito quasi passo dopo passo la terribile via crucis dei carabinieri, ben nascosto dietro gli alberi, fin a quando Bepi Flajs di Trenta aveva tentato di coprire i corpi dei carabinieri massacrati con la neve!” in quanto, oltre ad essere testimonianza indiretta ed anonima, sostanzialmente non dice nulla sulle uccisioni, lasciando solo INTUIRE di essere di fronte ad una testimonianza completa di tutti gli eventi che tuttavia non spende nemmeno una sillaba riguardo le uccisioni stesse. (Interessante però osservare come a queste poche righe che ben poco dicono segua un commento entusiastico di Russo a ‘mo di “Eureka!”, cosa che si ripete più volte qualora l’autore narra dell’ottenimento di informazioni corroboranti la sua tesi)
“TESTIMONI” CON NOME DELLE UCCISIONI
– Lojs Kravanja (Gajger), mediata attraverso la moglie Mafalda
– Bepi Flajs
Lo ripeto per chiarezza: la versione strage si fonda su un lavoro di Antonio Russo che presenta notevoli scorrettezze di forma e metodo ed é basato essenzialmente sulle sole dichiarazioni dei due amici Gajger e Flajs.
7.02 MA COSA DIAV………. (PARARSI IL CULO)
Ma prima di apprestarci ad osservare le dichiarazioni di Gajger e Bepi Flajs non si può non riportare queste dichiarazioni che Russo fa a pag.263, praticamente a fine libro:
“E ricordiamoci che nessuno di noi può sapere realmente se alla fin fine essi siano stati totalmente passivi nelle mani dei partigiani per tutte quelle ore di attesa e di duri trasferimenti. Chi ci dice che essi non abbiano tentato la fuga o la ribellione? Chi ci dice che essi non abbiano tentato la rivolta o la difesa o una controffensiva? Chi ci dice che essi non abbiano tenuto testa ai loro carnefici e che non abbiano affrontato la morte gridando il loro profondo affetto per l’Italia, la Bandiera e la divisa del Carabiniere? Chi ci dice che essi non siano morti dimostrando grande fierezza del proprio essere e sentirsi figli dell’Italia che certamente amavano?”
EEEEEEEEHHHHHH????? Ma come? Ma ci sono dei testimoni che forniscono un quadro preciso degli avvenimenti O NO? In tutto il testo viene proposta la versione strage come se si trattasse di una certezza appurata con affermazioni come quella a pag.237 “[…] noi oggi possiamo affermare senza ombra di smentita né di errore che […]” ed a fine libro ci vien rivelato che non possiamo sapere i fatti centrali della vicenda! Se c’erano testimoni che hanno assistito alla mattanza, questi dovrebbero poter rispondere a tali quesiti! O NO? Il fatto stesso che Russo ponga ora queste domande significa che lo stesso autore del libro, nonostante la sicumera con cui ha esposto la sua versione dei fatti, qui si cautela dimostrando la non attendibilità delle sue stesse fonti, lasciando intendere che quanto ha scritto anche riguardo dettagli fondamentali non é basato su informazioni certe.
7.03 CRONOLOGIA EVENTI SECONDO RUSSO
Proviamo ad elencare una ad una le singole informazioni riguardanti gli eventi del 24 e 25 marzo 1944 tentando di capire quale possa essere la fonte da cui Russo le ha attinte, dato che nel testo le fonti vengono semplicemente “lasciate intendere”
24 marzo
A mezzogiorno la comitiva trova riparo in un fienile abbandonato sotto alcuni speroni rocciosi dell’Izgora, sul versante della Bausiza (pag.110) [FONTE: SCONOSCIUTA]
Durante la sosta, che fu breve, tutti, inclusi i prigionieri, bevvero acqua tiepida zuccherata (pag.110) [FONTE: SCONOSCIUTA]
Riprendono il cammino. Alcuni partigiani in avanscoperta ed altri in fondo alla comitiva (pag.110) [FONTE: SCONOSCIUTA]
Un pastore che sta facendo pascolare le pecore vede la comitiva e dice ai partigiani “Ragazzi ricordatevi che sono sempre nostri amici” ma i partigiani non lo ascoltarono. Erano 18 partigiani e 12 sequestrati (pag.110) [FONTE: SCONOSCIUTA / PASTORE: NON IDENTIFICATO FORSE IL PASTORE ANONIMO PADRE DELL’AMICO DI RINALDI?]
NB: Bepi Flajs certamente non é presente agli eventi successivi e quindi può aver solo saputo quanto riferito da Gajger e sua moglie Mafalda che sono, dunque, gli unici due testimoni possibili delle prossime dichiarazioni.
La comitiva giunge a casa di Gajger (pag.113) [FONTE: FORSE MAFALDA GAJGER]
Probabilmente in questo momento i partigiani donano o danno in deposito alla famiglia Gajger i beni presi dalla caserma (pag.119) [FONTE: SCONOSCIUTA]
I sequestrati vengono chiusi nel fienile e gli vien portata ancora acqua zuccherata (pag.113) [FONTE: FORSE MAFALDA GAJGER]
I partigiani chiamano più volte Perpignano “traditore fascista” (pag.113) [FONTE: SCONOSCIUTA]
Nel primo pomeriggio giunge ai “diretti guardiani dei prigionieri” l’ordine di riprendere la marcia verso l’altopiano di Logje (pag.113) [FONTE: SCONOSCIUTA]
Alcuni partigiani restano a casa di Gajger per attendere Ursic (pag.113) [FONTE: FORSE MAFALDA GAJGER]
Mezz’ora dopo la comitiva é a Logje (pag.114)[FONTE: FORSE MAFALDA GAJGER]
I sequestrati vengono rinchiusi in una delle stalle di Gajger (pag.114) [FONTE: FORSE MAFALDA GAJGER]
Poco dopo i sequestrati vengono spostati in una stalla ove era più difficile scappare. Alcuni partigiani, armati, fanno la guardia (pag.114)[FONTE: FORSE MAFALDA GAJGER]
Alcuni partigiani si riuniscono “in uno stavolo” di Gajger davanti a un caminetto acceso (pag.119), mentre altri stanno più a valle in avanscoperta [FONTE: FORSE MAFALDA GAJGER]
Arriva Ursic assieme a due suoi compagni ed ai partigiani che erano rimasti a casa di Gajger ad aspettarlo (pag.119) [FONTE: FORSE MAFALDA GAJGER]
I familiari di Gajger (sua madre, la sorella Maria e la moglie Mafalda) preparano da mangiare per tutti (pag.119) [FONTE: FORSE MAFALDA GAJGER]
Dopo aver mangiato i partigiani discutono sulla sorte dei prigionieri (pag.119) [FONTE: FORSE MAFALDA GAJGER]
I capi partigiani (Ursic, Srecko, Socian e Hrovat) vogliono uccidere i sequestrati e alla fine hanno la meglio sugli altri partigiani, anonimi e contrari (pag.119) [FONTE: FORSE MAFALDA GAJGER]
Confermata la decisione i partigiani si stringono le mani e brindano [FONTE: FORSE MAFALDA GAJGER]
Le donne di casa Gajger apparecchiano la cena e mettono sul pentolone la cena per gli altri partigiani e per i sequestrati. [FONTE: FORSE MAFALDA GAJGER]
“Nei recipienti destinati ai prigionieri, nella ilarità generale, alla fine furono gettati diversi pugni di sale nero, tipo solfato di magnesio meglio conosciuto come sale inglese, di quello che si dà agli animali quale purgante. Prima di chiudere i recipienti, qualcuno vi versò dentro anche il contenuto di una bottiglia di soda caustica e di varechina, con atteggiamento trionfale di grande vittoria e di enorme soddisfazione, nella compiacenza euforica generale!” (pag.122) [FONTE: FORSE MAFALDA GAJGER]
Alcuni partigiani s’incaricarono di portare il cibo ai sequestrati, altri partigiani andarono a dormire e diversi di loro ridiscesero la via della Bausiza assieme a Mafalda, Maria e alla mamma di Gajger. (pag.122) [FONTE: FORSE MAFALDA GAJGER]
I partigiani che s’erano incaricati di dar da mangiare ai sequestrati gli servono il cibo avvelenato e poi si allontanano dalla stalla ridendo (pag.122) [FONTE: SCONOSCIUTA]
I sequestrati si contorcono dal dolore ed urlano. Qualcuno del posto li sente. (pag.127) [FONTE: SCONOSCIUTA, FORSE FIGLIO DEL PASTORE O BEPI FLAJS]
25 marzo
Dalla Bausiza tornano a Logje i partigiani che avevano dormito nei fienili di Gajger (pag.128) [FONTE: FORSE GAJGER]
La comitiva s’incammina verso malga Bala (pag. 128) [FONTE: FORSE GAJGER O BEPI FLAJS O IL PASTORE ANONIMO]
La comitiva, dopo due ore di cammino arriva a malga Bala (pag.131) [FONTE: FORSE GAJGER O BEPI FLAJS O IL PASTORE ANONIMO]
NB: da quanto sostiene Russo, dietro alla comitiva di partigiani e sequestrati ci sono Bepi Flajs, l’anonimo pastore padre dell’amico di Toni Rinaldi ed “altri pastori” che, stando nascosti dietro agli alberi a decine di metri di distanza non possono vedere ciò che accade dentro alla malga. Pertanto l’unico testimone degli eventi interni alla malga può essere solo Gajger.
Appena giunti i sequestrati vengono costretti ad entrare dentro alla malga nella sua stanzetta piccola a destra (pag.139) [FONTE: GAJGER?]
Nella stanzetta i sequestrati si buttano a terra col fiatone (pag.141) [FONTE: GAJGER?]
Alcuni partigiani dentro la malga bevono un goccio di grappa (pag.141) [FONTE: GAJGER?]
Alcuni partigiani, dopo aver bevuto la grappa, escono a fare da guardia all’esterno (pag.141) [FONTE: GAJGER?]
Qualcuno prepara un uncino (pag.144) [FONTE: GAJGER?]
Dopo un breve conciliabolo Ursic da il “via” con un cenno del capo (pag.143) [FONTE: GAJGER?]
La porta della stanzetta viene aperta rumorosamente. Perpignano viene brutalmente afferrato e trascinato nella stanzetta principale, la cucina, dove viene spogliato lasciandogli solo maglia e mutandoni. (pag.144) [FONTE: GAJGER?]
I beni preziosi di Perpignano, come orologio ed anelli, vengono dati a Gajger (pag.144) [FONTE: SCONOSCIUTA]
Perpignano viene costretto a terra e gli viene conficcato un uncinata tallone e piede (pag.144) [FONTE: GAJGER?]
Perpignano viene issato a testa in giù su una trave per mezzo dell’uncino (pag.144) [FONTE: GAJGER?]
Perpignano grida di dolore. I partigiani lo scherniscono e gli danno calci in testa (pag.144) [FONTE: GAJGER?]
Gli altri undici sequestrati vengono tirati fuori dalla stanzetta (uno alla volta?). (pag.144) [FONTE: GAJGER?]
Uno alla volta vengono spogliati e derubati (pag.144) [FONTE: GAJGER?]
Durante quest’operazione Primo Amenci riesce a tenere con sé la foto dei suoi cinque bambini (pag.144) [FONTE: GAJGER?]
Gli undici vengono incaprettati con le braccia dietro la schiena usando filo spinato che viene agganciato ai genitali (pag.145) [FONTE: GAJGER?]
I partigiani prendono i picconi dalle pareti ed uccidono a picconate gli undici sequestrati (pag.145) [FONTE: GAJGER?]
A qualcuno dei sequestrati vengono asportati i genitali ed infilati in bocca (pag.145) [FONTE: GAJGER?]
A qualcuno dei sequestrati viene “frantumato il cuore” a picconate (pag.145) [FONTE: GAJGER?]
A qualcuno dei sequestrati vengono “centrati e sbriciolati gli occhi” (pag.145) [FONTE: GAJGER?]
Un carabiniere riesce a buttarsi a terra implorando con la foto della madre in mano ma la foto gli viene strappata di mano e conficcata in bocca (pag.145) [FONTE: GAJGER?]
Primo ammencii mostra ai partigiani la foto dei suoi cinque figli ma una picconata volante gliela conficca proprio nel cuore (pag.145) [FONTE: GAJGER?]
Delle formiche affamate, attratte dal sangue, si arrampicano tra i capelli di Perpignano ed iniziano a mordere (pag.146) [FONTE: GAJGER?]
A Perpignano vengono dati in continuazione calci in faccia, sulla nuca, sulla fronte (pag.146) [FONTE: GAJGER?]
Uno dei sequestrati riesce a sfuggire ed uscire dietro alla malga ma viene fermato da un colpo di revolver alla spalla (pag.146) [FONTE: FORSE GAJGER, O BEPI FLAJS O IL PASTORE ANONIMO]
Man mano che i sequestrati morivano i partigiani li trascinavano i corpi all’aperto per circa 30 metri fino al grande sasso accatastandoli uno accanto all’altro (pag.146) [FONTE: FORSE GAJGER, O BEPI FLAJS O IL PASTORE ANONIMO]
A mezzogiorno era tutto finito (pag.147) [BEPI FLAJS]
I partigiani si ripuliscono alla meglio con la neve con la neve e scendono verso la Bausiza (pag.147) [FONTE: FORSE GAJGER, O BEPI FLAJS O IL PASTORE ANONIMO]
Gajger deve ricoprire i corpi (pag.147) [FONTE:GAJGER?]
Gajger va a cercare Bepi Flajs (che nel frattempo, SEMBREREBBE, fosse tornato a casa sua a Logje) e lo convince a “[…] tornare su in malga per coprire i morti. Ma era neve ghiacciata e quindi non abbiamo potuto far nulla”. (pag.147) [FONTE:BEPI FLAJS]
Nevica forte e la neve é gelata. Bepi Flajs e Gajger ricoprono i corpi alla meglio con delle foglie (pag.147) [FONTE: FORSE GAJGER, O BEPI FLAJS O IL PASTORE ANONIMO]
Le dichiarazioni in cui si deve SUPPORRE la fonte la fanno da padrone
Gajger é costantemente con i partigiani da quando arrivano in Bausiza fino a quando se ne vanno e, poiché Russo non ottiene un’ammissione dagli stessi ed i pastori che avrebbero seguito la carovana rimasero all’esterno della malga senza poter osservare cosa succedeva all’interno, ne deriva che SOLO GAJGER può essere il testimone di ciò che sia successo nella malga, mentre la moglie Mafalda può sapere cosa accadde la sera prima e Bepi Flajs solo ciò che accadde dopo.
Come vedremo, chi POTREBBE aver fatto tali dichiarazioni in realtà non le fa ed al contrario alcune cose pare vengano dette da chi, invece, NON poteva sapere.
7.04 IL SUPERTESTE MISTERIOSO
Dunque, il “superteste” di Russo sarebbe Lojs Kravanja detto Gajger: il “postino” dei partigiani che dopo aver contratto il virus partigiano ha passato il resto della sua vita “travolto dagli incubi” (pag.14). Chi é dunque il superaste, l’UNICA persona che avrebbe visto tutto e che avrebbe testimoniato a Russo?
Il testo lo descrive come un pastore di carattere duro e scontroso, chiuso e solitario nato nel 1920. Viveva in Bausiza con la moglie Mafalda di Uccea, con suo padre, la madre, una sorella di nome Maria (pag.112,113) in una casa isolata, oltre tutte le altre. Ha anche una sorella di nome Myza (pag.148). Possedeva diversi fienili e numerosi animali da cortile, oltre a pecore e capre che d’estate portava a malga Bala con il resto dei pastori della Bausiza.
Gajger viene definito “il postino dei partigiani” (pag.14), “un aiutante, un amico dei partigiani” (pag.193), “il grande amico dei partigiani della valle del Coritenza e dell’alto Isonzo, onnipresente e servizievole nei loro riguardi” (pag.144), “amico fidato” e “protettore silenzioso e devoto”. Uno che conosceva bene ogni parte del territorio (pag.193) e che in cambio dei suoi servigi riceveva doni da parte dei partigiani (pag.14,119). A pag.193 il partigiano Srecko, intervistato da Russo lo descrive così: “Gajger era un aiutante, un amico dei partigiani; era proprietario di diversi fienili in Bausiza e conosceva bene ogni parte del territorio”. Russo lo descrive come “il portaordini che collaborava senza chiedere, eseguiva senza domandarsi mai perché” (pag.112). Nel libro non c’é una sola foro né di Gajger né di sua moglie Mafalda.
I RAPPORTI DI GAJGER COI PARTIGIANI: Gajger fin dall’inizio della guerra offre ospitalità ai partigiani ai quali fa comodo averlo come punto di riferimento per nascondersi e rifornirsi (pag.112). In particolare il suo compito era quello di fare da contatto tra i diversi gruppi partigiani.Gajger si occupava di dare da mangiare ai partigiani nascosti nei suoi fienili ed avvertirli della presenza di pattuglie nazifasciste. Gajger ha un rapporto di fiducia ed amicizia con Socian e fa di tutto per “restare nelle sue grazie”.
Gajger però non sa nemmeno comprendere l’italiano e quindi l’intervista di Russo avviene per tramite della moglie di Gajger, Mafalda. Essendo anch’essa un teste (per quanto riguarderebbe la sera del 24 marzo) le dichiarazioni di entrambi vengono fatte materialmente da Mafalda.
Gli unici virgolettati di Gajger e Mafalda che il testo riporta sono quesi:
“Nessuno potrà mai dirvi più di noi; – ci aveva assicurato la moglie del Gajger, Mafalda – nessuno sa niente… Lassù i partigiani hanno ucciso i carabinieri per vendetta, nient’altro! Tutto qua… Nessuno sa niente. I partigiani erano in tanti, come si fa a conoscere e a ricordare i loro nomi?… Era una cosa normale, sa, di guerra! Vede, si era in guerra e tutti sanno cos’è una guerra!” (pag.15)
“Mio marito è nato nel 1920; quella volta, al tempo della guerra, si viveva in Bausiza. Lui era contadino, aveva le pecore e d’estate si andava tutti in Bala; durante la guerra, al tempo dei partigiani, era lui che portava la posta, i messaggi tra un gruppo di partigiani e l’altro. Lui faceva da mangiare per loro e portava da mangiare a loro quando questi erano nascosti nei vari suoi fienili per sfuggire ai rastrellamenti dei tedeschi e degli italiani. Anche dopo l’attacco ai tedeschi alle porte di Bretto di Sopra, i partigiani giunsero subito da noi e si nascosero a Logje, nei fienili di Lojs… Lojs faceva la spia per i partigiani, li precedeva e li avvertiva della presenza di eventuali pattuglie tedesche o italiane… Noi quella volta si aveva più paura degli italiani che dei tedeschi!” (pag.113)
“Noi abbiamo fatto da mangiare sia per i partigiani che per i carabinieri.” (pag.122)
“Siamo tutti figli di Dio cosa vuole. .. però gli italiani avevano ammazzato i nostri partigiani sul Golobar, trascinandoli per terra come tronchi d’albero…!” (pag.263)
Altre dichiarazioni che il testo attribuisce direttamente a Gajger o a Mafalda sono:
Solo Lojs Gajger ci ha dichiarato di aver trovato davanti la porta della malga “un mucchio enorme di bossoli”, segno evidente che i carabinieri erano stati sparati (pag.186)
Lo stesso Gajger ci ha dichiarato che facilmente a dare l’allarme era stato proprio qualche partigiano scappato dal gruppo, recatosi subito dai tede- schi a dare la notizia (pag.156)
La malga non aveva un proprietario vero e proprio; era di tipo sociale, -ci spiegherà anche la signora Mafalda, moglie di Gajger- a disposizione cioè dei pastori della zona che lì d’estate si ritrovavano e ne facevano un punto di riferimento e di produzione casearia. (pag.112)
E… BASTA. TUTTO QUI. QUESTE SONO TUTTE LE INFORMAZIONI CHE PROVENGONO CON CERTEZZA DAL “SUPERTESTE” LOJS KRAVANJA DETTO GAJGER E DA SUA MOGLIE MAFALDA!
Ma come? L’unico testimone che sarebbe stato dentro alla malga ad assistere a quegli orrori non ha nemmeno una sola mezza frase su tali avvenimenti? Niente di niente? Russo avrebbe per le mani un testimone diretto degli avvenimenti disposto a “confessare” e non é in grado di fornire una sua sola frase, non dico di colpevolezza, ma almeno di testimonianza? Nemmeno UNA (One, ein, ena, një, bar, eden, un, um, UNA???????). Un banale “Ero lì mentre facevano questo e quello”?
Il gancio nel tallone di Perpignano, le picconate, il pasto alla soda caustica, le foto piantate nel cuore, le formiche attratte dal sangue, il fatto stesso che Perpignano fosse appeso a testa in giù dentro alla malga DA DOVE SAREBBERO SALTATI FUORI SE NON LE HA TESTIMONIATE GAJGER?
Dovremmo forse credere che pur avendo per le mani un superteste del genere, Russo preferisce sprecare pagine a raccontarci di una cena a base di gatto (pag.63-67) e non pubblica nemmeno una frase chiara ed univoca di Gajger su cosa avrebbe visto/fatto? Perché Gajger avrebbe dovuto assistere alle uccisioni? Che motivo avrebbe avuto per salire in malga su con loro? Lui avrebbe partecipato o guardato e basta? Hmmm… Inquieta il fatto che in questo libro più un teste é importante e meno se ne parla…
7.05 L’AMBIGUO BEPI FLAJS
In effetti Russo quando parla di Gajger lo fa perlopiù attraverso un’altra persona. Lo fa attraverso Bepi Flajs. Sono numerosi difatti i casi in cui Russo riporta azioni di gajger testimoniate però da Bepi Flajs
Riporto nuovamente la descrizione fatta in 3.11.02: Bepi Flajs ha l’onore di essere il caso più interessante tra quelli su cui Russo sorvola nel descrivere gli effetti del “virus partigiano”. Nel testo é l’unica persona citata con nome e cognome ed entrata in contatto coi partigiani su cui il virus partigiano sembra non aver avuto effetto se non per una generale “paura” nei loro confronti che però é forse più indice di una persona si intimorita ma non affatto vittima del virus: di una persona che é anzi contraria a Socian. A differenza di coloro che hanno sconfitto il virus partigiano, Bepi Flajs non mostra alcun segno di redenzione. Fa parte ciò di quelle pochissime persone entrate in contatto coi partigiani che Russo non descrive né come persone immuni al virus, né come persone che che se lo sono preso. Bepi Flajs non mostra nemmeno i segni di tormento di Gajger e non riceve alcuna delle parole d’apprezzamento che Russo riserva alle donne che gli forniscono materiale utile a supportare la sua tesi. No: Bepi Flajs non mostra proprio un bel niente se non una forma di timore nei confronti dei partigiani. A ben vedere però ci si rende conto che l’unico incontro di Bepi Flajs con i partigiani sarebbe avvenuto mentre, nascosto lontano nella boscaglia, avrebbe osservato non visto cosa accadeva a malga Bala. Bepi Flajs non é un collaboratore dei partigiani: é un vicino di casa di Gajger (con cui forse é in qualche modo imparentato) che ha solo informazioni di seconda mano e per “sentito dire”. Eppure é evidente che il racconto dell’uccisione dei dodici sostenuto da Russo regge solamente grazie alle testimonianze di Bepi Flajs, “condite” con il supporto dell’anonimo amico di Rinaldi, figlio di un anonimo pastore della Bausiza (pag.144) del quale son riportate le lacrime ma non i dettagli della testimonianza.
Pur essendo il testimone più importante dell’intero libro é strano osservare che su Bepi Flajs non v’é nemmeno una riga che ci parli della sua persona. O meglio: viene semplicemente descritto come qualcuno vicinissimo a Gajger e Mafalda (abitano a poche decine di metri di distanza) (pag.114) e che ha dovuto sempre fare buon viso a cattivo gioco coi partigiani in quanto ne era impaurito (pag.147); viene inoltre descritto come un uomo che agisce secondo le disposizioni del Gajger (pag.147). Ma pur avendo queste informazioni base sul ruolo di Bepi Flajs non sappiamo nulla della PERSONA Bepi Flajs. Non c’é nemmeno una sua foto (ma c’é la foto della sua casetta a pag.117). Strano: abbiamo qualche dato biografico e breve descrizione di persone che riportano informazioni di seconda mano ma non della fonte principale della tesi? Molto strano. Bepi Flajs apparentemente non ha genitori né moglie né fratelli né sorelle né cugini né amici (se non Gajger con cui ha un rapporto che nel testo appare di sudditanza). Bepi Flajs non ha età. Sappiamo che fa il pastore (pag.139,142,127,161,197), che possiede una casetta (pag.117) ed alcuni casolari (pag.114) che si trovano all’entrata di Logje (pag.127) e che anni dopo i fatti si trasferì a Trenta (pag.257). All’opposto sappiamo dell’episodio (avvenuto a chilometri e chilometri di distanza dal tarvisiano) della civetta malaugurate vista da Natalia Ferro, sorella minore di uno dei militi uccisi, mentre zappava la terra, la quale aveva, al momento dell’intervista, 71 anni.
I virgolettati che riportano dichiarazioni dirette di Bepi Flajs sono almeno il triplo di quelle provenienti dal Superteste Gajger:
“I partigiani hanno infierito sui carabinieri certi che nessuno un giorno avrebbe potuto dire il contrario; dovevano far credere che erano stati fucilati!” (pag.18,186,197) [OPINIONE PERSONALE]
“La prima notte i prigionieri e i partigiani l’hanno passata in bosco nonostante il freddo; la seconda sono stati a Logje in una stalla di Gajger… L’assemblea dei partigiani sul da farsi s’è tenuta a Logje. In attesa dell’arrivo del capo supremo, Ursic, hanno voluto guadagnar tempo; poi è arrivato Ursic…. I partigiani erano in contrasto tra loro, ma alla è prevalsa la proposta di uccidere i carabinieri”. (pag.120) [INFORMAZIONI CHE BEPI FLAJS NON PUO’AVERE PER ESPERIENZA DIRETTA PERCHE’ NON ERA PRESENTE A NESSUNO DI QUESTI ACCADIMENTI]
“Quei partigiani erano tutti dei nostri, Janko di Bretto era uno dei capi se non il capo in quell’azione: lo sapevano e lo dicevano tutti a Bretto.” (pag.127) [INFORMAZIONE NOTA]
“Lojs era presente. Lui sa più di me!” (pag.19) [AMMISSIONE DEL FATTO CHE BEPI FLAJS NON ERA PRESENTE]
“Il capo del gruppo era Socian; in Bausiza sono venuti attraverso un sentiero di guerra, in montagna” (pag.102) [INFORMAZIONE NOTA + INFORMAZIONE CHE BEPI FLAJS NON PUO’AVERE PER ESPERIENZA DIRETTA PERCHE’ NON ERA PRESENTE ALLA FUGA]
“Lojs è venuto a cercarmi e mi ha convinto a tornare su in malga per coprire i morti. Ma era neve ghiacciata e quindi non abbiamo potuto far nulla” (pag.147) [“CERCARMI” E “TORNARE SU IN MALGA” INDICANO CHE BEPI FLAJS NON ERA IN BALA QUANDO CIO’ AVVENNE]
“Io ho visto Gajger portarsi giù i vestiti e tutto il resto: doveva fare il deposito a casa sua in modo che dopo ogni partigiano avrebbe potuto prendersi qualcosa” (pag.148) [TALE DICHIARAZIONE PUO’ BENISSIMO ESSERE IN LINEA CON ALTRI SCENARI: IL RECUPERO DEGLI ABITI NON IMPLICA COMPRESENZA ALLE UCCISIONI]
“(Lois Gajger) s’era sempre dichiarato contento perché era stata fatta giustizia (con l’uccisione dei carabinieri)“ e “si nascondeva per la paura” (pag.257) [IN MANCANZA DI DICHIARAZIONE PIU’ PRECISA QUESTE VAN RITENUTE OPINIONI PERSONALI]
“I partigiani erano 21, mentre i carabinieri 12” (pag.127) [INFORMAZIONE DIRETTA O DI SECONDA MANO ACQUISIBILE ANCHE SOLO VEDENDOLI PASSARE DA LOGJE]
“I partigiani, prima dell’arrivo di Josko e di alcuni suoi uomini, erano 18, tutti del territorio tra Caporetto e Bretto.” (pag.147) [INFORMAZIONE DIRETTA O DI SECONDA MANO ACQUISIBILE ANCHE SOLO VEDENDOLI PASSARE DA LOGJE]
“Lojs Kravanja non era un partigiano, però quel giorno era con loro e quindi ha visto tutto” (pag.147) [INFORMAZIONE DIRETTA O DI SECONDA MANO?]
“I carabinieri sono stati uccisi tutti prima di mezzogiorno!” (pag.147) [INFORMAZIONE DIRETTA O DI SECONDA MANO?]
“C’erano altri pastori nascosti che hanno visto come me!” (pag.147) [CHE AVREBBERO VISTO COSA: LE UCCISIONI O IL PASSAGGIO DELLA CAROVANA?]
“Era una malga dove tutti d’estate portavano le proprie bestie, soprattutto pecore” (pag.119) [INFORMAZIONE DI SERVIZIO]
“Quella volta non tutti potevano permettersi attrezzi in ferro e quindi si usavano pezzi di legno duro, in particolare pino e faggio: da questi pezzi duri si ricavavano accette e soprattutto picconi”. (pag.142) [INFORMAZIONE GENERICA]
(a proposito del recupero dei cadaveri da parte dei nazifascisti) “prima in barella, poi coi muli, li hanno portati in giù!” (pag.161) [INFORMAZIONE NOTA]
Il pasto alla soda caustica? Il fatto che fu Socian a prendere le redini del gruppo per farlo scegliere? Le torture? Il colpo di revolver? Il filo spinato? Le amputazioni? Le formiche? ANCHE QUI, NIENTE! Il “pezzo forte” sferrato da Russo é un’opinione personale di Bepi Flajs che viene ripetuta tre volte nel testo (quella riferita a pag.18,186,197) come se si trattasse di chissà che, ma é e resta l’opinione di una persona che non dialogava con i partigiani.
A pag.147 c’é un’interessante dichiarazione di Myza Flajs, moglie di Toni Flajs, riguardo a Bepi Flajs:
“Bepi Flajs aveva agito secondo le disposizioni di Gajger”
“Bepi all’inizio aveva creduto che quei corpi fossero sassi gelati”.
E come farebbe a sapere queste cose la signora Flajs? Anche qui si tratta comunque di dichiarazioni in linea con lo scenario del recupero postumo dei beni e non testimonia certo della presenza dei due uomini in Bala durante le uccisioni. Russo poi aggiunge sempre a pag.147 un virgolettato con l’elenco dei beni dei dodici, ma non dichiara chi ne sia la fonte “orologi, anelli, catenine, tutto quanto avevano addosso i carabinieri! “ e prosegue dicendo che i beni vennero nascosti dal Gajger sotto un grosso sasso a poca distanza dalla sua dimora e che ritornò a casa poco dopo mezzogiorno del 25 marzo 1944.
7.06 SPOSTAMENTI DI DATA
A pag.157 lo stesso Russo dichiara che durante le ricerche i nazifascisti passarono anche a casa di Bepi Flajs per chiedere informazioni sul come raggiungere malga Bala e che… sia Bepi Flajs che Gajger tornarono alla malga per “controllare la situazione”. Ma come? Controllare cosa: che dei cadaveri (della cui morte Gajger sarebbe stato felice – pag.257) non si siano mossi? O non siano stati divorati dalle formiche-vampiro? E’tuttavia un’ammissione che Bepi Flajs e Gajger “tornarono su in malga” nei “giorni successivi” per “controllare” i morti. Non é dunque questo che dichiara Bepi Flajs a pag.147 con quella frase che descrive il recupero degli abiti avvenuto, secondo Russo, immediatamente dopo le uccisioni? E’dunque per adattare la vicenda alle dichiarazioni di Bepi Flajs che l’autore sposta le uccisioni al 25 marzo?
Tale spostamento difatti non avrebbe molto senso: Russo lo motiva col bisogno di attendere l’arrivo di Ursic e ciò avrebbe senso solo se il contesto fosse quello del gran sacerdote che deve presenziare al sacrificio rituale, il che appare ovviamente assurdo ed inverosimile, anche perché nel racconto Ursic non ha assolutamente nessun ruolo decisionale (quello é affidato a Socian) se non la mera presenza. Russo inoltre aggiunge a pag.120 il dibattito e ripensamento su un’operazione che era stata pensata per settimane (pag.77), di cui parla solo Bepi Flajs che tuttavia non era nemmeno presente.
Molto più probabilmente la dichiarazione del Bepi Flajs sul recupero degli abiti avvenuto il 25 marzo 1944 ha obbligato a ritenere che pure le uccisioni avvennero lo stesso giorno, in modo da far combaciare la presenza di Bepi Flajs sul luogo del delitto anche al momento del delitto.
7.07 MYZA KOMAC E GLI ANONIMI
A questo punto si dovrebbe osservare in dettaglio quanto affermano Myza Komac ed i testimoni anonimi ma oramai il meccanismo é evidente: frasi estrapolate dalle interviste ed inserite qua e là in modo che sembrino sostenere una tesi illogica che non é basata su nulla di oggettivo. Se nemmeno il superteste Gajger ed il vero teste-chiave di Russo, Bepi Flajs, non hanno dichiarazioni utili a sostenere la tesi del libro, star ad osservare anche quelle di Myza Komac (che non salì in Bala) o dei testimoni anonimi (la cui attendibilità é inferiore a quella che riserverei al Polpo Paul) e dunque, in un insolito atto di pietà nei confronti di chi legge, mi limiterò a riassumere stringatamente:
Myza Komac, della bausiza, sposata con Toni Flajs, testimonia soltanto di aver visto i partigiani passare per Logje (pag.17) e che aveva paura di loro (pag.110). Per il resto Russo ci informa che lei finse di non conoscere i sentieri dinnanzi ai nazisti che ispezionavano il territorio (pag.156)
Il misterioso “Qualcuno di quel territorio della Slovenia”, tra “sgomenti e brividi” racconterà di urla agghiaccianti e l’altrettanto misterioso figlio anonimo del pastore anonimo che avrebbe visto tutto stando nascosto a decine di metri FUORI dalla malga avrebbe raccontato “con le lacrime agli occhi” ciò che a sua volta gli raccontò il padre, ma il testo non riporta alcuna dichiarazione né dell’uno né dell’altro, tanto che é facile ritenere si tratti sempre della stessa persona:
“Finalmente – mi ha confidato con le lacrime agli occhi il figlio di un pastore, il quale, nascosto dietro un grosso albero a poche decine di metri da quello scempio, aveva seguito tutto pietrificato e impotente – final- mente posso liberarmi di questo peso che mi opprime il cuore da tanti, tanti anni! Per quasi cinquant’anni ho dovuto nascondere questa verità, ma era tempo che tutto venisse alla luce! Mi sento finalmente libero, quasi leggero!”
E tremava dalla commozione e dall’orrore quel povero contadino nel contarmi per l’ennesima volta quanto suo padre gli aveva ripetuto all’inverosimile, perché quei fatti non fossero mai dimenticati! (pag.145,146)
Ma, diciamocela tutta, pianti, commozione e lacrime… per una vicenda di mezzo secolo prima che ti é stata solamente raccontata ed in cui non é coinvolto nessuno che conoscessi? Sembra più di star di fronte alla testimonianza di qualcuno che venne traumatizzato da piccolo da un padre che, per spaventarlo, gli ha “ripetuto all’inverosimile” una storia di torture raccapriccianti, più che davanti ad una banale testimonianza secondaria.
7.08 LE DICHIARAZIONI DI HROVAT
L’antipatia dichiarata di Russo per i partigiani, come già visto, é evidente nel racconto delle interviste in cui l’autore non si esime dal commentare negativamente le loro reazioni alle sue insistenze nel tentare di fargli confermare la sua versione dei fatti. Per esempio non manca di riportare una frase di titubanza dell’anziano Hrovat, non abituato né ad attenzioni giornalistiche né parlare al registratore:
“Alla vista del registratore ecco pronta la sua battuta, dopo averci rivelato che si sentiva di colpo importante come mai nella sua vita:“… E se faccio qualche errore?. Posso poi riparare?” (pag.16)
Frase che viene utilizzata a ‘mo di “faro” per introdurre ed avvalorare il commento negativo alla persona di Hrovat che, pur rispondendo alle domande di Russo e Rinaldi, non avvalora la tesi dei due:
E invece di rispondere alle domande, le contorceva a proprio comodo, modificando la voce di volta in volta, come un grande attore, alzando o abbassando di molto il tono, da sillaba a sillaba, facendo finta di scarabocchiare un foglio per prendersi meglio gli appunti su cui informarsi, tracciandoci uno schizzo del territorio, fissando ripetutamente il monte Sleme, lì a due passi, verso la Bausiza, per la sua forma anatomica quasi maschile: atteggiamenti che al mio amico Toni più che a me davano enormemente fastidio e il Toni dovette sudare e soffrire quel giorno più del dovuto nel tenersi la bocca cucita, ricacciando indietro l’antipatia naturale che il signor Hrovat era riuscito a crearsi in noi in poche battute. Girando alla larga, molto alla larga, nelle mie domande, il tempo passava, ma da lui, dal signor Hrovat, non si riusciva a tirar fuori niente di nuovo, tranne cose che già conoscevo sulla vita dei partigiani di Plezzo e in particolare dei carabinieri, della loro cattura, del percorso fino a Planina Bala, a malga Bala. (pag.16)
“Aveva tentato tutto Hrovat per deviare le nostre domande e la nostra attenzione sui carabinieri della BaIa e mai come quel giorno avevo ultimato una intervista con l’amaro in bocca e una delusione cocente e palpabile.Ci aveva quasi derisi il Hrovat, tentando di mettere tutto in ridicolo e in dubbio, facendo di tutto per confonderci le poche idee precise che in quel momento avevamo, le poche certezze che a ogni sua risposta vacil- lavano e di punto in bianco io mi ritrovavo a brancolare nel buio e nei misteri più fitti. Sarebbe stato un abile politico il signor Hrovat, almeno in Italia!” (pag.194)
Nel nostro lungo incontro, Hrovat alza perfino la voce, la camuffa, la sopraeleva per riabbassarla poi di colpo, ci guarda fisso negli occhi per poi deviare il discorso, ribalta le domande cercando di trasformare se stesso in intervistatore e noi in intervistati, finendo però sempre nel riba. dirci che per questa inchiesta bisognava aspettare ancora qualche anno e che proprio non era il caso di riaprire vecchie ferite ormai dimenticate per sempre.Un grande attore, un vero fenomeno! Ricordo che l’amico Toni di Cave si spazientiva spesso e si faceva pren· dere dalla rabbia, dal momento che si sentiva preso in giro. E io, contra· riamente al mio solito, ero costretto a trattenermi nella speranza che alla fine da quell’incontro, tanto atteso e tanto temuto, riuscissi ad ottenere qualche lume, qualche spiraglio di verità. (pag.196)
Russo non considera nemmeno per un momento l’ipotesi che forse Hrovat stia raccontandogli la verità e che la versione strage sia falsa, dando per scontato che se Hrovat non la conferma significa che mente. I più lunghi e dettagliati commenti che l’autore fa su un teste sono fatti con l’intendo di distruggerne e denigrarne l’attendibilità e ciò non in base a contraddizioni o dimostrate menzogne di Hrovat, bensì solamente perché ciò che Hrovat dice smentisce la versione strage che Russo ha fatto propria. Lo stesso Russo che a pag.145 accoglie senza batter ciglio la non-dichiarazione dell’anonimo figlio di un anonimo pastore!
Sempre a pag.16 viene inserito un collage di frasi che, come già visto in 2.05 hanno l’effetto di dare un’impressione di Hrovat molto diverso da quello che ne uscirebbe dall’intervista completa (di cui uno stralcio minimo é presente a pag.193). E’ in questa situazione che si dovrebbe tentare di separare le affermazioni dirette di Hrovat ma, come già mostrato in 2.05 la cosa non é sempre possibile in quanto non é sempre chiaro a che domande corrispondano le dichiarazioni né se una serie di frasi che presentano puntini di sospensione ( … ) siano sempre collage o dichiarazioni in cui l’intervistato effettivamente faceva dei momenti pausa fra una frase e l’altra. Pertanto riporto le singole frasi cercando di mantenerne l’ordine con cui sono state proposte da Russo lasciando a chi legge la libertà di intenderle come frasi separate o unite tra loro.
A pag 16 vengono riportati questi stralci di risposte a “tante domande”. Solo una di queste domande é “Ma perché i 12 carabinieri furono così barbaramente trucidati?”
E chi dice queste cose?
Io… io non ero lassù
A colpi di piccone poi
No, no, mai fatto una cosa del genere noi partigiani! Coi picconi poi!
Su, su, dove prendevamo i picconi, i coltelli o le scimitarre?
Sì e no avevamo qualche temperino
dodici carabinieri poi
Erano sì e no cinque, sei: pum pum, sono stati sparati e tutto è finito lì!
Socian era il comandante militare, io il commissario politico
“Ma chi era il più alto in carica?”
Il secondo… in campo militare Socian; chi comandava veramente era il commissario politico ed ero io il commissario politico!
Socian era terribile, alla tedesca, di poche parole. I preti e le donne che erano coi preti lo odiavano
Io con lui ho sempre baruffato, ma come commissario ero più furbo e quindi vincevo sempre io!
In conclusione cosa volete da me?
Chi ha ammazzato i carabinieri!
“Noi!”
In che modo?
Noi li abbiamo sparati! (pag.17,197)
“Socian era un comandante di grande altezza, di grande livello. E’ stato lui a ordinare questa azione: del resto lui era nativo di Bretto e quindi conosceva ogni angolo di quel territorio!” (pag.78)
“Di notte non c’erano mai tedeschi in giro!” (pag.99)
“E’ stato preso il sentiero che c’è dopo la Pustina, prima della fortezza, a sinistra, prima della roccia: lì c’è un sentiero di guerra ben conosciuto e frequentato dai cacciatori” (pag.102)
“La distruzione di Strmec (Bretto di Sopra) non c’entra niente con la storia dei carabinieri né la battaglia e la strage sul monte Golobar hanno alcun riferimento con quello della Bala” (pag.194)
“lo non ero con quei partigiani. A capo era Franc Ursic, di Caporetto; poi nel comando venivano Socian e Srecko, cioè Gianfrate” (pag.194)
“lo ero il commissario politico!” (pag.195)
Tra il commissario politico e il comandante militare, chi era il più alto in carica?
“In campo militare Socian… Chi comandava veramente era il commissario politico e io ero il commissario politico dell’armata partigiana! “ (pag.195)
“Quest’azione l’aveva ordinata Socian, che era di Bretto e quindi conosceva ogni angolo del territorio” (pag.195)
“Nessun paltigiano aveva lo scopo di ammazzare i carabinieri: i nostri nemici erano Hitler coi tedeschi e Mussolini: cosa c’entravano i carabinieri?” (pag.195)
“La centrale di Bretto di Sotto dava energia alla miniera di Cave che era in mano ai tedeschi: lì si facevano fucili e armamenti militari, dal momento che si produceva piombo e zinco, elementi che servivano per costruire cannoni, fucili e bombe. Il nostro dovere era di eliminare, di distruggere la centrale perché non desse più energia elettrica. Era questo un nostro dovere di partigiani!” (pag.195)
(parlando dell’assalto alla casermetta) “La responsabilità era del vice brigadiere che ha rivelato la parola d’ordine” (pag.195)
“Ben 12 carabinieri, tenuti in vita per quasi due giorni? (pag.195)
Su, mo’: dove prendevamo da mangiare per loro per tanto tempo? (pag.195)
“Noi partigiani abbiamo sempre rispettato i carabinieri. Chi era coi fascisti no, non poteva essere da noi rispettato, ma i carabinieri cosa c’entravano? (pag.195)
Io non ero su in malga (pag.195)
Ma è passato tanto tempo, come si fa a ricordare? (pag.195)
E poi… 5 o 6 carabinieri uccisi.. .. 12!?.. No, non erano 12 (pag.195)
Voi mi rivelate cose nuove che io non ho mai sentito… Sono cose del tutto nuove per me (pag.195)
Questa cosa è stata opera di altri, non dei partigiani! (pag.195)
E’ passato tanto tempo! Come pretendete che uno ricordi ancora questi particolari? (pag.195)
12 morti e tutti carabinieri? (pag.195)
E’ assurdo, 5 o 6, non 12 e poi uccisi in quel modo! (pag.195)
Mi fate venire i brividi! (pag.195)
Ammazzati poi a colpi di piccone! (pag.195)
No, no, mai fatta noi una cosa del genere. Dov’erano i partigiani non succedevano queste cose. Questa per noi era un’azione militare, non politica e questa è stata un’azione militare! (pag.195)
In altre azioni i prigionieri venivano liberati o mandati a casa o sparati nell’azione, in questa no, come mai? (pag.196)
Sono stati gli italiani a ridurre in quello stato i carabinieri o anche i tedeschi e poi hanno dato la colpa a noi. Io non credo sia successo questo che voi dite, noi si sparava ai prigionieri. Non abbiamo mai trucidato nessuno noi (pag.196)
Non avevamo mica coltelli, accette, picconi o scimitarre! (pag.196)
Su, mo’! Noi avevamo mitra, qualche temperino, mica picconi! (pag.196)
Ma dopo cinquant’anni voi cercate ancora queste cose? A chi interessano più? (pag.196)
Cosa serve andare a riaprire queste ferite (pag.196)
No, non mi va giù questa storia: nessuno li ha trucidati, glielo garantisco io (pag.196)
La mia parola… boh, dai, almeno al 60%, d’accordo? (pag.196)
Con Socian ho sempre baruffato; però come commissario politico vincevo sempre io che ero più furbo!” (pag.196)
Ripeto che i carabinieri non erano nostri nemici, i fascisti sì, erano nemici!” (pag.196)
Ma voi giornalisti italiani non avete altro a cui pensare? (pag.196)
Dopo tanti anni tirate fuori ancora questa storia?” (pag.196)
“Potevate aspettare ancora qualche anno, no?” (pag.196)
“Ma non potevate aspettare altri cinquant’anni per le vostre ricerche? .. Se andate da Srecko, a Nova Corica, lui non vi riceverà neanche, lui non parla con nessuno… ma se per caso vi andate, non dite di aver parlato con me” (pag.17)
Hrovat dunque conferma di aver esser stato partigiano e che Socian (con cui baruffava) di grado inferiore, era sottoposto ad Ursic. Ma dice anche di non aver partecipato a quell’operazione che ricorda ma non nei dettagli (non essendo stato presente non può fornirli) e quando Russo gli illustra la modalità in cui sarebbero avvenute le uccisioni Hrovat non gli crede (“Io non credo sia successo questo che voi dite”) e, ritenendo la cosa assurda si pone a garante dell’operato dei suoi ex collaboratori garantendo che cose del genere non possono esser successe, ipotizzando un più probabile intervento dei nazifascisti. Dubita pure del fatto che si siano fatte passare due notti prima di uccidere i dodici e testimonia che il loro interesse primario era sabotare in ogni modo la centrale. Testimonia pure del fatto che l’azione del 23 marzo 1944 non era collegata a fatti precedenti. A contorno di ciò é evidente il fastidio di Hrovat dinnanzi alle insistenze di Russo sulla versione strage.
7.09 LE DICHIARAZIONI DI SRECKO
Silvio Gianfranco (Srecko) é nato nel 1922 e da dopo la guerra abita a Nova Gorica (pag.191). Viene intervistato da Russo giorni dopo l’intervista a Hrovat (pag.19) ed ammette tranquillamente di aver partecipato all’uccisione dei dodici. Russo descrive inizialmente Gianfrate con parole di simpatia “gentile, alla mano, disponibile, da vero gentiluomo” e “ci intrattiene nel suo cortile di casa, alberato e fresco, e ci racconta volentieri tutto sulla nascita del movimento partigiano dell’Alto Isonzo […]“ (pag.191) ma é stizzito dal fatto che quando Gianfrate viene accusato da Russo di aver torturato i dodici come un macellaio da film dell’orrore “si faceva prendere dalla rabbia e dai fumi dell’ira” (pag.191). L’intervista tocca anche gli avvenimenti del Golobar in cui 38 partigiani vennero uccisi, legati col filo spinato e trascinati a valle. Su questo dettaglio Russo commenta “Più o meno come i partigiani hanno poi fatto coi carabinieri… !” (senza considerare un più probabile -era una prassi diffusa tra i nazifascisti di quella zona-). Al commento vien fatta seguire l’affermazione di Srecko “No, no, nessun collegamento tra Golobar e carabinieri della Bala…!”. Anche negli spezzoni d’intervista di Srecko notiamo virgolettati che si ripetono ma senza combaciare e senza presentare sempre tutte le informazioni della versione alternativa, il che porta seriamente a dubitare che i virgolettati che compaiono una sola volta siano una trasposizione fedele e completa delle affermazioni dell’intervistato.
“La distruzione di Strmec (Bretto di Sopra) non c’entra niente con la storia dei carabinieri né la battaglia e la strage sul monte Golobar hanno alcun riferimento con quello della Bala”. (pag.194)
“Sì, facevo parte dei partigiani che hanno ucciso i carabinieri in malga Bala. Anch’io sono stato alla centrale di Bretto a prelevare i carabinieri. Il comandante supremo era Ursic, poi venivamo Socian e io. Socian e Svonko, il Della Bianca, sono andati sulla strada ad aspettare il brigadiere dei carabinieri; tutti gli altri eravamo nascosti in attesa; poi siamo scesi a circondare la caserma… “ (pag.19) [PRIMA VERSIONE]
“Sì, anch’io facevo parte dei partigiani che hanno ucciso i carabinieri: sono stato alla centrale a prelevarli. Quella volta il comandante era Franc Ursic, poi venivo io e Socian. lo ero l’aiutante del comandante. Socian e Svonko, il Della Bianca, erano andati sulla strada ad aspettare il brigadiere; tutti gli altri eravamo nascosti, in attesa. Poi siamo scesi a circondare la caserma. Alcuni di noi hanno minato la centrale, mentre gli altri prendevamo i carabinieri!” (pag.192) [SECONDA VERSIONE]
“L’assalto è avvenuto appena scuro, di sera: abbiamo prelevato le armi e abbiamo deviato sulla montagna dopo la “Pustina”, una vecchia trattoria” (pag.192)
“Ma perché proprio i carabinieri?” (pag.192)
“I carabinieri erano i servi dei tedeschi, loro avevano rovinato tante nostre famiglie; essi erano lo Stato Italiano, in quanto non avevano avuto il coraggio di mettersi contro lo Stato dopo 1’8 settembre. I partigiani erano più che arrabbiati contro di loro, perché ognuno in casa propria aveva avuto i suoi morti e i suoi drammi, con persecuzioni ed esilio. E l’odio era cresciuto contro di loro!” (pag.192) [LA GRANDE RIVELAZIONE DI QUESTO ESTRATTO E’ CHE PARTIGIANI E FASCISTI NON VANNO TANTO D’ACCORDO]
“I nostri papà e le nostre mamme erano stati perseguitati e internati dai carabinieri fedeli allo Stato Fascista, perché i loro figli erano partigiani. Anche mio papà e mia mamma erano stati perseguitati, anche mio fratello. Non erano i tedeschi il nostro obiettivo, ma i carabinieri che erano rimasti fedeli a Mussolini e alla Repubblica Sociale dopo 1’8 settembre del 1943” (pag.19) [PRIMA VERSIONE – LA TESTIMONIANZA INDICA CHE I NAZIFASCISTI FOSSERO PERFETTAMENTE A CONOSCENZA DELL’IDENTITA’ DEI PARTIGIANI]
“Tanti nostri papà e tante nostre mamme sono stati perseguitati e internati dai carabinieri fedeli allo stato fascista, chi a Padova, chi a Savona, chi a Rimini, chi in Sicilia o in Calabria, solo perché avevano figli tra i partigiani. Anche mio papà e mia mamma sono stati perseguitati… anche mio fratello” (pag.192) [SECONDA VERSIONE]
“Il nostro obiettivo non erano i tedeschi, bensì i carabinieri carabinieri che erano rimasti fedeli a Mussolini dopo 1’8 settembre 1943 e che avevano rovinato tante nostre famiglie!” (pag.263) [TERZA VERSIONE – IL FATTO CHE L’OBIETTIVO DEI PARTIGIANI FOSSERO DEGLI ITALIANI E NON DEI TEDESCHI APPARE OVVIO: ERANO GLI ITALIANI A GUARDIA DELLA CENTRALE, COME E’OVVIO CHE SI TRATTASSE DI PERSONE RIMASTE FEDELI A MUSSOLINI: I NAZISTI NON METTEVANO CERTO A GUARDIA DI OBIETTIVI SENSIBILI PERSONE CHE NON ERANO FEDELI A MUSSOLINI]
“Il comandante della nostra brigata era Franc Ursic. Per la storia dei carabinieri aveva deciso lui e per questo era intervenuto proprio lui: una cosa troppo importante” (pag.193) [ATTRIBUISCE LA DECISIONE A URSIC ANZICHE’ A SOCIAN E NE TESTIMONIA LA PRESENZA DURANTE L’AZIONE]
“Non era solo di Socian la responsabilità di quel fatto ma del comandante in capo che era l’unico vero responsabile; nessuno poteva opporsi al comandante che è responsabile di ogni azione dei suoi uomini che devono solo ubbidire. Se lei ha fatto il militare, sa che è così!” (pag.78) [ATTRIBUISCE LA RESPONSABILITA’ A URSIC]
“La guerra…! Brutta cosa la guerra! Chi non l’ha fatta non la può capire!” (pag.193)
“Gajger era un aiutante, un amico dei partigiani; era proprietario di diversi fienili in Bausiza e conosceva bene ogni parte del territorio” (pag.193)
Ma perché infierire sui carabinieri in quel modo, coi picconi…! (pag.193)
“Noi non si aveva picconi!… Nessun piccone è stato usato…! Quelle cose non si fanno. I partigiani non facevano quelle cose, non lo hanno fatto perché non lo sapevano fare!” (pag.193) [NEGA LE TORTURE]
“E poi il veleno!… Ma che veleno e veleno… Non si fanno quelle cose!” [NEGA LE TORTURE]
E continua a scuotere la testa Srecko, guardando altrove, cercando di deviare il discorso. (pag.193)
“Socian li ha portati fuori uno alla volta dalla stanzetta e poi li ha uccisi con la pistola! … No, non si fanno quelle cose!” (pag.193) [DICHIARA CHE LE UCCISIONI AVVENNERO SEMPLICEMENTE CON ARMA DA FUOCO]
Gli mostro alcune foto della malga e riconosce ogni particolare (pag.193)
“Solo due o tre mesi dopo abbiamo saputo che i carabinieri erano stati trovati in quel modo; sarà stata la propaganda contro di noi, forse i Domobranzi, forse i tedeschi pur di infangare il nome dei partigiani!” (pag.193)
Ma perché i carabinieri furono portati fin lassù? Perché non spararli prima? (pag.193)
“Non lo so! So solo che i tedeschi hanno fatto una grande propaganda contro di noi, hanno approfittato di quella situazione”. (pag.193) [PASSAGGIO INTERESSANTE: LA DOMANDA E’PERFETTAMENTE LECITA MA LA RISPOSTA “NON LO SO” E’ TROPPO SBRIGATIVA. TUTTAVIA, VISTI I PRECEDENTI NON SI PUO’ESSER CERTI CHE QUESTE SIANO LE ESATTE PAROLE E L’ESATTO SENSO DELLE AFFERMAZIONI (LA DOMANDA POTREBBE ESSER STATA “MA PERCHE’ PROPRIO A MALGA BALA?” E LA RISPOSTA “NON LO SO, NON C’ERA UN MOTIVO PARTICOLARE PER SCEGLIERE QUELLA MALGA”)
“E’ stata una brutta cosa questa, molto brutta!” (pag.193)
“Per questo fatto e per altri diversi tra i partigiani alcuni sono stati degradati. La responsabilità di quel fatto non era solo di Socian, ma del comandante in capo che era l’unico vero responsabile; nessuno poteva opporsi agli ordini del capo, nessuno; i partigiani dovevano solo ubbidire: chi ha fatto il militare può capirmi” (pag.193) [RIMARCA LA GERARCHIA E PARLA DI PROVVEDIMENTI INTERNI MA NON SE NE CHIARISCE IL MOTIVO: DA COME VIENE POSTA PARE FURONO DEGRADATI PER AVER ESEGUITO GLI ORDINI. NON E’ PIU’PROBABILE CHE VENNERO DEGRADATI PER NON AVER SEPOLTO I CORPI ED AVER DATO MODO AI NAZIFASCISTI DI UTILIZZARLI PER PROPAGANDA ANTIPARTIGIANA?]
“ (i partigiani erano) tutti del territorio di Plezzo, avevano sparato ai carabinieri e che la propaganda e solo la propaganda aveva creato attorno alla storia dei carabinieri tutti quei particolari macabri”. (pag.193)
“Non parlo più di queste cose e non capisco perché insistete tanto, dopo tanti anni!” (pag.193) [SRECKO SI SPAZIENTISCE DELLE INSISTENZE DI RUSSO]
“Anche Lojs Hrovat di Plezzo era con noi: era lui il commissario politico!” (pag.19) [PRIMA VERSIONE – VEDI SOTTO]
“Rivolgetevi a Lojs Hrovat, lui era con noi: era lui il commissario politico!” (pag.193) [SECONDA VERSIONE – ANCHE QUI BISOGNA PORRE UNA CERTA ATTENZIONE: “ERA CON NOI” E’ INTESO COME “ERA A MALGA BALA” O “FACEVA PARTE DELLA NOSTRA BRIGATA”? POICHE’ RUSSO SEMBRA INSISTERE MOLTO SULLE MOTIVAZIONI, SRECKO LO RIMANDA A HROVAT CHE ERA IL CAPO POLITICO E STAVA GERARCHICAMENTE PIU’IN ALTO]
Anche Srecko é irritato dalle domande di Russo ma questi non controbatte con la stessa forza di Hrovat e fornisce diverse dichiarazioni che Russo può utilizzare. Per questo motivo viene ricompensato con una descrizione tutto sommato umana della sua persona (gli vien pur concesso il lusso di avere un luogo e data di nascita, wow!) che però vengono “autobilanciati” dalle mancate conferme alla versione strage che vengono fatte passare per reticenze. Seguendo l’evidente meccanismo “se fornisci elementi utili a confermare la tesi dell’autore sei bravo ma se taci o smentisci sei un bugiardo” Russo può permettersi di spendersi in parole positive per poi negativizzare le mancate conferme.
Parola d’ordine tra quei partigiani ancora viventi era logicamente il continuare a insistere su particolari contrastanti, sostenendo che i carabinieri erano stati fucilati. Cosa del tutto irreale e non avvenuta, fatti alla mano! Nessuna spiegazione plausibile sul massacro, sul perché di quella terribile strage dopo due giorni di peregrinazioni da un casolare all’altro fino a raggiungere la zona impervia e isolata della malga Bala, neanche cinquant’anni dopo quando finalmente l’omertà era stata rotta e numerose testimonianze avevano chiarito il tutto e messo i partigiani con le spalle al muro, a cominciare dai comandanti, due dei quali già morti al momento delle nostre inchieste. (pag.194 – grassetto mio)
Russo basa la sua teoria sul “silenzio partigiano” semplicemente in base al fatto che… i due partigiani con cui ha parlato non confermano la sua versione! Appare inquietantemente ridicolo il fatto che Russo affermi che la morte per fucilazione dei dodici sarebbe “irreale” rispetto ad un sacrificio umano rituale-simbolico effettuato con violenza inenarrabile di cui non é stato in grado di fornire nemmeno un solo elemento a favore.
La realtà era ed è che l’odio, profondo e radicato, aveva avuto il sopravvento su ogni raziocinio umano! (pag.194)
La REALTA’ secondo Russo é quella che lui ritiene tale e che “dimostra” combinando assieme chiacchere di paese, propaganda nazifascista, mezze frasi, spezzoni di intervista selezionati, opinioni personali di persone che non hanno avuto minimamente a che fare con gli eventi in questione, imprecisioni che forse nascondono una qualche volontarietà e “testimoni” che non dichiarano nulla di ciò che lui sostiene, in un poutpourrì contraddittorio da cui traspaiono con evidenza una lettura nazionalistico-mistico-religiosa degli avvenimenti e della realtà nel suo insieme.
Particolarmente inquietante il fatto che Russo commenti queste “dichiarazioni” incomplete, diversamente interpretabili e scontate con parole di gioia, parlandone come di una verità rivelata:
“Come si fa a non ringraziare il buon Dio con più calore ed estrema sincerità nel vedere finalmente ogni componente del puzzle regolarmente al suo posto?” (pag.19)
Russo dunque non ringrazia Dio per avergli fornito una versione completa e coerente della vicenda, ma di avergli fornito materiale utilizzabile per sostenere una versione che a suo avviso DOVEVA essere confermata
8.00 LA “VERITA” DI RUSSO
Il concetto di “verità storica” che traspare da “Planina Bala” é decisamente peculiare e distante da quello diffuso in ambito storico. In “Planina Bala” non v’é nessuna analisi di testi o delle affermazioni degli intervistati, nessun tentativo di distinguere tra storia e memoria, nessun tentativo di inserire gli eventi nella loro complessità storica, nessun tentativo di osservare i fatti in maniera equidistante dai personaggi coinvolti, nessun tentativo di ripulire le affermazioni raccolte dal loro bagaglio emotivo. Questo giusto per citare alcuni dei problemi di fondo senza rivangare nuovamente le problematicità del testo elencate finora. Una ricerca storica corretta mira a proporre una tesi logica basandosi su dati certi:
raccolta dati → ipotesi → verifica → dimostrazione → tesi
Russo invece agisce in modo assai diverso, ossia non parte dalla raccolta dati, bensì da un’idea di verità immutabile precostituita ed attorno ad essa rielabora e riadatta sia i dati che le ipotesi affinché questi avvalorino la verità data ed inamovibile:
Ecco che i dati che non collimano vengono scartati (le parti d’intervista mancanti e le domande non poste), ecco che certe frasi vengono “vendute” in un certo modo ma che forse all’origine avevano un senso diverso, ecco che la complessità viene ridotta fino a renderla una sorta di fiaba horror in cui le persone sono banalizzate in buoni contro cattivi, brava gente contro demoni. Ecco che anche la testimonianza di chi riferisce solo chiacchere di paese diventa “materiale utile”. Ecco che dalla rielaborazione narrativa di testimonianze ed ipotesi omogeneizzate in un’unica marmellata monosapore emergono le strutture culturali e pregiudiziali dell’autore che la tengono assieme dandole l’illusione di solidità.
Riportando alla mente quanto osservato all’inizio di questo articolo appare decisamente inquietante il fatto che la posticcia narrazione dei fatti portata avanti da questo libro venga venduta come verità storica ma la cosa, purtroppo, non stupisce affatto poiché non é certo un mistero come e perché ciò sia avvenuto: se all’inizio di questa catena c’é stato il lavoro di persone a cui non interessa la realtà e proprio per questo son portate a percepirsi come costantemente in stato d’assedio, mentre alla fine della stessa vi son persone ben disposte ad accogliere queste appaganti falsità per i medesimi motivi, nel mezzo v’é chi, in malafede, sfrutta quelle stesse falsità perché é proprio mantenendole vive che prosperano.
Il concetto di fondo però é sempre, sempre lo stesso:
Quelli come me vivon nel giusto
Nessuna differenza fra “io” e “noi”
Il diverso é sbagliato
Il diverso sarà bruciato
(2017/09/30) Segnalo questo pezzo di Laura Matelda Puppini sui fatti di Malga Bala molto ben documentato ed ottimamente esposto. Il succo é ben riassunto in questi passaggi relativi alla vicenda storica:
[…] ho solo capito, fin qui, che vi fu una azione partigiana contro la centrale di Bretto inferiore, inserita in una serie di azioni partigiane, che i carabinieri che presidiavano la stessa non si aspettavano; che essi vennero catturati dai partigiani che li portarono via prima di far saltare la loro casermetta, ma se avessero voluto ucciderli non si sarebbero comportati così, e quindi che vennero uccisi forse dai partigiani, perché tentarono magari la fuga. Santo Arbitrio disse che avevano lottato. I loro corpi vennero ritrovati una decina di giorni dopo in una grotta, non in una malga, e furono sepolti con tutti gli onori del caso. Avevano subito sevizie? Non lo so, non è chiaro, men che meno di che tipo. Attenzione che gravi lesioni non significa che le stesse siano state procurate da torture, perché anche altri fattori possono lesionare corpi rimasti all’aperto in montagna dieci giorni: il freddo, le intemperie, animali presenti, oltre che la decomposizione naturale.
ed alla ricostruzione effettuata da Antonio Russo:
A me lo confesso, dopo aver letto “Planina Bala”, volume che non consiglio ad alcuno, Antonio Russo fa paura, per il suo modo di procedere.
(2018/03/29) Segnalo questo articolo di Claudia Cernigoi che aggiunge alcuni nuovi elementi allo sviluppo della narrazione sui fatti di Malga Bala.
In particolare pone l’attenzione sull’operato di Arrigo Varano, “un carabiniere in congedo di Brescia, che ha tempestato il Comando generale dell’Arma con interrogazioni parlamentari presentate da rappresentanti post-fascisti” e sugli Atti del convegno del 2010 dell’UNMS di Brescia su Malga Bala, in cui si riporta che le milizie tedesche tributarono onore ai militi della GNR «con una triplice salva di fucileria sparata da un reparto tedesco».
L’articolo inoltre analizza alcuni documenti originali della GNR contenuti negli atti in cui viene riportato che:
I partigiani agirono senza colpo ferire, probabilmente cogliendo Perpignano di sorpresa mentre rientrava dall’osteria e facendosi aprire da questi la caserma; che gli operai dissero di non riconoscere nessuno di quelli che vengono supposto essere circa una 20 partigiani; che questi trattarono bene gli operai; che prelevarono una mitragliatrice, due fucili, due moschetti e le armi in dotazione ai militi lasciando sul posto viveri e munizioni; che la turbina della centrale era danneggiata.
Un secondo documento parla di battute di ricerca avvenute il 31 marzo ed il 2 aprile 1944 da parte di militi della 2^ centuria GNR confinaria di Tarvisio, dell’ 8° Reggimento alpini e milizie naziste, e del rinvenimento il 2 Aprile 1944 in una grotta sita in località Dolinza (“tra Monte Bellez, Crste del Cavallo e Monte Plesivizza <?> a 130 Km. a Nord-Est di Udine”) dei cadaveri di tutti i 12 militari che componevano il distretto di Bretto. Per poi continuare con la descrizione dei corpi seviziati da armi bianche e da fuoco: «Tutti, indistintamente, i corpi dei militari erano coperti con le sole mutande e la camicia e presentavano ferite multiple di arma bianca e da fuoco, nonché tracce evidenti di sevizie» . Conclude cdicendo che i corpi son stati trasportati a Tarvisio e comunicando che col comando tedesco é stato disposto che il funerale sarà tenuto martedì 4 alle 11,30
Un terzo documento invece dice che già il giorno 31 in Val Bausizza vennero ritrovati 7 cadaveri dei carabinieri di Brutto da “un reparto di carabinieri e uno di Alpenjaeger”. Stavolta si aggiunge il dettaglio di piedi legati col fil di ferro e si specifica che solo ad una seconda spedizione il 2 Aprile composta da “Confinari, alpini e carabinieri” vennero trovati tutti i corpi “nella stessa località dei primi”. Lo stesso documento riporta pure:
“Con l’occasione informo che la sera del 27 Marzo, una emittente nemica in lingua italiana ha trasmesso che, nella Val Trenta (alle sorgenti dell’Isonzo) un plotone di carabinieri con due sottufficiali abbandonavano le armi e si consegnava ai partigiani delle bande di Tito.
La radio nemica avrà voluto facilmente alludere ai carabinieri di Brutto, esagerando e travisando, secondo il suo costume, la notizia a scopo propagandistico”
Con lo stesso materiale dunque é possibile ipotizzare che: i 12 militi, posti di fronte ad un aut-aut potrebbero essersi effettivamente consegnati ai partigiani (magari lasciandoli temporaneamente disarmati finché non fosse certo non stessero facendo il doppio gioco?) ma il 31 marzo, colti di sorpresa dal reparto di alpini e Kaiserjager, questi hanno avuto la peggio, catturati dai nazisti e torturati perché traditori. Oppure uccisi in scontro a fuoco ed i cadaveri seviziati per spregio o appositamente per essere usati come arma propagandistica contro i partigiani. O ancora: la trasmissione radio poteva effettivamente essere una esagerazione propagandistica, i 12 militi, tenuti ostaggi, vista la presenza di alpini e Kaiserjager potrebbero aver tentato la fuga ed essersi trovati tra il fuoco incrociato.
“Prendiamo ora in considerazione quanto scrive Franc Črnugelj nel suo “Na zahodnih mejah 1944” (pubblicato nel 1993, come il libro di Russo), non tradotto in italiano. Alcuni partigiani coordinati da Franc Ursič Jožko, comandante di distaccamento, dopo avere catturato Perpignano, si servirono di lui per introdursi nella centrale elettrica: la sabotarono, prelevarono armi e munizioni ed iniziarono la ritirata verso i monti, portando con sé i prigionieri. Nel frattempo però i nazisti si erano dati all’inseguimento degli attentatori; ad un certo punto i prigionieri cercarono di darsi alla fuga e ne scaturì uno scontro a fuoco: «i tedeschi spararono contro la colonna partigiana, nella quale si trovavano anche i prigionieri», scrive Črnugelj”
Ma poi arriva la parte più buffa. Cernigoi commenta il fatto che sul ACTA n°94 (ANNO XXXI – N. 3, SETTEMBRE NOVEMBRE 2017), preso atto che il database Onorcaduti riporta che dei 12 militi, 2 siano morti in località sconosciuta e 10 a Dolinza (come riportato nel primo dei documenti qui citati)
2 Dino Perpignano, ma per entrambi luogo Decesso: DOLINZA
Ignorando che Dolinza sia una minuscola località della Bavsica (a volte anche traslitterata Dolince, Dolinzi, Dolica, Dolinka), i redattori di ACTA la confondono con la quasi omonima Dolinza Alm in Austria, sita a 65Km da alla Bavsica. Ma qui arriva la parte interessante: i redattori di ACTA giustificano la stranezza ipotizzando che
«i tedeschi avrebbero tentato estreme cure sanitarie oltreconfine, nell’austriaca e pacifica Dolinza Alm, prima del seppellimento con onori il 4 aprile 1944 a Treviso»
E qui non si può che tornate ai “cugini stronzi di Germania”, che saranno pure stronzi, ma son sempre cugini e dunque fondamentalmente buoni. Tanto buoni da tentare disperatamente di resuscitare dei cadaveri orrendamente maciullati.
Per concludere non si può che osservare il motivo di tanta sicurezza dei redattori di ACTA:
“E’ innegabile che i tedeschi siano stati i primi e forse gli unici ad intervenire sul luogo della strage e a loro resta attribuito, salvo propagandistiche versioni, il ritrovamento dei seviziati.”
Che possiamo tradurre: “E’innegabile che i tedeschi siano stati i primi e forse gli unici ad intervenire sul luogo della strage, dopodiché DOPODICHE’ NON SAPPIAMO COSA ABBIANO FATTO”
Nella notte tra il 31 dicembre 2015 e l’ 1 gennaio 2016 a Colonia, in Germania, sono avvenuti fatti gravissimi. Fatti che nonostante fossero già di per sé estremamente gravi sono stati fin da subito cristallizzati e presi in ostaggio dal frame dello scontro fra civiltà rendendo estremamente difficile leggere gli eventi semplicemente per quel che son stati privandoli dei colori attribuitigli da teorie preconcette capaci solo di provocare reazioni isteriche.
Per meglio tentar di comprendere cosa sia avvenuto quella notte a Colonia é però utile farsi prima un’idea generale del luogo e contesto in cui sono avvenuti.
Ma prima ancora della lettura, un assaggio di “superiorità morale dei giovani occidentali”, giusto per far sbollire un po gli animi ricordando che la realtà non é fatta di monolitici bianchi e neri ma di una serie infinita di colori e sfumature che si fondono e si separano continuamente.
[il post é stato aggiornato dopo la pubblicazione iniziale]
Questo post é organizzato in cinque sezioni:
Premesse sulla città, l’ambiente, il momento ed il clima precedenti alla notte in questione
Descrizione cronologica degli eventi
Descrizione cronologica del modo in cui gli eventi sono stati comunicati dai media
Considerazioni finali
Conclusioni
1.0 COLONIA
1.1 LA CITTA’
Colonia, con il suo milione d’abitanti che quasi raddoppiano considerando l’agglomerato urbano che immediatamente la circonda, é la più grande città della Renania Settentrionale-Westfalia. E’ la quarta città della Germania per dimensioni. Si trova più o meno a metà strada tra Düsseldorf e Bonn, da cui dista rispettivamente 34Km e 24Km circa, con le quali forma la “regione metropolitana Colonia-Bonn“. Colonia, quindi, pur essendo formalmente una città da un milione di abitanti, che diventano quasi due con l’hinterland, é in realtà il centro vitale di una “città estesa” di oltre tre milioni di abitanti.
Sviluppata sui due lati del fiume Reno, il centro città vero e proprio é l’Innenstadt, nel cui cuore si trova la città vecchia divisa in Altstadt-Sud ed in Altstadt-Nord. Quest’ultima rappresenta il centro del centro: é nell’Altstadt-Nord che sorgeva la città romana su cui si é sviluppata la città moderna, che si trovano il Duomo, l’Alter Markt (il mercato vecchio), le principali aree pedonali e la stazione centrale dei treni.
L’Innestadt di Colonia, a forma di mezzaluna, al cui interno troviamo l’Altstadt-Nord (in verde) e l’Altstadt-Sud (in rosso)
1.2 COLONIA, LA GERMANIA E L’IMMIGRAZIONE DAL DOPOGUERRA AL 2001
Come in tutta la Germania, durante il boom economico tedesco degli anni ’60 e primi ’70, Colonia ha visto una fortissima immigrazione di lavoratori chiamati soprattutto dalla Turchia ed in misura minore anche dall’Italia e altri paesi mediterranei. La regione della RenaniaSettentrionale-Westfalia éla più ricca della Germania ed in assoluto una delle regioni più ricche d’Europa. Qui l’industria pesante del carbone e dell’acciaio ha contribuito al miracolo economico tedesco nel secondo dopoguerra e non stupisce che quindi sia stata quella col maggior tasso d’immigrazione. Non stupisce nemmeno che la maggior parte degli immigrati sia giunta proprio dalla Turchia, dato il secolare rapporto tra Turchia e Germania. Giusto per dare un’idea di misura: ad oggi nella regione del Nord Reno-Westphalia vive 1/3 dei tedeschi d’origine turca.
Per i primi trent’anni si può parlare di convivenza più che di vera e propria integrazione: inizialmente i lavoratori giungevano come Gastarbeiter (lavoratore-ospite) con un contratto triennale non estendibile Ma già alla fine degli anni ’60 questo limite venne meno soprattutto per il volere delle aziende cui un turnover triennale stava stretto. Negli anni a cavallo tra i ’60 ed i ’70 si vedono arrivare numerosi mogli e figli degli operai per ricongiungimento famigliare. La popolazione tedesca, non essendo etnicamente molto diversificata, accoglie questi lavoratori temporanei con un certo scetticismo.
I nuovi arrivi provocano qualche brusio di risentimento razziale in tutto il paese. Dopo il colpo di stato in Turchia del 1980si assiste ad una nuova ondata migratoria, stavolta di richiedenti asilo. La tensione razziale sale ed il discorso pubblico vede favorevolmente azioni di contenimento degli arrivi e di aiuti economici a chi decidesse di tornare ai luoghi d’origine ma tali progetti si risolsero in un nulla di fatto: si stava giungendo alla seconda generazione ed i nati in Germania non erano intenzionati a lasciare la Germania per il paese d’origine dei genitori che non avevano mai visto.
Gli anni ’80 vedono rinvigorirsi numerosi focolai neonazisti che organizzano manifestazioni ed atti violenti a sfondo razziale, inclusi incendi ed omicidi che hanno un picco tra il 1990 e ’92, immediatamente dopo il crollo del muro di Berlino, e proseguono durante tutto il decennio della riunificazione delle due Germanie fino ai primissimi anni del 2000.
Tuttavia é proprio durante gli anni ’90 che si vede maturare un netto e costante distanziamento dell’opinione pubblica da queste manifestazioni estremiste.
1.3 QUALCHE NUMERO
Dati del 2011, anno dell’ultimo censimento, relativi alla sola città di Colonia riportano che su poco più di un milione di abitanti, 147.603 é cittadino tedesco ma ha un “background migratorio”, 117.343 sono cittadini provenienti da paesi extraeuropei (metà di questi dalla sola Turchia) e 55.502 sono cittadini provenienti da altri paesi europei
[Purtroppo non abbiamo trovato dati relativi all’agglomerato urbano che circonda immediatamente la città, pur sapendo che é abitato da circa 800.000 persone o dell’intera regione. Partendo però dal presupposto che solitamente chi arriva in Germania dal di fuori dell’Europa ha un tenore economico mediamente basso, così come i turchi-tedeschi, si può supporre che la percentuale di cittadini extraeuropei nell’hinterland di Colonia sia maggiore di quello rilevato al centro]
A marzo 2015 risultavano esserci circa 5500 rifugiati a Colonia, numero oggi sicuramente maggiorato dal drammatico aumento migratorio degli ultimi mesi, considerando che nel solo settembre 2015 sono giunti in Germania tra i 270.000 ed i 280.000 rifugiati: più del totale di arrivi dell’intero 2014. Ci si aspetta circa un milione di nuovi rifugiati durante il 2016.
1.4 COLONIA, LA GERMANIA E L’IMMIGRAZIONE DAL 2001 AD OGGI
Tentando di fare una fotografia della situazione dei turchi-tedeschi tra il 2001 ed il 2010 si potrebbe riassumere così: convivenza sufficiente, integrazione non sufficiente. Proprio la più ampia delle minoranze presenti sul territorio tedesco é quella che presenta il tasso d’integrazione tra i più bassi.
Anche in Germania, dopo il 2001, il sentimento anti immigrati é stato catalizzato dall’anti-islamismo conseguentemente ai fatti dell’ 11 settembre.
Giunti alla terza generazione, nella scena pubblica sono oramai presenti numerosi artisti e sportivi di origine turca, tuttavia il tasso di abbandono scolastico é molto più alto tra i turco-tedeschi e conseguentemente lo status economico che questi raggiungono é mediamente inferiore rispetto alla media nazionale. Per i turco-tedeschi l’accesso al credito é mediamente più difficoltoso ed hanno più probabilità di ottenerlo da banche turche che da banche tedesche.
Come quasi sempre nei casi d’integrazione culturale, anche qui é facile osservare sia una certa resistenza sommessa da parte della popolazione tedesca ad un’integrazione effettivamente compiuta che un rafforzamento del sentimento identitario dei turco-tedeschi, il che non giova a favore di un maggiore avvicinamento culturale.
Negli ultimi quattro-cinque anni vi é stato un rapidissimo sviluppo di questi equilibri: la Germania é uno dei paesi europei in cui si é stabilito un numero elevatissimo di migranti e rifugiati e sia per la quantità che per la rapidità con cui ciò é avvenuto era quasi inevitabile non nascesse del malcontento, soprattutto laddove esisteva già un qualche tipo di disagio (per esempio nell’area dell’ex-DDR, economicamente più arretrata rispetto all’ovest). Come negli anni ’60, la ricchissima area di Colonia é stata ovviamente una delle mete preferite dai migranti.
Nel 2007, all’annuncio della costruzione, hanno protestato associazioni di estrema destra provenienti anche da Austria e Belgio, ma si é trattato di episodi marginali relativi a poche centinaia di persone di chiaro indirizzo neonazista.
(2007) 150 membri di Pro-Köln marciano protestando contro la costruzione della moschea Fonti: Telegraph eSpiegel
Nel 2014 a Dresda (ex DDR) viene fondata Pegida, un movimento politico a puro carattere anti-islamico che conquisterà un certo rapido successo: a gennaio 2015 capeggerà una marcia di 25.000 persone in una manifestazione contro gli attacchi di Parigi ed a giugno otterrà quasi il 10% dei voti alle elezioni municipali di Dresda. Il caso di Pegida, per quanto contenuto, suona però come campanello d’allarme in quanto manifestazione di un sentimento anti-immigrati ed anti-islamico molto più diffuso, trasversale, esplicito e socialmente accettato rispetto a solo pochissimi anni prima.
Ai primi di settembre 2015 un’eccezionale ondata migratoria proveniente principalmente dalla Siria al suo quarto anno di guerra, migliaia di tedeschi s’attivano e manifestanoa favore dell’accoglienza ai rifugiati. Anche a Colonia e Bonn associazioni si organizzano per portare un primo conforto ed appoggio ai rifugiati che giungono coi treni.
Più di recente, il 17 ottobre 2015, il giorno prima del voto alle elezioni comunali la candidata sindaco Henriette Reker (58) é stata pugnalata gravemente al collo da un disoccupato quarantaquattrenne noto per le posizioni vicine all’estrema destra neonazista negli anni ’90 che disapprovava le posizioni liberali della Reker a favore dei rifugiati. 24 ore più tardi il voto eleggerà la Reker a nuovo sindaco, che ne riceverà l’annuncio dall’ospedale.
La Germania insomma ha maturato oltre mezzo secolo di rapporti intensi con comunità di immigrati, soprattutto di religione islamica provenienti dalla Turchia. Tra alti e bassi ha tutto sommato intrapreso una strada che punta attivamente all’integrazione culturale ma oltre a scontrarsi con la resistenza che s’incontra spesso in questo tipo di situazioni, l’attuale crisi dei rifugiati e gli attentati terroristici su territorio europeo, stanno alimentando sempre più sentimenti xenofobi e reazionari che non mancano di manifestarsi in maniera violenta. In Germania la polarizzazione su immigrazione ed islam é decisamente maggiore, più organizzata e manifesta rispetto alla situazione italiana.
Altstadt-Nord. In Rosso é indicata la piazza tra Stazione e Duomo. In giallo la piazza del chiostro e più a sud la Roncalliplatz. La linea verde sul tetto del Duomo indica 100 metri.
La Bahnhofsvorplatz é una piazza pedonale di forma triangolare che, come dice il nome, sorge dinnanzi alla stazione centrale dei treni di Colonia che ne occupa il lato est. Sul lato ovest ci sono un paio di palazzi e l’angolo di una chiesa mentre a sud c’é il maestoso Duomo la cui base é cinque-sei metri più in alto rispetto alla piazza della stazione. Tra la piazza e il Duomo c’é la Trankgasse, una strada percorsa da automobili che però si oltrepassa facilmente con un sovrapassaggio che funge da scalinata del Duomo. Proseguendo verso il centro, proprio attorno al Duomo s’incontrano altre due piazze pedonali: la piazza del chiostro ad ovest e la Roncalliplatz a sud.
La stazione di Colonia é molto grande. Ci passano giornalmente 280.000 persone. Tra i negozi e ristoranti al suo interno si trova sempre tantissima gente.
L’area attorno al Duomo e della stazione é comunemente nota come un luogo di taccheggio e spaccio di Marijuana in cui stazionano regolarmente bande di spacciatori-taccheggiatori prevalentemente di origine nordafricana. Non é un mistero: chiunque abiti a Cologna lo sa ed é pure indicato nelle guide per i turisti. Lo scorso luglio una retata della polizia ha identificato una rete di 40 persone che operavano in quelle piazze.
L’intera area é dunque un’importante zona di passaggio: impossibile andare in centro a Colonia senza passare dalla zona della stazione. Da qui si passa per attraversare l’Hohenzollernbrucke: uno dei tre ponti che collegano il centro all’altra sponda del Reno su cui le coppiette attaccano i lucchetti.
1.7 CAPODANNO A COLONIA
Nella notte di San Silvestro migliaia di persone si recano a Colonia per ammirare i fuochi d’artificio. Il capodanno di Colonia é “IL” capodanno del Reno Settentrionale-Westfalia ed attira anche numerosi turisti stranieri. Famiglie con bambini, compagnie di amici e coppiette in giro dappertutto. Come ad ogni capodanno ci si ritroverà con gli amici, si brinderà assieme con birra e spumante, si faran scoppiare i petardi e così via.
Un tipico capodanno tra amici per le strade di Colonia é più o meno come in questo video del 31 dicembre 2014:
E lo spettacolo di fuochi che ci si aspetta attorno alla mezzanotte é questo:
Come in ogni capodanno, o meglio, come in ogni grande evento di piazza, esattamente come avviene in tantissime città del mondo, si verificano numerosi casi di borseggio e molestie, ci saranno compagnie di ragazzi ubriachi, incidenti coi petardi e pure qualche rissa. (Nell’ultima edizione dell’Oktoberfest sono stati denunciati 40 casi di molestie, nessuna delle quali a carico di “nordafricani o immigrati”)
1.8 I LUOGHI DEL CAPODANNO
I luoghi principali in cui si svolge il capodanno nel centro di Colonia sono grossomodo le aree pedonali dell’Altstadt-Nord che vanno dalla stazione dei treni e l’adiacente duomo alla piazza alberata dell’Heumarkt ed il lungarno. Alla mezzanotte molte persone si spostano sul lungoreno e sui ponti per ammirare lo spettacolo dei fuochi d’artificio.
2.0 CAPODANNO 2015/2016
Nei giorni precedenti erano state diffuse notizie riguardanti possibili attacchi terroristici nelle maggiori città europee per capodanno.
La polizia locale di Colonia chiese rinforzi per la notte di Capodanno ma il ministero li aveva negati.
I fatti qui elencati sono stati ricostruiti in base alle testimonianze e dichiarazioni giunte nei giorni successivi.
L’elenco delle aggressioni é particolarmente corposo. Qui ne sono state selezionate solamente alcune per fornire un’immagine il più completa possibile degli orari di inizio/fine e delle diverse modalità d’esecuzione.
19:00 Una ragazza viene circondata da 5 persone ed afferrata mentre cammina
19:30 Parcheggio della stazione. Una ragazza si trova all’interno della propria macchina ferma. Un uomo le bussa sul finestrino e le indica di guardare le ruote. La ragazza esce dal veicolo e vi gira intorno osservando le ruote. Rientrata nell’abitacolo scopre che la sua borsetta é scomparsa.
eventi tra le 19 e le 21 (dati aggiornati all’ 11/01/16)
20:30 Nella Banhofsvorplatz (la piazza antistante la stazione dei treni, indicata in rosso nell’immagine sopra) inizia a formarsi una folla composta da diverse centinaia di persone, perlopiù di origine nordafricana.
21:00 Nella piazza sono presenti circa 400/500 persone, quasi esclusivamente giovani uomini nordafricani e mediorientali tra i 15 e 35 anni. Alcuni stanno in piedi divisi per gruppetti nella piazza a far esplodere petardi. Altri stanno sulle gradinate del Duomo a guardare la scena. Per terra ci sono bottiglie di birra. Sono molto rumorosi. Si sentono continui fischi dei mazzetti in volo e ogni volta che uno di questi esplode si sentono fischi e “Oooooh”. Una persona viene derubata all’interno della stazione. Decine di cellulari riprendono quel che succede. Alcuni gruppetti lanciano pericolosamente i petardi addosso ad altri gruppetti in un “gioco” decisamente irresponsabile. Alcune delle persone che escono dalla stazione preferiscono aggirare in fretta il centro della piazza piuttosto che passare in mezzo alle esplosioni. Qualcuno si ferma a vedere che succede. C’é un caso di accoltellamento per cui arrivano la polizia ed un’ambulanza ed altre risse.
21:30 Polizia locale, polizia federale e rappresentanti del comune tengono un briefing sulla situazione alla piazza della stazione. Si propone di far intervenire la polizia antisommossa per le 22:00
eventi tra le 21 e le 22 (dati aggiornati all’ 11/1/16)
22:00 La folla davanti alla stazione si é fatta più aggressiva. Chi passa di lì ne é intimorito. Molti di loro sono ubriachi ed “inconsapevoli di dove si trovassero“. Probabilmente molti han consumato anche droghe. Le bottiglie di birra vuote vengono frantumate per terra. Ci sono diverse chiazze di vomito. Lo scoppio continuo di petardi rende il tutto ancor più caotico. Ad ogni passo si calpestano vetri rotti. Due uomini bloccano delle donne vicino alla cattedrale e queste, urlando, tentano di reagire. Ci sono diverse risse nella stazione e la polizia tenta di contenerle ma sono troppe e c’é una difficoltà oggettiva nel focalizzarsi su ogni singola rissa. Si sente una ragazza urlare, piangere e scappare da un uomo che le urla contro puntandole il dito per poi inseguirla assieme ad altri. C’é un secondo briefing tra le polizie ed il Comune. L’intervento della polizia antisommossa é rimandato alle 22:30. Ubriachi lanciano petardi addosso ad altra gente. Iniziano le prime aggressioni: branchi da 2 fino a 20 persone individuano delle vittime, quasi esclusivamente giovani ragazze, le circondano e continuando a camminare al passo delle vittime vi si stringono addosso impedendone la fuga. A questo punto diverse mani iniziano a toccare aggressivamente la vittima da più parti: mani sul sedere, mani sul seno, tra le gambe. Mani che afferrano le braccia e che tirano la giacca. In alcuni casi mani che s’infilano dentro ai pantaloni. Intanto il branco rivolge frasi oscene alle vittime, le chiama “Bitch” o “Schlampfe” (Troia) e gli dice “Ficki, Ficki” (Scopiamo, scopiamo). Una macchina della polizia sosta davanti al Duomo e viene bombardata di petardi.
22:15 Una donna viene assalita e toccata mentre esce dalla stazione. Contemporaneamente c’é un tentativo di rubare la borsa del marito.
22:30 Due ragazze vengono assalite all’ingresso della stazione. Gli assalitori le toccano dappertutto, compresi i genitali. (Si tratta dell’episodio più grave e che porterà a due denunce per stupro). Una ragazza passa nel bel mezzo di una folla. Successivamente si accorge di esser stata derubata. Un petardo esplode sulla spalla di una ragazza ustionandola. Un’altra ragazza giunta da Bonn testimonia che scesa dal treno vede in stazione quasi esclusivamente maschi nordafricani. Ubriachi. La folla é tanto densa da potersi a malapena muovere e diverse mani la toccano sul sedere. “non avevano la sensazione di star facendo qualcosa che é vietato”
22:40 Un ragazzo e due ragazze alla stazione. Mentre queste vengono circondate e toccate lui viene derubato.
eventi tra le 22 e le 23 (dati aggiornati all’ 11/1/16)
23:00 Le persone radunate nella Banhofsvorplatz adesso sono circa un migliaio. Secondo alcuni 1.500. Più rumore, più petardi. Più caos. C’é una situazione caotica con gente “completamente disinibita” che urla, fumo di petardi esplosi ovunque. Gran parte delle persone é ubriaca o intossicata. Nessuno si cura più di tanto della presenza della polizia. Si stanno verificando ancora aggressioni all’interno della folla ma la polizia antisommossa non se ne accorge. Passa un’ambulanza e viene bersagliata di petardi. In un angolo della piazza alcuni stanno litigando. Altre risse. Per la maggior parte sono ragazzi e giovani uomini nordafricani o mediorientali. Non é più una situazione tranquilla: raggiungere la stazione dei treni é ora oggettivamente pericoloso per i passanti e le persone in piazza si stanno facendo aggressive. Alcuni ragazzi si sono messi a far scoppiare petardi nel bel mezzo dell’adiacente sottopasso impedendo l’eventuale passaggio delle automobili. Nel frattempo sono giunte diverse macchine e camionette della polizia. Un’altra ragazza testimonia di esser stata toccata nelle parti intime più o meno a quest’ora nel piazzale della stazione.
23:15 Due ragazze vengono circondate e toccate dalla folla. Cade la borsetta. Vengono derubate di cellulare, contanti e gioielleria. La polizia decide di sgomberare la scalinata del Duomo.
23:30 La polizia decide d’intervenire prima che accada qualcosa di grave ed inizia lo sgombero della piazza. Con qualche difficoltà circondano la zona ed iniziano a disperdere le persone presenti allontanandole dalla zona della stazione. La polizia di Colonia informa della situazione la LZPD, l’organo di coordinamento delle polizie del Länder. La LZPD chiede se siano necessari rinforzi ma la polizia di Colonia dichiara di non ritenerlo necessario.
00:20 Vittima testimonia di esser stata “toccata dappertutto”
00:27 Il grosso dei festeggiamenti é finito e da questo momento in poi molte persone dovranno recarsi alla stazione per tornare a casa. La polizia decide di riaprire l’accesso alla piazza e alla scalinata. Sempre la polizia dichiarerà successivamente che da questo momento la situazione in piazza si era “calmata notevolmente”
00:30Madre e figlia vengono assalite. Uno degli assalitori tenta di baciare la ragazza mentre un’altro le tira fuori il portafoglio dalla borsa. Una ragazza viene circondata da 5 uomini che tentano di toccarla sotto alla gonna mentre un’altro le strappa via la borsetta. Tra la mezzanotte e adesso la polizia ha controllato tra le 30 e le 50 persone. Una squadra viene spostatain un’altra zona della città. Alcune donne dichiarano agli agenti di non esser state aiutate dai poliziotti presenti in stazione. C’é il primo arresto per borseggio.
00:45 La polizia dichiarerà successivamente che a quest’ora era stata disperso il grosso della folla presente in piazza. Tuttavia vi sono diverse testimonianze che affermano il contrario. Ad esempio la testimonianza di una ragazza, il fidanzato e due amiche che trovatisi nel piazzale a quest’ora vengono circondati da diversi uomini che iniziano a toccarli dappertutto, anche in zone intime. Dopodiché, ancora in stato di shock, han raggiunto dei poliziotti all’interno della stazione che immediatamente sono scattati nel tentativo di catturare gli aggressori. Aggressioni simili avvengono sia all’interno che al di fuori del piazzale della stazione.
eventi tra le 00 e le 01 (dati aggiornati all’ 11/1/16)
01:00 Amir, un 37enne iraniano residente da 17 anni in Germania, testimonia che a quell’ora é entrato alla stazione con la fidanzata e i suoi genitori per tornare tutti a casa. Un poliziotto cerca di impedirgli l’accesso finché lui non gli dice “Siamo una famiglia e vogliamo tornare a casa”. Entrati nella stazione vedono vomito dappertutto. Giorni dopo testimonierà: “Ho avuto paura” – “E’qualcosa che non avevo mai visto in Germania”. Durante la serata, davanti alla stazione dei treni la polizia ha identificato 70 delle persone presenti. La polizia si apposta all’ingresso della stazione per permettere alle persone di raggiungere i binari in sicurezza. Tre ragazze vengono circondate e toccate dappertutto da un gruppo di nordafricani. C’é un tentativo di rubare una borsetta. Viene rubato un cellulare.
05:05 Vengono rilasciate le prime persone che erano state arrestate e trattenute in cella.
06:40 Ragazzo in bici nei pressi della stazione. Dalla giacca gli vengono rubati cellulare, documenti e carte di credito.
eventi dalle 05 alle 12 (dati aggiornati all’ 11/1/16)
Dopo le 5 la situazione é ritornata quella di una giornata normale.
3.0 I GIORNI SUCCESSIVI
[fra parentesi quadre ed in rosso alcune considerazioni che si é preferito inserire qui anziché nella quarta sezione]
Venerdì 1 Gennaio 2016 POLIZIA NEGA, I SOCIAL NETWORK S’INFERVORANO
Alle 08.57 viene rilasciata una relazione della polizia segnala che “la celebrazione del capodanno é stata perlopiù pacifica” e che all’indomani dei festeggiamenti il clima é “ritranquillo”. Si segnalano 20 casi di danneggiamento (l’anno precedente furono 25), 78 colluttazioni, 80 interventi della polizia, 80 casi di festeggiamenti eccessivamente rumorosi e il fatto che poco prima di mezzanotte si é dovuta sgomberare l’area del Duomo per evitare la formazione di una ressa pericolosa causata da circa 1000 persone intente a far esplodere fuochi pirotecnici.
Sul gruppo Facebook “Nett-Werk Köln” vengono pubblicati dei post sugli assalti ma gli amministratori del gruppo li cancellano in quanto contrarie alle regole contro l’incitamento
Il Köllner Express pubblica un articolo intitolato: “Notte di San Silvestro: giovani donne molestate sessualmente” in cui riporta la testimonianza di una giovane donna (28) che dichiara che nei pressi della stazione alle 00:45 lei, il fidanzato e due amiche sono stati circondati da diversi uomini che hanno iniziato a toccarli dappertutto, anche in zone intime. Dopodiché, ancora in stato di shock, han raggiunto dei poliziotti all’interno della stazione che immediatamente sono scattati nel tentativo di catturare gli aggressori.
Sabato 2 Gennaio 2016 PRIME AMMISSIONI DELLA POLIZIA
La polizia dichiara che una trentina di uomini “di aspetto nordafricano” ha agito assalendo diverse vittime circondandole in gruppi per immobilizzarle e distrarle mentre le derubavano di portafogli e cellulare e che in alcuni casi sono andati oltre toccando le parti intime delle vittime dei furti.
NOTA RIGUARDANTE I DIVERSI CORPI DI POLIZIA TEDESCA
Nel piazzale della stazione di Colonia a capodanno intervenivano due diversi corpi di polizia:
Bundespolizei (polizia federale tedesca, dipendente dal ministero degli interni. Ha il controllo della ferrovia e della stazione dei treni fino ad una distanza di 30 metri da essa, il che include tutta la piazza antistante.)
Kölner Polizei(o Landespolizei Köln, polizia locale di Colonia, dipendente dal proprio Länder di appartenenza. Ha il controllo del territorio)
Inoltre alcune dichiarazioni verranno rilasciate dal leader locale del GdP, ossia il principale sindacato di polizia.
Ciò ha provocato a volte una qualche confusione sui media riguardo le dichiarazioni dei diversi “capi della polizia”.
Domenica 3 Gennaio 2006 A COLONIA NON SI PARLA D’ALTRO
A Colonia non si parla d’altro soprattutto sui social network a causa della scarsa copertura mediatica che già qualcuno indica come voluta.
Il “Köllner Express” pubblica un nuovo articolo in cui riporre più un dettaglio la testimonianza del primo articolo. La giovane donna, che dichiara di essere nativa di Colonia, si chiama Katia L (28) e specifica che l’assalto é avvenuto nei pressi della vecchia sala d’attesa aggiungendo “Quando uscimmo dalla stazione fummo molto sorpresi dal gruppo che incontrammo fuori” – “erano solamente uomini stranieri” („Als wir aus der Bahnhofshalle kamen, waren wir sehr verwundert über die Gruppe, die uns da empfing“ – „Es handelte sich ausschließlich um junge ausländische Männer”), che “sarò stata toccata 100 volte in 200 metri” mentre gli uomini le dicevano “Schlampen” (troie) e “Ficki, Ficki” (scopare, scopare) e che “per fortuna indossava giacca e pantaloni perché una gonna le sarebbe stata sicuramente strappata”. Una delle due amiche racconta che il gruppo era di 40 o forse 100 uomini e che collant e mutande le son state quasi completamente tolte. Tornate alla stazione hanno avvertito subito la polizia ma non son state in grado di dire chi le avesse toccate né dove. Katia L. aggiunge “spero che li catturino o non scenderò in piazza al Carnevale”. L’articolo termina informando che la polizia ha iniziato un’attività di verifica dei fatti e che 35 donne hanno già fatto denuncia ma la cifra é destinata ad aumentare. In totale sono state fatte 60 denunce, il 25% delle quali includeva molestie sessuali.
Lunedì-Martedì 4 -5
Gennaio 2006 LA NOTIZIA FA IL GIRO DEL MONDO
Sull’Huffington Post tedesco si fa notare come i fatti di Colonia incredibilmente non abbiano avuto eco sui media nazionali nonostante la gravità e che le uniche fonti sono, oltre a brevi dichiarazioni su WDR, il “Köllner Express” e “Focus Online“, entrambi di noto indirizzo conservatore e non proprio adatti a fungere da fonte primaria. Si parla di disinformazione, censura ed eccessiva prudenza. Poco dopo la pubblicazione dell’articolo, però, la notizia riceverà una copertura internazionale.
Il ministro della giustizia tedesco Maas parla di attacchi “vili e odiosi”. La cancelliera Merkel chiede una risposta severa della legge. La sindaco di Colonia dichiara misure restrittive per i prossimi eventi pubblici. La polizia dichiara che le denunce sono salite a 90, alcune delle quali per molestia, alcune per furto e alcune per furto con molestia. In un caso v’é una denuncia per stupro. La sindaco Reker dichiara che non v’é alcuna prova che vi fossero rifugiati tra gli assalitori e diffonde alcuni “consigli utili” per evitare in futuro situazioni simili che scatenano ilarità e critiche. Quello che appare subito chiaro é che non ci sono dei veri sospetti e non é chiaro il loro numero ma “Non si é trattato di mille assalitori“, come ripete la stampa, ma di persone che si sono mescolate nella folla.
La notizia viene riportata dai media internazionali che sostanzialmente riprendono quanto scritto sul “Köllner Express” e “Focus Online“. Ciò che passa é sostanzialmente “Nella notte di Capodanno a Colonia mille arabi o nordafricani ubriachi ed aggressivi hanno assalito dalle 60 alle 90 donne”, così come lo riporta la BBC, il DailyMail,
In Italia la notizia giunge così:
[Da una parte i quotidiani di estrema destra parlano di “stupri di massa”, dall’altra alcune incomprensioni diffuse sui termini “molestie”, “attacchi” e “gruppi” e il patatrac é fatto! Da questo momento in Italia si parla di “mille rifugiati mussulmani ubriachi che si sono organizzati in massa per stuprare in branco le nostre donne”]
Una donna di lingua araba informa la polizia che alcuni rifugiati di Duisburg le avrebbero rivelato di esser stati a Colonia per il capodanno. Alcuni cellulari rubati sarebbero stati rinvenuti presso abitazioni di rifugiati o nelle loro vicinanze, ma la polizia non conferma.
[In GERMANIA dapprima si é parlato del ritardo con cui la notizia é giunta ai notiziari nazionali accusando la polizia di aver voluto mantenere in silenzio i fatti, poi ci si é concentrati sul fatto che molti media hanno dato scarso risalto alla nazionalità/origine degli assalitori indicandoli come “probabilmente nordafricani” o “indicativamente di aspetto arabo”; poi si é proseguito con le accuse di incompetenza verso la polizia e allo stesso tempo si son toccate appieno le politiche di accoglienza del governo in carica, passando per il senso di sicurezza generale.
In ITALIA invece il livello del discorso é ben esemplificato qui:
Si é parlato di “stupri organizzati”, “rete internazionale degli stupri di massa”, “attacco organizzato” equiparando i fatti di Colonia ad un atto terroristico.
Come sempre in questi casi sui social network ottengono maggio risalto le voci più estremiste e informazioni vere si legano a bufale di facile presa. Foto risalenti ad altre notizie, falsi palesi, dettagli ingigantiti, voci date per buone ed un video delle aggressioni che poi si scopre esser risalente ai fatti del Cairo del 2012 (NB pur non riferendosi ai fatti di Colonia il video é utile in quanto le modalità delle aggressioni di Colonia é praticamente identica a quella mostrata nel video in questione) . Il tutto ovviamente per dipingere i fatti in modo ancor più drammatico di quanto non siano già.
Ciò che molto velocemente é stato messo in secondo piano sia in Germania che in Italia é la possibile discussione sultrattamento delle donne nei luoghi pubblici. Già a questa data i “fatti di Colonia” sono diventati merce di propaganda politica incentrata sulla tesi dello scontro di civiltà e cioé immigrazione, Islam, Europa, accordi di Schengen ecc. Le vittime dei fatti sono già diventate un mero numero da spendere e l’interesse vige più sulla nazionalità/origine degli aggressori che su ciò che han passato le vittime (Quanti erano rifugiati? Quante molestie? Quante donne? Quanti disoccupati? Quanti?)
Il fatto é decisamente interessante soprattutto se paragonato ad un recente episodio che presenta alcuni particolari analoghi:
Roma, 18-19 febbraio 2015, un migliaio di ultras olandesi del Feyenoord perlopiù ubriachi, tengono in ostaggio diverse zone del centro con risse, danneggiamenti, vandalizzazioni, scontri con la polizia. Vengono danneggiati 15 autobus e la fontana del Bernini in quelle che vengono descritte da più parti “scene di guerriglia“. In quel caso oltre a qualche ovvia critica sull’operato della polizia é interessante osservare in che modo sono stati descritti gli ultras del Feyenoord sulla stampa più critica:
“orda sbronza”, “teppaglia” che forse han dovuto sfogare la loro frustrazione di vivere in una città brutta (Libero)
“bestie completamente ubriache”, “energumeno”, “esaltati” “soliti imbecilli” (Il Fatto Quotidiano)
Qui la tesi dello scontro di civiltà non é scattato. Perché? Non si inneggiato contro la “razza olandese” né contro la “cultura nordica”, né contro la “violenza repressa dei protestanti”: i tifosi ubriachi sono contestati semplicemente per il fatto di essere dei tifosi ubriachi. La loro origine viene considerata solo come appiglio su cui costruire delle immagini colorite (barbari, vandali, lanzichenecchi) ma non é mai elemento centrale della critica. Gli ultras olandesi sono condannati in quanto ultras e non in quanto olandesi. Mai, mai, mai é stata proposta una lettura razziale-culturale di ciò che gli olandesi hanno fatto a Roma. Mai si é accennato alla loro fede protestante. Al contrario, per i fatti di Colonia, i teppisti nordafricani e mediorientali vengono condannati in quanto nordafricani e mediorientali secondo l’equazione “nordafricani e mediorientali = teppisti”. ].
Giovedì 7 Gennaio 2006 NOTIZIE A CATENA
Sull’Huffington Post tedesco si prende atto che moltissima stampa ha abusato dei termini “1000 uomini”, “rifugiati” in quanto a questa data nessun elemento indica che effettivamente vi fossero mille persone implicate, né che vi fossero coinvolti rifugiati ma che oramai la vulgata dell’evento é “mille rifugiati hanno molestato donne tedesche” [se avesse letto i giornali italiani molto probabilmente l’autore avrebbe sostituito “molestato” con “stuprato”] .
Il Consiglio centrale dei mussulmani tedeschi, con sede a Colonia, riceve centinaia di email e 50 telefonate telefonate minatorie. Sono costretti a staccare i telefoni.
Venerdì 8 Gennaio 2006 LICENZIATO IL CAPO DELLA POLIZIA LOCALE
La polizia di Colonia dichiara che 100 detective stanno investigando su 379 denunce, di cui circa il 40% include molestie sessuali e che le indagini sono focalizzate su persone originarie del nordafrica, perlopiù “richiedenti asilo e persone che vivono in Germania illegalmente”
Sulla rete nazionale tedesca i fatti di Capodanno vengono definiti un “campanello d’allarme” che illumina sulle difficoltà che incontra la Germania nell’integrare i nuovi arrivati, ma si dichiara altresì che “non bisogna cedere alle paure” per “non perdere ciò che abbiamo raggiunto”.
Domenica 10 Gennaio 2016 PROSEGUONO LE INDAGINI. AUMENTANO LE DENUNCE
La polizia locale di Colonia dichiara di star indagando su 19 sospetti: 10 richiedenti asilo e 9 presunti clandestini, fra cui alcuni “rifugiati arrivati in Germania negli ultimi mesi“. Quattro di essi sono già in stato di fermo accusati di furto. Nessuno di essi é residente a Colonia. Il direttore generale dell’anticrimine del Reno Settentrionale-Westfalia fa inoltre sapere che “dalle indagini sulla notte di San Silvestro finora non risulta che gli attacchi alle donne a Colonia siano stati “organizzati o guidati” e utilizza il termine “Tarraush gamea, utilizzato nei paesi arabi (ma anche in India e Bangladesh) per indicare le molestie sessuali di gruppo in luoghi pubblici
Le denunce sono salite a 516. La percentuale di denunce che include anche o solo molestie sessuali resta del 40% circa.
Il presidente della polizia federale tedesca Heiko Maas dichiara a proposito delle aggressioni: «deve esserci dietro una qualche forma di organizzazione. Nessuno può venirmi a raccontare che non sia stato preparato o concordato […] Normalmente una cosa del genere viene organizzata sui social network […] non si tratta di criminalità organizzata […] » e che dietro agli assalti «[…] non ci sia nessun tipo di gruppo strutturato». La polizia indaga tra decine di sms, chat ed email. Si continua a parlare di “regia unica” anche sulla stampa ma non c’é alcuna evidenza di ciò e la polizia locale invece smentisce. [1. Heiko Maas parla chiaramente di una sua ferma convinzione non ancora confermata da prove. Molta stampa però trasmette incorrettamente l’informazione “gli attacchi erano organizzati” dandola già per certa. 2.Il sospetto che traspare da diverse dichiarazioni é quello della “grande rete internazionale dei mussulmani organizzati per attaccare l’occidente” e dice molte più cose su chi la sostiene che delle persone sospettate]
Per il momento si indaga su 19 sospetti di cui 10 profughi.
A Lipsia (ex DDR) Pegida sfila in un corteo anti-immigrati. Ci sono scontri, danneggiamenti ed arresti. La notizia trova eco internazionale poiché viene incatenata ai fatti di Colonia.
Rolf Jaeger, ministro del Land del Reno Settentrionale-Westfalia, dichiara: “I testimoni e i rapporti della polizia locale, così come i resoconti della polizia federale, puntano sul fatto che i reati sono stati commessi quasi esclusivamente da persone dell’ambiente dei migranti“, punta il dito contro la polizia locale, affermando che questa non avesse chiesto rinforzi citando anche la nota stampa rilasciata il primo gennaio in cui si dichiarava la situazione “tranquilla” e dichiara che secondo le indagini non risulta che gli attacchi siano stati “organizzati” o “guidati”
Martedì 12 Gennaio 2016 L’ATTENZIONE INIZIA A CALARE
Il procuratore Ulrich Bremer dichiara che le denunce sono salite a 563, che la percentuale di queste che include molestie sessuali é ora del 50% e che i sospettati identificati dalla polizia sono 23. Rolf Jaeger, ministro del Land del Reno Settentrionale-Westfalia, ha rilasciato nella notte un report in cui dichiara quanto che la polizia sapesse della situazione. Vengono resi noti i tempi, gli orari dei briefing, il numero di poliziotti presenti, l’osservazione che le forze fossero in realtà insufficienti e che ciò abbia lasciato ampi margini di manovra agli aggressori, il fatto che la polizia di Colonia non sentì necessario avere rinforzi dal LZPD. Si rende noto che tra le ore 20:00 del 31 dicembre e le ore 07:00 del 1 gennaio sono giunte 1267 chiamate d’emergenza che hanno portato ad eseguire 873 controlli, di cui 53 nell’area della stazione, 12 dei quali riguardavano molestie, furti e/o percosse. Si parla di errori di valutazione, incapacità di adattamento e disorganizzazione (sovraccarico di lavoro per le forze ordinarie.
[Da questo momento i “fatti di Colonia” non trovano più spazio sulle prime pagine internazionali]
4.0 Alcune considerazioni:
4.1 RADUNO SPONTANEO?
Possibile che mille, millecinquecento persone si siano radunate nello stesso luogo senza alcun coordinamento? Finora nulla ha fatto emergere la presenza di un coordinamento generale. Vi sono però diversi elementi che possono spiegare come ciò sia stato possibile:
Nell’area della stazione stazionano sempre piccoli gruppi di nordafricani dediti allo spaccio ed al taccheggio. Altri gruppi di nordafricani sono giunti a Colonia passando proprio dalla stazione. Il punto di ritrovo della piazza é la scalinata del Duomo. E’sulla scalinata che ci si da appuntamento e ci si trova. La scalinata però é involontariamente al tempo stesso anche una perfetta platea: basta che una persona nel piazzale inizi ad attirare l’attenzione che la gente sulla scalinata si trasformi volente o nolente in pubblico e quella sera c’era gente in piazza che tirava razzi e petardi. Non serve molto perché gruppi di persone sulla scalinata inizino ad incitare quelli che tirano i petardi e perché altri gruppi giunti successivamente si fermino lì nel piazzale sommandosi alla folla preesistente. Non va nemmeno dimenticato che molti tedeschi già vedendo i primi assembramenti di nordafricani han preferito non mescolarsi, facendo sì che tale folla mantenesse la propria omogeneità iniziale (giovani maschi di origine tendenzialmente nordafricana).
Che alcuni di questi gruppi si siano dati appuntamento alla stazione non sembra affatto strano, così come non sembra nemmeno strano se alcuni gruppi di assalitori si siano coordinati sul momento via chat (stupisce che nel 2015 vi siano giovani che interloquiscono via chat e social network?)
4.2 LA POLIZIA HA NEGATO L’EVIDENZA?
Ci sono ancora indagini e discussioni in corso é già chiaro che i corpi di polizia di Colonia abbiano gestito malissimo la situazione in piazza sottostimandone il rischio potenziale ed agendo tardivamente con mezzi limitati. Purtroppo capire esattamente perché sia successo richiederebbe approfondimenti sulla situazione, sugli equilibri interni e funzionamento dei corpi di polizia della città che francamente esula dall’interesse di questo post ed a meno che non saltino fuori rivelazioni stravolgenti basterà sapere che c’é stata disorganizzazione da parte della polizia ed all’indomani s’é tentato di sorvolare sull’accaduto.
4.3 ERANO TUTTI NORDAFRICANI?
Tutte le testimonianze concordano nel descrivere la folla in piazza ed in stazione come composta quasi unicamente di nordafricani o mediorientali. Le persone sospettate di aver assalito le ragazze provengono da Algeria, Marocco, Siria, Iran, Iraq, Serbia, Stati Uniti e Germania. Si può dunque già affermare che per la stragrande maggioranza si: si parla di persone la cui origine é ascrivibile al nordafrica ed al medio oriente. Magari salterà fuori che tra gli assalitori c’erano pure dei russi, brasiliani o italiani e ci sarà chi pungolerà sul paese di origine dei genitori di questi russi, brasiliani e italiani ma sono questioni di lana caprina in quanto l’origine delle persone coinvolte non é fondamentale nelle dinamiche di quanto accaduto
4.4 LA VIOLENZA SULLE DONNE E’ UN PROBLEMA DEL MONDO MUSSULMANO?
E’ un problema che coinvolge ANCHE il mondo mussulmano: le aree di provenienza delle persone coinvolte sono caratterizzate da società fortemente maschiliste e patriarcali in cui sono comunemente diffusi stereotipi sessisti sulle donne occidentali. Ciò non toglie che allo stesso tempo anche in Germania (e in Europa e nel cosiddetto “mondo occidentale”) sia ancora fortemente radicata una cultura maschilista e patriarcale. Le differenze tra “mondo occidentale” e “mondo islamico” sul rapporto con il genere femminile, quando ci sono, son soprattutto differenze esteriori relative al grado di accettazione sociale di tale impostazione. Il rapporto disequilibrato fra i generi non é dunque un problema spiccatamente mussulmano: se da una parte v’é una manifestazione più esplicita di una visione maschilista, dall’altra, nel “mondo occidentale”, si finge che tale visione non sia diffusa illudendosi che i pur numerosi segnali contrari siano solo casi isolati o eccezioni.
4.5 DUNQUE, RIASSUMENDO…
Mille, millecinquecento tra ragazzi e giovani uomini accomunati perlopiù dal fatto di essere tutti maschi venire quasi esclusivamente dal nordafrica o dal medio oriente si sono radunati nel piazzale della stazione.
Le persone presenti in piazza sono accomunate dal fatto di appartenere a gruppi sociali perlopiù scarsamente integrati tra la popolazione tedesca.
Anche se alcuni gruppi si erano accordati sull’incontrarsi alla Banhofsvoorplatz, non c’é alcun meta-coordinamento di tutta la folla.
Il piazzale della stazione é un luogo pubblico di grandissimo passaggio: chi giunge a Colonia dal circondario spesso vi giunge in treno e passa obbligatoriamente dalla stazione.
Il piazzale della stazione di Colonia é notoriamente luogo di spaccio e borseggio. Gruppi di spacciatori e borseggiatori perlopiù di origine nordafricana vi s’aggirano costantemente ed é lecito ritenere fossero presenti anche durante gli eventi in questione
Borseggi e furti sono il crimine principale a Colonia.
Durante tutti i grandi eventi di piazza s’assiste ad un notevole aumento de borseggi e molestie, seppur in numero decisamente inferiore rispetto ai fatti di Colonia.
Uno dei metodi noti dei borseggiatori consiste nell’accerchiare la vittima per impedirne ogni reazione. Un secondo metodo consiste nell’urtarla mentre una seconda persona la deruba. Un terzo prevede di distrarla strattonandola.
Le persone presenti in piazza hanno iniziato a “festeggiare” il capodanno in maniera vandalica e l’atmosfera si é scaldata sempre più nell’arco di alcune ore.
La folla non é giunta tutta assieme ma si é formata nell’arco di diverse ore.
C’é stato un forte abuso di alcolici da parte delle persone in piazza ed é lecito ritenere anche l’utilizzo di altre sostanze stupefacenti. Di fatto buona parte delle persone presenti era evidentemente intossicata.
Fino alle 21:30-22:00 la situazione può dirsi tutto sommato normale (si verificano alcuni episodi di borseggio quantitativamente in linea con quanti ne avvengono in una giornata normale) ma é già chiaro che la folla stava aumentando sia in quantità che in aggressività.
Gli assalti in piazza iniziano ad intensificarsi tra le 22 e le 23, aumentano man mano che si avvicina la mezzanotte allargandosi in alcuni casi anche in aree non nelle immediate vicinanze della stazione per poi diminuire nuovamente. Tra le 2 e le 5 si verificano ancora degli episodi sparsi e solo dopo le 5 si ritorna ad una situazione di piena normalità registrando solo alcuni episodi di taccheggio.
Con l’approcciarsi della mezzanotte e l’aumentare delle persone in piazza, non solo le aggressioni, ma anche i “festeggiamenti” delle persone il piazza si son fatti più aggressivi, eccessivamente violenti e pericolosi per il prossimo.
La polizia teneva sotto osservazione la situazione in piazza fin dalle 21:00 ma ha iniziato ad intervenire attivamente in piazza alle 22:30.
Per le 00:45 termina l’azione di dispersione della polizia e la piazza viene sostanzialmente svuotata.
Le azioni di polizia sono state insufficienti, tardive e malgestite.
Le vittime sono state nella stragrande maggioranza dei casi giovani donne. Le vittime di sesso maschile sono state assalite solo se erano da sole oppure se accompagnavano una o più giovani donne.
Ci sono state molestie sessuali nel 50% dei casi denunciati.
Alcuni casi di molestie possono non comprendere il furto semplicemente perché questo non é andato a buon fine.
2 sono le denunce per stupro riguardanti un’unico episodio la cui dinamica é in linea con quella degli altri casi.
La polizia ha inizialmente dichiarato di non aver avuto nessuna percezione del fatto che si stessero verificando violenze tra la folla.
C’erano un sacco di telefoni che riprendevano ciò che accadeva.
Gli assalti sono avvenuti perlopiù nel piazzale dinnanzi alla stazione e nelle immediate vicinanze. Solo dopo le 00:30 s’iniziano a registrare un certo numero di aggressioni in altre aree del centro.
Gli assalti sono stati effettuati da gruppi di persone (composti da minimo 2, massimo 50 membri. Mediamente 20) che accerchiavano compatti le vittime oppure si sono verificate mentre la vittima si trovava all’interno di una folla.
Gli assalti sono stati perlopiù molto rapidi, tanto da non dare il tempo alle vittime di reagire, né di identificare gli assalitori, anche se in qualche caso c’é stata insistenza sulle vittime per lunghi tragitti.
Considerando che in città, come nel resto della Germania, v’è una fortissima polarizzazione sul tema degli immigrati con diverse associazioni coinvolte sull’argomento e vista la natura dei fatti di capodanno, non si può escludere a priori che alcune delle denunce, soprattutto quelle dell’ultimo minuto, possano esser state fatte ad arte per ingigantire mediatamente il caso o per frode assicurativa. Non vi sono elementi per affermarlo e quindi si tratta di un’ipotesi che andrebbe presa in considerazione solamente nel caso in cui si rilevassero incongruenze nelle denunce.
5.0 Conclusioni
L’impressione é che durante i fatti di Colonia si siano intersecati diversi fatti distinti che si sono legati tra loro:
A) CURVA. Il raduno spontaneo di numerosi giovani maschi intossicati d’origine nordafricana che, complici alcool, clima festoso, anonimato della massa ed esibizioni di machismo é rapidamente degenerato in un mix tra la peggior curva da stadio ed una sorta di spring break di soli maschi.
B) GHETTIZZAZIONE. Da un lato le diverse persone e gruppi di nordafricani e mediorientali han preferito stare tra di loro e dall’altro i tedeschi han fin da subito evitato di mescolarsi nella piazza. Per quanto possa esser stata una volontà bidirezionale, ciò ha portato sostanzialmente ad una sorta di ghettizzazione che ha permesso la formazione di un’assembramento omogeneo di giovani maschi.
A+B)Questi due elementi, uniti al fatto che ciò sta avvenendo in un luogo di grande passaggio ove inevitabilmente transitano diversi gruppi di persone, tra cui gruppi di nordafricani e mediorientali, porta a far ingrandire una folla che alimenta un clima da stadio. Molti sfruttano la confusione della folla per palpeggiare le ragazze.
C) TACCHEGGIATORI. Alcune decine di noti taccheggiatori mescolatisi alla folla hanno iniziato ad assalire giovani donne che dovevano obbligatoriamente passare dalla stazione con l’intento di derubarle.
A+B+C) A quanto già detto si aggiungono i taccheggiatori che non agiscono all’interno di una folla normale, ma in una folla infuocata. Questo provoca inevitabilmente effetti a catena con taccheggiatori che vengono imitati da altri maschi ubriachi interessati solo a palpeggiare le ragazze. Le molestie diventano così più aggressive ed esplicite.
D) MALGOVERNO. La polizia ha agito in maniera disorganizzata sottostimando le forze necessarie ed agendo tardivamente. Ciò ha permesso da un lato la formazione di un assembramento eccessivamente ampio ed al tempo stesso ha permesso in questi lo sviluppo di una sensazione d’onnipotenza, alimentandone l’aggressività.
A+B+C+D)Ghettizzazione ed auto-ghettizzazione, atmosfera aggressiva, folla, taccheggiatori all’opera, polizia inefficace e insufficiente, alcool, petardi che scoppiano di continuo, giovani maschi che seguono l’andazzo e colgono l’occasione per allungare le mani, sensazione di forza degli aggressori esaltata dall’ubriachezza e dall’inefficienza delle forze dell’ordine.
Servono altri elementi per spiegare le dinamiche per cui una folla di maschi ubriachi non integrati con un background fortemente maschilista e patriarcale degeneri nei comportamenti visti a Colonia?
Colpisce molto il fatto che l’ipotesi di “situazione degenerata” risulti tanto difficile da applicare a questo caso solamente perché i protagonisti sono considerati innanzitutto in base alla loro origine. Se i protagonisti di questo episodio fossero stati bianchissimi e biondissimi tedeschi figli, nipoti e pronipoti di tedeschi probabilmente ci si sarebbe limitati ad evocare “questa gioventù senza valori” che però é normale e che di solito va a far caciara a Ibiza, a Malta, a Barcellona…
C’é una scena molto inquietante nel film Interstellar. In un futuro prossimo il protagonista, ex pilota NASA, si trova a dover discutere con gli insegnanti della figlia adolescente poiché quest’ultima contraddice (portando testi e foto) la sua insegnante di storia che, coerentemente col programma scolastico ed al libro di testo “ripulito dalla vecchia propaganda governativa”, sostiene che le missioni Apollo furano una montatura realizzata per portare l’Unione Sovietica al fallimento
Sbufalare loschi figuri privi di competenze e credenziali o personaggi dello showbiz impreparati che portano avanti strane teorie indimostrate e prive di fondamento scientifico é già di per sé un’impresa laboriosa, ma cosa accade quando sono proprio le fonti “DI PESO” a diffondere ed alimentare le bufale come i Big dell’industria dell’informazione o enti pubblici (come nella scena di Interstellar)?
Avviene una sorta di ribaltamento in cui il fruitore di giornali, canali televisivi e portali d’informazione d’importanza nazionale guarda con sospetto chi gli propone una lettura dei fatti diversa da quella più comunemente diffusa.
OH, THE IRONY!
Anni ed anni a sbufalare le “teorie alternative” diffuse da blog strampalati per poi accorgersi che nel frattempo i più importanti mezzi d’informazione si son pian piano trasformati in produttori di clickbait su modello di TzeTze e le indagini giornalistiche, i reportage più completi e le inchieste più complesse son sempre più relegate a riviste minori e blog di singoli giornalisti volenterosi.
Per fortuna la situazione non é poi così drammatica ed il mondo attuale non é una (ancora) distopia huxleyana da “noi contro loro” / “informazione autonoma contro disinformazione pubblica”, ma che i grandi mezzi d’informazione stiano viaggiando a braccetto con il modello acchiappaclick non é certo un mistero per nessuno.
Piaccia o meno l’infotainment (Information+entertainment) é il modello che va per la maggiore: alla descrizione dei fatti viene preferito il racconto di storie (e quindi ci dev’esser sempre un buono ed un cattivo), il gossip vien fatto permeare ovunque sia possibile (dalla politica alle questioni ambientali) ed appagare i lettori/spettatori vien ritenuto più importante della completezza ed imparzialità dell’informazione.
I modelli televisivi in stile Le Iene in cui il compito di “spiegare come funzionano le cose” viene affidato a presentatori tv, attori, cantanti ed ex cabarettisti, sostituiscono pian-piano il giornalismo investigativo ed il reportage (quante volte abbiamo sentito che “Si, fanno un po ridere MA DICONO LA VERITA'” ?)
A questo punto si potrebbero citare innumerevoli esempi di bufale (mai rettificate) diffuse dai pezzi grossi dell’informazione ma l’elenco sarebbe inutilmente lungo e noioso (rimando al ben più attivo ed aggiornato Disinformatico) ed é certamente più interessante notare come sempre più spesso capita di dover controbattere ad una notizia incorretta o faziosa diffusa da questi pezzi grossi con informazioni molto più precise e meglio documentate recuperate sul blog personale di qualche giornalista poco conosciuto (a questo proposito basta osservare come diverse fonti presenti nella Cronistoria del Movimento Cinque Stelle siano blog sconosciuti al grande pubblico che però contengono analisi ed informazioni ottimamente documentate ma irreperibili sui big dell’informazione). Ecco che s’avverte un aspetto ironico, ossia quello di trovarsi apparentemente nella stessa posizione del fuffologo (complottista, ufologo, sciachimista, naturopata, agopunturista, vegan, omeopata ecc) che prova a combattere una “verità ufficiale” con informazioni provenienti da fonti che il grande pubblico non ha mai sentito. Per fortuna le cose non stanno proprio così (vedi sotto).
Perché avviene ciò? Perché la buona informazione fatica ad esistere, schiacciata dall’informazione superficiale, faziosa o addirittura dalle bufale? Un primo motivo é forse l’inasprirsi dell’atroce dilemma.
L’ATROCE DILEMMA
I mezzi d’informazione richiedono redazioni e modelli di distribuzione e ciò significa costi. Costi che creano un atroce dilemma:
– Se il mezzo d’informazione ha alle spalle una forza politico/industriale/economica in grado di garantirne la sicurezza economica dovrà sottostare ai suoi diktat e veti (per non parlare dei casi in cui il “mezzo d’informazione” é puramente un megafono-emanazione della forza che lo sostiene)
– Se invece il mezzo d’informazione non ha alle spalle una forza politico/economica in grado di garantirne la sicurezza economica diventa schiavo degli inserzionisti pubblicitari e dovrà generare un elevato numero di visualizzazioni ed ecco quindi che “Rihanna con le tette al vento”, “Premio Nobel afferma di aver visto un UFO” e “I dieci gattini più pucciosi dell’anno” diventano le principali notizie che sorreggono economicamente la redazione (e non quel noioso articolo di otto pagine su una complicata legge pubblicata in fondo alla pagina)
Lo spostamento dell’informazione sul web, l’avvento dei servizi di raccolta di news che diffondono le notizie gratuitamente (o perlomeno i titoli, ossia ciò che il 90% dei lettori si limita a leggere di un’articolo) e la moltiplicazione dei servizi d’informazione hanno causato un notevole calo dei profitti all’industria dell’informazione, rendendola sempre più schiava di questo atroce dilemma (che esiste da quando é nato il giornalismo moderno).
PESCA AL CLICK
Esistono decine di soluzioni-compromesso (penso al Fatto Quotidiano ed a il Giornale, che a volte sono più interessanti ed affidabili negli articoli in secondo piano che in quelli principali), soluzioni miste, esperimenti e modelli in abbonamento che tentano di muoversi tra i paletti di questo atroce dilemma, tuttavia, ovviamente, é il modello più immediato e facile (il clickbait) ad aver avuto il maggior successo.
In poche parole i mezzi d’informazione, se non sono finanziati da forze politico/economiche che devono assecondare, sono talmente impegnate a produrre notizie “che vendono” da relegare la produzione di informazione di qualità alla volontà dei singoli giornalisti.
Si potrebbe qui aprire un’intero capitolo a parte sui mezzi d’informazione “di parte” che hanno tutto l’interesse più a generare climi emotivi che a fornire informazioni corrette, ma per brevità ci si limiterà a far osservare come certi mezzi d’informazione insistano particolarmente su certe notizie riproponendo certi schemi oppure si dimenticano o sminuiscono certe notizie, a volte spostando l’attenzione su altre notizie ed a volte ribaltando completamente il senso di ciò che dicono.
NON C’E’ NESSUN “NOI CONTRO LORO”
In un panorama tanto frammentato, dove la buona informazione si trova a lottare con i gattini pucciosi, le fette della soubrette e le notizie faziose che il caporedattore vuole in prima pagina, proporre una visione manichea del tipo “blogger contro stampa” sarebbe stupido ed infantile.
L’informazione fatta bene c’é ma bisogna saperla cercare e questo costa fatica: le notizie che raggiungono l’utente/lettore/spettatore sono solo voci unidirezionali che vanno verificate, analizzate, confrontate ed incrociate con altre notizie. La prima cosa da capire é che per trovare la buona informazione bisogna ritornare nell’ottica che non sono le notizie a doverci raggiungere ma dobbiamo essere noi ad andarcele a cercare. Ciò costa tempo e fatica ma col tempo permette di costruirsi una propria rete d’informazioni che, anche se incompleta e non infallibile, permette perlomeno di uscire dalla semplice propaganda unidirezionale.
Questa é la grande differenza tra chi attinge a fonti d’informazione disparate ed un fuffologo che millanta teorie che non stanno né in cielo né in terra: una continua ed attenta analisi logica delle informazioni, una critica costante a qualunque fonte con conseguente verifica della stessa ed assenza di totem inconfutabili.
Premesso che: gli agrumi fanno bene per quel che ne sappiamo potrebbero anche avere proprietà che ancora ignoriamo.
TREND NATURALISTA DEL MOMENTO
Una delle mode salutiste del momento attualmente più in voga, (moda che ciclicamente si rinnova con pratiche sempre nuove e sempre uguali come come l’utilizzo sfrenato di Aloe Vera, le diete a base di frullati, le bacche di Goji, il Quigong, il Reiki, il ritorno di fiamma Omeopatico di fine anni ’90, le manie sul tipo di acqua minerale, le bevande detossificanti, la dieta tisanoreica) é la pratica del “curarsi col limone“, venduta come “la doccia interna mattutina”.
La posologia é la seguente: al mattino, appena alzati, a stomaco vuoto, bersi un bel bicchiere di acqua tiepida con succo di limone (possibilmente fresco, Bio, al giusto grado di maturazione), almeno mezz’ora prima di fare colazione. Detto questo diverse fonti citano alcune varianti sui metodi d’assunzione: si va dal mezzo succo di limone in un bel bicchiere d’acqua, sempre, tutti i giorni al variare la quantità di limonenel bicchier d’acqua aumentandolo gradualmente fino a raggiungere la quantità-limite che può andare dai tre ai sette limoni, per poi calare nuovamente fino a ritornare ad un limone singolo. Oppure ci sono le varianti come acqua calda, limone e miele. Tutti i siti che promuovono la cura del limone fanno attenzione a raccomandare di non abusarne, consci del fatto che un’assunzione eccessiva di acido citrico potrebbe essere dannoso.
EFFETTI PROMESSI
Gli effetti che tale metodo promette, sono: rafforzare il sistema immunitario, bilanciare il pH, facilitare la perdita di peso, aiutare la digestione, stimolare l’evacuazione, pulire la pelle, disintossicare l’organismo (AAAARGH! Le fantomatiche “Tossine invisibili”), neutralizzare attacchi di iperacidità, curare cistiti e tumori, Influenze, malattie infettive, anemia, nausea, reumatismo, inappetenza, bronchiti, arteriosclerosi, digestioni difficili, scorbutico, insufficienza epatica, diabete, gotta, ipertiroidismo, calcoli renali, vomito, diarrea e tantissimi altri piccoli e grandi disturbi, anche della pelle, oltre ad essere depurativo, rimineralizzante, vermifugo, cicatrizzante, antipruriginoso, antivelenoso (consigliato contro le punture di insetti), fluidificante del sangue e stimolatore del sistema immunitario.
Basta sfogliare i primi risultati googolando “curarsi con il limone” (link 1, link 2,link 3, link 4 in tutti i casi si tratta di siti di benessere, pro-bio, d’informazione alternativa, portali generalisti, riviste femminili e nemmeno una testata medico-scientifica) per ottenere un elenco quasi infinito di disturbi che la terapia del limone curerebbe, di proprietà energizzanti e capacità stimolanti che il giallo agrume racchiuderebbe.
AH SI?
Chi scorre l’infinito elenco degli effetti promessi si trova dinnanzi alla necessità di assumere una posizione tra due estremi:
A) Millenni di studi per risolvere decine di problemi fisiologici, corsi di laurea, rivoluzioni mediche, avanzamenti scientifici, progressi dei metodi di produzione per scoprire che…. che… bastava un limone? (Pasteur… Fleming…. ci spiace… siete stati degli idioti)
B) Chi ha o crede di avere un problema fisiologico comune é praticamente certo che questi sia già incluso tra quelli che la “cura del limone” promette di “aiutare a risolvere”. C’é trippa per ogni tipo di gatto! Insomma: questa storia del limone sa tanto di pifferaio magico.
In realtà nella maggioranza dei casi avviene una cosa diversa: lavorando sul DUBBIO e sul SENSO DI BISOGNO DI MIGLIORAMENTO, la maggior parte delle persone finisce per l’adottare la linea C, ossia un accoglimento speranzoso: “Non lo so ma, se lo dicono tutti, qualcosa di bene lo farà!”, oppure “Non farà miracoli ma di certo aiuta” che é proprio il tipo di meccanismo che mira ad ottenere chi promuove le mode salutiste del momento.
UNA CONSIDERAZIONE
Assumere liquidi fa bene. Se non sono freddi é meglio. Se contengono principi nutritivi utili (Vitamina C) meglio ancora. In sostanza la “cura del limone” é una pratica tuttalpiù innocua (se non se ne abusa, ovviamente) che può esser praticata senza problemi da chiunque non soffra di gastrite. E’ pur vero che esistono attualmente studi promettentiriguardo l’utilizzo di Vitamina C nel trattamento dei tumori, tuttavia la presenza di determinate proprietà curative degli agrumi o del bere liquidi al mattino non é ciò su cui verte questo articolo: gli argomenti d’interesse sono altri ed esposti qui di seguito.
HEY! QUI PARTE LA NOSTRA STORIA…
Come la maggior parte dei diversi trend naturalisti degli ultimi vent’anni, anche questo non nasce dal nulla ed ha una storia ed origine ben precisa. In questo caso si tratta di un libro:
Ossia un comune e banale libricino di “salute e benessere” dall’apparenza del tutto innocua. Ma al buon intenditore scattano subito ben 3 ( TRE ) campanelli d’allarme. Cominciamo dal secondo punto : il libro é pubblicato dalle “Edizioni Macro“, ossia uno dei gruppi editoriali italiani leader nel settore paranormale (alcuni titoli: Il segreto delle ere, Enoch-il primo libro del mondo, figli di matrix, dominare il mondo, regno di felicità, il progetto segreto della tua anima, il segreto della guarigione quantica // un giro su Macrolibrarsi.it sfogliando il solo elenco delle categorie trattate dalla Casa Editrice dà una buona idea dell’inclinazione della stessa) che pubblica insomma qualsiasi sciocchezza spirituale / complottista / misticheggiante da quattro soldi.
Da qualche anno Macro si é specializzata sempre più nella pubblicazione di libri del filone “salute e benessere” (partecipò anche all’ondata promozionale dell’ “Aloe Vera” dei primi anni 2000), e qui si tocca il primo punto d’allarme, ossia quella spiritualità salutista che é diventata da diversi anni l’ambiente che maggiormente ha accolto ed integrato in sé tutta la fuffa spiritualeggiante che fino a qualche fa era maggiormente legata a movimenti new-age, movimenti spirituali orientaleggianti e medicina alternativa apertamente dichiarata (negli anni ’60 ci si faceva di Lsd tenendo sottobraccio il libro tibetano dei morti, nei ’70 ci s’infervorava per qualche strano movimento religioso, negli anni ’80 ci si gettava nel mito della perfezione fisica attraverso il fitness sfrenato o nei residui del decennio precedente, nei ’90 s’abbracciava il revival New Age e dagli anni 2000 ci si getta a testa bassa nella spiritualità salutista). A prova di ciò basta sfogliare con attenzione alcune riviste salutiste di buona diffusione per rendersi conto di quanto sia inzuppato di fuffa spiritualeggiante l’ambiente del salutismo.
A titolo d’esempio si riporta una copertina in cui son stati evidenziati con un cerchio i titoli puramente magico / paranormale / antiscientifici e con un quadrato titoli neutri che però assumono tutt’altro tono proprio in presenza dei titoli cerchiati.
Partendo quindi da: un’argomento ad alto rischio fuffa (la spiritualità salutista) ed una casa editrice ad alto tasso di buffonaggine, il passo successivo, prima di giungere al terzo punto, é cercare di salvare il salvabile cercando di capire chi sia Simona Oberhammer, l’autrice di “Curarsi con il limone“, e verificare se ha competenze mediche valide.
HEY, MA IL LIMONE SI USAVA PRIMA CHE ARRIVASSE LA OBERHAMMER
Vero, ci sono diversi esempi di utilizzo del limone come ingrediente terapeutico sia in antichità che in tempi recenti. Tuttavia non é difficile osservare come gli utilizzi terapeutici risalenti a tempi antichi scientificamente convalidati vengono utilizzati anche oggigiorno (fonte di vitamina C / blando antibatterico / rimedio antidiarroico ) mentre le “proprietà” prive di evidenza scientifica, siano esse provenienti da usi tradizionali o da naturopati privi di preparazione scientifica, rimangono nell’aura della fuffa salutistico-spirituale proprio perché non v’é alcun indizio che esistano.
Come vedremo più avanti, difatti, il libro della Oberhammer che ha dato slancio all’uso terapeutico del limone, s’inserisce perfettamente in una certa tradizione di spiritualità salutista. In altri Paesi ed in altri anni le pratiche terapeutiche legate al limone sono state propagandate da diversi personaggi con diverse finalità, ma nell’Italia del 2015 é il testo della Oberhammer quello che ha dato maggior slancio alla pratica.
Basta scorrere la bio che pubblica sul suo stesso sito e quella sulla pagina delle edizioni Macro per scoprire che é una naturopata (ossia non ha una preparazione medica riconosciuta ), una ricercatrice indipendente (ossia é una che legge libri, fa cose e vede gente senza che vi sia una verifica scientifica sulla sua attività), nell’ambito delle discipline olistiche ( e qui si entra di brutto nel campo delle “energie vitali”, “fluidi invisibili”, “rapporto mente-corpo-anima”, “flussi di potere”), specializzata in nutrizione e bioterapie (medicine alternative basate su scambio di flussi energetici dai prodotti della natura all’uomo e priva di riscontro scientifico), che ha seguito un percorso (lei non lo scrive esplicitamente ma si tratta ovviamente di un “percorso spirituale”) con una Maestra (anche qui “spirituale”), chiamata Milla Raisse (la “Sorellanza Spirituale”: stavolta é la Oberhammer stessa a specificare “spirituale”), una donna che proveniva da un’antica tradizione di donne (richiamo alla solita fantomatica “antica tradizione” che nessuno conosceva fino a ieri, tipicamente usato per avvalorare una trasmissione maestro-allievo risalente ad un “tempo mitico” che nessuno sa quando fu).
Detto ciò la Oberhammer elenca alcuni “metodi terapeutici” che avrebbe elaborato, creato, ma soprattutto…. registrato con copyright! Tra questi: “la Via femminile ® “, “Naturopetia Oberhammer ®”, “Olosophia ®”, sistema di intervento olistico, “Disintox ®”, “Olofem ®”, programma donna e “Biotipi Olosophici ®”.
Detto ciò la Oberhammer vive organizzando corsi a pagamento e pubblicando libri (pubblicati solo da Macro edizioni da quel che ci risulta), che si alternano tra due estremi: consigli della nonna (“Vitamina A – I Suoi Grandi benefici”, “La carota”) e blanda spiritualità esoterica (“Discriminazione Spirituale femminile”, “Mi sento bloccata: libera la Pelvi”, “Il linguaggio segreto delle Mani”, “I Simboli del Femminile e del Maschile”) ed un mix degli stessi.
Che Simona Oberhamer NON sia un medico ma una persona che naviga esclusivamente negli ambienti delle SPIRITUALITA’ ALTERNATIVE pare abbastanza chiaro. Non é certo la prima persona a parlare/promuovere la “cura del limone” ma attualmente in Italia é quella più conosciuta e meglio identificabile: tutti gli altri promotori della “cura” sono perlopiù redattori poco noti (e soprattutto dalle competenze poco note) di siti di spiritualità salutista.
SPIRITUALITA’ E SUCCHI DI FRUTTA?
L’abbinamento non é per nulla nuovo: seguendo il principio esoterico secondo cui “chi sta in alto deve sparger gocce di luce a chi sta in basso“, non é affatto nuovo per gruppi / movimenti / guru / maestri / giusti farsi conoscere attraverso blande e innocue pratiche caratterizzate però dal possedere in nuce una “goccia” dei princìpi su cui il movimento / maestro si basa.
Se si ragiona un minimo sui collegamenti etico-moral-emotivi tra piccoli disturbi fisiologici, cibo che assumiamo, uccisione di animali, equilibrio interiore e ricerca di calma esistenziale si noterà che non é poi così difficile capire come si possa passare dalla spremuta di ravanelli alla meditazione a digiuno per poi giungere alle energie della mente sul corpo, passando magari attraverso il lodevole suono delle campane tibetane, dalle energie vitali degli abiti colorati, dalle tecniche verbali: tutte pratiche lecite e innocue che però sono spesso usate come via d’accesso a “pensieri altri” che affondano nel puro e semplice paranormale.
Il meccanismo é sempre lo stesso: il gruppo/maestro si promuove attraverso qualcosa di innocuo, semplice ed accattivante (i classici consigli della nonna in fatto di alimentazione, comportamento, regole di vita, oppure attraverso corsi di formazione o test psicologici). Se questo qualcosa apre una breccia in una persona (perché magari ha risolto i problemi di sonno grazie al “metodo X” che consiste nel pianificare meglio le proprie ore di sonno, cambiare materasso e bere una tisana di Eucalipto prima d’andare a dormire) questa magari seguirà più a fondo ciò che il gruppo/maestro diffonde e scoprirà man mano gli aspetti esoterici del meccanismo iniziale (tipo: “L’Eucalipto é la pianta perfetta perché in sintonia con l’universo”).
Detto ciò diviene chiaro come promuovere una banale pratica pulente come l’acqua e limone é facilmente sfruttabile come gradino iniziale di una purificazione del corpo cui debba succedere una purificazione dello spirito. Ciò, va ribadito, non significa certo che “se bevi succo di limone al mattino poi entri in una setta” ma che si tratta di una pratica banale che viene diffusa da persone che applicano a tale pratica princìpi teorici pseudoscientifici cui é bene stare attenti.
PREMESSA (REFRESH)
Premesso che: gli agrumi fanno bene per quel che ne sappiamo potrebbero anche avere proprietà che ancora ignoriamo.
I TRE “PUNTI FORTI”
Pur promettendo che la cura del limone possa risolvere decine e decine di problemi/disturbi, pur sostenendo a volte che sia una terapia, a volte che sia un coadiuvante, a volte che serva a prevenire qualcosa ed a volte che “boh, fa bene”, i cavalli di battaglia del giallo agrume assunto al mattino sarebbero tre: (1) disintossicante, (2) drenante dell’intestino e (3) alcalinizzante dell’organismo.
(1) CHE VUOL DIRE “DISINTOSSICANTE”?
Qui il discorso é lungo ma, stringendo: “disintossicare”, “espellere le tossine” sono termini medici ABUSATI dal marketing salutista ampliando a dismisura un meccanismo corporeo relativamente poco importante e rivendendolo con un’immagine molto più drammatica di quanto risulti dalle conoscenze mediche. Con lo stesso meccanismo l’acne potrebbe esser descritto come grave quanto un tumore.
Le tossine sono sostanze prodotte da un organismo animale, vegetale o microbico che sono dannose per certe specie.
Alcune sostanze assolutamente innocue per l’uomo come determinate molecole apprezzate ed utilizzate per diverse ragioni (per esempio le molecole che caratterizzano determinati sapori del vino) potrebbero esser tossiche per altre specie.
Le tossine più note sono quelle del Colera, della Difterite, della Pertosse, del Botulino, del Tetano, sello Streptococco, dello Stafilococco, le Microtossine dei funghi, quelle dei veleni animali e vegetali, dell’ E.Coli, della Peste, della Scarlattina, di Shiga.
Il marketing salutista alimenta mescola tossine, ossidi(il fatto che ci siano sostanze “ossidanti” e “anti-ossidanti” ma non si parli mai di “ossidi” é illuminante: il termine é opportunamente legato al termine “ossa” e “ruggine” e quindi se utilizzato da solo, “ossido”, può risultare commercialmente poco efficace. Al contrario “tossine” si vende praticamente da solo) e nanopolveri(sulle quali non v’é ancora certezza scientifica, nonostante diversi indizi facciano supporre una loro responsabilità in diversi disagi fisiologici) parlando genericamente di “sostanze chimiche” caratterizzate dall’essere invisibili, omnipresenti, con una particolare attenzione al cibo, che vengono assimilate dall’organismo attraverso diverse vie (respirazione, ingestione, traspirazione, fino a giungere addirittura allo stress) a cui causerebbero disturbi di diversa natura e che vanno espulsi attraverso pratiche di purificazione che solitamente coinvolgono regimi alimentari particolari e successivamente pratiche di meditazione e Yoga.
[Fallacia logica: se le tossine fossero ovunque dovrebbero esser presenti in egual misura anche nella frutta e verdura -Bio- consigliata per la purificazione del corpo. Le risposte possibili all’osservazione rimandano irrimediabilmente al concetto “la frutta bio é naturale > tutto ciò che é naturale é buono”. A quel punto si può invitare il naturopata in questione a bersi una bella Tisana all’Oleandro]
Per contro la maggior parte delle terapie “disintossicanti” comportano tutta una serie di rischi e controindicazioni tra cui (ma guarda un po’) la distruzione della flora batterica intestinale.
TERRA AUSTRALIS, OSSIA: NON GETTAR IL BIMBO CON L’ACQUA SPORCA
Nelle mappe geografiche realizzate tra il XV° ed il XVIII° secolo compariva, nella parte meridionale del Pacifico, la cosiddetta “Terra Australis Incognita“, un colossale continente ipotetico che all’epoca si supponeva dovesse esistere per bilanciare il peso sul Pianeta della massa continentale Eurasiatica.
Nel XVI° e XVII° secolo nell’area in cui si riteneva esistesse questo megacontinente vennero effettivamente scoperte l’Australia, l’Antartide, la Nuova Zelanda e migliaia di altre isole.
Il fatto che siano state veramente trovate enormi masse di terra laddove la teoria delle “terre che si bilanciano tra loro” supponeva ve ne fossero non toglie che tale teoria sia un’enorme sciocchezza.
Allo stesso tempo rifiutare la teoria dei continenti che si controbilanciano non significa certo negare che l’Australia e l’Antartide esistano!
Ecco, le “tossine” che vengono descritte dal marketing salutista non sono altro che una moderna “Terra Australis”: un pentolone di credenze e verità scientifiche mescolati a casaccio in cui se c’é del buono é gettato alla rinfusa tra un sacco di fuffa.
Ciò che vien venduto é un concetto basato sul nulla, ossia la presenza di fantomatiche “tossine invisibili” che ci rendono “sporchi dentro” e quindi vanno “buttate fuori”.
I rimedi per fare ciò sono talmente tanti e variegati (Acque minerali, frutta sbucciata, bacche di Goji, ananas a nastro, correre, sudare, esporsi al sole, ridere, respirare profondamente, meditare, dieta ricca di fibre oppure priva di carne oppure senza manco una fibra o senza solidi, oppure digiunando o assumendo Vitamina A o B o C o D, attraverso medicinali appositi o spremuta di mirtillo, o respirando particolari vapori o usando certe creme) che vien da chiedersi perché a nessuno sorge il dubbio che il corpo di una persona normale che cammina, mangia sano, respira normalmente e prende il sole non espella già da solo queste fantomatiche tossine invisibili senza il bisogno di cure o diete particolari (NB: per quanto riguarda la detossificazione vera da tossine visibili e velenose é tutta un’altra storia e te lo fanno solo in ospedale )
(2) DRENA L’INTESTINO?
Se l’utente finale non é particolarmente colpito dal concetto di “disintossicare l’organismo” potrà forse trovare stuzzicante l’idea che la “cura del limone” aiuti a drenare l’intestino (se il “rimedio-panacea” serve a cose diverse é bene anche che lo faccia attraverso metodi diversi). Peccato che anche questo non sia vero ed anzi, é acclarato che possa invece distruggere la flora batterica intestinale. Un individuo sano non ha bisogno di aiuti esterni per mantenere equilibrati i livelli di flora batterica, intestinale ed elettroliti.
E IL LIMONE?
Il Limone é un frutto che da qualche anno s’incontra spesso tra le cure alternative. Il Limone presenta diverse caratteristiche interessanti sia da un punto di vista pratico che comunicativo/emotivo (ossia: magico) é un frutto ACIDO, profumato, d’uso comune, acquoso, versatile, dissetante, poco calorico, consumabile in piccole quantità, molto vicino all’idea di “acido pulente” (l’acido, assieme all’amaro, sono i due gusti che meglio rispondono nell’effetto placebo: non per niente nei test i placebo “acidi/amari” vengon percepiti come più efficaci). . Proprio a causa di tutte queste sue caratteristiche lo si ritrova spesso abbinato al bicarbonato (altra sostanza “pulente” accettata come “rimedio casalingo” e presente già in testi alchilici – vedi QUI e QUI) e per le cure più disparate, dalla cura di irritazioni cutanee al cancro o come sostituto della chemioterapia (vedi QUI e QUI). Evidentemente l’idea che il Limone abbia proprietà straordinarie deve aver fatto presa, visto che lo si trova citato tanto spesso come “cura alternativa” per qualsiasi cosa, ma mai negli scritti redatti da medici. Tra i precedenti illustri vi sono la Cura Simoncini (ex medico radiato e condannato su denuncia dei suoi pazienti) che curerebbe il cancro col bicarbonato, la cura a base di clisteri di bicarbonato sempre per curare il cancro, la dieta al limone e soprattutto la dieta alcalina, una fantomatica teoria alimentare inventata dalla’ ex medico Robert O. Young, arrestato per abuso della professione medica e truffa e la “Nuova medicina Germanica” del Dottor Hamer (medico radiato dall’albo che pretendeva di curare il cancro con musica, limone e bicarbonato). Diversi siti/riviste che trattano spiritualità salutista propongono da alcuni anniquesta cura del limone, senza però ottenere il successo della Oberhammer (anche questa non é una novità: già in altre occasioni, come ad esempio il boom promozionale dell’Aloe Vera dei primi anni ‘2000, diversi personaggi promuovono una determinata terapia e quando questa ha raggiunto una certa diffusione avviene il botto coinvolgendo magari l’ultimo arrivato tra quelli che ne han voluto cavalcare l’onda, o quello che meglio ha saputo venderla)
Siamo qui al terzo punto d’allarme citato prima: l’utilizzo di frutti di Limone come cura/panacea deve quindi far scattare campanelli d’allarme. Il Limone, insomma, é la Teriaca di questi anni.
UN SACRIFICIO ACIDO E VITALE
L’assunzione mattutina e a digiuno di acqua e limone difatti si presta perfettamente a fungere da strumento per un piccolo sacrificio quotidiano, ossia un rituale che comporti un piccolo sforzo che proprio in quanto tale percepito/vissuto di per sé un’atto di purificazione.
Il sacrificio richiede il superamento di una prova ed uno sforzo di volontà. In questo l’acidità del limone risponde perfettamente a tale esigenza: che effetto farebbe sapere che vi é (per esempio) evidenza scientifica dell’utilità medica di assumere ogni mattino a digiuno un cucchiaio di Nutella? Le caratteristiche della Nutella (dolce, cremosa, piacevole al gusto, grassa-oleosa) si scontra con l’idea della purificazione-sacrificio ed anche se vi fosse evidenza scientifica dell’utilità del suo consumo giornaliero pochi ne accoglierebbero la validità. Questo é il motivo per cui, come anticipato sopra, certi medicinali non vengono resi più gradevoli al gusto nonostante sia tecnicamente possibile: rendendoli troppo piacevoli verrebbe meno l’aspetto sacrificale e sarebbero percepiti come meno efficaci.
Ma se bastasse il solo aspetto sacrificale si potrebbe sostituire il limone con l’aceto di vino: il limone invece possiede diverse caratteristiche che lo rendono al tempo stesso un prodotto sacrificale ma al tempo stesso vitale.
Il suo essere un frutto (natura) giallo (color del sole), fonte di Vitamina C (energetico) dagli innumerevoli utilizzi e proprietà supposte (panacea) lo rende adatto ad essere anche una fonte potenziale di benessere. Non sarà come indossare un Cilicio ma sfrutta principi simili.
L’arancia, ad esempio, essendo più dolce, meno acida e di colore tendente al rosso, risponde meno a queste caratteristiche.
FA CIO’ CHE PROMETTE?
Molto spesso chi incontra queste “terapie” ne viene a conoscere da fonti secondarie o terziarie che ne promuovono la parte che “sentono più loro”. Per esempio: amica credulona e non tanto sveglia legge di una cura miracolosa per millemila malanni tra cui il mal di pancia, la prova riponendovi grandi speranze, si convince di star meglio (effetto placebo sommato al fatto che probabilmente durante la “cura” ha curato un po meglio la propria alimentazione) e ne parla a tutte le sue amiche solamente come di un “rimedio per il mal di pancia” (poco importa che in origine venisse proposto anche come rimedio contro l’acne, l’impotenza, i dolori mestruali e la perdita dei capelli), aggiungendovi la propria aneddotica (“con me ha funzionato”). A questo punto si sviluppa il modello Catena di Sant’Antonio.
Inoltre la promozione di tali terapie-triaca-panacee vi é un’uso costante di termini indefiniti che rimandano genericamente a un qualche aiuto “rivitalizzante, tonificante, rinvigorente, disintossicante” (“aiuta a farti ritrovare vitalità”) sul cui utilizzo non v’é alcun reale controllo (una semplice bottiglietta d’acqua può tranquillamente esser venduta/promossa con slogan del tipo “aiuta a tonificare…” senza il bisogno di alcun avallo medico/scientifico. I termini che posso esser sottoposti a controllo, ad esempio “bevanda energetica” non vengono mai usati.
Vi é poi l’attenta strategia di marketing che sfrutta molto non-detto riempito dalla mente dell’utilizzatore finale (un esempio lampante anche se non c’entra niente: un farmaco chiamato “Eva-Q” riesce a comunicare perfettamente cosa fa senza mai dirlo apertamente. Allo stesso modo può funzionare un eventuale “Bio D-Tox”, che senza usare il termine “detossificante” ne trasmette comunque il senso). In sostanza se una certa terapia vien promossa su una rivista di alimentazione e salute, non verrà scritto nero su bianco che “cura dal cancro” (cosa che invece avverrà sui siti di medicina alternativa dura e pura) ma un blando riferimento a “mali giudicati incurabili”: con target diversi vengono usate strategie diverse ma l’importante é vendere il prodotto o meglio, cavalcare l’onda fintanto che é remunerativa o la moda non sarà passata ad altre “terapie”
L’arco della gradualità delle promesse é talmente ampio (dal “comunque non fa male” all’ “é l’unica cura che funziona”) da coprire anche in questo caso ogni tipologia di utente ed ha il vantaggio tattico di permettere al gruppo/maestro/medico che promuove tale terapia di alternare “sicurezza adamantina” ad estrema vacuità, promettere e non promettere, dire ed accennare.
(NEI MIEI PENSIERI SON MALESSERI VERI – PARTE 1: IL LATTE DI SATANA)
In un occidente sempre più interconnesso la parcellizzazione in tribù etiche é il prezzo da pagare. Senza uscire dall’ambito della spiritualità salutista basterà citare alcuni gruppi vegetariani, pescetariani, fruttariani, vegani, crudisti, macrobiotici (legati spesso a movimenti animalisti / antivivisezionisti*) per poi perdersi in decine di sottogruppi (i fruttariani che non mangiano i cereali, quelli che mangiano solo la frutta cauta naturalmente dall’albero ecc) o in specializzazioni che per diverse ragioni non formano comunità e che quindi non hanno nemmeno un nome riconosciuto, per esempio coloro che si specializzano in un determinato cibo etnico non proprio (cucina giapponese, cinese, araba), oppure coloro che adottano ciclicamente diverse filosofie alimentari (NB: qui si parla di filosofie alimentari e non di regimi alimentari con supporto medico – un conto é seguire per un dato periodo una dieta particolare sotto stretta osservazione medica con lo scopo di ottenere un certo risultato; altro conto é adottare una filosofia di pensiero con risvolti alimentari privi di riscontro scientifico).
Alcune di queste comunità sono particolarmente battagliere nel tentare di convincere il mondo che la loro visione del mondo é quella giusta; negli ultimi tempi, in particolare, si fanno distinguere gli animalisti ed i vegani (che, come sopra accennato, sono movimenti molto interconnessi tra loro, tanto che é scontato che un vegano sia per forza di cose anche un animalista, mentre non é detto che un animalista sia pure vegano).
Una fetta di successo di questa disinformazione riguarda il latte. I vegani accusano il consumo di latte per motivi etici (uccisione e sfruttamento degli animali) e spirituali (i vegetali sono puri mentre la carne e i suoi prodotti sono impuri).
Per giustificare la propria posizione e per convincere il mondo della validità delle proprie idee la maggior parte dei vegani utilizza a sproposito diverse affermazioni (link 1, link 2, link 3, link 4) aventi tutte lo scopo di trasmettere il messaggio:
Il latte va bene per i neonati ma é un pessimo alimento per gli adulti
I siti più “duri e puri” dicono che il latte faccia proprio male, mentre le riviste di benessere di maggior diffusione si limitano a dire che é un’alimento inutile.
Alcune dei informazioni negativie circolanti sul latte consumato dagli adulti sono: il latte é “carne liquida”, causa osteoporosi, provoca carenze di ferro, problemi di digestione, danni alla flora batterica, ha troppe proteine, troppi grassi saturi, provoca putrefazione intestinale, provoca eccessi di calcio, ha proteine animali acide, nessun’altra animale consuma latte di un’altra specie, che “il latte fa bene” é un’invenzione dell’industria del latte, richiede enormi sforzi gastrici per esser digerito, é ricco dei pesticidi che le mucche assorbono dall’erba che mangiano ecc.
In realtà gli studi medici sono di tutt’altro parere e, tra chi lo loda incondizionatamente e chi lo descrive semplicemente come un buon alimento, nessuno arriva ad affermare che sia dannoso:
In sostanza il latte é un alimento valido che può esser consumato con la massima tranquillità a patto di evitare gli eccessi (una dieta troppo ricca di latticini é poco equilibrata e può provocare scompensi) ed rinunciandovi solo in determinati casi (intolleranze o particolari carenze diagnosticate da medici competenti).
L’accanimento vegano contro il latte ha sortito il suo effetto di SEMINARE DUBBI SUL LATTE, diffondendoli e radicalizzandoli in maniera tanto capillare che ai primi segni di mal di pancia una persona su due accusa il latte.
*Interessante notare come il marchio di “Antivivisezionista” venga utilizzato anche se la vivisezione non viene praticata: ciò avviene perché il termine é emozionale e commercialmente valido (si vende da solo)
(NEI MIEI PENSIERI SON MALESSERI VERI – PARTE 2: NESSUNO E’ AL SICURO)Interessare la fallacia logica più diffusa a proposito del latte ossia “probabilmente non fa male ma siccome é un’alimento inutile lo tolgo/riduco dalla mia dieta“, in quanto l’etichetta di “cibo inutile” potrebbe benissimo esser applicata a qualunque alimento, come ad esempio… la lattuga!.
Si potrebbero spendere alcune pagine per evidenziare i motivi per cui l’attacco vegano al latte abbia fatto così ben presa sulla gente (simbolismo del latte, malainformazione, la sua natura di “grasso liquido”, paure materne ecc) e dei motivi per cui nessuno osa muovere accuse contro la lattuga (etica vegana ecc), ma l’aspetto forse più interessante é la diffusa connessione:
disturbo fisiologico > paura/dubbio del momento > trend salutista del momento > disturbo fisiologico (all’infinito)
Il continuo martellamento di messaggi che seminano dubbi su questo o quel prodotto modifica anche la percezione dei piccoli disturbi fisiologici:
Improvvisamente TUTTI hanno una leggera intolleranza al lattosio non diagnosticata.
Fino a ieri TUTTI avevano leggeri problemi di cute non diagnosticati.
Fino all’altro ieri TUTTI avevano qualche problema non diagnosticato inerente le uova.
Anche qui dubbi e insicurezze indotte si mescolano a problemi reali: qualche anno fa la scoperta che alcuni coloranti fossero dannosi per l’uomo causò una piccola caccia alle streghe verso tutti i coloranti (anche quelli naturali). Stessa cosa avvenne per i conservanti, per non parlare dei codici numerici degli additivi alimentari (con gente che si spaventava dinnanzi ad E322 ed E260, che, detto tra noi, sono: lecitina di soia ed acido acetico). Attualmente v’é una certa attenzione nei riguardi dell’olio di palma, ritenuto un alimento poco salutare di cui l’industria alimentare abusa, ed anche in questo caso c’é qualcosa che non torna nella vulgata corrente.
In effetti é difficile non accorgersi di come le accuse nei confronti dell’Olio di Palma siano un vero e proprio atto di demonizzazione. A raccoglier alcune affermazioni sparse risulterebbe che l’Olio di Palma: fa male all’ambiente, la sua assunzione ha conseguenze negative, é un pericoloso ipercolesteromizzante che favorisce la comparsa dell’arteriosclerosi, viene raffinato con processi chimici poco chiari, viene usato solo perché economicamente vantaggioso per le aziende, la sua coltivazione intensiva provoca disboscamenti, fa venire il diabete, é cancerogeno ecc. L’Olio di Palma, insomma, sarebbe il male assoluto che le multinazionali impongono silenziosamente a noi povera #ggente (e se qui non scattano le campanelle d’allarme “storytelling in atto”, “demonizzazione”, “noi contro loro”, c’é qualche problema). In realtà l’Olio di Palma ha le stesse caratteristiche “negative” degli altri grassi saturi, come ad esempio il burro, ma rispetto ai grassi idrogenati, come le margarine, ha invece numerosi elementi positivi ed in effetti viene impiegato proprio perché le alternative all’Olio di Palma sarebbero molto peggiori sia dal punto di vista salutare, economico e, secondo alcuni anche ambientale (ma quest’ultimo punto appare molto dibattuto). L’informazione negativa sull’Olio di Palma ha coinvolto oramai i Big della comunicazione come Panorama, l’Huffington Post e Report (tutti smentiti, vedi QUI e QUI).
Il Boom mediatico italiano inerente all’Olio di Palma é un fenomeno tutto sommato recente, come evidenziato da questo grafico di Google Trends:
La petizione de Il Fatto Alimentare é partita solo poche settimane prima del 13 dicembre 2014, giorno in cui é diventata obbligatoria l’applicazione del nuovo regolamento di etichettatura UE che, sinteticamente, fornisce maggiori informazioni sugli ingredienti del prodotto e meno sul produttore (é il risultato degli accordi avvenuti col TTIP contro cui molto si é battagliato, soprattutto a causa delle minori informazioni sulla provenienza dei cibi ed un venir meno del valore aggiunto alimentare del “made in Italy”).
In sostanza consumare Olio di Palma non é meno salutare che consumare quantità equivalenti di altri olio, burro o margarina, e se la propria dieta é composta unicamente da cibi preconfezionati e creme spalmabili due domande bisognerebbe farsele (esattamente come nel caso del latte)
Anche la vicenda dell’Olio di Palma evidenzia come la malainformazione riesca a toccare qualunque cosa e cheben scavare risulta evidente che questa non avvenga mai in modo del tutto casuale: in qualche maniera risponde sempre ad esigenze (manifeste o meno, consci od inconsce) di determinati gruppi sociali o economici, il cui risultato é sia generare dubbi e insicurezze che offrire facili soluzioni e speranze sfruttando il già citato circuito chiuso:
disturbo fisiologico > paura/dubbio del momento > trend salutista del momento > disturbo fisiologico (all’infinito)
(NEI MIEI PENSIERI SON MALESSERI VERI – PARTE 3: LA VERITA’ VERRA’ RIVELATA DOPO LA PUBBLICITA’)
Importantissimo in questo senso é il ruolo dei Big della comunicazione: finché una teoria strampalata resta confinata all’interno di un circolo ben definito non c’é da preoccuparsi (per ogni idea/teoria/filosofia/credo strampalato ci sarà sempre sempre qualcuno che ci crede). Quando però queste teorie “fanno il salto” e vengono accolte e diffuse attraverso canali mainstream (canali televisivi nazionali, riviste d’ampia tiratura ecc) la cosa si fa preoccupante in quanto ciò porta inevitabilmente ad una diffusione esponenziale della fuffa a discapito della scientificità e dell’oggettività.
Il problema di fondo é una questione etica, ossia la mancata applicazione della regola: più grande é il tuo seguito (lettori, telespettatori, followers su Twitter ecc), più responsabili dovrebbero essere le tue parole ed azioni.
Purtroppo é inutile illudersi che tale equazione venga davvero rispettata: raramente i meccanismi che portano alla notorietà coinvolgono tale senso di responsabilità. Tuttavia é possibile “riportare le cose al loro posto” effettuando una scrematura logica atta a ridimensionare l’autorità malriposta, ossia lo strumento principale della “diffusione mainstream” della fuffa.
Che cosa ne sa di nutrizione un impresario delle pompe funebri? Cosa ne sa di politica estera uno scrittore di romanzi d’amore? Cosa ne sa di medicina una cantante pop? Il fatto d’essere famosi non rende queste persone degli esperti di cose che non sanno. Su questioni mediche bisogna chiedere a medici e su questioni ingegneristiche bisogna chiedere ad ingegneri. Chi ha vinto un Nobel sulle nanoparticelle potrebbe avere difficoltà a comprendere il funzionamento di un motore che un quattordicenne appassionato di scooter saprebbe smontare e rimontare ad occhi chiusi: fama e competenza sono due cose distinte.
Spesso la mancanza di competenza é messa in secondo piano dall’immagine che la persona trasmette di sé. Ad una persona di successo, magari anche attraente, che ha saputo emozionare/divertire attraverso la sua arte e che sa parlare bene, vien naturale attribuire un’autorità che in realtà non si merita. Non importa quanto uno sia bello, figo, ricco, affascinante e se quel che dice suona bene: le stronzate, anche se ben infiocchettate, restano stronzate.
Spesso la mancanza di competenze é ben mascherata: noto é il caso del Dr.Oz, medico chirurgo statunitense, scrittore e e conduttore di trasmissioni televisive in cui dispensa consigli medici su cui non ha competenze specifiche (alimentazione, ortopedia ecc), promuove l’omeopatia ed altre pratiche poco ortodosse (ad esempio promuove le guarigioni miracolose attraverso la preghiera ai defunti). Il fatto che sia un medico chirurgo basta perché il pubblico ritenga validi tutti i suoi consigli medici: sembrare competenti ed essere competenti sono due cose distinte.
Non solo le personalità dello showbiz ma anche i “contenitori” vengono spesso percepiti come dei testimonial cui viene attribuita autorità eccessiva: una notizia riportata dal sito/giornalista di fiducia non é automaticamente vera perché proveniente da questo sito/giornalista, ma é necessario che venga fornita in maniera corretta dando a chi legge/vede/ascolta tutti gli strumenti per analizzarla e verificarla. Se il giornalista X ha sempre dimostrato un alto tasso di affidabilità e correttezza non é detto che non prenderà mai una cantonata. Allo stesso tempo un’informazione diffusa da un’importante portale generalista non va dato per scontato che sia vera: va verificata.
Purtroppo sono molti gli esempi in negativo di informazione mainstream che diffonde notizie ed informazioni sbagliate/inesatte/false/inventate/malinterpretate. Giusto per fare alcuni esempi eclatanti il caso dei Bambini di Satana, descritti come una setta di violenti stupratori nonostante sia risultato evidente che erano dei tizi magari un po strambi, ma innocenti; oppure il caso delle supposte violenze negli asili di Brescia ed a Rignano Flaminio, rivelatisi dei casi di panico morale (in Italia spesso tradotta in “psicosi collettiva”) privi di fondamento; o l’eco dei grandi media riguardo al Metodo di Bella che generò un fermento popolare tanto rumoroso che nel 2003 riuscì a far legiferare il Parlamento affinché ripetesse la sperimentazione del “Metodo” nonostante già dal 1999 si sapeva che non funzionava (impossibile qui non notare i parallelismi con la crociata anti Olio di Palma nel governo francese e le pressioni sul parlamento italiano sul cosiddetto “Metodo Stamina”). In particolare il parallelismo perfetto tra il caso del Metodo Di Bella ed il caso del metodo Stamina evidenzia come il battage mediatico riesca a condizionare l’opinione pubblica agendo sull’emotività anziché sulla corretta informazione: la terapia-truffa “Metodo Stamina” era quasi sconosciuta al grande pubblico finché la trasmissione Le Iene non vi dedicò una serie di servizi in cui parlando del caso di una bimba di nome Sofia viene sostanzialmente fatta una mega-promozione del “Metodo” portato avanti da un medico descritto come il classico genio inascoltato che si scontra con l’assurda burocrazia statale. La trasmissione, dopo aver portato Stamina alla ribalta con il linguaggio unidirezionale che la caratterizza é stata bacchettata da più parti per aver diffuso un’informazione parziale, incorretta, omissiva, basata sull’emotività, unidirezionale e non scientifica. Solo dopo diverse settimane Le Ienerigireranno la frittata con una supercazzola ma senza ammettere realmente i propri sbagli.
Anche in altre occasioni Le Iene hanno accarezzato teorie pseudoscientifiche come il caso della dieta vegan che impedirebbe lo sviluppo di cancro, teoria risalente al “The China study”, testo sbufalato da decenni. L’AIRC (Associazione Italiana per la Ricerca sul Cancro) spiega in maniera chiara come una dieta vegetariana ridurrebbe le possibilità di ammalarsi di cancro del 12% e per alcuni tipi di cancro addirittura del 45%; allo stesso tempo una dieta priva di carne ma che includa pesce aiuterebbe a ridurre la possibilità di contrarre il cancro del 18%. La ricerca comunque fa notare che altri elementi non presi in considerazione potrebbero aver influito in questi risultati: “chi sceglie la dieta vegetariana o decide di eliminare la carne a favore del pesce appartiene di solito a categorie sociali medio-alte, piuttosto colte e molto attente all’igiene e alla salute. È possibile, quindi, che i buoni risultati generali non siano da attribuire esclusivamente alla dieta vegetariana, bensì a stili di vita più salubri in generale, in particolare per quanto riguarda il fumo e l’esercizio fisico”
(A proposito di testimonial ed autorità malriposta: per tutta la vita Steve Jobs ha preferito curarsi con metodi alternativi e seguendo curiose diete perlopiù di stampo vegano e fruttariano ma alla fine il cancro se l’é portato via a 56 anni).
Se la gente non affida il compito di “spiegargli come vanno le cose” a ricercatori e reporter, ma ad attori che si spacciano per giornalisti (si, si, sulla carta sono giornalisti, ma c’é bella differenza tra questo e questo) o a pupazzi che parlano in genovese, interessati più a fare infotainment a tesiche a spiegare come vanno le cose, non ci si deve stupire se poi va a finire che c’é gente che si fa la “doccia interna mattutina” con acqua e limone o con la propria urina .
(3) ALCALINIZZARE IL CORPO?
Veniamo al terzo e ultimo dei grandi cavalli di battaglia della terapia del limone, ossia l’alcalinizzazione dell’organismo (NB: “Alcalino” é sinonimo di “Basico” ed entrambi sono il contrario di “Acido”).
Se l’aspetto “disintossicante” della cura del limone non ha convinto e nemmeno la sua supposta capacità di “drenare l’intestino”, forse é l'”alcalinizzazione dell’organismo” che acchiapperà la mente del cliente finale.
Le supposte “proprietà alcalinizzanti” del limone non sono una novità giunta dal nulla ma un’eredità delle teorie sulla cosiddetta dieta alcalina.
Qui bisogna spendere due parole su questioni fisiologiche abbastanza tecniche. Brevemente: una delle caratteristiche dei liquidi é il loro livello di acidità. Ciò interessa anche l’uomo in quanto il suo organismo é per gran parte composto di liquidi ed i cibi che assume in quanto anch’essi composti perlopiù da liquidi (si, anche i biscotti secchi). Il livello di acidità si misura in pH con una scala che va da 0 (acido) a 14 (basico/alcalino).
Un valore pH7 é detto neutro in quanto acidità e basicità sono in perfetto equilibrio.
Nell’organismo umano il livello di pH varia a seconda della parte del corpo presa in esame: da un minimo di pH1-pH2 (acidi gastrici), pH4,2 (cute delicata), pH5,6 (cute), pH7,35-pH7,45 (sangue arterioso), pH8 (pancreas). Solitamente quando si parla di pH umano si indica quello del sangue arterioso (quando si parla d’alimentazione), oppure quello della pelle (quando si parla di cosmesi e prodotti igienici).
Anche gli alimenti della dieta umana hanno pH molto differenti (ad esempio i limoni con pH2.4 o i funghi con pH5.8).
L’organismo umano neve mantenere dei livelli di pH ben precisi e svolge autonomamente tutta una serie di processi atti amantenere l’equilibrio acido-base principalmente attraverso i reni e la respirazione. Questi processi (detti anche sistemi-tampone perché tamponano certi squilibri riequilibrando l’intero organismo) in un individuo sano funzionano senza autonomamente. Tuttalpiù negli anni posso funzionare con meno efficacia e quindi é necessario provvedere attivamente attraverso un’alimentazione bilanciata.
Detto questo: la maggior parte dei cibi presenti nella dieta umana hanno quasi esclusivamente un pH inferiore a 7 e sono dunque acidi Esistono rare eccezioni come ad esempio le uova, alcuni tipi di formaggi ed alcuni prodotti da forno, ma basta rendersi conto che questi cibi alcalini, una volta ingeriti, vengono a contatto con gli acidissimi succhi gastrici perché la loro alcalinità venga neutralizzata. In realtà spesso vengono definiti “cibi alcalini” quelli che in realtà sono solamente cibi poco acidi.
IN SOSTANZA: IL NOSTRO ORGANISMO PENSA GIA’ A REGOLARE DA SE’ QUESTI LIVELLI
Per quale motivo dunque nel campo della spiritualità salutista viene spesso diffusa l’idea secondo cui bisognerebbe alcalinizzare maggiormente l’organismo?
Anche qui ci si aggrappa ad una vecchia storia che viene solitamente diffusa in questi termini: “Uno scienziato premio nobel tedesco negli anni ’30 ha scoperto che per curare il cancro basta mangiare cibi alcalini, ma le multinazionali lo tengono segreto per vendere i loro farmaci“.
In realtà lo scienziato tedesco Otto Warburg (che vinse il Nobel nel 1931 per studi sugli enzimi respiratori) postulò una teoria sull’origine e prevenzione del Cancro basata su quello che viene definito “Effetto Warburg” ossia la caratteristica, scientificamente dimostrata, delle cellule tumorali di utilizzare la scissione degli zuccheri (glicolisi) e la derivante fermentazione lattica per produrre velocemente molta energia senza consumare molecole d’ossigeno, a differenza delle cellule sane.
La scoperta di Warburg viene diffusa in maniera alterata da alcuni personaggi che ruotano attorno alla spiritualità salutista, tra cui il falso medico Robert O. Young (ha ottenuto una “laurea” online da un’università non riconosciuta in seguito chiusa per truffa) e l’ex medico radiato da decenni Tullio Simoncini (quello che giura di poter curare il cancro col bicarbonato ed é sospettato di aver causato la morte di un ragazzo), aggiungendovi le loro particolari teorie che vivono sull’equazione “organismo alcalino = nemico dei tumori”. Equazione corretta, se non fosse che tale alcalinizzare un’organismo colpito da tumore ucciderebbe sia il tumore che l’organismo ospitante!
La dieta alcalina é pura fuffa pseudoscientifica diffusa da personaggi provenienti dallo spiritualismo salutista che si fanno scudo con ricerche serie di cui però stravolgono il senso..
Chi é invaghito di qualche teoria proveniente dallo spiritualismo salutista, ricorda tuttavia che esistono tuttavia diversi studi che dimostrano come la dieta alcalina aiuti l’organismo, così come vi é una correlazione dimostrata tra l’assunzione di Vitamina C e la decrescita di alcuni tumori, dimenticandosi però di notare che: (1) Non vi sono riscontri scientifici di alcun tipo di effetto preventivo/curativo dell’assunzione orale di Vitamina C e sviluppo tumorale (2) la quantità di Vitamina C che secondo alcuni studi sembrerebbe necessaria a provocare una decrescita del tumore é comunque talmente elevata da non poter essere assunta tramite apparato gastrico-digerente (l’organismo la espelle), ma solo per via endovenosa; (3) la quasi totalità degli studi favorevoli alla “dieta alcalina” analizzano solamente i livelli di pH degli alimenti presi in esame dimenticandosi di tutte le altre proprietà (ad esempio tralasciando il fatto che frutta e verdura siano ricche di potassio e magnesio e lasciando suggerire che eventuali miglioramenti delle prestazioni muscolari del soggetto siano da ricercarsi nell’alcalinità del cibo e non, come già scientificamente appurato, proprio dalla presenza di magnesio e potassio)
MA E’ UN LIMONE BIO…
La differenza tra i “cibi bio” ed i cibi “non bio” sta essenzialmente nel tipo di fertilizzanti ed antiparassitari utilizzati. Perché un cibo possa esser definito “Bio” questi dev’essere coltivato utilizzando solamente con fertilizzanti ed antiparassitari “naturali”, applicando una distinzione non sempre chiara con quelli che vengono definiti “innaturali” (basta ricordare che il “naturale” verderame non é meno tossico del Rotenone) ed é interessante notare come attraverso analisi scientifica non si riesca sempre a distinguere se certi prodotti siano stati coltivati in maniera “Bio” o no, come nel caso del riso, oppure come i limiti di pesticida residuo sui prodotti bio non sono inferiori a quelli previsti per i prodotti non-bio e come sia abbastanza facile vendere per biologico prodotti che non lo sono. Nei casi in cui vi sia un’incombente pericolo il coltivatore “Bio” può utilizzare fitofarmaci non-bio e quando le autorità nazionali impongono la “lotta obbligatoria” a determinati parassiti sono obbligati ad usare fitofarmaci solitamente non ammessi nei protocolli “Bio”. L’etichetta “Bio” insomma offre poche garanzie su come un certo prodotto sia stato coltivato e sul fatto che sia effettivamente più sano del suo omologo “non-bio”.
La presenza di nanoparticelle, qualora fosse scientificamente dimostrata la sua correlazione con la presenza di disturbi fisiologici, essendo presente in maniera equivalente sia nei prodotti “Bio” che in quelli “non-bio”, potrebbe rappresentare uno smacco notevole all’intero marketing dei prodotti biologici (ma bisognerà attendere che vi siano dimostrazioni scientifiche prima di darlo per certo).
(far) VEDERE SOL CIO’ CHE SI VUOL VE(n)DERE
Il marketing “Bio” inoltre gioca spesso sul concetto di essere cibo “disintossicante” o perlomeno “non tossico” senza quasi mai citare questi termini e spesso facendosi forte di dati scientifici oggettivi.
Un esempio: di recente é stata promossa su diversi siti di spiritualità salutista la notiziadi una ricerca che viene riportata in questi termini: una famiglia svedese per alcuni giorni ha mangiato solo cibo Bio ed al termine del periodo d’osservazione “le schifezze” presenti nel loro organismo erano spariti o calati in maniera drammatica.
Insomma, sembrerebbe tutto ok. A ben vedere però le cose non son proprio come sembrano: innanzitutto appare chiaro che il fine ultimo di tutta l’operazione sia il video e non lo studio in sé (che, va ricordato, é stata commissionata da una catena di distribuzione di prodotti bio). A far arricciare qualche naso ci pensa il terzo capitolo dello studio: “Methodology“.
Lo studio ha coinvolto solo 5 persone (non basterebbero nemmeno per uno studio statistico a base regionale); che hanno assunto “cibo convenzionale” per una settimana dopodiché solo “cibo organico” per due settimane (non gli stessi prodotti “non bio” e poi “bio” quindi: diete diverse); nelle due settimane “bio”sono stati sostituiti i prodotti per la pulizia e l’igiene personale(non si sa bene con quali prodotti)ed non hanno potuto indossare indumenti nuovi o usare tovagliato e stoffe appena acquistate (Quindi lo studio non riguardava solo l’alimentazione); al padre, consumatore di tabacco da fiuto, é stato imposto di usare tabacco bio; In maniera un po contraddittoria, dopo aver detto che alla famiglia é stato imposto l’uso di detergenti bio, viene detto che “La famiglia usava già in precedenza prodotti bio per l’igiene personale” (?); Le sostanze ricercate erano quelle la cui presenza in campioni d’urina umana erano già state segnalate da due studi del 2009 e 2011 (vedi capitolo 3.2 “Analysis”)
Facile così: se dopo una settimana a cibo contaminato di PESTICIDA X si passa al cibo contaminato col PESTICIDA Y é incorretto affermare che “Wow, mangiando questi cibi non c’é più traccia di PESTICIDA X” senza nemmeno citare la presenza del PESTICIDA Y. (NB: qui l’elenco FederBio dei prodotti fitosanitari impiegabili in agricoltura biologica)
Anche qui la solita nota esplicativa per chi capisce sol quel che vuol capire: con questo non si afferma che il cibo marchiato “Bio” sia uguale al cibo “non-bio” ma che QUESTO modo di promuoverlo é quantomeno discutibile poiché vive ed alimenta l’emotività su argomenti che richiederebbero approcci più pragmatici.
La malainformazione medica e salutista ha successo per una serie ben nota di motivi-chiave:
Non siamo degli esperti di medicina/salute/alimentazione
Chi diffonde malainformazione é molto più rumoroso degli esperti
La malainformazione medica fa leva sulla nostra emotività, sui nostri preconcetti e sul sentire comune
La malainformazione fa leva sui dubbi e sulle paure che essa stessa alimenta
Non siamo abituati a fare indagini sulle notizie che ci raggiungono
Per natura, nel dubbio, tendiamo a preferire soluzioni precauzionali che troviamo comprensibili ed emozionalmente appaganti
L’ultimo punto é quello più immediatamente riscontrabile: in quante occasione abbiamo sentito, o ci siam detti “Non so se é vero, ma nel dubbio…“. Si tratta di un automatismo precauzionale di natura protettiva (razionalità istintiva) che ha una grandissima utilità per la nostra sicurezza ma é un meccanismo imperfetto che tende a farci dubitare ed a vedere rischi e pericoli anche laddove non ce ne sono. Ciò scatena altri automatismi istintivi che ci portano a cercare soluzioni/risposte non attraverso uno sforzo di analisi logica ma preferendo soluzioni/risposte (anche notevolmente complesse) caratterizzate dall’essere emozionalmente più appaganti.
Soluzioni/risposte che trovano mille forme tutte scientificamente incorrette ma emozionalmente appaganti: ecco che ci si ritrova chi beve la propria urina o la placenta umana, chi danza nudo sotto la luna per assorbirne l’energia, chi mangia solo cibi di certi colori, chi si rifiuta di mangiare determinate cose (ma qui non parliamo dei tabù culturali: quella é un’altra storia) ecc.
MA I MEDICI CHE DICONO?
Riassumendo brevemente: a patto che non si soffra di gastrite e non si abusi del consumo di limone, non vi sono gravi controindicazioni (in caso d’abuso potrebbe danneggiare il cavo orale e lo smalto dei denti), ma in sostanza “curarsi con il limone”:
Non serve a disintossicare
Non serve a drenare l’intestino
Può portare a disturbi come esofagite, reflusso gastro-esofageo, gastriti
Non è indicata nei pazienti affetti da gastrite
Non ha reali proprietà alcalinizzanti.
Può danneggiare lo smalto dei denti
Rimane comunque una buona fonte di vitamina C, anche se non la migliore: le arance ne contengono di più e ancora maggiore è la quantità contenuta nei peperoni. È meglio non prenderla a digiuno e, comunque, conviene riempire lo stomaco con qualcosa di solido.
RICERCA SCIENTIFICA
Come già detto recenti studi dimostrerebbero alcune proprietà antitumorali della Vitamina C per alcuni tipi di cancro.
Senza neanche entrare nel merito di tali studi e fingendo che vi sia una conferma scientifica delle proprietà di PREVENZIONE di DETERMINATI TIPI DI CANCRO degli AGRUMI, nulla toglie che promuovere adesso l’assunzione al MATTINO ed a DIGIUNO di ACQUA TIEPIDA e LIMONE (non pompelmo, arancia, mandarino, clementina, pomelo, bergamotto, combatta, limetta o fortunello: LIMONE) come se fosse una sorta di panacea di ogni male non risponde propriamente a metodo scientifico.
CONCLUSIONI:
1) L’autrice del libro che ha lanciato il trend del “Curarsi col limone” ha una formazione esoterico/spirituale inserita nell’ambito del naturalismo spiritualista-salutista
2) L’editore é noto per pubblicare panzane colossali ed aver già promosso e cavalcato mode simili
3) Il Limone é un frutto usato ed abusato tra le più recenti cure alternative prive di riscontro medico-scientifico
4) Gli effetti promessi dalla “terapia-panacea” coprono in maniera superficiale l’intero spettro dei disturbi fisiologici, tanto che risulterebbe miracoloso qualora fosse vero
5) Gli effetti vengono promessi con un attento uso di termini generici ed indefiniti, tecnica atta a “smarcarsi” ma lasciando all’utente finale la libertà di “riempire” coi propri pensieri/speranze il non detto.
6) Il nocciolo dei benefici promessi dalla terapia-panacea si fonda sul concetto scientificamente inesatto di “disintossicare” l’organismo da fantomatiche “tossine invisibili” e/o sull’idea che “dreni l’intestino” e/o abbia proprietà alcalinizzanti ma in tutti e tre i casi non v’é evidenza scientifica
7) L’assunzione di acqua tiepida ed acido citrico al digiuno appena alzati, non presentando particolari vantaggi né controindicazioni, generalmente non viene né promosso né osteggiato da parte di medici
CHICCA FINALE 1
Giusto per far capire il livello di affidabilità di Macro Edizioni faccio notare che tra le “terapie miracolose” proposte sul loro catalogo online troviamo anche l’assunzione di argento colloidale:
L’uso di argento colloidale é un vecchio rimedio medico oramai abbandonato perché sostituito da farmaci più efficienti e perché l’uso eccessivo causa Argiria, ma che trova ancora grandi estimatori nell’ambiente medico-spirituale legato a principi alchemici (l’assunzione di metalli liquidi che rinforzerebbero lo spirito indebolito ecc, ecc, ecc). Che cos’é l’Argiria? E’ un’alterazione cutanea permanente causata dall’assunzione eccessiva di argento che ti trasforma così:
Non é un trucco e non c’é inganno: l’americano Paul Karason, per risolvere dolori alla schiena, assunse per 10 anni argento colloidale ed é diventato BLU (lo chiamavano “Papa Smurf – Grande Puffo).
Per maggiori informazioni basta cercare Argiria o Paul Karason su Google (ci sono diverse interviste e reportage di telegiornali)
CHICCA FINALE 2
C’é una simpatico poster creato da Sci-Ence.org in cui sono elencati le “bandierine rosse” della fuffa. Se un prodotto/metodo/cura viene presentato attraverso anche uno solo di queste “bandierine rosse” deve scattare un campanello d’allarme.
Nel caso della cura del limone le bandierine rosse sono ben sette e mezzo:
Testimonials (ci sono aneddoti di amici che “l’han provata e stanno meglio” ma nessun dato scientifico)
Helps your Body (la terapia promette “aiuti” generici di benessere)
Buy My Book (i “segreti” della terapia del limone si trovano nei libri commerciali e non in ricerche scientifiche studiate ed analizzate né da osservazioni empiriche riconosciute)
Miracle Cure-All (“hai problemi d’irritazione cutanea, digestione, fiacchezza? Il Limone aiuta sempre!”)
“Doctor” (chi promuove questa “terapia” non é un medico ma perlopiù persone provenienti da circoli spirituali/esoterici che si vendono come “naturopati”)
Natural (“un comunissimo limone ed un bicchier d’acqua sono certo più efficaci di aspirine e medicinali chimici”)
“Toxins” (le fantomatiche tossine immaginarie)
“Ancient Wisdom” Non si son trovate dichiarazioni chiare in proposito, ma il fatto che “bere un bicchier d’acqua e limone al mattino” possa esser visto/venduto come un caro, vecchio rimedio della nonna, avvalora in parte l’idea di una “conoscenza empirica antica”. Inoltre la Oberhammer si dice allieva di una Maestra di una antica via spirituale femminile. Insomma, questo é un punto toccato ma non del tutto centrato, ma poco importa: che sia fuffa é già chiaro.
“Hai visto ieri in il match? X ha steso Y! Lo ha proprio suonato a dovere come si meritava! Viva X!”
Due combattenti, un ring, scontro frontale e chi resta in piedi vince. Scontro fisico puro, un po di strategia e preparazione mentale per determinare chi sa colpire e resistere nel modo più efficace e giù botte! Non é difficile da capire.
Cambio di scena: due o più persone in poltrona, un argomento, ognuno parla e chi ottiene più applausi vince. Anche il “dialogo” mostrato in televisione tra diversi ospiti o tra ospite e conduttore é strutturato come un match, solo che si usano parole e argomenti al posto dei pugni: chi ha argomenti e parole più forti vinc… ehm… ehm… no… piano… un’attimo… QUI C’E’ UN EVIDENTE SALTO LOGICO!!
Da quando lo scopo del dialogo sarebbe quello di abbattere il nemico? O meglio: é normale considerare tutte le persone che non condividono le mie parole dei nemici? Si dialoga dicendo sempre no agli altri dialoganti (pardon: nemici)? E’lo scontro il fine ultimo del dialogo?
NO.L’accostamento dialogo-match é figlio di una visione del tutto riduttiva, semplicistica e parziale di ciò che un dialogo é veramente. Il dialogo é una pratica il cui fine é quello di avvicinarsi ad una verità partendo da molteplici punti di vista, utilizzando diversi processi logici: equiparare il dialogo ad un match significa negargli ogni capacità costruttiva in quanto il processo di analisi logica tra due o più “verità” viene sostituita da un approccio teatrale il cui scopo non é più giungere ad un’approssimazione del vero esterno agli attori coinvolti, bensì l’affermazione per sopraffazione di una delle “verità” rappresentate da questo o quell’attore.
Chi equipara il dialogo a un match compie un’operazione di relativismo puro affermando che ognuno abbia “una SUA verità” valida esattamente quanto la verità di chiunque altro e che non sia possibile avvicinarsi ad una verità unica e condivisa attraverso l’intelletto
(Secondo questo principio relativista l’idea che la Luna sia fatta di formaggio avrebbe lo stesso valore dell’idea che sia un corpo roccioso. Posto dinnanzi a simili esempi di cortocircuiti logici il relativista ha come sola reazione possibile il rifiuto totale da cui ne consegue il suo motto “ognuno ha le proprie idee e van tutte rispettate, ma chi pensa cose che secondo me non son giuste é un pazzo” – evidenziare che tale motto é illogico equivale a farsi tacciare per pazzi)
Così come la boxe, un dialogo può funzionare solo se le parti in gioco rispettano tre condizioni: il terreno di gioco, l’equilibrio e la correttezza tra le parti.
TERRENO DI GIOCO
Perché un dialogo possa portare a qualcosa é indispensabile che le diverse parti condividano lo stesso terreno di gioco ossia la realtà. Se una delle parti elude, piega o rifiuta la realtà accertata nessun dialogo é possibile. Ogni attore che prende parte al dialogo é portatore di una propria verità costruita da idee e opinioni che dovrebbero essersi formati su una conoscenza il più possibile esatta dell’argomento in questione. Chi rifiuta di adattare le proprie idee e opinioni dinnanzi ad una realtà evidente, dimostrata e riconosciuta, sta di fatto rifiutando la realtà stessa, impedendo ogni possibilità di dialogo.
EQUILIBRIO
In Italia il concetto di equilibrio riguardante il dialogo é inquinato dal linguaggio televisivo e dal concetto di “par condicio”, per cui quando si parla di dialogo equilibrato ciò vien solitamente ridotto al semplice concetto di “egual presenza”.
In realtà il concetto di equilibrio nel dialogo é legato al punto di contatto tra i due o più opponenti: persone di opinioni opposte su un dato argomento ma che hanno rispetto reciproco, intesa di linguaggio e sanno accogliere opinioni altrui potranno costruire un dialogo perché in equilibrio tra loro. La presenza di un punto d’equilibrio tra le parti é una condizione imprescindibile perché un dialogo possa cominciare e deve esistere precedentemente al dialogo stesso.
Nel paragone del match l’equilibrio é paragonabile al condividere o meno uno stesso set di regole: non si possono mettere su uno stesso ring il campione dei pesi massimi ed il più grande esperto al mondo di parole crociate, così come non ha senso il dialogo tra un biologo evoluzionista ed un creazionista puro (perché manca un punto di equilibrio tra i due ma anche perché in un eventuale dialogo il creazionista, rifiutando a prescindere le innumerevoli prove scientifiche che dimostrano l’evoluzionismo, rifiuta addirittura di condividere il terreno di gioco)
Mettere sullo stesso piano un affermato ricercatore storico con un complottista autodidatta che non ha alcuna prova a suo favore non può portare a nessun dialogo in quanto non v’é equilibrio culturale e perché il complottista, dando per scontato che il ricercatore “é uno di loro”, elimina pure quel minimo rispetto che può fungere da punto d’incontro minimo tra due parti opposte. Altri esempi possono essere il rimescolaggio dei linguaggi che avviene quando un politico vien messo a confronto con personaggi dello spettacolo che non hanno competenze reali sull’argomento in discussione (come si può dialogare di politiche economiche con pupazzi e soubrette o comprendere equilibri complessi discutendo con qualcuno che mette sullo stesso piano le decisioni strategiche di un ministro con il colore della cravatta che indossa?).
Se tra le parti non v’é un punto d’incontro queste non potranno costruir alcun Dialogo e procederanno solamente attraverso scontri improduttivi. Se una delle parti si rifiuta a prescindere di discutere la verità di chi ha di fronte elude da principio ogni possibilità costruttiva. L’equilibrio é una condizione che deve preesistere al dialogo.
CORRETTEZZA
All’interno di un dialogo la correttezza consiste in tutte quelle pratiche atte a mantenere e rinforzare l’equilibrio stabilito tra le parti (NB: mantenere o rinforzare tale equilibrio non esclude che le opinioni delle due parti divergano anche in maniera sostanziale).
Restando all’esempio pugilistico la correttezza equivale al rispetto dei divieti dello sport che le parti si son accordate di praticare (niente colpi sotto la cintola, niente dita negli occhi ecc.).
La rottura della correttezza causa la caduta di ogni equilibrio preesistente.
Se il dialogo avviene attraverso dei media vi é sempre il rischio che questo venga viziato dalla natura del media stesso (la ricerca dell’applauso in studio, le scenate teatrali e tutti gli strumenti atti ad oltrepassare la quarta parete non per comunicare al pubblico ma per comunicare attraverso il pubblico), andando ad ammazzare ogni equilibrio preesistente. Abusare della mediaticità per zittire un dialogo é di certo un colpo basso: l’esatto opposto della correttezza nel dialogo. Si vince mediaticamente ma non grazie alla bontà dei propri argomenti.
Altri casi sono quelli in cui una delle parti anziché rispondere con frasi di senso compiuto che esprimono concetti coerenti cerca di ottener ragione usando slogan evocativi e giravolte logiche che mascherano la mancanza di coerenza interna delle idee che propone con una coerenza apparente oppure, ancora più frequentemente, evitando di rispondere spostando l’attenzione su altri argomenti o ancora, operando un’azione di censura/filtraggio mentale riducendo problemi complessi in concetti banali e riduttivi.
C’é forse qualcosa di diverso tra un Renzi che parla per #hashtag ed un Salvini che fa da poster umano con le felpe? Come si può portar avanti un dialogo con chi é più interessato a trasmettere i propri slogan/meme/frame impattanti che affrontando le complessità esponendole per quel che sono veramente? Ridurre la complessità delle migrazioni e dei problemi economici del paese a dei banali meme #BastaEuro #SvoltaBuona #StopInvasione é il modo migliore per ammazzare il dialogo impedendo la possibilità di concordare degli obiettivi. (NB: lo slogan ci sta anche; il problema é quando si riduce il dialogo al solo slogan-totem indiscutibile)
Non ci si può nemmeno aspettare esca veramente qualcosa da un finto dialogo in cui domande e risposte sono sostituite da uno scambio di innocue battute che evitano di metter la carne sul fuoco: la paura di rompere i coglioni andando veramente a fondo dei problemi genera solo dialoghi intorpiditi in cui é proprio la teatralità di cui sopra ad accender l’attenzione e non l’esposizione di una verità più completa e comprensibile.
Non ci si può aspettare di veder dialogare chi, come strategia di marketing politico, pensa solo a contraddire sempre e comunque quel che dice il suo nemico facendo no con la testa o interrompendolo col solo scopo di teatralizzare e ridurre a scontro quello che dovrebbe essere un dialogo.
Filtrare attraverso i meccanismi dello showbusiness quello che dovrebbe essere un dialogo d’analisi sociale/economica/politica appiattendo il tutto ad un unico poutpourrì in cui a vincere é il Varietà.
Un poutpourrì imbastito infilandoci: l’argomento del giorno, un’inchiesta, una ragazza immagine, il siparietto comico, una hit parade (vedi sondaggi di Ballarò) e qualche momento di dialogo/polemica condito da colpi di teatro non é in fondo una versione aggiornata di Portobello?
“VINCERE” IL DIALOGO
Un dialogo ha senso se porta a qualcosa: se stabilisce punti d’incontro o di rottura o se evidenzia logicamente la bontà di un’idea o le sue fallacie. Il vincitore di un dialogo sono le sue conclusioni e solo di riflesso le persone che le hanno accettate/promosse. E’un risultato cui si arriva usando solamente strumenti logici e realtà.
VITTORIA TEATRALE vs. VALIDITA’ DELLE AFFERMAZIONI
Un dialogo scorretto e svincolato dalla realtà non porterà mai a nessuna vittoria/risultato/conclusione ma é purtroppo evidente che troppo spesso il sentire comune interpreta la vittoria teatrale come superiorità logica. E’ un vero e proprio caso di sostituzione di senso derivante da pigrizia logica: chi attua questa sostituzione (a meno che non sia in malafede) semplicemente non effettua alcuna analisi di quanto affermato dalle parti, limitandosi ad applaudire (teatralità) all’attore che riesce a sopraffare/zittire/imporsi con maggior teatralità sui suoi opponenti.
Ciò avviene perlopiù attraverso semplici trucchi comunicativi (vittimismo, utilizzo di luoghi comuni, puntare l’attenzione sulle parole anziché sui concetti che esprimono, alzare il tono della voce, lanciare frasi-meme/totem, evitare risposte scomode, identificare un nemico unico e tangibile, dare sempre torto all’altro, esprimere disappunto o sfottò con gesti e mimica facciale, sbeffeggiare il nemico, interrompere il nemico mentre parla, ribaltamento di significato, ecc) atti a coprire fallacie logiche (mancanza di dati a supporto delle proprie tesi, negazione della complessità, contraddizioni interne ecc).
La vittoria teatrale appaga la pancia dello spettatore che per diversi motivi non intraprende un analisi logica delle affermazioni dei diversi attori.
Su Youtube i video in cui qualcuno “distrugge”, “abbatte”, “asfalta” o “massacra” verbalmente qualcun’altro sono quasi un genere a sé: estratti di Talk Show e telegiornali, frasi singole separate dal contesto, interviste “censurate” con decine di migliaia di visualizzazioni e collage video. Tutti ruotanti attorno ad un perno di teatralità in cui il protagonista (l’eroe che sta nel giusto) riesce a sopraffare il nemico (che per contrapposizione é per forza sempre un vile che sta nel torto):
Ovviamente ci troviamo dinnanzi a selezioni partigiane operate da chi li diffonde a favore della parte scelta in cui prevale la suddivisione manichea del noi contro tutti ma che evidenzia un modo semplicistico di affrontare temi complessi.
Tra queste supposte “vittorie” si trova un po di tutto: spesso si rivelano semplici sopraffazioni verbali ottenute con cambi d’argomento e impatto teatrale, botta-e-risposta non argomentati da ambo le parti, “demolizioni” che esistono solo agli occhi di chi diffonde il video e qualche volta ci si trova anche dinnanzi a botta e risposta argomentati che tuttavia risentono dell’impostazione da match: se alla botta argomentata di X c’é una risposta argomentata di Y, anziché addentrarsi in queste argomentazioni, X, come in un match di scherma, di solito cambia argomento nel tentativo di colpire Y su altri fronti.
Matteo Salvini pubblica sul proprio canale Youtube un video con un estratto dalla trasmissione DiMartedì in cui parlano lui e la pedagoga Mariagrazia Contini. Nel video, intitolato -SALVINI ASFALTA PROFESSORESSA “DEMOCRATICA TERZOMONDISTA- si vanta di una propria “vittoria”:
Ora, nell’accogliere questa “vittoria” non possiamo non notare che fin dal titolo vien indicato che Salvini ha vinto lo scontro (definisce il video come appagante per i suoi followers); il suo nemico non é degno di un nome ma viene chiamato -professoressa “democratica” terzomondista- usando le virgolette come sberleffo; l’intervento del nemico viene tagliato quasi per intero (!) lasciandone solo la parte in cui dichiara che Salvini utilizza il senso comune per creare divisione, contrapposizione e nemici; Salvini, quando conscio d’esser mostrato al pubblico mentre il nemico parla, enfatizza espressioni facciali ironiche e fa “no” con la testa (stabilisce uno scontro); come risposta Salvini rigira la frittata ed anziché rispondere si vittimizza (!) dicendo che é il suo nemico che “odia chi non la pensa come lui e insegna da una cattedra” (meme “superiorità morale della sinistra” e meme “insegnanti di sinistra”), che “chi vien da sinistra pensa che il verbo sia solo a sinistra (anti-relativismo) e pensa che non sia come lui sia brutto, cattivo e arrogante (infantilismo) e allora io sono brutto, cattivo e arrogante (frase a effetto)” dopodiché attacca parlando del “nigeriano immigrato regolare che sta nella Lega” (sposta l’attenzione su argomento affine) per poi affondare dicendo che a lui piace l’immigrazione regolata mentre al suo nemico “che purtroppo ha il compito di educare” (di nuovo “insegnanti di sinistra”) piace l’immigrazione irregolare e sregolata (riduzione parziale e fuorviante della realtà) che porta all’anarchia (estremizzazione della riduzione precedente).
In un secondo taglio (!) vediamo solo la coda dell’intervento del nemico, che parlando di alcuni testi leghisti sui concetti di aggressività e razza applicabili ai rom conclude dicendo che é dalla Lega che provengono messaggi di odio. Salvini anche qui continua a gesticolare quando inquadrato e appena gli si da la parola preferisce non rispondere (!) atteggiandosi a moralmente superiore(OH THE IRONY) poiché “la polemica col nemico non gli interessa”.
Se di fronte a centinaia di persone sostenessi che il Sole gira attorno alla Terra verrei deriso e preso per pazzo e tutti mi urlerebbero contro che in realtà é la Terra a girare attorno al Sole.
Se chiedessi però loro di dimostrare quanto sostengono, ovvero che é la Terra a girare attorno al Sole, ben pochi saprebbero come fare. Come si dimostra che la Terra gira attorno al Sole?
L’esperienza pratica (notte/giorno, firmamento che ruota, assenza di venti dovuti ad una eventuale rotazione, ecc.) non offre nessun indizio del fatto che sia la Terra a ruotare attorno al Sole anziché il contrario.
Eppure se affermassi il contrario avrei contro centinaia di persone che pur non sapendo dimostrare la bontà delle loro affermazioni le difenderebbero a spada tratta, arrivando pure a schernirmi violentemente.
Si comporterebbero così perché nella loro comunità vien considerato un dato di fatto che la Terra ruoti attorno al Sole. Perché gli é stato insegnato a scuola. Perché questo é quello che sostengono tutte le persone che gli stanno intorno. Perché gli scienziati concordano su ciò. Perché qualcuno ha lanciato nello spazio strumenti che lo dimostrano. Perché qualcuno ci ha scritto dei libri.
Io avrei dalla mia parte l’inconfutabilità dell’esperienza diretta di chiunque (vediamo il sole che al mattino é a Est ed alla sera é ad Ovest ma non sentiamo alcun giramento, non ci sono spostamenti d’aria derivanti da un’eventuale rotazione del pianeta e tutti i filmati che mostrano la terra ruotare attorno al sole sono animazioni o collage). Loro mi indicherebbero libri, testi, fotografie, filmati e mille altre testimonianze indirette che so già essere di parte, inattendibili e faziose.
Perché loro sbagliano. Sono solo degli arroganti radicali che credono a tutto quello che gli vien raccontato sui libri. Mascherano con la loro paventata cultura un distacco dalle cose reali che invece quelli come me mantengono orgogliosamente. Sono dei poveri boccaloni bastiancontrari che mirano solo a distruggere la cultura e le tradizioni che fanno parte di noi. Lo sanno tutti che il Sole gira intorno alla Terra!
TWITTER. ANNO 1700 D.C.
A: “Lo sanno tutti che il Sole gira intorno alla Terra ma certi stupidi snob han la testa per aria e non vedono la realtà”
B: “Condannato o meno, la teoria che propone, basata sul De revolutionibus orbium coelestium di Copernico, trova sempre più consenso tra i maggiori uomini di scienza come ad esempio Isacco Newton”
A: “Vedi? Vedi? Mi citi sempre e solo questi pomposi dottori con la puzza sotto il naso che pretendono di avere la verità in mano! Che arroganza! Son tutti voli mentali di questa gente che vive più nei libri che nella realtà! Sono solo teorie senza dimostrazione pratica [NB: in effetti solo nel 1851, tramite l’esperimento del Pendolo di Foucault, si poté dimostrare la rotazione della Terra, dando una prima dimostrazione pratica della correttezza del sistema eliocentrico]
B: “Vero: al momento una dimostrazione pratica ancora non c’é ma i modelli matematici danno tutti ragione a Galileo”
A: “Guarda che anche il grande Tolomeo diceva che la terra é immobile e sta al centro dell’Universo! E nessuno lo ha mai potuto contraddire!”
A: “Ma ragioni quando parli? Greci, Indiani, Mussulmani: tutta gente mai sentita e che é contraria a prescindere! Sei il solito arrogantello con la puzza sotto il naso! Ti senti “moralmente superiore” solo perché hai sempre il naso tra i libri ma sei troppo cieco per vedere la realtà! Ciao, ciao: ti blocco e W LA TERRA CHE STA FERMA E IL SOLE CHE GLI RUOTA ATTORNO!!!11!!11!1!!!!!11!!!11!!!!!
Poi però c’é anche chi conosce bene un qualche argomento ma viene schiacciato da chi ne sa molto meno, che solitamente sono la maggioranza delle persone.
Allo stesso tempo é indubbio che nessuno può essere ferrato su qualunque argomento e che prima o poi capiterà sempre di doversi affidare a qualcuno che ne sa più di te.
Saper ammettere le proprie ignoranze é importante tanto quanto saper testare e mettere in dubbio le proprie convinzioni per verificarne l’efficacia.
Non avendo metri di giudizio adeguati per qualunque argomento, l’unica cosa che si può fare quando ci si muove in campi sconosciuti é affidarsi a diverse fonti competenti e riconosciute, criticando e analizzando continuamente la coerenza e l’affidabilità attraverso logica e confronto con altre fonti che a loro volta riceveranno lo stesso trattamento.
Nessuno possiede verità assolute ma idee di realtà (o di parti specifiche di essa) che possono essere più o meno valide.
USCIRE DALLA CORNICE
Il primo, primissimo passo consiste sempre nell’abbattere le “cornici culturali” entro cui si sono relegati interi mondi.
Sono infinite le etichette applicate sbrigativamente o a sproposito, il cui utilizzo limita fortemente dialogo e ragionamento sia di chi le usa che di chi le subisce.
Snob, fascista, comunista, radical chic, populista, zecca, finocchio, terrone, compagno, onore, rispetto, superiorità morale, potere alle masse, obbedienza ai superiori, l’arroganza della sinistra, l’ipocrisia della destra, il numero é potenza, Italia agli italiani, siamo il 99%, basta invasione, non ne possiamo più.
Quello che può nascere come un semplice aggettivo, una descrizione, uno slogan o una battuta, si trasforma facilmente in una gabbia di significato dalla quale é difficilissimo uscire poiché, proprio in quanto struttura chiusa, non vuole essere aperta e modificabile.
Tutti usiamo queste “cornici” (frame) ed é giusto che sia così: sono lo strumento che ci permette di prendere decisioni in tempi rapidi, senza fermarsi a ragionarci per ore.
L’utilizzo dei frame però ha una brutta controindicazione: tende a disabituarci a ragionare sul modo in cui ragioniamo (metapensiero), ossia tende a non farci pensare a quanto l’oggetto su cui stiamo ragionando venga definito dalla cornice che gli abbiamo applicato.
Musicista algerino
Scrittore danese
Militare israeliano
Politico inglese
Marinaio portoghese
Regista tedesco
Giornalista francese
Solo quando si comprendono i limiti di un frame si può osservare il soggetto con occhio non velato.
É tuttavia una situazione da gatto che si mangia la coda: rimuovere il frame fa osservare il soggetto per quel che é, ma é proprio osservarlo per quel che é che permette di rimuovere il frame.
Qualche giorno fa sullo spagnolo Jot Down Magazine é stato pubblicato l’articolo Paninaro: una revolución consumista. che tratta ovviamente dell’omonimo “movimento” italiano anni’80. Articolo perfetto nel raccontarne storia ed estetica, ma forse un po timido nel mettere a nudo il nocciolo della questione. Impossibile trattenersi dal riempire tale vuoto:
– l’articolo é stato aggiornato dopo la pubblicazione iniziale-
[Sorry, I don’t speak Spanish]
Italy here! Just some observations
1) ALL the (ex?) paninari will say that they didn’t have any social/political/ethical idea just because “we were young and only interested about fun and fashion”
2) ALL the (ex?) paninari grown up developing right-wing sympathy
3) The paninari were openly racist against people from southern Italy (calling them “terroni”: southern douchebag), against every kind of left-ish movement (calling them “china”: chinese communist) and people with un-fashioned clothing and lower economic opportunities (calling them “truzzi”: roughs). If you can read italian language you will easily recognize these features in all the paninari-comicbooks [one example here:http://docmanhattan.blogspot.it/2011/03/ledonismo-violento-dei-fumetti-del.html ] where usually a cool, rich and stylish north-italian guy, subdues and humiliates some south-italian Carabiniere or a bunch of un-fashioned socialists (both portrayed as idiotic losers and cheaters) and ends up conquering a beautiful easy girl.
4) The paninaro style came up in couple of posh High-Schools in Milano, but the media seized it immediately, shaping it trough commercial advertising
5) It’s quite impossible to separate the “paninaro” movement/style/fashion from the commercial brands with which is linked. If you remove Moncler, El Charro, Timberland, Burghy and so on, what remains are only class discrimination and racism. The fact that many (ex?) paninaro still refuse to admit it is because of hypocrisy or because they are still unaware of their true nature.
Manca però un sesto punto che parli del cosiddetto “disimpegno” dei paninari. Gli anni ’80 vengono raccontati come un decennio che cercò di scrollarsi di dosso le brutture degli anni di piombo con una “botta di vita” ma é particolarmente evidente come questo “scrollarsi di dosso” (ed i paninari sono un’ottima rappresentazione di QUESTO aspetto di quegli anni) non fu affatto un superamento delle tensioni sociali, economiche ed ideologiche che caratterizzarono il decennio precedente, bensì un generale “volgersi da un’altra parte”.
Ubriacarsi per dimenticare / Ballare per non pensare Se vi fu una condanna del decennio precedente fu meramente una condanna “estetica” e non etica: si condannarono genericamente gli eccessi ma senza affrontare le questioni di base.
Bandiera bianca: ognuno resti nella propria trincea e tiriamo fuori il vino!
QUEGLI anni ’80, gli anni ’80 dei paninari, son stati anni mascherati da day-after party: ai primi accenni di doposbornia dal decennio precedente si é semplicemente voluti passati ad un diverso tipo di ubriacatura che ha mascherato i sintomi esteriori negativi pur continuando ad alimentare ciò che li aveva causati.
RACCONTARSELA che un cambio di stile sia segno di un cambio di natura é il tratto tipico di chi non vuole fare i conti con la storia e vuole/deve celare agli altri (e magari pure a sé stesso) proprio quella natura che non affronta apertamente.
Non disimpegno, quindi, ma ipocrisia e conformismo, (mal)celati attraverso l’originalità di una codificazione estetica che ironicamente si rivela cartina al tornasole dei tratti essenziali (elitismo, classismo, razzismo, snobismo) da cui se ne comprende facilmente l’etica sottostante.
E’inutile avere notizie corrette, informazioni oneste ed imparziali, fonti non schierate e trasparenza delle istituzioni.
E’inutile per colpa TUA.
E’inutile perché TU, per primo, non ti osservi, non ti metti in discussione e non ti accorgi di essere sbilanciato, di parte, male informato e privo di strumenti adatti a valutare la validità di ciò che leggi.
Il risultato é che anche mettendoti sotto gli occhi dati e informazioni corrette ed imparziali, TU premierai sempre e solo quelle fonti che s’allineano al tuo modo di vedere le cose, che spesso ha più a che fare col tuo inconscio, coi tuoi pregiudizi e con la tua ignoranza che non con i fatti veri e propri.
Certo, hai dei “margini d’accettazione” entro cui sei in grado di accogliere idee che non t’appartengono, ma non ti rendi assolutamente conto di quanto questi tuoi margini siano stretti e superficiali. Il solo fatto di averli, questi margini, t’illude d’essere una persona molto più aperta di quanto tu non sia realmente.
Vivere immersi nelle proprie convinzioni non é diverso dal viaggiare in automobile: il tuo “sapere” é lo strumento/mezzo che ti sei costruito per muoverti più velocemente, raggiungere mete e scansare pericoli. Ma ti fidi a viaggiare su un qualcosa che non hai mai messo VERAMENTE alla prova? Sei la cavia di te stesso e se non sottoponi mai le tue convinzioni a dei test di revisione non potrai mai sapere quanto siano valide e sicure.
Qui si parla di test VERI, capaci di mettere in discussione la validità delle fondamenta di quanto credi. Non illuderti d’averlo già fatto: un vero crash-test può arrivare a spezzare il telaio di una macchina, mentre tu, probabilmente ti sei limitato a distruggere la carrozzeria.
Magari ti accorgi di aver viaggiato tutta la vita su un mezzo capace di superare solo certi ostacoli o che va benissimo solo sulle strade che percorri abitualmente ma s’impantana su percorsi leggermente diversi! Al contrario potresti scoprire che questo mezzo é molto più performante di quanto tu immaginassi perché non l’avevi mai sfruttato fino in fondo. Non lo saprai mai a meno che non sia TU a sottoporre le tue stesse convinzione a stress-test sempre più stringenti.
Ciò significa, tra l’altro, che é inutile attaccare le tue fonti d’informazione quando sei TU il primo ad aver paura di ridiscutere le tue convinzioni.
Casomai, qualora proprio-proprio vi fosse qualche brandello di dubbio nelle tue convinzioni, o ti fossi deciso ad una sana opera di “collaudo e revisione” partendo da ciò che leggi, ecco qui, come spunto iniziale un piccolo Vademecum dei principali tratti comuni delle fonti inattendibili: ossia quei segnali che, qualora rilevati, devono far scattare dei campanelli d’allarme
ALLARMISMO EMOTIVO CICLICO
Compito di una fonte d’informazione é soprattutto dar notizia di quel che non funziona. Ciò che caratterizza la fonte inattendibile é il ricorso continuato ad allarmi dalla forte connotazione emotiva che vengono “spinti” per un determinato lasso di tempo per poi passare ad allarmi più “freschi” in un continuum ciclico infinito.
BANALIZZAZIONE
Una notizia può essere comunicata in maniera riassunta, ridotta all’essenziale, asciugata dei dettagli e rimanere tuttavia ancora corretta. La fonte inattendibile però compie questo lavoro di “asciugatura” in maniera incorretta, tralasciando (volutamente/inconsciamente) aspetti importanti, semplificando troppo e banalizzando la notizia stessa.
MANCANZA DI FONTI / FONTI INATTENDIBILI
Una fonte inattendibile solitamente non indica le proprie fonti o si basa su fonti inattendibili. L’argomento é già stato trattato in un’altro post, ma può esser riassunto così: “Se mi dai un’informazione ma non mi dimostri che é vera e non mi dici come l’hai avuta io devo dubitare”
ESIBIZIONE D’INDIPENDENZA/LIBERTA’
E’ironico notare come le fonti più schierate, di parte e chiuse al dialogo siano spesso quelle che mettono più enfasi nell’esibirsi “liberi pensatori, menti aperte, indipendenti, non schierati”. Che sia il nome della fonte, il suo slogan o la sua bio su Twitter, la forzosa esibizione di queste caratteristiche, ironicamente, é quasi sempre garanzia del suo contrario. Esiste anche la variante “rivelo i segreti” ossia l’insistenza sul fatto che le notizie trasmesse siano state “tenute nascoste” o “censurate” (poco importa che siano su Youtube da anni o che vengano vendute regolarmente in edicola)
SIMPATIA AVVALORANTE
Una fonte, perché sia seguita, deve avere maturato un certo grado di affidabilità. Caratteristica delle fonti inattendibili é spesso quella di essere avvalorate più dalla simpatia popolare che dall’effettivo valore delle informazioni/analisi che dispensa. Capita cioè che un personaggio dello showbiz che magari si limita a esprimere opinioni condivisibili ma banali e poco profonde, goda spesso di un’aura di credibilità superiore a quella di chi propone analisi e descrizioni degli eventi molto più attente e valide, ma meno frizzanti.
SBERLEFFO FORZOSO
La fonte inattendibile spesso attua la sua opera di BANALIZZAZIONE attraverso l’utilizzo sistematico dello sberleffo. Spesso utilizzato in maniera sottile (a alcuni casi non lo si nota ad una prima lettura) l’informazione dello sberleffo non si limita ad essere metafora parziale della realtà (compito della satira) ma pretende d’essere una rappresentazione esatta, anche se buffa, della realtà stessa! Con abile raggiro, ironicamente, a volte lo fa proprio dipingendosi da satira!
SCHIERAMENTO MANICHEO
Va da sé che una fonte visibilmente schierata abbia un’attendibilità parziale e vada sempre presa con le pinze. Attraverso BANALIZZAZIONE e SBERLEFFO FORZOSO la fonte inattendibile ricondurrà sempre allo schema amico/nemico > buono/cattivo > bene/male > bianco/nero. La fonte attendibile, al contrario, non rifiuta di mostrare i diversi “gradi di grigio” della realtà anche nei casi in cui ciò andasse contro il proprio schieramento (una fonte può mantenere un buon grado di attendibilità pur essendo apertamente schierata, se vuole).
DEMONIZZAZIONE DEL NEMICO
Una fonte inattendibile sfrutta ogni occasione per demonizzare il proprio nemico ricorrendo perlopiù a SBERLEFFO FORZOSO ed alla diffusione di notizie pure in MANCANZA DI FONTI. La demonizzazione si differenzia dalla critica in primo luogo per i toni, ma soprattutto per il fatto che la critica é uno scontro di idee, mentre la demonizzazione é semplice tirar fango.
AGGRESSIVITA’ LINGUISTICA
Chi non ha argomenti a favore delle proprie affermazioni aggredisce. In presenza di articoli urlati, titoli allarmistici ed esplosioni d’indignazione sappiamo di trovarci dinnanzi ad una probabilissima fonte inattendibile (a meno che non si tratti di un articolo MOLTO ben documentato e lo scandalo in questione sia proporzionato al tono usato). In questi casi una doccia fredda fa sempre bene.
Ci sarebbero poi altri punti come la coerenza interna, la messa in dubbio e la capacità autocritica della fonte, o l’attendibilità pregressa, ma non possono far parte di questo breve vademecum perché la capacità di vederli ed analizzarli vien dopo l’aver imparato a riconoscere e soppesare i punti già elencati: solo smettendo di giustificare le proprie fonti in base alle proprie convinzioni personali e iniziando un lavoro di critica alle stesse, si potrà capire quanto queste risultino valide o meno.
Oggi TUTTO é “notizia”. Un articolo di giornale, un post su un blog, un tweet, una foto su Instagram, una mail virale, un filmato su Youtube, una clip televisiva: sono tutti strumenti che trasmettono continuamente ROBA.
Video buffi, meme, haiku, barzellette, opinioni personali, battute acide o brillanti, storie personali, bufale, esperienze di vita, balle colossali. Tutto viene trattato più o meno allo stesso modo.
Senza grande distinzione tra una uno scandalo internazionale ed una soubrette fotografata senza mutande, a fare le spese di questo livellamento é soprattutto l’informazione popolare (ossia quell’ammasso di ROBA che la gente ha assorbito e che ritiene essere informazione valida) , non solo perché tratta allo stesso modo lo scandalo e la soubrette, ma perché sempre meno capace di distinguere cosa, di tutta questa ROBA sia una notizia e cosa no.
Il comun denominatore di tutto ciò é l’entertainment: l’interesse verso una notizia é dato dalla sua maggior o minor capacità di suscitare emozioni e raccontare una storia interessante, anziché dall’importanza dei fatti descritti.
Colpa del mercato, della tecnologia, dei lettori e dei giornalisti. Il risultato é che nell’ “era dell’informazione” la maggioranza della popolazione non sa distinguere notizie, gossip e propaganda elettorale.
Spesso, poi, chi anche riesce ancora a comprenderne la differenza non é in grado di affermare se la notizia che legge ha valore o meno.
Bisogna innanzitutto capire cosa sia una notizia, quanto sia utile e quanto sia attendibile.
Una notizia può dirsi tale solamente se contiene informazioni attendibili.
L’utilità di una notizia dipende dal contesto e dal suo grado di valore per la comunità in cui viene diffusa.
L’attendibilità di una notizia dipende dalla propria coerenza e dalla verificabilità ed attendibilità delle sue fonti.
La distinzione tra notizie attendibile ed inattendibile é di certo la più importante perché é una distinzione che funge da grimaldello nel dedurne successivamente il grado di verità, neutralità ed utilità.
A) VERIFICABILITA’ DELLE FONTI
Chi diffonde una notizia deve garantire la verificabilità delle fonti, ossia deve mettere il lettore in condizione di poter accedere il più direttamente possibile la fonte originaria delle informazioni su cui la notizia é basata.
Maggiore é la distanza tra il lettore e le fonti originarie dell’informazione (utilizzo di fonti secondarie o terziarie), minore é la sua verificabilità.
Una fonte verificabile non é automaticamente veritiera: il fatto che una fonte sia verificabile la rende aperta al controllo sulla sua veridicità.
Una fonte non verificabile é automaticamente non attendibile. Ciò non significa che sia falsa ma che il lettore non é messo in condizione di controllare SE sia vera.
Qualora la fonte fosse particolarmente nota, diffusa e conosciuta, l’indicazione esplicita della fonte diventa superflua (Se la notizia riguardasse ad esempio un evento importante avvenuto il giorno stesso e disponibile su diverse piattaforme, siti e trasmissioni tv é lecito ritenere che chi legga sappia benissimo di cosa si stia parlando e come accedervi. Se invece la notizia riguardasse un particolare decreto legge da poco approvato, citarne il testo e linkare la versione integrale sarebbe doveroso)
B) ATTENDIBILITA’ DELLE FONTI
Le fonti di una notizia sono considerate più o meno attendibili a seconda del loro grado di autorevolezza, neutralità, molteplicità, diversificazione e coerenza.
Più le fonti rispondono a queste voci, maggiore sarà la loro attendibilità.
Il rapporto di queste voci e la fonte ha diversi gradi d’importanza a seconda del contesto e del soggetto in esame. Da ciò ne deriva che a seconda del contesto e del soggetto in esame, una fonte potrebbe essere ritenuta attendibile anche se rispondesse debolmente a queste voci, così come potrebbe esser ritenuta non attendibile per il fatto di non rispondere anche ad una sola di queste voci.
AUTOREVOLEZZA
L’autorevolezza di una fonte é sempre e solo relativa al soggetto in esame. Nessuna fonte insomma può esser ritenuta autorevole di per sé. (Un eccellente chirurgo non é necessariamente un esperto di dietologia, così come un bravo cantante non é automaticamente un esperto di politica).
Vi sono ovviamente diversi gradi di autorevolezza in relazione al soggetto in esame attribuibile alla fonte in base al grado di competenza riconosciuta e dimostrata.
L’acquisizione della competenza é relativa agli studi ed all’esperienza sul soggetto in questione.
Il riconoscimento della competenza può manifestarsi con titoli di studio, accettazione in peer review (anche in alcuni casi al di fuori dell’ambito scientifico, qualora all’interno di una comunità relativa al soggetto in questione vi fosse ampia convergenza sulla valutazione della competenza della fonte)
La competenza della fonte può anche esser dimostrata, qualora fosse comprovata da prove scientificamente inconfutabili.
Maggiore é la robustezza con cui la competenza della fonte viene dimostrata e riconosciuta, maggiore sarà il suo grado di autorevolezza. Il fatto che la fonte abbia acquisito competenza anche molto alta sul soggetto in esame, non gli dà autorevolezza se questa non é stata riconosciuta e/o dimostrata.
Ciò non esclude che vi siano fonti che abbiano altissima competenza in grado di fornire informazioni migliori, ma se queste fonti non han mai dimostrato e fatto riconoscere la propria competenza non gli si può attribuire autorevolezza.
NEUTRALITA’
Una fonte neutrale é una fonte equilibrata nei confronti del soggetto in esame. (Un inventore che parla della propria invenzione non é una fonte neutrale, così come un politico schierato pro o contro all’immigrazione non é una fonte neutrale quando diffonde dati sull’immigrazione)
Più la fonte é distaccata ed in grado di fornire una descrizione bilanciata dei fatti, maggiore sarà il suo grado di neutralità.
Per descrizione bilanciata dei fatti s’intende una descrizione dei fatti non macchiata da opinioni esterne alla stessa e che mantiene equidistanza dai diversi attori che riguardano la notizia stessa senza favorirne alcuno.
Per fonte distaccata s’intende una fonte che non abbia alcuna forma di vantaggio nella diffusione della notizia in questione.
MOLTEPLICITA’
Più sono le fonti che confermano le informazioni relative alla notizia, maggiore sarà l’attendibilità della notizia. Il valore della molteplicità é strettamente connesso alla sua diversificazione.
DIVERSIFICAZIONE
Le fonti diversificate sono fonti non neutrali tra di loro, ossia fonti che prese singolarmente hanno caratteri di autorevolezza e neutralità ma che per alcuni motivi dipendenti dal contesto non possono esser considerate relativamente neutrali. (Un’informazione confermata da 10 studiosi provenienti dalla stessa scuola di pensiero é meno diversificata di un’informazione avallata da 4 studiosi provenienti da 4 diverse scuole di pensiero in contrasto fra loro)
Il tipo di diversificazione dipende dal contesto.(Intervistare 100 persone diversissime fra loro, ma tutte provenienti da Milano e sostenitrici del partito X, é una diversificazione minore che intervistare 100 adulti maschi di cinquant’anni da tutt’Italia che votano partiti diversi tra loro, se l’argomento é la politica del Paese)
COERENZA
Per coerenza s’intende una collaborazione congrua e non contraddittoria delle diverse informazioni relative ad una data notizia, sia tra di loro che con l’esperienza comune dell’autore e delle fonti.
Maggiore é la coerenza tra le fonti, maggiore é l’attendibilità delle informazioni stesse. (Se le informazioni provenienti da diverse fonti sono incoerenti tra loro non si avrà una notizia attendibile).
UNA NOTIZIA ATTENDIBILE E’ UNA NOTIZIA CHE PERMETTE LA PROPRIA SMENTITA
Una notizia basata su fonti attendibili che indica apertamente é una notizia che fornisce al lettore gli elementi per poterla verificare e volendo anche smentire. In caso contrario, una notizia basata su [non si sa bene che informazioni] che [non si sa da dove provengono] é qualcosa di indistinguibile da una teoria personale o una bufala poiché la sua verifica richiede lo stesso tipo di impegno.
Non significa che per questo sia vera: significa che é stata diffusa in modo corretto, dando la possibilità a chi legge di informarsi il meglio possibile e di correggere e smentire eventuali falsità.
Non significa nemmeno che sia neutrale: l’autore della notizia, pur basandosi su fonti autorevoli e neutrali, potrebbe aver esposto il tutto in una forma non neutrale.
Non significa nemmeno che sia utile: una notizia vera e neutrale redatta come si deve e basata su fonti attendibili e verificabili che riguardasse il nuovo taglio di capelli del cantante del momento, per quanto seguito, forse interesserà i suoi fan e il mondo della moda, ma non il notiziario nazionale.
ALCUNI ESEMPI
Se l’informazione da trasmettere é “c’é una coda sulla A2”, tre persone diverse che si trovano in quella coda e intervistate telefonicamente posso esser ritenute fonti abbastanza attendibili per valutare la situazione in quanto, nonostante non siano responsabili del traffico e siano coinvolti emotivamente nel fatto, relativamente al soggetto in esame il loro grado di attendibilità é più che sufficiente, poiché valutare se c’é o non c’é una coda non richiede grandi livelli di attendibilità.
Al contrario, se l’informazione da verificare é un crimine di guerra avvenuto in zone remote e con pochi testimoni, il grado di attendibilità richiesto sarà altissimo.
In casi in cui mille di persone diversissime e non toccate direttamente dal soggetto in esame, tra cui anche alcuni specialisti sul soggetto in esame, diffondessero diverse informazioni coerenti relative ad una determinata notizia, il fatto che tutte queste fonti siano legate da una comune appartenenza culturale-politico-religiosa non neutrale nei confronti del soggetto in esame, minerebbe alla base l’attendibilità di tutti i mille
Due più due fa cinque. Bisogna accettarlo: E’COSI’ PERCHE’ LO DICONO TUTTI.
Non importa essersi informati, aver seguito centinaia di lezioni, imparato a memoria le tabelline, ottenuto una laurea in matematica: se ti trovi di fronte due o più persone che sostengono che 2+2=5 tu, che sostieni faccia 4, sei un povero sfigato bastiancontrario in minoranza che “non capisce”.
O peggio: se anziché limitarti a sostenere che “due più due fa quattro e non cinque” hai l’ardire di indicare prove materiali a tuo favore (schemi delle tabelline, testi di matematica ecc), con ogni probabilità verrai tacciato d’esser [ noioso / pesante / arrogante / antipatico / stressante / fondamentalista / troppo rigido ].
ATTENZIONE: qui non si parla di divergenze d’opinioni ma di pura e semplice negazione di fatti.
OPINIONI VS. DESCRIZIONI DELLA REALTA’
Se Gianni sostiene che “il Gran Canyon é più bello della muraglia cinese” e Pinotto che “la muraglia cinese é più bella del Gran Canyon” si tratta di una divergenza d’opinioni, ossia considerazioni personali non misurabili e prive di valore oggettivo.
Se Gianni invece sostenesse che “la muraglia cinese divide la Louisiana dall’Arizona” non ci troveremmo più di fronte ad un’opinione personale ma ad una descrizione della realtà che pertanto può esser misurata in gradi di veridicità a seconda della sua maggior o minor capacità di rappresentare coerentemente la realtà conosciuta.
A GIANNI NON INTERESSA LA REALTA’
Se Gianni sostenesse che “la muraglia cinese divide la Louisiana dall’Arizona“, per dimostrare che la muraglia cinese sta in Cina potresti mostrare fotografie, guide di viaggio, atlanti, documentari, testimonianze di amici cinesi, libri di storia. Ma tutto ciò potrebbe essere inutile.
Non per colpa dei tuoi atlanti o delle tue fotografie. Non per colpa del tuo amico cinese o delle tue guide di viaggio. Ma per colpa di Gianni stesso. Si perché fondamentalmente A GIANNI NON INTERESSA LA REALTA’. Non cerca riscontri oggettivi alle proprie credenze. Non mette in discussione le proprie convinzioni.
STOCKHOLM SYNDROME
Gianni é talmente abituato a stare nella sua prigione di convinzioni (anche se non é detto ci si trovi poi così comodo) che la difenderà a spada tratta, percependo come un attacco qualunque cosa potesse anche solo potenzialmente intaccarla. Perché Gianni ha paura ad uscire da quella prigione che conosce benissimo ed in cui sa come muoversi. Ecco che quindi Gianni bollerà tutte le prove in grado di distruggere la sua convinzioni come “roba noiosa da leggere, poco interessante, di parte e magari anche falsa”.
Brooks, dopo aver passato l’intera vita in carcere, alla notizia della sua scarcerazione tenta di uccidere un altro detenuto per prolungare la sua stessa prigionia (Le ali della libertà)
UN CRIMINE
Se la stupidità é una condizione sfortunata e pericolosa e l’ignoranza é una condizione risolvibile, la negazione della conoscenza é certamente un crimine.
Negando di affrontare l’evidenza, quindi, Gianni commette un crimine di cui é il solo responsabile.
COLPA DI GIANNI E DI CHI LO NUTRE
Pur non discolpando Gianni é comunque innegabile che la sua negazione della realtà derivi ANCHE all’humus culturale in cui é immerso. Perché vi sono anche molti altri “Gianni” a cui fa comodo che Gianni stesso resti com’é e fanno di tutto per alimentarlo e stimolarlo con cibi adatti a mantenerlo così.
Come un alcolizzato che fin da giovane é stato spinto a preferire i liquori in base al maggior tasso alcolico e non in base ad un gusto addestrato da corsi da sommelier, a Gianni é sempre e solo stato insegnato a descrivere/descriversi grossolanamente la realtà; più con la pancia che attraverso analisi logica e riscontri oggettivi.
A ciò hanno contribuito l’ambiente in cui é cresciuto, la famiglia in cui ha vissuto, gli amici che si é scelto, gli insegnanti che più l’hanno coinvolto, le cose che ha letto e sentito.
Se Gianni non ha una propensione personale a documentarsi e l’ambiente in cui é cresciuto lo ha abituato a leggere poco e/o a leggere male sarà sicuramente molto più a suo agio nella fruizione di testi che rispondono con semplicità alla sua pancia. Si troverà più a suo agio coi brevi servizi di Striscia la Notizia e con gli schiamazzi populisti che con la lettura di OpenData come dati Istat ed Eurostat o con testi troppo articolati e complessi.
Se poi Gianni si trova in un ambiente particolarmente avverso ai valori di precisione, merito, ricerca, dialogo ed analisi come l’Italia attuale (NB: non che all’estero sia tutto meglio, ma qui gli italici modelli di riferimento stan facendo danni a livelli diversissimi e in tutti i campi) una certa colpa va addossata pure all’humus di cultura popolare italiana.
Viste le premesse non stupisce il fatto che il dialogo nazionale vada avanti a colpi di emergenze emotive. Con la spinta degli introiti da grandi numeri e la scusante esteriore della simpatia si é lasciato sempre più spazio ad un tipo di comunicazione eccessiva, semplicistica ed inaccurata.
PROPAGANDA AUTORIGENERANTE
Ogni giorno escono a ritmi frenetici migliaia di articoli, post, commenti, tweet e servizi formanti un flusso mastodontico che investe la persona, la quale ormai si percepisce sempre meno figura che deve cercare le informazioni utili, e più utente raggiunto dalle notizie.
La mole di notizie che investono la persona la obbligano ad impiegare il suo tempo in un’operazione di rapidissima e frenetica scrematura quantitativa dei dati. Per ogni articolo letto per intero sono stati scartati decine e decine di titoli e foto che tuttavia, passando davanti agli occhi della persona vengono letti ed assorbiti.
A causa del gran numero e la rapidità con cui questi brandelli d’informazione passano sotto gli occhi di tutti, DI FATTO l’immaginario popolare viene plasmato più facilmente da immagini come questa che da argomenti che illustrano la realtà scientifica dei fatti (ossia chei migranti che giungono in Italia sono più sani degli italiani stessi):
(bufala priva di fondamento)
Allarmi di questo tipo vengono lanciati continuamente sui social network per esser visualizzati, rigirati, riportati, riscritti, copiati, rilanciati e, qualora ottenessero un certo successo, fatti proprio da blogger, giornalisti e politici che, per ottenere visibilità/visualizzazioni/consenso rilanceranno con maggior forza.
Il nostro Gianni, dopo aver esser stato raggiunto qualche decina o centinaia di volte da notizie simili avrà sicuramente assorbito il meme “gli immigrati portano l’ebola” e non andrà ad informarsi oltre: se ha già pregiudizi verso gli immigrati avrà già fatto sua quest’idea. Poco importa che sia tutta una balla e la realtà sia esattamente l’opposto (ossia che gli immigrati, più che portare malattie si ammalano quando arrivano in Italia).
Oltre alle bufale vere e proprie circolano allo stesso modo mezze verità, letture parziali dei fatti, esagerazioni gargantuesche ed ipersemplificazioni in un deleterio mix in cui un servizio al telegiornale può parlare di uno scambio di tweet tra un politico ed una soubrette a proposito di un’allarme-bufala lanciato da un blog che ha citato una frase falsa attribuita alla moglie del direttore del telegiornale, scatenando schiere di tifosi da smartphone che si lanciano in battaglie a suon di tweet, post e like a favore o contro la notizia. L’informazione diventa intrattenimento-spettacolo e le diverse opinioni vengono irregimentate in tifo da stadio. La natura stessa dei social network tende a premiare proprio quest’ultimo aspetto, livellando i dialoghi al minimo comun denominatore (tu tiri pietra – io lancio sasso) rendendolo DI FATTO il modo moderno di “dialogare”.
TUTTO QUESTO SENZA MAI VERIFICARE LA VERIDICITÀ’ DELLE AFFERMAZIONI LETTE E SOSTENUTE
La mancata distinzione tra informazione ed intrattenimento crea di fatto una forma di propaganda autorigenerante in cui sono le stesse persone suggestionate ad alimentare unilateralmente ciò che li ha suggestionati riproponendolo e rinnovandolo, distruggendo la distinzione fatta ad inizio di questo articolo, tra opinione e descrizione della realtà.
Ecco come negli ultimi anni il chiacchiericcio del momento é stato preso in ostaggio dai diversi Frame (sempre nuovi perché lo storytelling deve sempre essere fresco e affascinante):
“pericolo lavavetri”, “imprenditori suicidi”, “boom stupri”, “mandiamo a casa la casta”, “Berlusconi innocente”, “Toghe rosse”, “scandalo auto blu”, “Corona incarcerato per una foto”, “i clandestini ci stanno invadendo”, “questo governo non é stato votato”, “ridateci i nostri marò”, “L’Europa ci comanda” oltre a decine e decine di “rivelazioni” mai fatte, “ricerche” irreperibili. Il tutto utilizzando perlopiù un linguaggio urlato a volte cartoonesco, ma sempre attento più alla forma accattivante che all’attendibilità del contenuto.
Il risultato é l’aver impantanato ogni dialogo nazionale in uno sciocco chiacchiericcio monopolizzato da meme che sostituiscono la realtà dei fatti e che all’orecchio di chi si é preso la briga di documentarsi suonano assurde come “La muraglia cinese divide la Louisiana dall’Arizona” o “due più due fa cinque”. Ma guai a negarle! Se ci provassi verresti subito tacciato di essere via via noioso / poco interessante / di parte / arrogante / radical chic / il solito sessantottino / uno dei centri sociali / fascista / anarchico / marziano.
Non c’é che adattarsi. Prendere una pastiglia omeopatica, farsi fare un massaggio shiatsu, chattare su Facebook a proposito di quel post letto di sfuggita e mi ha indignato tanto per poi andare in centro (stando ovviamente lontano tutti i negri per non prender malattie) a comprare quel nuovo prodotto “bio” che tutti dicono faccia benissimo. Ma prima dovrò prelevare dei contanti alla mia banca che sarà certo in mano a degli ebrei.
Se tre quarti dei media italiani ripetessero continuamente per mesi che “gli avvocati sono la causa dei mali dell’Italia” possiamo star certi che quest’idea s’intrufolerebbe trasversalmente nei pensieri e nei discorsi fatti tra il più micragnoso bar di provincia e le aule del Parlamento.
Alcuni esempi sono i vari “Invasione di clandestini”, “pericolo lavavetri”, “scandalo auto blu”, “attenzione alla propaganda gay”, “italiani brava gente”, “i terroristi tra noi”, “ridateci i nostri Marò”: basta che il concetto venga ripetuto di continuo, sia semplice e faccia appiglio su sentire comune e mancata conoscenza dell’argomento perché faccia breccia.
Ripetizione continua? Ipersemplificazione? Base pregiudiziale? Stimolo dell’indignazione? Piglio emotivo? Assenza di riferimenti verificati? Ma, oh, guarda, non é mica niente di nuovo: é la nostra solita, vecchia, cara amica PROPAGANDA!
Veniamo a noi: metti insieme un Paese in cui dilaga l’analfabetismo costituzionale, delle rumorosissime opposizioni non nuove all’ indignazione facile fornite di un parco mediatico gigantesco (Forza Italia, Movimento Cinque Stelle, Lega Nord) ed ecco così che anche una bestialità come “Questo governo non é stato votato dal popolo” prende piede nei discorsi della #ggente.
Ecco, questo é il mantra [meme/frame] che i partiti d’opposizione di destra ripetono continuamente a partire dalle dimissioni di Berlusconi e conseguente nomina del governo Monti nel Dicembre 2011.
Ma la nomina del governo italiano é regolata dalla costituzione e dalla legge elettorale:
COSTITUZIONE
La Nomina del Presidente del Consiglio dei Ministri é regolata dagli articoli della Costituzione 92, 93, 95, 96.In particolare il 92 dice:
Il Governo della Repubblica è composto del Presidente del Consiglio e dei ministri, che costituiscono insieme il Consiglio dei ministri.
Il Presidente della Repubblica nomina il Presidente del Consiglio dei ministri e, su proposta di questo, i ministri.
La nomina é preceduta dalla prassi di consultazioni con i diversi partiti e che é ben spiegata qui
(PS: potete scaricare la Costituzione gratis da qui, sono una quarantina di paginette scritte in italiano semplice-semplice e leggerla non provoca nessun effetto collaterale nocivo)
LE LEGGI ELETTORALI DAL 1946 AD OGGI
Le leggi elettorali, che come tutte le leggi devono attenersi alle linee della Costituzione, definiscono i meccanismi elettivi: la suddivisione del territorio in seggi, le soglie di sbarramento, la possibilità o meno di indicare preferenze ecc.
– Dal 1993 al 2005 si é votato secondo laLegge Mattarella (soprannominato “Mattarellum” sia come storpiatura del nome dell’autore che come riferimento al fatto che la legge tentasse d’ avvicinarsi agli effetti di un sistema maggioritario pur restando un sistema proporzionale)
– Attualmente si é al lavoro sul nuovo sistema soprannominato “Italicum” il cui funzionamento é spiegato qui
QUINDI, IN SOLDONI
1) Il popolo vota dei partiti in base alla legge elettorale vigente
2) I partiti eleggono il Presidente della Repubblica
3) il Presidente della Repubblica nomina un Presidente del Consiglio, il quale propone i suoi Ministri
4) il Presidente della Repubblica incarica il nuovo Governo
5) Se in un qualche momento, il Parlamento nega la propria fiducia al Governo in carica, il Presidente della Repubblica dovrà nominare un nuovo Presidente del Consiglio e dovrà ripetere i punti 3 e 4. Idem se il governo cade anzitempo (Si, esiste anche la possibilità di indire elezioni anticipate, ma per fortuna vi é un margine di discrezionalità: far seguire ad un’elezione che ha portato a governi instabili un’elezione anticipata che porterà a governi altrettanto instabili non gioverebbe alla popolazione).
ERGO
Dire che “il governo ci é stato imposto” significa [ignorare/negare/fingere di non conoscere] sia l’esistenza della Costituzione che della legge elettorale.
Si possono ridiscutere e riscrivere entrambe, ma non far caciara come se non esistessero.
OH, THE IRONY (MEMORIA CORTA=PROPAGANDA LUNGA)
Non si può non notare con ironia che chi più di tutti si é fatto promotore dal 2011 del meme/frame“il governo ci é stato imposto” son proprio quelle stesse forze politiche (Forza Italia e Lega Nord) che nel 2005 erano a capo del governo (Governo Berlusconi III) ed hanno scritto, approvato e votato la Legge Calderoli, indicata come una delle principali cause della formazione di governi instabili e che non si é mai mossa (come invece propugnava) nel tentativo di trasformare l’Italia in una Repubblica presidenziale (al limite ha agitato la proposta su quotidiani e talk-show). Chi é causa del suo mal…
C’é una casa ad Abzimu, una piccola località ad ovest di Aleppo verso Idlib. E’ la casa del capo del consiglio rivoluzionario locale. Questa casa é il luogo di riferimento di tre italiani giunti ad Aleppo da poche ore: Daniele Raineri, un giornalista de Il Foglio, Greta Ramelli e Vanessa Marzullo, due cooperanti volontarie fondatrici del progetto Horryaty.
-il post é stato aggiornato dopo la pubblicazione iniziale-
DANIELE RAINERI
Daniele é un reporter spesso presente in zone a rischio . Non é la prima volta che entra in Siria da quando sono iniziati i conflitti ed é stato proprio lui a portare le ragazze alla casa del capo del consiglio rivoluzionario. Daniele parla l’arabo ed é in contatto col Free Syrian Army, la principale forza della coalizione anti-Assad che nei suoi articoli appoggia apertamente (tanto che in alcune occasioni ha pubblicato notizie anti-Assad poi rivelatesi infondate).
GRETA RAMELLI E VANESSA MARZULLO
Greta e Vanessa sono due attiviste del volontariato internazionale con qualche esperienza sul campo: Greta studia scienze infermieristiche; é volontaria presso l’”Organizzazione Internazionale di soccorso“ (Croce Rossao Mezzaluna Rossa che dir si voglia); nel 2011 ha passato quattro mesi in Zambia come volontaria tra i malati di AIDS e nel 2012 ha assistito per tre settimane la popolazione degli slum di Calcutta. Vanessa studia mediazione linguistica e culturale, mastica un po l’arabo ed é pure lei volontaria presso l’Organizzazione Internazionale di soccorso.
(L’ASSISTENZA UMANITARIA IN SIRIA)
Prima che scoppiassero i conflitti era presente sul territorio una piccola ma valida rete caritatevole ed alcune organizzazioni dedite allo sviluppo sostenibile che dall’inizio della guerra fatica non poco a restare in piedi. Attualmente sono diverse le organizzazioni umanitarie presenti nelle aree di conflitto e nei Paesi adiacenti (Qui un elencodelle associazioni partnerUNHCR presenti) con volontari di diverse nazionalità non di rado under 25 che danno un aiuto fondamentale nel mantenere salda la comunità siriana. Molte delle ONG italiane presenti aderiscono alla Piattaforma delle Ong Italiane in Medio Oriente e Mediterraneo, il cui proposito é aiutare e migliorare il coordinamento tra diverse associazioni. La Croce Rossa Italiana, in missione dal 2012, ad aprile 2013 aveva ancora chiesto“[…] alla Comunità Internazionale di accendere i riflettori sul mancato rispetto del ruolo dei soccorritori. Dall’inizio del conflitto sono 17 i volontari della Mezzaluna Rossa Siriana uccisi mentre prestavano opera di soccorso. Una violazione inammissibile”.”
Ci si scontra pure con la burocrazia: le organizzazioni umanitarie hanno il permesso teorico del governo siriano di muoversi liberamente, ma per ogni singolo spostamento bisogna richiedere e riuscire ad ottenere permessi (vedi PDF). Permessi che vanno richiesti con giorni d’anticipo fornendo i dati dei viaggiatori, dei mezzi che utilizzeranno. La richiesta viene fatta passare prima dal SARC , poi dal ministero degli affari esteri, poi ritorna al SARC che preparerà i lasciapassare per i checkpoint (vedi PDF). Questo se tutto fila liscio: le richieste burocratiche a volte diventano particolarmente fantasiose. Le difficoltà implicite nel conflitto e gli inghippi burocratici fanno si che nonostante l’impegno di molti siano numerose le aree che non vengono raggiunte dall’assistenza.
IL PRIMO VIAGGIO IN SIRIA, I CONTATTI ED HORRYATY
Per Greta e Vanessa quello del 2014 in cui sono state rapite non é il primo viaggio in Siria. Nel 2012 il loro interesse ed impegno s’era concentrato sul dramma della guerra civile siriana ed avevano maturato l’intenzione di partecipare attivamente agli aiuti sul campo. Si eran messe in contatto con la comunità dei siriani residenti in Italia (link 1link 2link 3) e con l’IPSIA, l’ ONG delle ACLI che si occupa di cooperazione e volontariato all’estero. Prestano aiuto volontario quasi ogni giorno in uno dei primi centri di accoglienza per profughi sirianiin Via Novara a Milano, che raggiungono ogni giorno dai loro paesi in provincia di Bergamo ed é probabile che sia stato proprio qui, ascoltando le testimonianze dei profughi che assistono, che hanno maturato la convinzione di schierarsi contro Assad.
Proprio assieme ad un membro dell’IPSIA, Roberto Andervill, nel marzo 2014 avevano raggiunto per la prima volta la Siria in una Missione di sopralluogo passando attraverso il confine turco (822km di pianura, ma la maggior parte dei volontari,giornalisti e combattenti passa attraverso una fascia ben delimitatalunga poche decine di km).
Non ci vuole molto: aereo per Istanbul, si raggiunge il confine siriano con una macchina a noleggio, in treno o con un secondo volo (da Istanbul a Gaziantep c’é quasi un volo ogni ora, per dire). Arrivati sul posto ci si fa aiutare da qualche contatto conosciuto in precedenza che ti aiuta a passare illegalmente il confine con la Siria (o si trova qualcuno disponibile sul posto che lo fa per poche lire).
Robertosvolge missioni all’estero fin dal 1998(Gaza, Kosovo) e da qualche tempo anche lui era interessato alla Siria. Accompagnati da guardie siriane avevano raggiunto le zone rurali di Idlib dove, “sempre accompagnati e scortati da personale locale, con un alto grado di sicurezza” hanno avuto modo di valutare direttamente la situazione instaurando un primo rapporto con la popolazione locale, stringendo contatti sul posto e rilevando le problematiche presenti in due centri di primo soccorso (personale inadatto e materiali carenti).
Al rientro in Italia Greta, Vanessa e Roberto avevano creato il progetto di assistenza sanitaria Horryaty il cui scopo era portare primo soccorso al Free Syrian Army distribuendo kit di salvataggio destinati ai combattenti anti-Assad e farmaci ai pazienti affetti da malattie croniche. Horriaty non é una ONG o una Onlus ma una semplice associazione di fatto tra tre persone che organizzavano manifestazioni e raccolte fondi.
Scopo del secondo viaggio era organizzare e spedire dalla Turchia alla Siria un container con quei beni di prima necessità e medicinali difficilmente reperibili cui durante il primo viaggio avevano osservato la mancanza nei centri di primo soccorso. Prendono tutti i contatti necessari, scoprono dove e come procurarsi il materiale necessario. Trattano sui prezzi. Chiedono alle aziende di donare qualcosa. Alla fine riescono a riempire e far arrivare in Siria un container con beni di prima necessità come cibo, medicinali comuni, quasi una tonnellata di latte in polvere e i sudati medicinali rari.
(LE COALIZIONI IN LOTTA)
Nel caos siriano é possibile vedere almeno quattro coalizione opposte tra loro ognuna delle quali lotta contro le altre ed é formata da diverse forze e formazioni armate:
REPUBBLICA ARABA DI SIRIA (GOVERNO ASSAD / ALAWITI / SCIITI / NAZIONALISTI / SOCIALISMO ARABO) Composta da: Esercito siriano (laico), Shabiha (volontari alawiti), Forza Nazionale di difesa (laico, multireligioso), Brigate Ba’ath (paramilitari alawiti e sciiti), Jaysh al-Sha’bi (paramilitari alawiti e sciiti), Brigata al’Abbas (paramilitari sciiti), Pasdaran iraniani (sciiti), Khazali (paramilitari sciiti), Hezbollah (nazionalisti sciiti), Resistenza Siriana (marxisti nazionalisti), Jaysh al-Muwahhideen (drusi), FPLP (nazionalisti marxisti palestinesi), Guardia Nazionalista Araba (milizia volontaria nazionalista pan-arabista), altri gruppi filogovernativi. Le forze governative sono supportate da Russia, Iran, Corea del Nord, Iraq. Indirettamente anche da Cina, Venezuela, Bielorussia, Algeria.
COALIZIONE NAZIONALE SIRIANA (RIBELLI / SUNNITI / JIHADISTI) Composta da: Free Syrian Army (laici), fronte al-Nusra (jihadisti sunniti affiliati ad al-Quaeda), Fronte Islamico (jihadisti sunniti finanziati dall’Arabia Saudita), Esercito dei Mujaheddeen (coalizione di diversi gruppi ribelli sunniti, jihadisti e no). La coalizione é supportata da USA, Turchia, Arabia Saudita e Quatar. Indirettamente anche da Regno Unito e Francia.
L’ISIS Lo Stato Islamico (jihadisti sunniti) ha fatto parte della Coalizione Nazionale Siriana fino al 3 gennaio 2014, dopodiché ne é uscito per proseguire un piano di conquista tutto suo.
IL COMITATO SUPREMO CURDO Formato da YPG (esercito curdo di tendenza socialista), Pashmerga (volontari curdi iracheni), PKK (rivoluzionari socialisti / irredentisti curdi), altre formazioni.
(GLI OBIETTIVI DELLE COALIZIONI)
Senza addentrarci troppo nei perché e nei percome di questo conflitto si può solo riassumere in maniera un po sbrigativa che:
I ribelli vogliono abbattere il governo Assad ma non si sa bene con cosa lo sostituirebbero (si teme purtroppo una sorta di ’79 iraniano di stampo sunnita e jihadista)
Le forze governative vogliono riappropriarsi del territorio e mantenere al potere la minoranza allawita-sciita.
I curdi difendono i loro territori storici (pur mirando sempre ad uno stato curdo che unisca il proprio popolo diviso tra Turchia, Siria ed Iraq) .
L’ISIS mira alla formazione di un nuovo califfato indipendente ed autosufficiente che comprende (per il momento) ampie aree di Siria ed Iraq.
(IL FREE SYRIAN ARMY)
Il Free Syrian Army, la forza armata che Greta, Daniele e Vanessa sostengono, é formata dai disertori dell’esercito governativo. Dispone di circa 100.000 uominied é il principale membro della Coalizione nazionale siriana (anti-Assad). Appoggia il Consiglio nazionale siriano in esilio. Viene supportata da USA, Francia, Turchia, Regno Unito, Qatar ed Arabia Saudita. La Lega Araba, così come l’Italiariconosceil Consiglio Nazionale Siriano in esilio anziché Assad e quindi si può quasi dire che di conseguenza si riconosce nelle posizioni del F.S.A. Anche se il Free Syrian Army é una formazione laica, si trova in coalizione con formazioni jihadiste e sono già stati osservati all’interno del Free Syrian Army personalità filo-jihadiste (qualcuno parla di “infiltrati”). I rapporti tra i diversi membri della coalizione sono a dir poco tesi, nonostante facciano fronte comune.
(VOLONTARIATO NON NEUTRALE)
Daniele, Greta e Vanessa, quindi, non sono andati in Siria a portare semplice aiuto umanitario a tutti ma si sono schierati con i ribelli, contro Assad e contro l’ISIS. Il fatto di non essere neutrali né imparziali é una chiara scelta politica cui é possibile muovere diverse critiche ma per fare un esempio opposto Emergency porta le sue cure sia agli aggrediti che agli aggressori ed é a sua volta criticato per il fatto di “aiutare il nemico“. Che si sia schierati o si sia neutrali, insomma, piovono comunque addosso critiche.
IL TERZO VIAGGIO E IL RAPIMENTO
Partite a fine luglio, anche stavolta accompagnate da Daniele. Impiegano i primi giorni a passare il confine turco e raggiungere Aleppo. Prima ancora di mettersi in viaggio, attraverso i loro contatti siriani residenti in Italia ed ai contatti sul territorio conosciuti nel primo viaggio, avevano già programmato di partecipare ad un corso per civili e militari sui componenti del kit di primo soccorso e il loro utilizzo.
31 Luglio. E’la quarta notte dall’arrivo in Siria. Greta e Vanessa sono arrivate oggi ad Aleppo e sono ospitate nella casa del capo del consiglio rivoluzionario locale. Daniele no: passerà la notte in un’altra casa distante 25 chilometri a sud, appartenente ad un ex soldato delle forze speciali di Assad.
Le ragazze sono in casa da poche ore, quando arrivano due macchine con alcuni uomini a volto coperto che le prelevano, le bendano e le portano via. Gli uomini parlano poco. In inglese.
Alle cinque del mattino, nella casa in cui sta Daniele, qualcuno batte dei colpi alla porta. Sono due siriani: “Hanno sequestrato le due italiane. Stanno cercando anche te”. Chi ha rapito Greta e Vanessa ha chiesto informazioni su Daniele. I ribelli organizzano una macchina ed una scorta per Daniele e lo portano di corsa verso il confine turco. Un’ora dopo aver passato il confine chiama la Farnesina per informare dell’accaduto, che gli impone riserbo totale.
LA NOTIZIA
La notizia del rapimento giunge in Italia, ma il silenzio imposto dalla Farnesina ed il mancato legame delle due ragazze alle principali ONG ed Onlus riduce le uniche informazioni immediatamente disponibili alla sola pagina Facebook del progetto Horriaty.
Diverse testate riportano la notizia nei seguenti termini:
1) TAG: #ragazzine #rapite #Siria #volontarie #impreparate
2) FOTO: alcune foto pubblicate sulla pagina Facebook di Horryaty in cui le due ragazze si abbracciano allegramente o sorridono con la bandiera siriana in mano
E’ su questa notizia che si raccoglie l’ *indignazione di tre giorni* del momento, e su cui confluisce il solito circo di voci grosse e indignate
LA PRIGIONIA
Nel frattempo Greta e Vanessa restano in mano dei loro rapitori. Cambiano cinque o sei volte il luogo di prigionia, pur restando sempre nel nord della Siria. Gli spostamenti avvengono in macchina con le ragazze incappucciate. I carcerieri non sono mai gli stessi. Sono sia uomini che donne. Si presentano a volto coperto non rivelando né la propria identità né la fazione d’appartenenza. Greta e Vanessa non subiscono alcuna violenza fisica; quasi non vengono toccate (“solo una volta ci hanno afferrato per un braccio… Dovevamo stare in silenzio…”) Non vengono mai minacciate di morte. Non sentono notizie su altri sequestrati. Ricevono poco cibo e soffrono la fame. Pur non sapendo chi siano i rapitori capiscono che non si tratta dell’ISIS ma non escludono si tratti di al-Quaeda. Uno dei carcerieri farfugliava qualcosa in inglese. Nell’ultimo periodo di prigionia hanno avuto l’impressione che i carcerieri avessero qualche simpatia o vicinanza con al-Nusra
Il 31 dicembre 2014 compare su Youtube un video in cui si vedono Greta e Vanessa abbigliate con chador dinnanzi a un muro bianco. Vanessa regge un foglio con la data “17/12/14 Wednesday” mentre Greta legge un breve messaggio in inglese in cui fa appello allo Stato italiano.
LA LIBERAZIONE
Il 16 gennaio 2015 viene diffusa la notizia della liberazione di Greta e Vanessa. Da un account Twitter ritenuto vicino ai ribelli siriani giunge la notizia che sarebbe stato pagato un riscatto di 12 milioni di dollari.
LE REAZIONI DELL’OPINIONE PUBBLICA
La notizia del pagamento del riscatto rimbalza sui social network e riaccende l’ *indignazione di tre giorni* del momento. La chiacchera sul riscatto é ancor più accesa di quella avvenuta al momento del rapimento ed ha polarizzato le solite posizioni:
– a destra vigono la massima disinformazione ed i peggiori rigurgiti di infamie ed offese impronunciabile verso le due ragazze. L’episodio viene amplificato esfruttato politicamentecome mezzo per attaccare il governo in carica alimentando l’indignazione della SMIF (vedi sotto)
– a sinistra é in atto una difesa a spada tratta delle due ragazze, dipinte come eroiche eroine che si lanciano sprezzantemente in gesti nobiltà (minimizzando sullo scarso supporto organizzativo delle due)
La parte più impressionante del flame generato dalla notizia della liberazione dietro riscatto é al solito la valanga di insulti, bufale, insinuazioni e dichiarazione inique provenienti non solo dalla Solita Massa di Indivanati Forcaioli (SMIF), ma pure da noti esponenti politici (ad esempio Salvini e Gasparri) e giornali (in particolare Libero, Il Giornale e Il Fatto Quotidiano) che hanno pubblicato testi assolutamente vergognosi lanciandosi in rozze e grottesche insinuazioni sulle due ragazze.
Lecito porsi dubbi sull’intenzionalità dell’affondo quando proviene essenzialmente da chi ha tutto l’interesse nello sfruttare qualunque argomento per colpire il governo in carica (guarda caso in questa descrizione rientrano proprio Salvini, Gasparri, Libero, il Giornale e Il Fatto Quotidiano) ma qui non ho granché voglia di perdere tempo a discutere degli interessi di costoro.
Faccio solo un breve appunto a titolo d’esempio su questo articolo in cui Maurizio Belpietro, con la scusa di parlare di #GretaeVanessa: 1) Sfotte il ministro degli esteri, 2) Semina dubbi su TUTTE le ONG, 3) Semina insicurezza “deducendo” da un articolo de Il Fatto Quotidiano che se i Carabinieri intercettano dei siriani residenti in Italia ci deve per forza essere una rete di supporto finanziario ai jihadista (che però chiama genericamente “combattenti islamici” dimenticandosi che molti combattenti islamici combattono proprio contro i jihadisti), 4) Dà per appurato che i rapitori fossero di Al-Nusra (“una banda vicina ad Al Qaeda” – forse é anche vero, ma Belpietro non ha elementi per dichiararlo con certezza), 5) Attacca le ragazze perché aiutavano i combattenti (il che é interessante se detto da Belpietro che ha sempre attaccato Emergency per il fatto di non essere schierato e curare chiunque), 6) Sminuisce la rete di contatti di Greta e Vanessa chiamandoli semplicemente “amici” come se parlasse di scolaretti, 7) Parla esplicitamente di tagliagole senza avere elementi per sapere se i rapitori fossero milizie dell’ISIS o meno, come se desse per scontato il binomio siriano=tagliagole, 8) Semina dubbi sulle capacità dei Carabinieri (senza specificare cosa, secondo lui, avrebbero dovuto fare), 9) Semina insicurezza dando per scontato che siano stati i contatti italiani ad “agevolare” (sic.) il sequestro della “fiorente industria dei rapimenti” (ma senza avere elementi per affermarlo), 10) Semina odio religioso dando per scontato che qualunque miliziano, se mussulmano, é un boia. Per finire attacca nuovamente il governo attraverso la figura del ministro Gentiloni, dipingendo una situazione di insicurezza nazionale “(la gente che aiuta i combattenti l’abbiamo in casa)” ed incapacità economica (i soldi dei contribuenti).
Peccato che l’articolo sia un concentrato di idee pregiudiziali non dimostrate e insinuazioni, il cui unico risultato a lungo termine é diffondere insicurezza e rabbia verso il governo, infischiandosene del fatto che i jihadisti italiani sono pochi, e del fatto che il governo Berlusconi (tanto amato da Belpietro) pagò diversi riscatti durante la guerra in Iraq.
Lungo e penoso elencare tutte le schifezze lette e sentite in questi giorni. Devo però far notare che nel documentarmi per questo post ho faticato non poco nel reperire alcune informazioni dovendo navigare tra decine di articoli e pagine letteralmente sommersi di insulti, infamie, frecciatine e ipotesi non documentate spacciate per fatti conclamati. Sembra di tornare indietro di secoli, quando “giornalai” francesi pubblicavano osceni libercoli che davano sfogo alla rabbia popolare attribuendo alla nobiltà (in particolare modo Maria Antonietta) ogni genere di sconcezza.
DIETRO LE QUINTE
Ben poco é dato sapere su quel che riguarda i “dietro le quinte” del rapimento. Come sempre in questi casi. Forse sapremo tutto tra qualche anno. Forse non lo sapremo mai. Forse sappiamo già tutto quel che c’é da sapere ma non riusciamo a distinguerlo dai depistaggi (voluti) e dalle minchiate sparate da giornalisti/blogger/commentatori/sedicenti esperti/signori nessuno. Personalmente ritengo plausibile che il governo italiano abbia pagato 12 milioni di dollari di riscatto ma bisogna comunque tener conto del fatto che non c’é alcuna conferma né del pagamento, né della cifra, né della natura dei sequestratori. Giacomo Stucchi, presidente del Copasir afferma semplicemente che la liberazione ha richiesto “una contropartita” senza specificare di che natura. Ci sono conferme e ritrattazioni sull’ importo di 12 milioni che per qualcuno sarebbe esagerato e per altri no. A queste condizioni ogni affermazione é pura speculazione.
ALCUNE CONSIDERAZIONI
Erano troppo giovani?
– La giovane età é un non-argomento: sono maggiorenni e libere di prendere le proprie decisioni.
– Gran parte dei volontari presenti in Syria ha meno di 25 anni, esattamente come i foreign fighters
– Se così fosse, perché nessuno dice alcunché sui volontari di età avanzata?
-Ci sono trenta/quarantenni cui non affiderei alcun compito di responsabilità mentre ci sono sedici-diciassettenni con le gambe in spalla decisamente più affidabili.
– Vogliamo elencare le centinaia di migliaia di diciottenni brufolosi che si arruolano negli eserciti di mezzo mondo, giusto per fare un esempio?
– A vent’anni, se puoi essere abbastanza sveglio per sparare a un nemico puoi esserlo anche per fare l’infermiera.
– Greta e Vanessa erano abbastanza mature? Chi le ha conosciute dice di si mentre chi, come me, non le conosce, non ha elementi per discuterne (no: un pugno di foto tratte da Facebook e illazioni di giornali schierati e di propaganda come Libero, il Giornale e Il Fatto Quotidiano non sono elementi utili).
Erano inadatte?
– Avevano abbastanza esperienza per partecipare ad un’azione umanitaria, ma non sufficiente esperienza di zone di guerra
– Non avevano supporto logistico dall’Italia
– Non disponevano di un’assicurazione
– Non si sa quanto fossero affidabili i loro contatti locali.
– Le “inesperte” Greta e Vanessa si trovavano con l’esperto Daniele però che é scampato al rapimento per puro caso. Se avessero rapito pure lui le ragazze sarebbero state comunque etichettate come “inesperte”?
Se la sono andata a cercare?
– Sapevano a cosa andavano incontro.
– Che abbiano avuto coraggio, imprudenza, impeto giovanile o stupidità é solo un fatto loro.
– Se il meccanismo de “se la sono andata a cercare” fosse valido bisognerebbe accusare di “irresponsabile stupidità” anche i vigili del fuoco volontari che si lanciano tra le fiamme per salvare gente imprigionata, tutti coloro che non abbassano la testa di fronte ai soprusi delle mafie e i giornalisti che indagano su argomenti rischiosi.
– “Se la sono andata a cercare” lo dicono i codardi, quelli che non ci mettono mai la faccia e non sanno comprendere lo spirito di sacrificio e l’impegno per valori più alti e umani.
Aiutavano i Jihadisti
– NO: superavano il Free Syrian Army che é laico ma che si trova a dover far fronte comune proprio con i jihadisti. Hanno supportato cioè l’unica forza laica tra quelle che si ribellano ad Assad (con l’eccezione dei curdi che però vivono una situazione a parte)
RISCATTO SI O NO
Eh! Bel dilemma! Umanamente sono contento che siano salve e non m’importa della cifra. Strategicamente non però non si può negare che il pagamento del riscatto sia un tremendo autogol in quanto servirà a finanziare gruppi armati jihadisti e/o criminali generici.
La stagione dei sequestri in Italia é finita anche grazie al blocco dei beni dei sequestrati (anche se non tutti sono d’accordo a riguardo) impedendo di fatto il pagamento del riscatto. Ma se i grandi sequestri italiani sono avvenuti sempre e solo a causa di gruppi criminali interessati un rapido finanziamento, la situazione mediorientale é più complessa.
Il problema dei sequestri in questi contesti é che, anche se la maggior parte avviene per motivi economici, qui possono avvenire anche per motivi politico/ideologici/propagandistici.
A livello mondiale vi sono due approcci al problema: americani e inglesi sono per la linea dura, mentre tutti gli altri, pur non ammettendolo apertamente, pagano sottobanco. APPROCCIO “SI PAGA”
Se sei di un Paese che paga per liberare i suoi cittadini é più probabile che tu venga rapito per motivi economici in quanto vieni visto come una sorta di salvadanaio ambulante. Il rapimento in questo caso é semplicemente una questione di finanziamento mascherata da atto politico. Il problema é che ogni pagamento di riscatto trascina con sé polemiche infinite: i servizi segreti pagano con fondi neri o attraverso manovre atte a “nascondere” il trasferimento di denaro. I governi negano il pagamento e tergiversano sull’argomento della trattativa. La piazza brontola perché le proprie tasse “vanno al nemico”. L’opposizione userà la notizia del pagamento per attaccare il governo. Anche quando un sequestro si risolve tragicamente l’opposizione userà ciò per attaccare il governo.
Il governo può trovarsi in ogni momento nella situazione di dover pagare cifre milionarie per un qualunque signor X che voleva documentare la guerra al fronte e si sia ritrovato in soggiorno forzato in qualche scantinato jihadista.
Anche se il tuo governo paga per i riscatti non é che passare mesi in mano di fondamentalisti islamici sia proprio una vacanza e quindi se sei cittadino di un Paese che paga i riscatti e vuoi recarti in aree a rischio ti devi arrangiare a pararti il culo e sperare che ti vada bene: potresti essere decapitato per propaganda o esser rilasciato per denaro. APPROCCIO “NON SI PAGA”
La storia recente c’insegna che in aree di guerra si rapiscono comunque cittadini inglesi ed americani. Si rapiscono per seminare insicurezza, per propaganda (le decapitazioni), per disperdere le energie che il nemico spenderà nelle ricerche, come arma di ricatto e negoziazione, come merce di scambio e perché spesso alla fine qualcuno che paga c’é sempre (le assicurazioni). Visto che il tuo Paese ha deciso che la strategia vale più della tua esistenza, se sei cittadino di un Paese che non paga i riscatti e vuoi recarti in aree a rischio ti devi arrangiare a pararti il culo e sperare che ti vada bene: potresti esser decapitato per propaganda o usato come merce di scambio.
L’approccio migliore al problema non é tanto discutere in maniera generica o ideologica sul pagare/non pagare perché l’approccio cambia a seconda dei sequestratori e delle loro reali intenzioni. Al momento tutti pagano perché non é umanamente né politicamente accettabile la perdita di una persona in questa maniera. Per quanto duro possa risultare ritengo tuttavia che se applicato in maniera più ampia, l’approccio “non pagare” potrebbe dare alcuni frutti, ma perché ciò avvenga servirebbe (1) una totale coordinazione tra le diverse nazioni (se per ogni Paese che non paga ce ne fosse uno che paga i sequestri non si fermerebbero) e (2) la pubblicazione di quanto osservato dalle forze d’intelligence riguardo la natura dei sequestri già passati ed al successivo utilizzo dei fondi per permettere ad analisti ed opinione pubblica di avere un’idea più chiara di cosa avviene dietro le quinte. Se la prima parte della proposta é difficile (già adesso l’ONU non riconosce il pagamento di riscatti ai terroristi ma aggirare tale regola é facile e nessuno reclama), la seconda é quasi impossibile poiché nessun governo vuole ammettere di aver “calato le braghe”. Non va nemmeno dimenticato che qualunque informazione proveniente dalle intelligence, per sua stessa natura, va analizzata con sospetto. Tuttavia ritengo che solo un approccio più trasparente sulla questione potrebbe permettere un discorso sensato.
Ciò non toglie che i sequestri politici/propagandistici/dimostrativi continuerebbero nonostante tutto.
In questo momento frasi come “il mio Paese non paga” / “il mio Paese paga solo con medicinali e pacchi di cibo” / “il mio Paese ha sborsato millemila miliardi per salvare una persona” hanno il solo valore di chiacchiera che copre il vero lavoro dei servizi.
In sostanza: se si riuscissero a soddisfare i due punti proposti (COOPERAZIONE INTERNAZIONALE e TRASPARENZA), ben venga il “non pagare” anche se ciò non eliminerà tutti i sequestri e le uccisioni. Finché ciò non si realizza la scelta migliore é pagare, pagare e pagare.
“SE NON HANNO PANE, CHE MANGINO BRIOCHES!”
Il lato più preoccupante della vicenda é la conferma di come la discussione pubblica sia ormai sostituita da banali impulsi d’indignazione che impediscono ogni seria riflessione ed analisi su qualunque argomento (vedi il caso Marò: nonostante l’eccezionale lavoro di documentazione di Marco Miavaldi, la SMIF e la propaganda li hanno trasformati immeritatamente in eroi e addirittura vittime).
Pubblico questo post a pochi giorni dalla liberazione delle due ragazze. Il trend #GretaeVanessa si é affievolito. Tra qualche giorno succederà qualcos’altro e la SMIF metterà in atto una nuova tre giorni d’indignazione dimenticandosi pian piano delle due ragazze rapite.
Quel che so per certo é che in questo marasma la “storia” che rimarrà nella memoria della #ggente non sarà quella ricostruita dai fatti documentati ma la versione gretta fatta di bufale, di insulti e di risentimento verso le due ragazze. La storia che resterà attaccata é quella di “due ragazzine svampite che han voluto giocare le crocerossine e si son fatte abbindolare da jihadisti conosciuti su Facebook e ai cortei con cui poi han pure fatto sesso durante la prigionia mentre s’ingozzavano di cibo“.
Impossibile non notare come questo ritratto sia un perfetto condensato di stereotipi ben radicati ed abusati nato da un primo nucleo (femmine che non fanno cose da femmine, femmine che s’interessano di cose da maschi, femmine che dovrebbero pensare a frivolezze perché a quell’età DEVONO essere frivole, ragazzine che non sanno cosa stanno facendo, ragazzine che non capiscono il mondo) il quale, con la molla dell’ indignazione economica (“ci sono costate 12 milioni”) é stato poi ampliato con la pura denigrazione (sono dalla parte dei jihadisti, trasportavano materiale bellico, facevano sesso con i loro rapitori, sono ingrassate durante la prigionia).
Un perfetto concentrato di stereotipi ha sostituito la realtà
Mi é tornato in mente Nerone, che ancora pochi giorni fa qualcuno mi ha descritto semplicemente come “quello dell’incendio”. [Di tutti gli eventi della sua esistenza, l’unico che viene ricordato dalla #ggente é quello che gli attribuisce la colpa dell’incendio di Roma del 64. Non importa sapere che vi furono diversi incendi sia prima che dopo di lui. Non importa sapere che Nerone partecipò in prima persona ai soccorsi organizzandoli efficacemente. Non importa sapere che la storiografia dell’epoca é stata espressa da molti detrattori di Nerone. Non importa sapere che Nerone sfruttò l’incendio per accusare i cristiani e secoli dopo i cristiani insistettero sulla versione opposta. Non importa sapere che gli storici lo assolvono completamente. L’immagine del tiranno pazzo che da fuoco alla sua stessa città e che suona la lira tra le fiamme é talmente forte da sostituire la realtà.]
Poi mi é tornata in mente nuovamente Maria Antonietta: i suoi detrattori le versarono addosso talmente tanto marciume ingiusto che le é rimasto addosso. Tanto che ancora oggi la #ggente é convinta che pronunciò davvero quella stupida frase. Non importa quanto gli si faccia notare chevenne pronunciata ben quattordici anni prima che Maria Antonietta nascesse: Maria Antonietta che suggerisce stizzita alla gente in protesta di ripiegare sulle brioches é un’immagine talmente efficace da sostituire la realtà.
Forse tra qualche tempo bisognerà fare delle scelte prendendo decisioni importanti. Come sempre in questi casi si valuterà attingendo alla propria esperienza e conoscenza del mondo. Quanto saranno valide le decisioni di chi ha una conoscenza del mondo falsata da racconti che hanno sostituito la realtà?
The future of cyber security belongs to organizations that integrate security, compliance and risk management into a seamless, proactive governance model
A new initiative, called "EU OS," has been launched to develop a Linux-based operating system tailored specifically for the public sector organizations of the European Union (EU). This community-driven project aims to address the EU's unique needs and challenges, focusing on fostering digital sovereignty, reducing dependency on external vendors, and building a secure, self-sufficient digital ecosystem.
What Is EU OS?
EU OS is not an entirely novel operating system. Instead, it builds upon a Linux foundation derived from Fedora, with the KDE Plasma desktop environment. It draws inspiration from previous efforts such as France's GendBuntu and Munich's LiMux, which aimed to provide Linux-based systems for public sector use. The goal remains the same: to create a standardized Linux distribution that can be adapted to different regional, national, and sector-specific needs within the EU.
Rather than reinventing the wheel, EU OS focuses on standardization, offering a solid Linux foundation that can be customized according to the unique requirements of various organizations. This approach makes EU OS a practical choice for the public sector, ensuring broad compatibility and ease of implementation across diverse environments.
The Vision Behind EU OS
The guiding principle of EU OS is the concept of "public money – public code," ensuring that taxpayer money is used transparently and effectively. By adopting an open-source model, EU OS eliminates licensing fees, which not only lowers costs but also reduces the dependency on a select group of software vendors. This provides the EU’s public sector organizations with greater flexibility and control over their IT infrastructure, free from the constraints of vendor lock-in.
Additionally, EU OS offers flexibility in terms of software migration and hardware upgrades. Organizations can adapt to new technologies and manage their IT evolution at a manageable cost, both in terms of finances and time.
However, there are some concerns about the choice of Fedora as the base for EU OS. While Fedora is a solid and reliable distribution, it is backed by the United States-based Red Hat. Some argue that using European-backed projects such as openSUSE or KDE's upcoming distribution might have aligned better with the EU's goal of strengthening digital sovereignty.
Conclusion
EU OS marks a significant step towards Europe's digital independence by providing a robust, standardized Linux distribution for the public sector. By reducing reliance on proprietary software and vendors, it paves the way for a more flexible, cost-effective, and secure digital ecosystem. While the choice of Fedora as the base for the project has raised some questions, the overall vision of EU OS offers a promising future for Europe's public sector in the digital age.
Linus Torvalds Acknowledges Missed Release of Linux 6.14 Due to Oversight
Linux kernel lead developer Linus Torvalds has admitted to forgetting to release version 6.14, attributing the oversight to his own lapse in memory. Torvalds is known for releasing new Linux kernel candidates and final versions on Sunday afternoons, typically accompanied by a post detailing the release. If he is unavailable due to travel or other commitments, he usually informs the community ahead of time, so users don’t worry if there’s a delay.
In his post on March 16, Torvalds gave no indication that the release might be delayed, instead stating, “I expect to release the final 6.14 next weekend unless something very surprising happens.” However, Sunday, March 23rd passed without any announcement.
On March 24th, Torvalds wrote in a follow-up message, “I’d love to have some good excuse for why I didn’t do the 6.14 release yesterday on my regular Sunday afternoon schedule,” adding, “But no. It’s just pure incompetence.” He further explained that while he had been clearing up unrelated tasks, he simply forgot to finalize the release. “D'oh,” he joked.
Despite this minor delay, Torvalds’ track record of successfully managing the Linux kernel’s development process over the years remains strong. A single day’s delay is not critical, especially since most Linux users don't urgently need the very latest version.
The new 6.14 release introduces several important features, including enhanced support for writing drivers in Rust—an ongoing topic of discussion among developers—support for Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Elite mobile chip, a fix for the GhostWrite vulnerability in certain RISC-V processors from Alibaba’s T-Head Semiconductor, and a completed NTSYNC driver update that improves the WINE emulator’s ability to run Windows applications, particularly games, on Linux.
Although the 6.14 release went smoothly aside from the delay, Torvalds expressed that version 6.15 may present more challenges due to the volume of pending pull requests. “Judging by my pending pile of pull requests, 6.15 will be much busier,” he noted.
AerynOS 2025.03 has officially been released, introducing a variety of exciting features for Linux users. The release includes the highly anticipated GNOME 48 desktop environment, which comes with significant improvements like HDR support, dynamic triple buffering, and a Wayland color management protocol. Other updates include a battery charge limiting feature and a Wellbeing option aimed at improving user experience.
This release, while still in alpha, incorporates Linux kernel 6.13.8 and the updated Mesa 25.0.2 graphics stack, alongside tools like LLVM 19.1.7 and Vulkan SDK 1.4.309.0. Additionally, the Moss package manager now integrates os-info to generate more detailed OS metadata via a JSON file.
Future plans for AerynOS include automated package updates, easier rollback management, improved disk handling with Rust, and fractional scaling enabled by default. The installer has also been revamped to support full disk wipes and dynamic partitioning.
Although still considered an alpha release, AerynOS 2025.03 can be downloaded and tested right now from its official website.
Xojo has just rolled out its latest release, Xojo 2025 Release 1, and it’s packed with features that developers have been eagerly waiting for. This major update introduces support for running Xojo on Linux ARM, including Raspberry Pi, brings drag-and-drop functionality to the Web framework, and simplifies app deployment with the ability to directly submit apps to the macOS and iOS App Stores.
Here’s a quick overview of what’s new in Xojo 2025r1:
1. Linux ARM IDE Support
Xojo 2025r1 now allows developers to run the Xojo IDE on Linux ARM devices, including popular platforms like Raspberry Pi. This opens up a whole new world of possibilities for developers who want to create apps for ARM-based devices without the usual complexity. Whether you’re building for a Raspberry Pi or other ARM devices, this update makes it easier than ever to get started.
2. Web Drag and Drop
One of the standout features in this release is the addition of drag-and-drop support for web applications. Now, developers can easily drag and drop visual controls in their web projects, making it simpler to create interactive, user-friendly web applications. Plus, the WebListBox has been enhanced with support for editable cells, checkboxes, and row reordering via dragging. No JavaScript required!
3. Direct App Store Publishing
Xojo has also streamlined the process of publishing apps. With this update, developers can now directly submit macOS and iOS apps to App Store Connect right from the Xojo IDE. This eliminates the need for multiple steps and makes it much easier to get apps into the App Store, saving valuable time during the development process.
4. New Desktop and Mobile Features
This release isn’t just about web and Linux updates. Xojo 2025r1 brings some great improvements for desktop and mobile apps as well. On the desktop side, all projects now include a default window menu for macOS apps. On the mobile side, Xojo has introduced new features for Android and iOS, including support for ColorGroup and Dark Mode on Android, and a new MobileColorPicker for iOS to simplify color selection.
5. Performance and IDE Enhancements
Xojo’s IDE has also been improved in several key areas. There’s now an option to hide toolbar captions, and the toolbar has been made smaller on Windows. The IDE on Windows and Linux now features modern Bootstrap icons, and the Documentation window toolbar is more compact. In the code editor, developers can now quickly navigate to variable declarations with a simple Cmd/Ctrl + Double-click. Plus, performance for complex container layouts in the Layout Editor has been enhanced.
What Does This Mean for Developers?
Xojo 2025r1 brings significant improvements across all the platforms that Xojo supports, from desktop and mobile to web and Linux. The added Linux ARM support opens up new opportunities for Raspberry Pi and ARM-based device development, while the drag-and-drop functionality for web projects will make it easier to create modern, interactive web apps. The ability to publish directly to the App Store is a game-changer for macOS and iOS developers, reducing the friction of app distribution.
How to Get Started
Xojo is free for learning and development, as well as for building apps for Linux and Raspberry Pi. If you’re ready to dive into cross-platform development, paid licenses start at $99 for a single-platform desktop license, and $399 for cross-platform desktop, mobile, or web development. For professional developers who need additional resources and support, Xojo Pro and Pro Plus licenses start at $799. You can also find special pricing for educators and students.
With each new release, Xojo continues to make cross-platform development more accessible and efficient. The 2025r1 release is no exception, delivering key updates that simplify the development process and open up new possibilities for developers working on a variety of platforms. Whether you’re a Raspberry Pi enthusiast or a mobile app developer, Xojo 2025r1 has something for you.
Expired digital certificates expose businesses to operational outages, confidence erosion and questions about their ability to track and manage security
As regulatory frameworks begin to shape cyber security practices it is imperative that organizations integrate quality assurance measures to mitigate risk
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Ipoteticamente, una rete distribuita é quasi indistruttibile: in uno scenario in cui tutti i computer del pianeta facessero parte della rete Yacy, anche se la maggior parte di questi fosse improvvisamente tagliata fuori o distrutta da un colossale meteorite, é sufficiente che solo una minima parte resti attiva perché tutto il database comune resti attivo. Progetto interessantissimo dunque, ma che dovrebbe essere reso molto più user-friendly per sperare in una adozione di massa. Chi volesse provare ad installarselo e smanettarci lo trova 
