China Launches First Satellites of Constellation to Rival Starlink 

The Long March-2F Y13 rocket, carrying the Shenzhou-13 spacecraft and three astronauts in China's second crewed mission to build its own space station, launches at Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center near Jiuquan, Gansu province, China October 16, 2021. (Reuters)
The Long March-2F Y13 rocket, carrying the Shenzhou-13 spacecraft and three astronauts in China's second crewed mission to build its own space station, launches at Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center near Jiuquan, Gansu province, China October 16, 2021. (Reuters)
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China Launches First Satellites of Constellation to Rival Starlink 

The Long March-2F Y13 rocket, carrying the Shenzhou-13 spacecraft and three astronauts in China's second crewed mission to build its own space station, launches at Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center near Jiuquan, Gansu province, China October 16, 2021. (Reuters)
The Long March-2F Y13 rocket, carrying the Shenzhou-13 spacecraft and three astronauts in China's second crewed mission to build its own space station, launches at Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center near Jiuquan, Gansu province, China October 16, 2021. (Reuters)

A Chinese state-owned enterprise on Monday launched the first batch of satellites for a mega-constellation designed to rival US company Space X's Starlink's near-global internet network, a state-backed newspaper reported.

The launch marks an important step in Beijing's strategic goal of creating its own version of Starlink, a growing commercial broadband constellation that has about 5,500 satellites in space and is used by consumers, companies and government agencies.

The competition to occupy Earth's lower orbits also has military implications, with the potential to affect the balance of power between warring countries.

The launch, led by Shanghai Spacecom Satellite Technology (SSST), took place at Taiyuan Satellite Launch Centre, one of China's main satellite and missile launch centers, located in the northern province of Shanxi, the China Securities Journal reported.

The launch is part of SSST's "Thousand Sails Constellation" plan, also known as the "G60 Starlink Plan", which began last year and aims to deploy more than 15,000 low Earth orbit (LEO) satellites.

LEO satellites usually operate at altitudes of 300km to 2,000km from the Earth's surface and have the advantage of being cheaper and providing more efficient transmission than satellites at higher orbits.

Starlink, operated by billionaire Elon Musk, has tens of thousands of users in the United States so far and plans to add tens of thousands more satellites to its system, the largest of its kind.

Chinese researchers in the People's Liberation Army (PLA) have over the past two years studied the deployment of Starlink in the war in Ukraine and repeatedly warned about the risks it poses to China, should the country find itself in a military conflict with the United States.

In January, an op-ed published in a PLA mouthpiece described the deployment of Starlink as a "serious threat to the security of space assets of various countries."

SSST's "Thousand Sails constellation" is one of three "ten-thousand star constellation" plans China is hoping will allow it to close the gap with SpaceX.

SSST's plan is to launch 108 satellites this year, 648 satellites by the end of 2025, provide a "global network coverage" by 2027, and get to 15,000 satellites deployed before 2030.

SSST did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the report.



German Court Says Meta Can Use User Data to Train AI

The court ruled Meta is 'pursuing a legitimate end' by training AI with Facebook and Instagram user data. Kirill KUDRYAVTSEV / AFP
The court ruled Meta is 'pursuing a legitimate end' by training AI with Facebook and Instagram user data. Kirill KUDRYAVTSEV / AFP
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German Court Says Meta Can Use User Data to Train AI

The court ruled Meta is 'pursuing a legitimate end' by training AI with Facebook and Instagram user data. Kirill KUDRYAVTSEV / AFP
The court ruled Meta is 'pursuing a legitimate end' by training AI with Facebook and Instagram user data. Kirill KUDRYAVTSEV / AFP

A German court on Friday dismissed an injunction request brought by consumer protection groups to prevent US tech giant Meta from using user data from Facebook and Instagram to train artificial intelligence systems.
The higher regional court in Cologne concluded Meta, which owns both social media platforms, had not violated European Union law.

"Meta is pursuing a legitimate end by using the data to train artificial intelligence systems," the court said in a statement.

Feeding user data into AI training systems was allowed "even without the consent of those affected", it added.

Meta has announced plans to begin training AI models with data from Facebook and Instagram from Tuesday, said AFP.

The court said the balance of interests between the parties was in favor of allowing Meta to process user data to develop AI.

The training of AI systems "cannot be achieved by other equally effective, less intrusive means", the court said.

Among the reasons cited by judges was Facebook's intention to only use publicly available data that could also be found via search.

Meta had also "taken effective measures to significantly mitigate the impact" on users, the court said, including communicating the plans via its mobile apps.

The North Rhine-Westphalia Consumer Advice Center, which brought the case, said it still found the use of user data "highly problematic".

"There are still considerable doubts about the legality," the organization's chief, Wolfgang Schuldzinski, said in a statement.

The Vienna-based privacy campaign group Noyb said last week it had sent a cease-and-desist letter to Meta over the plans to use user data for AI training.

The letter was the first step ahead of a possible injunction request or class-action lawsuit against Meta, the group said.