Armenia’s $500 million AI center raises security and sovereignty concerns
In the modern era of rapidly developing digital technologies, improving cybersecurity systems has become a top priority for national governments. Along with its pivotal role in driving the post-industrial economy, emerging IT technologies also present a dangerous tool for external influence.
In this context, the dominance of leading nations in the IT sector poses significant challenges to the digital sovereignty of developing countries. The diminishing power of the United States and its allies, amid the rise of new economic powers — particularly China and India — is pushing Western nations to seek new mechanisms to maintain global leadership. This often involves engagement with so-called “peripheral” countries in the Global South, including nations in the Middle East, Africa, the South Caucasus, Central Asia and Latin America.
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In his article Mr. Barseghyan expresses the legitimate concern that in the name of attracting foreign investments Prime Minister Pashinyan risks compromising the country’s digital sovereignty.
Let us keep in mind that Armenia’s sovereignty, in multiple domains well beyond the information technology, has been compromised since 2020. One has to look closely to the scandal that surfaced in June 2024, when the Armenian media reported a “Leak” affecting thousands of cellular phone users in Armenia.
Source: “Phone numbers of 280,000 Armenians have been leaked” tech.news.am
June 07, 2024
280,000 Armenian mobile subscribers lost vital information stored on their phones, and of course the “Leak” included the mobile numbers of National Security Service (NSS) and National Security Council (NSC) members and employees.
After doing an in-depth research on the story, one ineluctably faces the following two questions:
a) Is it a “Leak” or a deliberate attempt to hack and target phone numbers of Armenians working for the National Security Service of Armenia (NSS), law enforcement agencies, and State institutions where vital information critical to the ongoing events inside Armenia are stored?
b) Do we know the foreign power behind the “leak”? Or can we surmise that Israel via the Pegasus or Cognyte spyware systems sold to PM Pashinyan, compromised the entire cellular network of Armenia, acquired the information and conveyed it to Azerbaijan?
For more details read:
“Why Did PM Pashinyan Purchase an Israeli Pegasus Spyware?”
https://artsakhtheinadequateresponse.blogspot.com/2022/02/why-did-pm-pashinyan-purchase-israeli.html
“Armenia is a “Democracy”. Why does PM Pashinyan need so many Spywares?”
https://artsakhtheinadequateresponse.blogspot.com/2023/01/armenia-is-democracy-why-does-pm.html
Almost a week before the scandal known as the “280,000 Leak”, with great pride, the Armenian Government announced on May 31 2024 the inauguration of Armenia’s first National Supercomputing Center, located in The Engineering City in Yerevan. Many experts argued that the Center represents a major achievement for Armenia, a country that, despite modest means, managed to join the league of the big players in the computer industry.
Technological advances and foreign investments are necessary for the economic growth of Armenia, but they can easily turn into a serious liability if you can’t protect your vital secrets, and your next door enemy (Azerbaijan), directly or indirectly via “Third Parties” (Israel, UK, France, US) can acquire with relative ease the most sensitive information used to protect the national security of Armenia.
Both Davo Barseghyan and Noubar Serabian elucidate many extremely important concerns. I have yet to read Noubar’s links and will do so, even with anticipated dread, as I have read these story lines fro various sources. Noting that Pashinyan purchased Pegasus fills me with further concern that Armenians in Armenia will suffer the same fate of what is tragically happening to Palestinians in Gaza. Super computer centers are also a major drain on resources and the environment… What is happening to residents nearby to data centers in the US is tragic. AI regulations and transparency is being thwarted in every way to benefit the tech-military industrial complex that is care-less of survival of the US and the world. Gil Duran of Nerd Reich, and others cover a lot on this topic. I hope the citizens of Armenia will exercise prudence… And I hope more will speak up and respond…the diaspora community really cares… So much is assaulting Armenia. I pray for unity and understanding so to rise above the insanity.
Release all political prisoners in Armenia. Release our clergy.
Unite and vote out Pashinyan, PLEASE.
https://www.techpolicy.press/considering-nvidias-partnerships-push-in-bid-for-dominance/https://www.techpolicy.press/the-real-race-for-an-ai-moratorium-stopping-data-centers/
https://www.techpolicy.press/local-governments-are-learning-how-to-negotiate-with-data-center-developers/https://www.techpolicy.press/michigan-offers-handouts-for-data-centers-promising-jobs-will-those-jobs-come/https://www.techpolicy.press/many-latin-americans-living-near-data-centers-do-not-feel-welcome-in-the-future/https://www.techpolicy.press/through-300-bills-us-lawmakers-juggle-data-center-priorities/https://www.techpolicy.press/amidst-boom-data-center-lobby-expands-its-influence-spending-and-tactics/
https://www.techpolicy.press/civil-society-is-at-riskand-tech-is-part-of-the-problem/