The article discusses the problems of human functioning in cyberspace seen from the perspective of cognitive pedagogy. The focus was on the area of communication, information processing by people and problems related to the language of the media. The understanding of the concepts of cyberspace and virtual reality from the position of cognitive pedagogy has been defined. A number of phenomena have been presented, such as: multitasking, cognitive load, sequencing mechanism, compression and addiction.

The article presents threat analysis resulting from botnet activity on the Internet. Botnet networks are a very common tool among cybercriminals. They enable the acquisition of large amounts of data from computers infected with the virus that creates the given network entirely subordinated to its creator. Currently, many unidentified botnets are a threat to Internet users. Those identified and diagnosed answer the problem of how dangerous a botnet is in the hands of cybercriminals. The article presents statistics and analysis of selected botnets. Currently, there is a decline in the interest in botnets in cybercrime, although many new threats appear, suggesting that botnets will continue to be popular and are still a dangerous weapon in the hands of criminals.

Ochrona bezpieczeństwa państwa w cyberprzestrzeni jako przesłanka uzasadniająca ograniczenie korzystania z konstytucyjnych wolności i praw

Artykuł odnosi się do cyberbezpieczeństwa państwa jako przesłanki pozwalającej na ingerencję w sferę wolności praw i wolności jednostki. Jego celem jest wskazanie okoliczności uzasadniających ograniczanie korzystania ze swobód obywatelskich, a także zasad temu towarzyszących. Konstytucyjne wolności i prawa nie są absolutne, w związku z czym w przypadku szczególnego zagrożenia mogą być ograniczane, nie może to mieć jednak charakteru dowolnego i być wykorzystywane do walki politycznej. Prawodawca wyraźnie wskazuje kiedy i przez kogo mogą być wprowadzane stosowne ograniczenia, a kiedy ingerencja jest niedopuszczalna. Rodzaje ograniczeń dotyczących korzystania z wolności i praw człowieka i obywatela powinny odpowiadać charakterowi oraz intensywności zagrożeń występujących w cyberprzestrzeni oddziałujących na normalne funkcjonowanie państwa. W artykule zastosowano metodę dogmatyczno-prawną, za pośrednictwem której dokonano analizy obowiązujących przepisów prawnych pod kątem cyberbezpieczeństwa jako przesłanki uzasadniającej ograniczenie wolności i praw jednostki.

The dynamic civilisation transformations observed worldwide in recent years have arisen from the rapid development of information and the ICTs that support it. Cyberspace is a new sphere affected by these processes, and it evolves alongside the threats occurring therein. Nowadays, no country’s cyberspace is entirely secure. Cyber threats are characterised by unpredictability and global reach. In modern times, cyberspace is a symbol of development, the freedom of speech, and the right to privacy and every interference in the behaviours of its users is associated with an attack on these values. The article discusses the fundamental problems concerning operations in cyberspace justified by the violation of human rights but should also be assessed in the context of interference with the scope of individual rights and freedoms, including in times of seemingly normal functioning, namely in times of peace.

Anti-refugee attitudes of social media participants and the goals of intercultural education

The purpose of this article is to present anti-refugee attitudes observed on the Internet which show the influence of virtual space on the formation of opinions on refugees. The data collected during the ethnographic research in the period 2015–2019 concern attitudes, behaviors and narratives negating the reception of refugees from the Middle East and North Africa, as well as the grassroots criticism of Internet users against sheltering refugees in the Polish territories. Social media were shown as a tool for expressing public opposition to the prospect of accepting refugees into Poland. Among the data, there were contents that comprised an indirect or direct negation of the goals of intercultural education. An analysis was conducted of the content posted on the Facebook platform on the website “No to the Islamization of Europe”, the functioning of which focuses on informing and commenting on the events related to the “migration crisis”. The research material includes the data from 2018 – a period when the attention of the creators of this medium focused on the potentially negative consequences of accepting refugees into Europe. The conclusions of the research justify and explain the need for the goals of cultural education, which is shown here as a way to counteract stereotypes.

The Polish Armed Forces occupy an important position in the state’s defence system, and their status is determined by the legislator itself. In connection with recognising cyberspace as an operational domain, the military dimension of cybersecurity has gained significance and it has become necessary to establish a military formation with competencies in this field. Responding to the need to counter cyber-attacks threatening the military security of Poland, the legislator established a specialised component in the Polish Armed Forces, referred to as the Cyberspace Defence Forces. The establishment of this military structure has triggered the need to build capabilities in the domain of cybersecurity so that the Cyberspace Defence Forces can effectively perform their tasks in countering cyber threats that adversely impact (or may impact) the state’s defence sphere.

Cybersecurity belongs to the area of activity of state and supra-state actors, giving direction to national and international systems of law as components of national and supranational systems of political, economic, military cooperation, etc. Still, the state has a monopoly on the causality of lawmaking, which forms the basis of cyberspace use security activities. The state responds to national security needs by actively participating in the formation of the collective security order of the supranational level. The aim of this paper is to demonstrate the significance of the national Cybersecurity Strategy of the Republic of Poland for ensuring the safe use of cyberspace. The Strategy, while referring to the national order, is at the same time an implementation of supranational arrangements within the scopes adopted by the state authorities, which means that the Strategy is subjected to logical evaluation depending on the impact of cyber conditions or binding arrangements of the international environment. The text is based on two research methods: the doctrinal legal research method to analyse the applicable legal regulations governing the issues related to the strategic aspects of cybersecurity and the law theory method aimed at evaluating the strategic solutions in respect of security in cyberspace.

The Russian-Ukrainian conflict as an example of war on the internet

From the beginning of his scientific activities, the author has been devoted to the affairs of Eastern Europe, with particular emphasis on Russia and Ukraine. From his bachelor’s thesis to his doctoral studies, the author’s particular attention was drawn to the issue of possible conflicts in this region of the world. Taking up this geographical area as an interest is related to the geopolitical pragmatism of the author of the text. He devotes all his scientific activity to a didactic approach to understanding the location of the Republic of Poland on the map of Europe and the world, so it seems logical that issues beyond our eastern wall seem more important.

The Right to Communicate as a Constitutional Rule in Cyberspace

In an era of intense progress of civilisation, in the field of digital media, national public interest objectives, set at the national level, still determine regulatory considerations and instruments emphasising cultural diversity are the justification for the limitations on fundamental rights referred to in the constitutions of democratic states. It is the national legislator who determines what interests are taken into account and within what limits individual rights may be restricted, as well as what measures in enforcing these restrictions the public authority may use. This article points to the now historic importance of freedom of expression, especially its element, the right to communicate, under conditions of declining state jurisdiction, as a result of new communication technologies and the development of cyberspace.

The role of cyberspace in Russia’s war against Ukraine

The aim of article is to present the ways in which cyberspace has been used in Russia’s war against Ukraine. The article consists of several parts. The first deals with Ukraine’s preparations for potential Russian cyber attacks. In the second part, the author presents information on the use of cyberspace in the Russian-Ukrainian war. The last part presents possible scenarios for the use of cyberspace in wars in the future. The study used the following research methods: historical method, comparative analysis, literature analysis and criticism, source analysis and criticism, and case study.

Impact of artificial intelligence development on energy security and smart city management

The development of technology in recent years has carried with it the rise of new solutions aimed at simplifying many areas of life. One of them is artificial intelligence, the progress of which is definitely noticeable and undeniable. The purpose of the article is to present applications of AI in selected areas most important from the point of view of state management. Also, an attempt will be made to define artificial intelligence by interpreting its basic functions and objectives. The most important fields of AI activity from the point of view of the article are energy security and the development of smart cities. Many examples of solutions and software developed by various companies have been presented. Analysis of the implementation of artificial intelligence in the areas described has shown that today it supports the processes taking place in them, although it is not an essential element of their functioning, it carries significant development potential. In conclusion, it has been shown that the development of artificial intelligence is not free of risks, including overdependence on it, the replacement of human labor with machine labor, and if the development of AI will not encounter an obstacle in the form of undeveloped technology.