Handing control of Italy's military satellite communications to the U.S. tech tycoon has prompted sharp criticism in Italy from opposition politicians.

Italy would have full control of its data under any potential deal struck with Elon Musk's Starlink for secure satellite communications, an Italian representative for the billionaire's aerospace businesses said.

Italy’s Premier Giorgia Meloni says her government is in talks with private companies, including Elon Musk’s SpaceX, over the country’s telecoms security system, but denied having discussed the issue privately with Musk.

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni denied Thursday talking to Elon Musk about a cybersecurity deal with the American billionaire's SpaceX company following reports that sparked controversy in Italy.

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni defended Elon Musk's growing involvement in politics on Thursday and said she had never discussed with him a potential deal to supply secure communications to Italy.

Musk's aerospace business SpaceX owns Starlink, a telecommunications provider that relies on a network of low Earth orbit satellites. Starlink has been offering its services in Italy since 2021, but its business in the euro zone's third-largest economy is modest, with a customer base of around 50,000.

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said on Thursday she had never discussed with Elon Musk a potential deal to use his Starlink to supply secure communications for the military. Meloni, who has a good relationship with Musk,