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Microsoft set a climate goal for 2030. Becoming an AI company has blown up the plan

July 10, 2026 by usatoday24

Microsoft is one of the companies that, a few years ago, set out to be less polluting. There were two goals, the first being to become a company.”carbon negative” by 2030. They began to investigate to create more sustainable buildings and to make better use of water and heat from the Azure hubs to pollute less, but then came the final boss of climate goals. Artificial intelligence. The figures. In it last environmental report, the American company indicates that its total emissions went from about 16 million tons of CO2 to about 20 million net tons in the last fiscal year. As we see in The Vergethat implies that, during 2025, they were 25% more than in the previous period. That “net” thing is explained because they really emitted 34 million, but then you have to subtract the carbon that they paid to remove from the atmosphere, which gives us those 20 million tons. As we see in GeekWirethat places Microsoft emitting as much CO2 as Panama or Lithuania. According to Melanie Nakagawa, director of sustainability at the company, Microsoft continues to focus on the 2030 goal. And what has caused this situation is the push for data centers and artificial intelligence. Scope 3. The report itself points out that the main cause of the increase is investments in new data centers for AI and cloud computing, including integrated OpenAI systems in Microsoft products. And where this carbon footprint accumulates the most is in what they qualify as Scope 3, which encompasses the construction materials of data centers (steel and cement, which we already know are highly polluting), as well as the purchased goods and services, which skyrocket with the massive deployment of AI infrastructure. That Scope 3 concentrates around 96% of Microsoft’s entire footprint, far above the direct emissions from its operations. Electricity. But it is not only due to the construction of the buildings, since these facilities must be maintained. Emissions linked to electricity have increased almost ten times between 2024 and 2025 and, although they pride themselves on reducing direct emissions, they recognize that electricity demand has skyrocketed and it is difficult to cover everything with renewable energy alone. There are already independent analyzes that highlight that Microsoft’s electricity consumption went from 23.6 TWh to 29.8 TWh, 26%, in 2024, and we have to wait to see the independent figures for 2025. If with emissions we have that they are higher than those of Panama, with consumption Microsoft ‘swallows’ the same as Ireland. and it is expected that AI consumption will skyrocket by 2030. braking. Due to this boom and fever for artificial intelligence, Microsoft is deviating from the goal set in 2020, exemplifying the tension between being an AI company and being a company with environmental objectives. But let’s not think that it is the only one because the carbon footprint of amazon increased by 16% last year and that of Google 18%. They remain committed, of course, but right now we are talking about non-terrestrial computing, space but. And for that, many rockets have to be sent into space, with their corresponding emissions. Although the end is good, according to Jeff Bezos: sending all pollution away from Earth to return to the state prior to the Industrial Revolution. Something is something. In Xataka | There is a thing called “Ornn price index”, it is out of control and it is bad news for everyone

make 90% of your rivals at 20% of your price

July 10, 2026 by usatoday24

we carry a pretty crazy week regarding AI model releases. The spotlight may have gone to the long-awaited GPT-5.6 family (with its Sol, Terra, Luna variants), but we have also seen how SpaceXAI Grok 4.5 was released and Meta too was renewed with Muse Spark 1.1. In both cases we are facing a promising qualitative leap, and according to internal and independent benchmarks the performance of both models is already remarkably close to that of the frontier models from OpenAI and Anthropic. Grok and Muse Spark get going That was unthinkable a few months ago. Both Meta and xAI (now fully merged with SpaceX in the new SpaceXAI) seemed to play in the second (or third) division in the AI segment. SpaceXAI has barely shared results from Grok 4.5, but the table with Muse Spark 1.1 would look like this. Source: Meta (AI modified to include Grok). In fact, Meta had been working on a mysterious new model called Muse Spark that we finally met in Aprilbut the result was lukewarm: it stood out in practically nothing and it seemed that the firm had not fully met expectations. Something different happened with Grok. Musk’s ambition in this area has always been enormous, but from the beginning Grok’s approach was strange. That first version seemed to want to laugh at itself (and at all of us) with his sarcastic tonebut its evolution showed that we were facing a model with remarkable potential that I couldn’t quite find the key. However, Both companies have given a more than promising push to these models. At SpaceXAI they have probably benefited from the recent acquisition of Cursor, which had its own background with Composer 2.5 and which has undoubtedly influenced the creation of a much more competent Grok 4.5 when it comes to programming. With Meta and its Muse Spark 1.1 the same has been seen: it is much closer to the great rivals, Fable 5 and GPT 5.6. But the striking thing is not that they have come closer, but that they have done so by cutting the price significantly. And that is its great asset. It’s not more for less, it’s almost the same for much less. What is really relevant about these models is not only that the leap in quality has been significant: it is that Its cost is really competitive. In SpaceXAI’s announcement it is in fact something they especially highlight by saying that “Overall, Grok 4.5 offers the greatest intelligence per unit of time and cost.” At the launch of Meta there are no direct statements about this, but there is no need: it is the cheapest frontier model among its rivals, as can be seen in this table: The question is, of course, whether those prices really pay off. If we get “enough intelligence” per dollar, to understand each other. And that is precisely what the Artificial Analysis ranking which evaluates the cost of completing predefined tasks in its benchmarks. At the moment Muse Spark 1.1 is not included in that ranking, but for now there are two clear winners: on the one hand, GPT-5.6 Luna. On the other hand, even better, Grok 4.5. Look at the green quadrant at the top left: the only models that fit are GPT-5.6 Luna and Grok 4.5. Muse Spark 1.1 is still untested. Source: Artificial Analysis. That conclusion seems to make it clear that those specific SpaceXAI and OpenAI models are fantastic for intensive tasks where token consumption skyrockets. They may not be ideal If you are looking to solve very complex mathematical conjecturesbut for agentic tasks we have at least those two clear candidates. Muse Spark 1.1 probably meets those premises as well, judging by the benchmarks and cost. We are therefore facing an interesting turn of events. One that also poses a real alternative to what was until now the great asset of Chinese open models: its cost was much lower than the frontier models of OpenAI or Anthropic, but performance was also lagging behind. What Grok 4.5 and Muse Spark 1.1 (and GPT-5.6 Luna) offer is something like the best of both worlds: they manage to “give us” 90% of what the best models in the world do, but they do it at 10 or 20% of their price. Good, pretty and cheap. Not a bad bet, of course. In Xataka | A teacher suspected that his students had cheated with AI. He took the exam in person and his grades dropped by half.

five destroyers a day are getting closer every day

July 10, 2026 by usatoday24

In the midst of the Korean War, American General Douglas MacArthur came to define Taiwan as an “unsinkable aircraft carrier”. It was not a metaphor about his army, but about his geographical position: whoever controls the island controls one of the main accesses between the China Sea and the Pacific Ocean. More than seventy years later, that location continues to condition the strategy of the great powers. Five destroyers a day. Just a few years ago, seeing several Chinese warships surrounding Taiwan was synonymous with a diplomatic crisis or extraordinary military maneuvers. Today it happens practically every day. Beijing has managed to transform the exceptional in routine and, with this, it has taken a decisive step towards a much more ambitious objective: to progressively isolate the island without having to fire a single shot. The fence is no longer prepared, it is practiced. I was counting a few days ago the wall street journal that the Chinese Navy maintains permanently between five and six ships of war around Taiwan, a figure that increases when other units are incorporated occasionally. The ships remain in the area for approximately two weeks before being relieved by others, allowing a growing number of crews to accumulate experience in a scenario that could become a future battlefield. More than a show of force, the deployment constitutes continuous training for an eventual blockade or invasion. Each patrol serves to learn and wear out. The constant presence of these ships forces Taiwan to answer over and over again with its own naval and coast guard units. Each incursion involves hours of monitoring, fuel, maintenance and crews on permanent alert. While the island consumes resources to react, China collects information on how Taiwanese ships move, how long they take to respond, what communications they use and what their movements would be in the event of conflict. Control the waters. The new step consists of extend the pressure towards the east of Taiwan through patrols of its Coast Guard. This area concentrates intense maritime traffic and would have enormous strategic value in a hypothetical blockade of the island. Beijing no longer limits its activity to the strait that separates it from the continent, but rather projects its presence towards the western Pacific to reinforce its message that it also considers those waters under its jurisdiction. Beyond surveillance. I remembered the new york times in a report that the Chinese coast guard does not act solely as a maritime police force. In recent months they have gone so far as to require information from merchant ships about their destination, crew or cargo, trying to exercise an authority that Taiwan completely rejects. This type of action allows Beijing to rehearse control mechanisms of maritime traffic using armed civilian organizations, a strategy much more difficult to respond militarily than an exclusively naval deployment. The real objective. Because China does not need to completely close access to Taiwan overnight to upset the balance in the region. It is enough to gradually increase the intensity of their patrolsexpand the areas where it operates and accustom shipping companies, fishermen, governments and armed forces to coexist with that constant presence. If that situation ends up being perceived as the new normal, Beijing will have advanced an important part of its strategy without having formally initiated a blockade. The blockade before the war begins. Be that as it may, current operations show that a blockade no longer has to consist of suddenly closing all access to the island. can be built gradually through permanent patrols, inspections, military exercises, coast guard presence and psychological pressure on maritime traffic. From that perspective, China seems to have understood that the isolation of Taiwan does not begin the day a war is declared, but much earlier, when the siege becomes a part of the everyday landscape and each new step is less surprising than the previous one. Image | Coast Guard News In Xataka | The US moved its aircraft carriers away from Asia to protect them: China has just published a manual to hunt them from 3,000 km In Xataka | Taiwan has been inspired by Ukraine by giving its citizens a weapon against China: “It’s like acquiring a new skill”

If the question is how to avoid heat stroke in summer, in Japan they have an increasingly popular answer: thermal bracelets

July 10, 2026 by usatoday24

It happened ago just over a year. Montserrat Aguilar had completed her day as a cleaning service worker in Barcelona when, already at home, collapsed and died. He had spent hours sweeping the streets of Raval in the sun on a day when temperatures in Barcelona exceeded 35ºC. Although at the beginning of 2026 the family I was still waiting based on the results of the final autopsy, his death unleashed a intense (and bitter) debate about the conditions faced by workers who, like her, walk the streets during heat waves. This year in Barcelona they wanted to cure their health with technology well known in Japan: bracelets capable of anticipating heat strokes. What has happened? that in full extreme heat wavewith the thermometer exceeding 40ºC In Barcelona, the Barcelona City Council has decided to reinforce the security of the operators who provide public services on the street using technology. A few weeks ago he distributed 1,400 bracelets thermal among the staff responsible for keeping the city clean, providing public lighting and taking care of the garden areas. Is it the only measure? No. The Newspaper precise other measures with which Barcelona wants to prevent extreme temperatures from taking their toll on those who work on the street. For example, adapting the workday of gardeners in summer, advancing the start and end times to avoid the most dangerous periods, or adopting special protocols, designed for the dog days. Is it enough? No. Sensors and protocols are welcome, but unions insist they are not enough. “Non-exposure is the best prevention,” claims Carlos del Barrio, from CCOO, in The Newspaper. Workers’ representatives recall that “no measure is sufficient on its own” and demand greater investment to, among other things, add air conditioning to cars. Without going any further, the Commissions remember that a relevant part of the fleet is still not acclimatized and there are even vehicles (such as irrigation vehicles) that have the engine located right under the seat, something not very desirable in August. How do the bracelets work? They basically fit the operator’s wrist and control their temperature. When they detect that it rises too high and approaches dangerous levels, it emits a signal (vibrates and lights up) so you can take action. In Barcelona has it happened before. When this happens and the thermal bracelet issues its warning, the operator must stop, find a shady place, drink water and inform his supervisor. The bracelet itself will inform you with a light signal (green, in this case) when you are ready to continue. In the specific case of Barcelona, Parks and Gardens has invested almost 60,000 euros in sensors from the company Metalco, devices designed to warn the user “two levels before” of heat stroke. “It is set to activate the alarm when the deep temperature reaches approximately 38ºC.” That is the general guideline. In practice, the sensor must take into account the conditions of each user. The Department of the Interior has also opted for a similar solution, with devices for the Mossos and firefighters. Is it something new? Thermal bracelets have been used for a long time. And they are certainly not exclusive to Catalonia or Spain. As I remembered a few days ago The Confidential There is a Japanese company that has been dedicated to them for a few years now: Biodata Bankcreated in 2018 and with headquarters in Tokyo. Its catalog includes Canaria+, a bracelet designed to detect “subtle changes in thermal stress” and that helps the wearer control their rest, hydration and food. When the sensor detects that the body is having difficulty dissipating heat, it issues a warning with light, sound and vibration. The moment it thinks the risk has disappeared, it reports again with a green light. “We felt it was necessary to have a system in place and take action before a person collapsed,” explains the company’s CEO, Takeshi Anzai. Regarding his bracelet, he clarifies that “the algorithm adapts” to whoever uses it, although it starts from four levels. The first is free of danger, with the temperature below 37ºC. The second rises to a maximum of 38.3ºC and reveals a “latent risk.” With the third (37.7-39ºC, depending on the person) the alerts go off. The last, the most critical, ranges from 38.7 to 40ºC. Is it only used in Spain? At all. In fact Japan is another good example. Last year the World Economic Forum actually dedicated an extensive report to the “lessons” that the country offers to overcome extreme heat waves and among its resources included wrist sensors designed to detect sudden increases in body temperature and, thus, prevent heat stroke. One of the organizations that has opted for them there is the Tokyo Metropolitan Government, which has distributed thermal bracelets among elderly people with reduced mobility, teachers and students who go to public schools and certain workers who have to work outdoors. “In Japan last year the number of people urgently transported due to heat stroke exceeded 100,000. In cities like Tokyo, the demand for ambulances became so high that authorities issued alerts asking the population to make appropriate use of emergencies,” remember Anzai. Images | Barcelona City Council 1 and 2 and Biodata Bank In Xataka | The French are so desperate about the heat wave that they have started painting the outside of their houses with chalk

Ninja Crispi Pro review features price specifications

July 10, 2026 by usatoday24

For the healthy habit of not dying of starvation and a bit of a culinary hobby, part of my free time I use it cooking. And there are those who say that I’m even good at it. I am a regular oven user and I prepare a good part of my recipes in it. That’s why I had never paid much attention to air fryers. I had always seen them as an interesting appliance, but dispensable for someone who already has a good oven at home. After more than a month using the Ninja Crispi Pro I discovered that I was doing the comparison wrong. Not because the air fryer is going to replace the oven, but because it has allowed me to cook certain dishes that before, simply, it didn’t compensate me. And that ends up having more impact on daily life than I imagined. ✅ Buy it if… You usually cook for one or two people. You like garnishes, batters or quick preparations. You are looking for an air fryer that is easy to clean and maintain. ❌ Don’t buy it if… You usually cook for several people. You hope to completely replace the oven. You usually prepare large trays or family recipes. The essentials in 30 seconds The Ninja Crispi Pro is a different air fryer. Its main identifying marks are its interchangeable glass containerswhich allow you to cook, serve, store food and reuse it without having to change the food container. The good capacity of the Ninja Crispi Pro containers, which adapt to the volume of the food you are going to prepare, fits especially well in those situations where using a conventional oven is impractical due to the high energy consumption that would be used. glass containers They are an advantage in terms of use and efficiency. Being transparent, you can see if the food is already cooked or browned to taste without having to constantly open the cooking drawer, stopping the process. Of course, it is advisable to adjust expectations. Although the containers are deep and appear to have a large capacity, in this type of appliance the yesavailable surface matters much more than the height. When we try to cook large quantities of food, the usual limitations of any air fryer appear. Ninja CRISPi PRO XL Air Fryer, 5 Preset Cooking Functions, 5.7 and 2.3 inch CleanCrisp Glass Cooking Bowls and Storage Lids, Moss Green AS090EUGN The price could vary. We earn commission from these links Our experience with the Ninja Crispi Pro An easy-to-use, eye-catching air fryer. It is an airfryer that doesn’t look much like what we are used to. The basket has an unconventional finish that is more reminiscent of a baking dish than the typical removable basket. But beyond its design, I loved how easy it is to use: using a super intuitive system of buttons and a central wheel, just turn to choose the mode, adjust the time or temperature, and press to start cooking instantly. From the first moment it is clear that it is an appliance designed not to complicate your life. Crystal is a leading actor. Watching food while it is cooking is more useful than it seems. Being able to monitor the browning of food at a glance is a great help, especially when you have not yet mastered the timing of a new recipe. It saves us from having to take out the basket every so often, thus conserving the interior heat and saving energy. Another thing that I liked are the handles and protective legs of the containers, as they allow you to take them directly to the table to serve, or store them as is in the refrigerator without dirtying any more pots. And if all this were not enough, not only are they dishwasher safe, but when you clean them by hand, dirt comes off very, very easily, even grease. More capacity than it seems… and also less. At first, I admit that I found the depth of the containers to be a great advantage, as it allows you to easily accommodate voluminous pieces such as a whole chicken or roasted peppers. However, with use I discovered that in an air fryer the useful flat surface is much more important than the depth, since the food needs to be well spread so that the flow of hot air cooks it evenly. In recipes such as dumplings, potatoes or battered vegetables, the result improves when the foods have enough space between them, something that is more complicated in such a deep container. Where has surprised me the most. The biggest surprise has been discovering how well it cooks certain foods, to the point that it has made me change habits. Before, I used to avoid traditional fried foods or try not to turn on the oven to prepare a small portion due to the energy expenditure it entails. With this device I have recovered some of those recipes. The natural fries are very good, the batter maintains a crispy texture and the chicken wings come out with a crispy touch thanks to the constant circulation of hot air. It has also demonstrated outstanding performance when reheating empanadas or slices of pizza, avoiding that chewy texture in the dough when heating it in the microwave. The cannelloni experiment. One of the experiments that aroused my most curiosity was to test it with traditional oven dishes, so, as a good Catalan, I decided to prepare some cannelloni. The individual portion was better than expected, but the test helped me come across the real limits of its format: preparing food for one makes all the sense in the world, but making a family tray is another story not because of the quality of the cooking, but because of the capacity. Ninja Crispi Pro technical sheet Ninja Crispi Pro DIMENSIONS 31.08 x 29.79 x 28.01cm container capacity 2.3L 5.7L 3.8L (optional) Features AirFry, MaxCrisp, Recrisp, Roast, Bake/Prove, Dehydrate Power and temperature 2,050W Temperature from … Read more

PcComponentes knocks down the price of this high-end Nothing mobile

July 10, 2026 by usatoday24

If you are looking for a phone that radically breaks with the boring design of current smartphones and that also offers top-level power, the flagship of Carl Pei’s firm, the Nothing Phone (3) has just starred in one of the most brutal sales of the season. PcComponentes has plummeted its price from the official 799 euros to irresistible prices 399 euros. Without a doubt, it is a golden opportunity to get a high-end product at half the price. Nothing Phone (3) 12 + 256 GB The price could vary. We earn commission from these links A mobile with a unique personality He Nothing Phone (3) maintains the brand’s iconic transparent rear chassis, but takes its LED lighting interface one step further thanks to the system Glyph Matrixa monochrome dot matrix display capable of displaying stopwatches, weather, or even custom widgets. But not everything is aesthetics; Inside it is a real beast powered by the powerful Qualcomm Snapdragon 8s Gen 4 processor, accompanied by 12 GB of RAM and 256 GB internal storage UFS 4.0 high speed. In its front part we find a 6.67-inch flexible AMOLED display with Full HD+ resolution, a fluid refresh rate of 120 Hz and a peak brightness of up to 4,500 nits, thus guaranteeing perfect visibility under the brightest sun. In addition, it is protected by the robust Gorilla Glass 7i. The photographic section has taken a giant leap compared to its predecessors, opting for a configuration of 50 MP triple rear camera: a main sensor with optical stabilization (OIS), an ultra wide angle and a 3x periscopic telephoto lens (also with OIS) ideal for not losing detail in the distances. To top it off, it incorporates a generous 5,150 mAh battery supports 65W fast charging, wireless charging, and features IP68 certification against water and dust, making it an all-terrain mobile. ⚡ IN BRIEF: offer for nothing phone (3) today ✅ THE BEST The screen is crazy: Its 4,500 nits of peak brightness are typical of phones that cost more than 1,000 euros. It looks perfect under any lighting conditions. Unique design and premium materials: the system Glyph Matrix butt is not just posture; It is very useful for viewing timers or notifications in silence. In addition, the jump to the silicon-carbon battery and the IP68 protection give it magnificent durability. ❌ THE WORST The processor is not the absolute “top”… It has the Snapdragon 8s Gen 4. It is a fantastic and very efficient high-end chip, but if you are looking for the extreme raw power for competitive gaming that the 8 Elite (its older brother) provides, it is one step below. Polarizing aesthetics… You either love it or hate its transparent design with lights. If you are looking for a sober phone that goes completely unnoticed on a meeting table, this is not yours. 💡 BUY IT IF… You’re bored of all mobile phones looking like clones of metal and glass and you’re looking for something with personality and a clean interface. ⛔ DON’T BUY IT IF… Your only priority is to squeeze the graphics to the maximum in the most demanding games on the market for hours, there are options on the market with chipsets more focused purely on raw power. Some accessories that may interest you for this mobile ESHUYI Matte Case for Nothing Phone (3) The price could vary. We earn commission from these links Nothing Ear (a) Wireless Bluetooth Headphones with ChatGPT Integration The price could vary. We earn commission from these links Some of the links in this article are affiliated and may provide a benefit to Xataka. In case of non-availability, offers may vary. Images | Ricardo Aguilar (Xataka) and Nothing In Xataka | The best mobile phones, we have tested them and here are their analyzes In Xataka | Nothing Phone (3a) Vs Nothing Phone (2a). Which mid-range mobile to choose according to your tastes and needs

Now influencers created by AI choose to be sad or endearing

July 10, 2026 by usatoday24

A grandfather who teaches how to choose watermelons. A young man with Down syndrome who laments that no one buys the pots he makes with infinite love. Both are generated by AI, and have managed, using sensitivity, empathetic messages and technology that increasingly imitates reality, to make millions of people believe that they are authentic. And let them buy. Above all, let them buy. The wisdom of the old sensei. Paco del Campo He posted his first video a little over two weeks ago. He already has more than a million followers between Instagram and TikTok. Checkered shirt, knitted vest, home remedies to sleep better, to choose ripe melons or to distinguish normal apples from organically grown ones. And of course, it sells books with home remedies with prices between five and thirteen euros. As detected Delia Rodríguezin the fine print of its website it is recognized that “Paco del Campo” is a commercial name, not a person. I can’t stand it in this city, let’s go to the countryside. Paco del Campo is not the only profile of advice on natural dyes, almost with tone rural-xploitation. Sofia.saludencasa gives holistic remedies and sells a book on the subject. Eduardo.holisticovidapossibly by the same author, gives advice and presents a book with very similar characteristics. The use of AI is obvious as long as the visitor is familiar with the visual tics of generative artificial intelligences, but it is completely normal that they fool most people and that they receive interactions and comments from dozens of people who believe that these experts are real. The hook is no longer beauty. Three years ago we were talking about Aitana López, the virtual model from the Barcelona agency The Clueless: an AI with a declared advertising profiledesigned for brands with a tight budget. Its appeal was the visual appeal of the digital model. Paco belongs to another category: unlike Aitana López, no one warns that he is an AI, and the design opts for normality rather than physical perfection. The consequence is that it deceives much more easily: why would AI, when it can generate absolute beauty, replicate an old man’s face? Very simple: confidence in what is close sells more than physical perfection. Even more perverse. This pattern of trust in profiles that want to dazzle with innocence takes on a more sinister nuance with the case of the now-defunct Martinmimoplants profile, which had more than 14,500 followers and 140,000 likes, but which disappeared from the map when the racket was discovered. It showed a young man with Down syndrome with a handmade pot business, lamenting that it doesn’t work. The fourteen videos posted by the account were artificial, and eleven of them did not carry any warning of AI-generated content. The most viewed video exceeded 600,000 views. Martinmimoplants is not the first to resort to this technique: profiles of needy grandparents selling crafts have been seen, but the detail of Down Syndrome is new. This has generated an immediate response: Down Spain described the strategy as “false charity” and asked not to donate or buy without first checking the reliability of the seller. For its part, FACUA, which had already announced that it would take the case to the authorities, formalized the complaint to the General Directorate of Consumer Affairs on July 8, five days after the VerificaRTVE report that exposed it, for abusive clauses. Majestic profiles. This article documented dozens of TikTok Shop accounts that showed supposed entrepreneurs crying about how bad their craft businesses were doing in order to actually sell products purchased in batches in China. The emotional script is the same as Martinmimoplants, and there is also a certain trait of vulnerability: disability in the Spanish case, and in those that The Verge points out, all African-American creators, that is, the thing takes on a racial point. Social networks are, for the most part, a space for business and it is beginning to be treated as such. For example, there are companies like the startup Doublespeed, financed by Andreessen Horowitz, which offers packages influencers synthetics for between 1,500 and 7,500 dollars, depending on the number of publications. The regulatory response. Article 50 of the European Artificial Intelligence Regulation will require labeling of deepfakes and synthetic content that could be confused with real material from the August 2, 2026. Until then, Paco can continue publishing. For now, be careful with profiles that appeal to what is endearing and natural when the exact opposite abounds in their genesis. Or as the classic said, be careful out there. In Xataka | The problem is not that your favorite influencer sells you the motorcycle. The problem is that maybe it doesn’t even exist.

Instagram and Facebook are “addictive” by design. And Meta faces a fine of 12 billion dollars

July 10, 2026 by usatoday24

The European Commission has concludedpreliminarily, that Meta violates the Digital Services Act (DSA) due to the “addictive” design of Instagram and Facebook. The organization and Meta have been arguing for years over a multitude of aspects related to the security and privacy of their social networks but, this time, the move could be very expensive for Mark Zuckerberg’s company, as it could be forced to redesign both applications and face a fine of up to $12 billion. por that. The conclusion of the European Commission comes after an investigation of more than two years which, if confirmed, would force Meta to change the internal functioning of two of the most used social networks on the planet. And it comes at a time when regulatory pressure on big technology companies for the protection of minors it doesn’t stop growingboth in Europe and in the United States. In detail. According to has explained The European Commission itself in an official statement, Meta “did not adequately assess the risks of its addictive design for the physical and mental well-being of users, including minors and vulnerable adults.” The European organization points directly to several specific functions: Personalized recommendations. Autoplay (automatic playback of content). The infinite scroll. Push notifications. Brussels maintains that these tools push the user to continue viewing content almost unconsciously, which the institution itself describes as going into “autopilot mode.” It also ensures that Meta ignored available data on the time that minors spend on Instagram and Facebook at night, as well as the role that formats such as reels or stories could play in excessive or compulsive use of the applications. Between the lines. What is striking is not only that Brussels points out the design of the apps, but also questions the tools that Meta already offers to limit their use. The Commission states that screen time controls, even those enabled by default for teenagers, “can be easily dismissed” and do not truly reduce use of the service. Regarding parental control, consider that it only works if parents have technical knowledge and dedicate time and effort to configure it, something that, according to the organization itself, limits its real effectiveness. Nor does he consider the mental health warnings that Meta offers in its “safety center” as sufficient. With these arguments, the Commission proposes that Meta should introduce specific design changes: deactivate functions such as autoplay and infinite scroll by default, incorporate effective screen pauses and adjust its recommendation system so that it depends less on keeping the user engaged, according to the institution’s own statement. How much money is at stake. If the conclusion is confirmed, Meta could be fined up to 6% of its annual worldwide turnover. Taking 2025 revenues as a reference, close to $201 billion, the penalty could be close to $12 billion. That can make goal. It should be noted that these are still preliminary conclusions and that there is still no firm sanction. Meta has the right to defend himself, review the documentation in the file and respond in writing before Brussels adopts a final decision. In parallel, the case will be consulted to the European Committee for Digital Services. The context does not play in favor of Meta. This research It has been open since May 2024and it has not been the only one. In parallel, the company faces another European investigation into its age verification systems for children under 13 years of age, whose preliminary conclusions were published in April, as detailed by the Commission itself. In addition, Brussels is preparing a report, scheduled for next Monday, on a possible ban on the use of social networks for minors under 16 years of age throughout the community bloc, according to they count from The Verge. Pressure also comes from the United States. In August, Meta will sit on trial over whether its applications are intentionally addictive, in a case in which several states are jointly demanding compensation that could reach $1.4 trillion. depending on the medium. And it would not be the first judicial defeat, since in March, a Los Angeles jury already declared Instagram and YouTube responsible for damaging the mental health of a 20-year-old girl, in a case that forced the companies to pay 6 million dollars jointly, according to share from Bloomberg. QEU says the Comywentn. “Protecting the physical and mental health of Europeans must be a priority for social media platforms,” he said. declared Henna Virkkunen, Executive Vice President of the European Commission for Technological Sovereignty, Security and Democracy. Virkkunen added that the Digital Services Law “offers a clear framework to hold platforms accountable for the addictive design of their services and their effects”, and assured that Brussels is “fully committed” to enforcing European regulations. What Meta says. A spokesperson for the technology giant declared to the BBC that the company did not agree with the conclusions, “which do not properly take into account the important measures we have taken to protect teenagers.” “We share the European Commission’s commitment to providing adolescents with safe and positive online experiences, and we will continue to engage constructively with them,” it continued. And now what. The case enters a phase of allegations that may be prolonged. This is not the first time that the DSA has resulted in sanctions, since the norm itself has already been used to fine X 120 million eurosand with 200 million euros to the Chinese e-commerce giant Temu. We’ll see what happens with Meta. Cover image | Guillaume Perigois and Goal In Xataka | Anyone can tag you on Instagram to generate AI deepfakes with your photos. It’s Meta being Meta

Antena 3 does not have Pasapalabra’s El Rosco, but it continues to destroy its substitute. Telecinco wants to fix it in court

July 10, 2026 by usatoday24

Antena 3 has been leading the audience in Spain for five consecutive seasons, and a good part of that dominance was built letter by letter, in the Rosco of ‘Pasapalabra’. In May, a court took away the iconic final test of his Access talisman. And three weeks after the channel replaced it with a very similar test, Mediaset intends to demonstrate that the change is not legal either. That’s why, will sue Atresmedia by AlaZ, the new final test of ‘Pasapalabra’. The judicial decision. Last May 21the Civil Chamber of the Supreme Court confirmed that the Rosco format belongs to MC&F Broadcasting Production and Distribution, and not to ITV Studios or Atresmedia. The ruling ratified a previous ruling from the Provincial Court of Barcelona in 2022 and forced Antena 3 to stop broadcasting that specific test, although the rest of ‘Pasapalabra’ could continue on the air. It is a legal dispute that comes from afar. ‘Pasapalabra’ was born in 1996 as an adaptation of the British format ‘The Alphabet Game’, from ITV, although the final test grew on its own until it became an element with its own identity. In 2019, Telecinco already lost a similar legal battle against ITV for the global rights to the program and had to withdraw it from its schedule: ITV and MC&F have licensed it separately, and that has generated problems. Atresmedia recovered the competition in May 2020, but the judicial shadow over Rosco was never completely cleared, until this year’s ruling. The substitution. On June 19, Antena 3 replaced El Rosco with AlaZ, an adaptation of the Swiss contest ‘DallAZetA’. Mediaset, meanwhile, with the exploitation rights of Rosco finally under its belt, has begun to prepare its own contest built on that test, predictably for Telecinco. Its own ‘Pasapalabra’… which cannot be called ‘Pasapalabra’ or imitate the rest of the tests. The problem is that in Mediaset’s opinion, Antena 3 continues to culminate ‘Pasapalabra’ with a Rosco that cannot be Rosco. The resemblance. The company supports its claim on the Supreme’s own definition of Rosco: two or more contestants compete against the clock answering questions whose answers follow alphabetical order. Under this criterion, Mediaset maintains that AlaZ retains almost all the essential elements of the Rosco: two contestants, a tour of the 25 letters of the alphabet, accumulated time from previous tests during the program, a cumulative jackpot and visual signaling of successes, errors and pending questions almost identical to that of the Rosco, only in a line instead of a circle. The differences. However, there are also details that distinguish both tests: The AlaZ system is more closed and strategic and the contestant can no longer give probable answers, but must guess an exact word whose length is revealed by dashes, in the style of ‘The Hanged Man’. The stopwatch also changes, from the usual 85 seconds in the Rosco to 110, and a penalty is introduced for receiving clues that does not exist in the Rosco. Of course, for Mediaset none of these adjustments alter the essentials of the game. The company states that “only minor differences have been introduced to make something substantially the same.” The comparison it offers contrasts these changes with the real differences of the original Swiss format, where a single contestant competes, there is no accumulated jackpot and each program is independent of the previous one. For MC&F and Mediaset, AlaZ is more similar to Rosco than the Swiss contest from which Atresmedia bought the license. The hearings. Since Atresmedia recovered ‘Pasapalabra’ in May 2020, the chain went from an average share of 11.7% in 2019 to around 13.9% in the following years, consolidating a leadership which has been maintained for five consecutive seasons. The most important thing is the drag effect that ‘Pasapalabra’ generates on the network’s news programs and ‘El Hormiguero’. And things have not changed with the loss of Rosco. The premiere of AlaZ, on June 19, was already a hit: the program signed 21.9% of share and 1.6 million viewers on average, with the final test shooting up to a 28.3% share in its closing minute. The new mechanics improved the average that Rosco had been recording that same season by three points. The first full week confirmed the trend, averaging 17.1% share. And that sometimes competes with the World Cup, a sporting event that has devoured the Telecinco audiences (although in July, the only weak days for Antena 3 have coincided with free-to-air World Cup matches). Without that competition, the program continues to exceed the 18% quota, a level similar to what it already had. Antena 3 has no one to complain, with or without Rosco. In Xataka | Telecinco has ‘El Rosco’ but does not have ‘Pasapalabra’. Antena 3 has ‘Pasapalabra’ but does not have ‘El Rosco’

After the floods in China, the vice president of BYD has had to remember that their cars are not boats. Its owners have not cared

July 10, 2026 by usatoday24

Dozens of BYD electric cars have circulated these days on completely flooded roads in the Chinese region of Guangxi, transporting food, water and emergency supplies to villages isolated by the rains. The striking thing is that it was not a decision organized by the brand, but those who left with their cars for the affected areas were volunteers, and they did so just when a senior executive of the company asked for caution regarding the risk of driving through floods. What has happened? Guangxi has suffered historic rains caused by Typhoon Mesaak, with roads and entire municipalities under water. According to collect According to Chinese media, 163, owners of vehicles from brands such as Denza and Fang Cheng Bao, both from the BYD group, organized themselves through networks of owners to form civil rescue convoys. These groups voluntarily entered the areas most affected by the flood, ignoring the recommendations for driving in extreme weather conditions. In detail. Chinese electric cars they usually boast of a construction designed to resist water, including batteries with a highly protective seal and reinforced chassis to cross flooded areas. In the case of Fang Cheng Bao, its independent chassis architecture allows, according to factory data, to cross up to 800 millimeters deep thanks to a specific structural sealing on the underside of the vehicle. And it is not the first time that we see this type of vehicle going out for a ride in extreme conditions. Last year we already saw vehicles like the Yangwang U8 and the Jetour Zongheng G700 do the goat crossing rivers or in flooded areas. There is certainly no better advertising. The notice that arrived late. While the owners were already circulating through the flooded areas, He Zhiqi, senior vice president of BYD, published a message on social networks reminding that an electric car “is not a boat”, according to his Weibo account. The manager explained that, although the Blade Battery of the brand has watertightness certifications IP67 and IP68and that from the factory it is guaranteed that the vehicle can withstand being submerged up to one meter deep for 24 hours without suffering electrical leaks or risk of fire in the battery, driving through deep water is still a real risk that should be avoided. Models on the ground. Among the vehicles that have been seen in the images, the Denza N9 stands out, the brand’s large luxury plug-in hybrid that, according to account CarNewsChina managed to move through areas of mud and water thanks to its all-wheel drive system with several independent motors. The Fang Cheng Bao Bao 8 has also been seen circulating, an all-terrain vehicle with a harder profile with a suspension designed to better distribute the load, in addition to the Denza B5 and B8, which incorporate active body control systems capable of adjusting the height on the fly to avoid obstacles. The money has also moved. In addition to help on the ground, several Chinese brands They have allocated funds to the reconstruction of the area. The BYD Charitable Foundation has donated 10 million yuan (about 1.47 million U.S. dollars) to fund emergency equipment and repair public infrastructure. Xiaomi has contributed the same amount in cash, and the Chery group has donated another 10 million yuan divided between financial aid and supplies. Cover image | CarNewsChina (Bilibili) In Xataka | Sky Nomad is a reality: Xiaomi’s second car brand aims at one of the jewels in BYD’s crown

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