Ukraine has tested whether Russia was complying with the ceasefire with an optical illusion in the open field. The video is self-explanatory

during the call Christmas Truce In the First World War, enemy soldiers came out of their trenches, exchanged gifts and even played soccer games in no man’s land, in one of the most unusual episodes of the conflict. That scene, as brief as it was unexpected, showed to what extent war can change shape in a matter of hours. A ceasefire on paper. Russia had announced a ceasefire for Orthodox Easter with a strong symbolic and political component, seeking to project an image of negotiating will in the middle of war. However, on the ground the reality has been very different, with thousands of violations recorded in just 32 hours, including artillery attacks, assaults and a massive use of tactical drones. Although long-range attacks were reduced, information arriving from kyiv They point out that the intensity on the near front was maintained, reflecting a dynamic where pauses are used more as a narrative tool than as a true attempt to stop the fighting. The war of stories. Both Moscow and kyiv tried to position themselves as the party that respected the truce, in a conditioned diplomatic pulse also due to international pressure, especially from the United States. While Russia defended having complied with the ceasefire, Ukraine documented thousands of violations in a matter of hours, showing an obvious gap between the official discourse and what was happening on the battlefield. This duality reinforced the idea that truce announcements are part of a communication strategy as much as the war itself. The unexpected test: an optical illusion. In this context, Ukraine decided to go beyond the accusations and designed a direct test to check Russian behavior: evacuate apparently own soldiers, unarmed and wounded, complying with all the conditions of a ceasefire. It turns out that, in reality, it was Russian prisoners in disguise with neutral uniforms, used as a kind of “visual bait” to verify whether the agreements were respected. The scene functioned as a kind of terrifying optical illusion on the battlefield, where what looked like a legitimate evacuation hid a carefully prepared experiment. The video that dismantles the truce. The outcome was so fast as forceful: because a swarm of Russian drones attacked the evacuees, killing several of them without knowing that they were actually their own captured soldiers. The episode, recorded on video and broadcast Later on different social networks, he crudely exposed the fragility of the ceasefire and the inability (or lack of will) to respect it even in situations clearly protected by the rules of war. Beyond the tactical impact, the incident became in a visual test difficult to refute about what was really happening on the front. An episode that also leaves everyone in a bad light due to the crudeness of the visual piece. An impossible truce. If you also want, the set of events confirms that the ceasefire was, in practice, untenable in a conflict where both parties seek to maintain the military initiative while competing for the international narrative. For Russia, the test reveals the extent to which modern combat (based on the intensive use of drones, quick decisions and targets detected without full verification) can turn against him even in sensitive situations. For Ukraine, the test not only highlighted Russian non-compliance, but also showed the extent to which the battle has entered a phase where even humanitarian gestures can become in strategic tools. In this scenario, the truce was nothing more than a nominal pause in a war that continues to develop with the same intensity under a layer of unfulfilled promises. Image | x In Xataka | If fog was deadly in Ukraine’s winter, spring is offering Russia a key advantage: greenery In Xataka | Ukraine is close to what no one has achieved in a war: shooting down missiles for less than a million dollars

Investigate Pornhub for not complying with age verification

A click on a yellow box that says “I am 18 years of age or older.” That is all the age verification that Pornhub makes, one of the largest pornographic content websites in the world. And indeed, it is not enough, at least for the European Commission. And it is not in Pornhub, Stripchat, Xnxx and Xvideos, websites all of them that, from now on, They are being investigated by the European Commission for “suspicions of gaps of the digital service acts”. Context. One of the objectives of the European Act Digital Act, AKA DSA, is to protect minors from certain types of network content. The pornographic, among them and in particular. Since December 2023, Pornhub, Stripchat and Xvideos are considered Vlops (Vary Large Online Platforms), that is, platforms that have an average of 45 million monthly users and, therefore, have additional obligations. Since December 2023, Pornhub (among other websites) has been considered a Very Large Online Platform and, as such, has additional obligations What obligations? In order to concern this text, Vlops must offer greater protection to minors. According to the European Commission, “Vlop must design their services, including their interfaces, recommendation systems and terms and conditions, to address and prevent risks for the well -being of minors.” They must also offer “palliative measures to protect the rights of the child and prevent minors from accessing online pornographic content, even with age verification tools.” In other words, which must offer mechanisms to ensure that minors do not access adult content. Among those mechanisms is, for example, age verification. It is a fairly complex issue, which has not been exempt from criticism and that He has been on the table for more years. Completely impassable | Image: Xataka What happened. That the European Commission has taken the magnifying glass to take a look at what Pornhub, Stripchat, Xnxx and Xvideos are doing to prevent minors from seeing porn. As reflected in the commission in the releaseinvestigations focus on “the risks for the protection of minors, including those related to the absence of effective age verification measures.” The preliminary research carried out by the European agency suggests these platforms have not implemented “appropriate and provided measures to guarantee a high level of privacy, safety and protection of minors” or risk mitigation measures, “in particular through adequate tools for verification of age,” says the Commission. Image | Shane Uchi What could happen? That the European Commission opens the investigation does not mean that these companies are guilty. If it is, something that will be resolved later, they would face a sanction of up to 6% of their global annual turnover. In the case of Pornhub, perhaps the best known, the website is owned by Aylo (previously Mindgeek) and its estimated income are around 500 million dollars annually. The potential fine would therefore be about 30 million dollars. And what systems are there? We have visited the four websites mentioned above and then we show the mechanisms for protection of minors: a screen where we accept that we are (or not) minors. There is no verification. Interestingly, stripcams links a kind of guide for parents to teach to configure parental control via Google SafeSearch or in iOS/Android. However, the DSA establishes that it is the websites that must offer the prevention mechanisms, not leave the ball on the parents’ roof. Pornhub age verification systems, XVIDEOS, XNXX and Stripchat | Image: Xataka In any case, and as far as Stripchat concerns specifically, the commission has announced that it has lost its status of Vlop and will cease to be considered as such in four months. However, general obligations will continue to apply. In that sense, the Commission has commented that there are many pornographic platforms that are not so large and in which, therefore, national laws are applied. Thus, a working group has been established with the objective of better coordinating the actions between the different countries. Doors to the field. Throughout history there has been countless attempts To restrict access to the pornographic content, but the reality is that blocking access to content available on the Internet without going through an exhaustive age verification is … complex. Not because blocking a website is impossible, which is not at all, but because pornographic content can be found on any platform. Porn websites are the best known distribution platforms, but this type of content can be found on social networks, platforms such as Reddit, in Telegram channels or in WhatsApp groups. Limiting access to websites is a step, but it will not eliminate the root problem: accessing online porn is extremely simple. Digital portfolio operation scheme | Image: Government of Spain Pajorto. The Government of Spain announced last year Beta digital portfolio creationbetter known as “pajorto” although its implementation could be expanded until November 2026 (which is the maximum date to comply with the European regulations eidas2which forces member states to have digital identity systems), it was supposed to be ready by the end of this year. Interestingly, Cumlauder, a well -known Spanish website, He advanced to the “parsport” with a system based on or verification of DNI or through a selfie. And speaking of Spain … According to the then Minister of Digital Transformation, José Luis Escrivá, Beta Aka Digital Portfolio the “Pajorte” was being a “study in Europe and the same within a year all of Europe is applying it”. In that sense, the European Commission has said that it is in “in close collaboration with the Member States, it is developing an application of verification of the white marked age, aimed at covering the void until the EU digital purse is available at the end of 2026” Well According to EFE Agencythat quotes sources from the aforementioned Ministry, the European Commission I would have chosen Spain for the pilot project of said verification tool. The idea would be to offer the national system as a base and that the rest of the countries can adapt it to their own contexts. After … Read more

has launched a reprimand against Google and Apple for not complying with the DMA

“Companies operating in the EU, regardless of their place of constitution, must comply with the EU standards, including the Digital Markets Law (DMA),” has declared the Spanish commissioner Teresa Ribera in one of her first outstanding actions since she assumed the since Margrethe Vestager occupied before. His words do not arrive alone: ​​they are accompanied by a reprimand against Google and Apple, two giants who are in the sights for their relationship with the DMA. And he does it in a context marked by the Growing friction with the United States. Google’s case The European Commission, the executive arm of the block, has determined that certain functions of Google Search are designed to give preference to Alphabet’s own services on those of the competition. A movement that, according to Brussels, collides directly with the principles of transparency and non -discrimination of the DMA. On the other hand, he also pointed out that Google Play also does not comply with the aforementioned regulations, since it limits applications developers when “directing” users to external offers outside the store. This is what has determined, in a preliminary way, the European Commission in its investigation: Google Search: Google matrix treats Its own services, such as purchases, hotels, transport or financial or sports results, more favorable in Google search results than similar services offered by third parties. Here it is easy to imagine several scenarios. For example, if we seek ‘Apple Quote’ on Google, it is likely that the first result comes from Google Finance instead of other financial sources. The same goes for searches such as ‘Cheap flights to London’, where Google Travel usually appears before external alternatives. In the words of the commission: “Alphabet gives its own services a more prominent treatment compared to others by showing them at the top of Google search results or in dedicated spaces, with improved visual formats and filtering mechanisms.” Google Play. In the case of the official Android application store, European regulators accuse Google of Restrict the ability of developers to lead users to their own distribution channels and offers. In addition, they point out that, although the company can collect a rate for facilitating the collection of new customers through Google Play, the commissions that Alphabet applies exceed what they consider reasonable “Alphabet charges developers a high rate for an excessively long period of time for each purchase of digital goods and services,” says the commission. Apple’s case Brussels regulators They have pointed out that Apple must take measures to fulfill certain aspects of its interoperability obligation. As they explain, this will facilitate a more fluid integration of third -party products within the company’s ecosystem and allow users to access a greater variety of compatible devices and services. There are two key points in this issue. Let’s see what are: Connected devices. The commission has focused on the connectivity functions of iOS that allow to link devices such as smart watches, headphones and televisions. The required modifications seek to improve the user experience, allowing the visualization of notifications in wearables, the wireless transfer of files and more accessible configurations. “The connected devices of all brands will work better on the iPhone,” they say. Interoperability requests. The objective is that Apple facilitates access to developers who want to make the most of the interoperability capabilities of their ecosystem. For this, improvements are proposed as a more transparent access to technical documentation on functions, more agile communication and update and a more predictable period for requesting applications. As explained, “developers will benefit from a rapid and fair processing of their interoperability applications.” What’s still for Google and Apple In the case of Google, the company has the right to formally defend and respond to the conclusions of the European Commission. If preliminary opinions are confirmed, Brussels could formalize the breach of the DMA, which would mean fines of up to 10% of its global income. In case of recidivism, the sanction could double up to 20%. As for Apple, the company is obliged to apply the measures imposed by European regulators. However, these decisions respect their right of defense and remain subject to judicial scrutiny. Although, for now, the decision does not imply immediate sanctions, if the company refuses to comply, the commission could adopt additional measures under the DMA, which would eventually derive in fines. The effect in the United States This movement comes at a time when several technological leaders have raised their voice against the fines imposed in the EU. The protests have reached Donald Trump. Last year, the president -elect said in a podcast that Tim Cook called him to talk about the sanctions against Apple in Europe, to which he replied that he would not allow the EU to “take advantage” of US companies if he arrived again at the White House. After his electoral victory, his speech has not changed. Any future sanction to Apple or Google could generate a Negative reaction from Washington. Images | European Union (via Wikimedia Commons / CC by 4.0) | Solen Feyissa In Xataka | The EU regulatory obsession raises a world in which AI will have two speeds. And Europe will lose

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