digital

The digital detox has been fashionable for years. It’s time to start talking like what is: a myth

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Social networks have helped us in many aspects of our life, allowing us for example to strengthen some social relationships, or taking a way to express our creativity. But all this has come with a price to pay. A cost that has noticed our mental health, which has led many to try with a time to “digital detoxification.” The problem is that it may not be too useful strategy. Not so effective. Withdraw a time from social networks It is not an effective “disconnection strategy”according to a meta -analysis carried out by a Belgian team of researchers from the universities of Antwerp and Gante, at least if we are looking to improve Our well -being. The good news: at least we do not have indications that disconnection does us badly. “The findings (…) suggest that temporarily separating ourselves from social networks may not be the approximation (…) optimal to improve individual well -being,” Write the teamwhich also points out in his study the need to continue research on alternative disconnection strategies. Ten studies. The new work is a meta -analysis, that is, a “quantitative study of studies.” The team conducted a systematic search for scientific literature that addressed the relationship between social media abstinence and one or more than three variables: positive and negative affections, and vital satisfaction. They found 10 quantitative works with a total sample of 4,674 participants. The analysis showed no significant effects of refraining from social networks in any of the three variables studied. The team also did not find indications that the duration of the period of “Digital detoxification“It will be relevant. The details of the study were published In an article In the magazine Scientific Reports. Need to investigate more. The team emphasizes the need to advance in research on this issue. According to the team itself, the study presents one of the usual problems in the meta -analysis, and is the diversity in the methodologies followed by the works included in it. A radical change. Social networks have remarkably changed how we interact with technology, for better and for worse. The problems that this poses have appeared so suddenly that our ability to adapt, to look for solutions with which to repair the possible damage has exceeded in many contexts. In Xataka | How to recover the concentration that social networks and multitars have taken us Image | Xataka with Gemini

The ‘Great Chinese Firewall’ is no longer just from China. Now it is sold as a digital repression platform to other countries

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A mass filtration of 500 GB of data in the form of more than 100,000 documents has exposed a disturbing initiative. A startup called Geedge Networks is selling to governments around the world censorship systems modeled from “China Great Firewall“. There are at least three countries that are already applying restrictive measures similar to those of the Chinese government. What happened. The leaked documents By interseclab They reveal how one of the investors in Geedge Networks is Fang Binxing, one of the “Parents” of the “Great Cortaygos of China”. Researchers have discovered that the startup markets an advanced surveillance platform that includes hardware for data centers and Software for local officials. Intercepting everything. The central component of that platform is the so -called “Tiangou Secure Gateway” (TSG), a tool that acts as a gateway and that is installed in the data centers to process the Internet traffic of an entire country. All these data scan when this component is passed, and from there it is filtered and can be blocked so that it does not reach its destination. If the traffic is not encrypted, you can intercept and collect passwords and email addresses. If it is, it makes use of deep inspection systems of packages and automatic learning to detect and block tools that avoid these censorship systems, especially VPN. Three countries already have their own “Great Firewall”. A consortium formed by media and human rights organizations (such as Amnesty International) identified that this platform is active in Kazakhstan, Pakistan, Ethiopia and Myanmar. In Geedge Networks they have published job offers for engineers willing to travel to countries such as Malaysia, Bahrain, Algeria and India, and are also hiring Spanish and French translators, which makes it clear that the startup is developing an important expansion strategy. TSG control panel capture for Myanmar showing real -time traffic categorized in total bandwidth and active connections. Source: Interseclab. An example of control: Myanmar. In a filtered capture the TSG control panel for Myanmar And it looks how the system was monitoring 81.6 million Internet connections simultaneously. In February 2024, Geedge hardware equipment had been installed in 26 data centers and 13 ISPS of Myanmar. There, 281 popular VPN tools were identified and the blockade of 54 of them was prioritized, including Expressvpn or Signal. Growing suspicions. Although researchers warn that documents are not a definitive proof that this system is causing specific blockages, Geeedge’s records show strong correlations with certain important events of the past. In Ethiopia for example the TSG system changed passive monitoring mode to “active detention” of traffic just a few days before a remarkable internet blackout that It occurred in February 2023. There are other cases in which connectivity problems in these countries have coincided with events registered in TSG in filtered documents. And incidentally, new Digitgal repression techniques in China. Among the leaked documents are also spoken of an active project in the Xingiang region, in China. There the startup has collaborated with Chinese research institutions to test a distributed firewall model instead of using a centralized one. There are also alarming experimental functions such as the ability to create relationships between users, group individuals according to applications that use or triangular the location of users through mobile base stations. And the dreaded punctuation systems. There is also a prototype in which a kind of Score for the reputation of each userand that would apply individually. Each user would have a base score and to increase it would have to add personal data such as their national identification, data that allow facial recognition or employment details. If this score does not exceed a certain limit – or decreased due to the use of a VPN detected and prohibited, for example – the Internet access would be denied to the citizen. Government malware. Another of the threats posed by this system is Geedge’s ability to Inject malware In user traffic. An operator could identify which website visit a user and, if it does not use a safe protocol (HTTPS), could inject malware directly into that connection. The researchers explain that although these experimental options are being tested in China, once the technology is mature, any foreign client can request those same functions on their platform to update it and have it available. Image | Ran Liwen In Xataka | The ‘China Great Firewall’ becomes even harder and blocks all TLS 1.3 traffic with ESNI to avoid aisos to prohibited destinations

The digital kit promises to digitize SMEs and freelancers and “give them” a Macbook Air. There is a lot of small print

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On paper the Digital kit It doesn’t seem a bad idea. The government’s proposal, managed by Red.esgrants a series of subsidies to facilitate the “digital transformation” of SMEs and freelancers. Or what is the same: that small businesses and people “in self -employment” can for example have their website, their online store and even access the subsidy of a macbook air m4 that seems to leave “free”. Except that it does not go free. Not much less. Subsidies for digital transformation The program, promoted by Red.es and the Ministry for Digital Transformation and Public Function, aims to “digitize” SMEs and adapt them to new times. Source: Red.es Financing comes from the Next Generation EU program of the European Union, and to start it up they were established different segments of beneficiaries that depended on the size of the SMEs or whether you were autonomous. The calls for almost all segments have been ending over the last months, but there is one that remains active: that of segment III, dedicated to SMEs from zero to three employees and also autonomous. The maximum amount of the subsidy for this segment is 3,000 euros, and is divided into two items. The first, with a subsidy of up to 2,000 euros can be used to commission the development of a web page (“basic internet presence”) or an online store (“Marketplace”). The second, which is becoming a claim on social networks, is a subsidy of up to 1,000 euros for the acquisition of a “safe job”which normally translates into a PC or portable. An important detail here: you can not ask for only the computer for the computer, and this can only be requested as a complement to the subsidy for the website or online store mentioned above. To access the program and get those “digital bonds” of up to 3,000 euros the process, explained in a PDFIt is theoretically simple. Just access the web accelerapyme.escomplete a “self -diagnosis test” and request help Digital kit through the form of the Red.es electronic headquarters. From there we will have to get in touch with a “digitizer agent”which will be the intermediary through which this “digital transformation” of our business is carried out. It is they who provide us with services (or manage that a third party provide them) and that they also take care of the acquisition of the famous portable of 1,000 euros. It is possible to become one of these digitalizing agents through the aforementioned Electronic Headquarters of Red.es, and In another guide in PDF It explains how to log in. A digitizer agent tells us the reality of the digital kit program As we say, on paper everything seems correct, but in practice the digital kit program has become a source of controversy that affects both parties, both those who have asked for those subsidies and to those who have managed them. To know from within what is happening we have talked to Pablo F. Iglesiasfounder of the consultant Cyberbainers that among other things achieved homologation for the digital kit. He has suffered the “small print” of this project as well as a service provider as a couple of a person who requested them. After this time offering their services, he tells us how his feeling is that there were “too many used who have seen in the program a quick business opportunity.” It is a message that others have shared such as Jaime Gómez-Obregón, which explained in x How a microenterprise “sold” hundreds of digital kit projects by subcontracting websites to freelancers in South America, which ended up promoting “Business models of using and throwing”. Iglesias also indicated how there have been large companies that They have taken advantage of the program to capture new customers as part of your service offer. In both cases the impact has been mostly negative. There are many the Complaints in social networks that They speak of Scams Related and how it has been seen that frequently the quality of the web pages or online stores created was very low, they were often “clones” of other web pages with minimal modifications that did not justify the 2,000 euros of the subsidy. For churches there is another additional problem: “Although they grant, for example, 6,000 euros to your company, the categories are limited to maximum expenses. Insufficient expenses to provide a service of twelve months, which encourages, by the structure of the subsidy itself, that the quality of the service is very but very low … or an economic agreement is reached outside the digital kit contract.” Iglesias himself explained that with 2,000 euros it is practically impossible for someone to “make you a professional website, give you basic services of backups, maintenance and monthly SEO work for 12 months.” Even so, he emphasizes, this program has caused the foam “alleged marketing agencies that They are dedicated to riding clonic WordPress With free templates in an afternoon, financing with the digital kit. “Although these pages do not position well in front of the competition, in the eyes of the program they have fulfilled the work,” and as the type client to which they van do not understand anything in the digital world, because it cooks. “ Free laptop myth In recent days we have started to see frequently on social networks like Tiktok Publications of accounts that They talked of The easy What was it get a macbook air m4 “free” subsidized by digital kit. But all these messages are misleading advertising, since although the digital kit program subsidizes these teams, who want to take advantage of this option will have to be very attentive to the small print. To start, because That subsidy does not cover VATand here Iglesias points to how “the state always wins.” To get the laptop we have to ask both the subsidy of 1,000 euros for the “safe job” and the 2,000 euros for the creation of a website or, as many of those ads sell, the start -up of … Read more

Wetaca doubles benefits thanks to the classic digital world trick: hooking to a subscription

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602,000 euros of net profit in 2024, twice as much as the previous year. Wetaca has achieved what seemed impossible in the competitive world of food at home: grow in sales (23%) and improve margins at the same time, according to their 2024 accounts that he collects Five days. The turn. The company, founded by former Masterchef Efrén Álvarez consistent, has ceased to be a company that sells Tápers to become one that you subscribe. The automatic subscription model, launched in 2021generate weekly orders that are sent unless the client modifies or cancels them. You no longer have to remember to ask: the menus arrive alone. This apparently subtle change has changed the business. The recurrence has become the Holy Grail of Wetaca, which has invested more than 1.1 million euros in marketing to capture subscribers, twice as much as in 2023. In perspective. The prepared food sector lives a paradox: Dark Kitchens They left their best moment behind and the aggregators of Delivery They have a complicated profitability, but Wetaca is thriving with a model that seemed to have a difficult fit with the current offer. Centralized cuisine in Villaverde. Tápers that are sent cold. Menus that last a week in the fridge. Model that asks for a conscious and planned purchase, not impulsive. The difference is in the economic equation. Without RIDERS No commissions to platforms, without the pressure of delivering in half an hour. Only efficient production and customers that automatically repeat each week. And now what. With 94 employees and a debt of 5.2 million (1.5 in the short term), Wetaca will need subscriptions to continue flowing. The commitment to new machinery seeks precisely that: producing more maintaining the margins that have cost them so much to achieve. Between bambalins. The founders Álvarez and Casal maintain 71% of the company, while Cabiedes & Partners control almost 20%. This concentrated shareholding structure has allowed them to bet on the long term instead of pursuing growth at any price, the curse of so many delivery startups. The subscription model not only allows them to sell more: that model is a prediction machine demand, optimize production and reduce waste. When you know how many tápers you will cook every week, everything becomes more efficient. In Xataka | Glovo officially abandons the model that made her famous: all her riders will be used before the end of the year Outstanding image | Wetaca

These are some of the most interesting digital notebooks to resume classes

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Technology is already present in many plots of our day to day. If you are thinking about the return to school, the Digital notebooks They are those devices that will become your favorite classmates in class. Here are some of the most interesting models we have found. Huion Note X10 He Huion Note X10 It is one of those digital intelligent notebooks that stands out for its Elegant designso it is perfect for both students and those who want to use it to work. It has an A5 format (although it is available in other formats) and is accompanied by Huion Serbio Pen digital pencil of 2nd generationwith a much more stable curve and line performance. Also, from the Huion Note app you can access endless tools. HUION Note X10 – Smart Digital Notepad Notepad * Some price may have changed from the last review Rocketbook Core Another intelligent digital notebook model that we want Rocketbook Core. It is available in A4 size21 x 29.7 cm and fits perfectly in any backpack. From the Rocketbook app you can scan and upload your work to Dropbox, Google Drive and onenote. It is made with top -quality reusable points pages and has Waterproof cover and spiral binding. In addition, it comes with a cloth so you can clean the pages once you have scanned them. Rocketbook core reusable spiral notebook, A4 size * Some price may have changed from the last review Yuan Smart Writing Set Although it has a higher cost than the other models, this Yuan digital notebook It is another of those who deserve a hole in our list of recommendations. It stands out, fundamentally, for allowing you write. Admits the save and the Reproduction in video format. In addition, it allows the storage of your pages even if you have no connection. It comes with an intelligent pencil with replacement, in addition to five marks. Yuan Smart Writing Set, Smart Pen+ Smart Notebook * Some price may have changed from the last review Moleskine Smart Writing Set When talking about notebooks or notebooks, it could not be missing, in this compilation, one of the leading firms in the sector, Moleskine. It also has this Moleskine digital writing set with which to save all your annotations. It is a digital notebook that follows the design of all the products of the firm and that comes with a digital pencil (smart pen). Is compatible with the APP Moleskine Notesso that you can save the content of its pages on your smartphone. Its pages are striped and the notebook has dimensions of 13 x 21 cm. Moleskine Smart Writing Set * Some price may have changed from the last review Kindle Scribe If you want a versatile device, the Kindle Scribe It is another essential in this compilation, since it is digital notebook and electronic book reader at the same time. It has a redesigned screen with uniform edges. This Kindle Scribe It has a storage capacity of 16 GB and comes with a premium pencil. Its battery last weeks, so you will forget almost loading it and its screen has a diagonal of 10.2 inches and 300 pp, with frontal light and without reflexes. Amazon Kindle Scribe (16 GB) * Some price may have changed from the last review Some of the links of this article are affiliated and can report a benefit to Xataka. Images | Yuan, Amazon, Huion, Rocketbook and Moleskine In Xataka | These are some of the best tablets you can find to study during the next year In Xataka | Five good and cheap laptops for the return to school that you can find on offer for limited time

Solar storms are increasingly threatening for the earth. NASA wants to prepare with a “digital twin” of the sun

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The sun, that star that gives us life, also has an unpredictable character and potentially destructive. So much so that A large solar storm It could return to us technologically to the stone age in the blink of an eye. To avoid this, NASA and IBM They have joined forces To create a model that simulates the behavior of the sun. And how could it be otherwise, it has been generated with artificial intelligence. A authentic twin of the sun to understand it better. The union of forces of these two institutions has resulted in the creation of Surya, an artificial intelligence Designed to act as a digital twin of the sun and anticipate their violent outbursts with precision that with the models that are currently used cannot be achieved. Training an AI with the heart of a star. The challenge of predicting the space climate is undoubtedly a great challenge For scientists. To build Surya, the engineers turned to an inexhaustible data source: the Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) NASA Hala. For nine years, this probe has State watching the sun without restcapturing images of very high resolution every 12 seconds in different wavelengths and measuring its complex magnetic field. Once you have all this information is where artificial intelligence comes into action to be able to organize and interpret them for experts. That is why the first thing Surya did is standardize all data formats to be able to process them together. Intelligent filtering of all this information. Once the data was unified, the next step was to use a long -range vision transformer, an architecture capable of analyzing gigantic images to identify patterns and relationships between points of solar activity, regardless of how far they are from each other. But he did not stay here, because thanks to a mechanism known as ‘spectral door’, the system was able to filter the ‘noise’ of the data to reduce memory use and improve the quality of the information with which it worked. Therefore, researchers were removed a lot of work to have to label all the images, causing it to adapt rapidly. More precision and twice as much time to react. The results of the initial tests are very promising. Until now, Traditional models barely gave us an hour in advance before a solar eruption. With Surya it has been shown to be able to launch a reliable warning two hours in advance, doubleing the humanity preparation window. But it is not only faster, but also accurate. The IBM and NASA team recorded a 16% improvement in precision when classifying solar rashes compared to the models used right now. Something that is also thanks to the ability to integrate information from other missions such as Parker solar probe or the Soho Observatory. An open tool for the science of the future. Far from saving this powerful tool in a key drawer, IBM and NASA have made it available to the entire scientific community. Surya is now available on platforms such as Hugging Face, GITHUB or even the Terratorch library. Kevin Murphy, NASA scientific data director, is clear: “We facilitate the analysis of the complexity of our star’s behavior with unprecedented speed and precision. This opens the door to a better understanding of the impact of solar activity on the systems on which our daily life depends.” The goal is for the Earth to be prepared. Although we see the central star of our system as harmless, the reality is that at any time this sensation can change. In this way, preparation and anticipation is fundamental and for the moment all hopes are put in this model of where it is possible to learn from the processes behind the evolution of the sun with the aim of having a greater amount of information. Images | Javier Miranda In Xataka | How the Solar System was formed: So that the Earth was born, a star had to die

There is an ereader that has everything I am looking for to read books in digital format. And it’s no Kindle

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Although my ereader (Kobo Clara 2E) Stay perfectly, many times I review which are the current models that can interest me the most to read in digital format. There is much to choose frombut I have it very clear (and it is no Kindle): to buy a ereader right now, without a doubt it would be the Kobo Libra Color. * Some price may have changed from the last review A very complete ereader What does he have Kobo Libra Color What interests me so much? Well, the truth is that enough things. First, it comes with a seven -inch screen that has screen rotation to read vertically or horizontally. In addition, it is compatible with the Kobo Stylus 2, which allows you to take notes in any digital book (a function that I use a lot). Another interesting point is that its screen is color. I do not recommend much to choose this specific model to read comics or magazines – that is why a screen of at least eight inches is better. On the other hand, the most useful point that I see on its color screen is that you can take notes with different colors “Very useful to use a color for each character in a book.” Another thing that interests me most is the way to use. I do not like to depend solely on the screen to pass the pages – it gets dirty and, at least in my case, sometimes when my finger slides my ereader detects as if the zoom of the page had increased. In this case, the screen can be used, but also the Two physical buttons that are found on the right side (or left for left -handed people). Among other things, the Kobo Libra Colour comes with 32 GB of internal storage (more than enough to save many digital books), has blue light reduction, includes its own book store, is water resistant (IPX8 certification), its battery offers an autonomy of weeks, It is compatible with audiobooks And also with Google Drive and Dropbox. It is, without any doubt, a very complete ereader. You may also interest you Kobo Fonda For Libra Color Libra | Black Notebook | Sleep/Wake technology | Integrated 2 -way support | Vegan skin | Compatible with 7 -inch Ereader Kobo Libra Color * Some price may have changed from the last review * Some price may have changed from the last review Some of the links of this article are affiliated and can report a benefit to Xataka. In case of non -availability, offers may vary. Images | Rakuten, Kobo In Xataka | Best electronic books. Which to buy and nine recommended models In Xataka | Kindle Colorsooft vs Kobo Libra Color. What ereader with color screen chose according to your tastes and needs

A man gave up his image for $ 750 without thinking too much. Your double digital now “sells” horoscopes and supplements

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Scott Jacqmein charged $ 750 and a trip. In return, she delivered her image for an external agency to make her a Avatar Digital For a year. That avatar has appeared in Tiktok Selling horoscopes, supplements and insurance in Spanish and other languages, although Jacqmein lives in Dallas and has not recorded any of those ads. His face, without his usual beard, continues to circulate in videos generated by artificial intelligence. With the contract he signed, he has no simple ways to stop him. The man signed a license to use his image for twelve months, without royalties, and without legal representation to advise him. The agreement was not with Tiktok directly, but with an external agency that, According to The New York Timesgathered actors material to create avatars for advertising purposes. At the time, he saw that recording as a professional opportunity. Today, he acknowledges that he did not fully understand how his digital image would be used or in what kind of campaigns would appear. AI AVATARES: Licenses, Control and Business Seeing his double digital speaking another language and moving with an expressiveness that is not his was, for Scott Jacqmein, a disconcerting experience. The only real thing in those pieces is the original source: the face and voice that delivered an agency under contract. Although videos include a “Ai-generated”the realism of avatars makes this warning easily pass unnoticed, probably pending as authentic testimonies in the Feed of users. According to the American newspaper, the Jacqmein avatar is part of a catalog that Tiktok offers companies as an advertising tool. Advertisers can choose between several profiles, age, gender and appearance, and Generate videos directly from the platformno need for filming. These avatars are free for brands and are used in Tiktok advertising service, within a creative suite called Symphony. Jacqmein does not have clear contractual mechanisms to stop the use of his avatar. The license he signed with the agency was for a year, although it has not been made public at what exact moment of 2024 was formalized. Until this month, he says, his acquaintances continued to warn him that they saw him in Tiktok ads, which suggests that his image is still active in recent campaigns. The actor regrets not having negotiated restrictions on products, languages or environments in which his avatar could be used. On the left, Scott Jacqmein’s avatar created by AI for ads on Tiktok. On the right, the actor in a real image taken during a walk Jacqmein’s story is a reflection of the type of situations that may arise in an environment where artificial intelligence It allows to replicate faces and voices easily. We do not know if all agreements of this type are managed the same, but this case shows what can happen when the terms are not clearly defined. In a digital world where opportunities multiply, the consequences of what we sign can also do. In the prominent image that accompanies this article, the avatar generated by AI appears on the left and the real photography of Jacqmein, on the right. Images | Scott Jacqmein | Tiktok capture In Xataka | Duolingo believed that AI was his ally. GPT-5 has just demonstrated that it can be its mortal competition

How to install the digital certificate on the computer

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Let’s explain How to install the digital certificate on your computer With Windows, so you can use it at any time. He Digital certificate It is a useful tool for administration procedures. The most common is that of the FNMT, but you can also use the ID certificate. Can Request your FNMT digital certificate Easily, and even install it on your mobile. But of course, you will also be able to install it on the computer, and this is exactly what we are going to teach you step by step. You will see that it is very simple. Install the digital certificate in Windows The first thing you have to know is that The name of your certificate is importantand you should not change it. First it has your last name and name, but then there are a number of numbers that are the password to install it. To start, simply double click on the certificate. By double clicking on the certificate, the computer assistant will open on the computer. First You have to choose the warehouse locationwhich can be in the current user so that you can only use it, or as a local team so that all users who use your computer with different accounts can use it. In the next step you will have to choose the Certificate address, but as we have started the process, double clicking on it will be filled and you just have to press Following. Next, you have to Write the certificate passwordwhich are the numbers that appear behind your last name and name in the name of the file. In import options you don’t need to change anything, but the password is vital. Now you will be able to select the certificate warehouse if you want, although it is advisable to Let Windows automatically select itwhich is the option that is chosen by default. Simply click on Following. Now Windows is going to show a summary of everything you have chosen, and you have to click on Finish That will appear in the window. Finally, it is possible that Windows shows a warning by telling you that it cannot validate that the certificate is authentic, and that if you continue to trust it blindly. Here clicks that Yeahand you will finish installing the digital certificate.

Mexico City wanted to shine as Lisbon did. Now they have the same problems: Gentrification and Digital Nomads

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In recent weeks, Mexico City has been the scene of a wave of protests that have put in the center of the debate the coexistence of its inhabitants. The increase in housing prices, due to the gentrification of the most popular neighborhoods in the city, and the uncontrolled tourist They have put the Digital nomads In the spotlight causing an unprecedented social reaction in the Mexican capital. Mexico City is thrown out. Thousands of people went to protest through the streets of the most central and busy colonies (neighborhoods) like Rome and Countess, where rental prices have increased above 100% In the last three years. What began as a peaceful manifestation against the gentrification and the increase of life in those colonies, soon took a more violent look: Several businesses frequented by tourists and digital nomads were attacked under slogans From “Gringo, go home!” Some protesters carried banners with “gringos written messages, stop stealing the house”, while demanding laws to regulate the tourist and policies that allow access to a home at affordable prices for the premises. “They are expelling us from our own neighborhoods,” the protesters shouted. The government responds and the US does not lose Comba. The president of Mexico, Claudia Sheinbaum, He expressed his outrage before the violence registered in the demonstrations and condemned Xenophobic attitudes that the protesters showed against the digital nomads and tourists who found in their path. “It cannot be that due to a lawsuit, however legitimate, that is gentrification, the demand is ‘any nationality of our country,’” said Sheinbaum. “Mexico is a country open to the world and is not discriminatory; then xenophobic attitudes cannot be justified.” The increase in tension against digital nomads, mainly Americans, also have a response component from citizenship to deportation policies That the Government of Donald Trump is applying, expelling many Mexican citizens from the US, while these digital nomads now occupy the homes in which the protesters lived. “Gentrification is colonization!” Some of the banners exhibited in the demonstration. For its part, far from showing a conciliatory message, the US National Security Department, on which mass deportations depend, threw more firewood by the fire by publishing In his X profile The message: “If you are illegally in the United States and want to join the next protest in Mexico City, use the CBP Home application to facilitate your departure.” THE ORIGIN OF THE PROTEST: Gentrification. Such and As I pointed out The president of Mexico in her speech, the origin of the discomfort of the population of Mexico City has as a backdrop Gentrificationa process that has accelerated in recent years. During this period, the local government promoted the investment of foreign real estate funds and the Use of platforms such as Airbnbracing the way for the arrival of professionals with high purchasing power from the global northern. As a result, the price of housing in central colonies It has doubled In the last decade, and the cost of living has become unsustainable for many residents resulting from the pressure of investment funds for removing maximum profitability to their real estate investments. “When talking about real estate cartels, it is rightly said, because between cartels there are disputes over a territory or square, and today the (colony) Juarez is the center of a similar dispute,” assured In 2023 a BBC Neighborhood activist Sergio González. The average rental of an house in Mexico City went from 16,100 pesos per month (about 738 euros to change) in January 2018 to 20,426 pesos (about 936 euros) five years later, although this figure shoots more than double in colonies such as the Countess. The minimum monthly salary in Mexico City is around 8,364 pesos, the equivalent of just less than 384 euros. Digital nomads are not the (unique) responsible. Although US digital nomads have become the main objective of protests, Expert voices like that of the lawyer and activist Carla Escoffié indicate that her presence is only A part of the problem. The mere presence of a few thousand people with high purchasing power in a city like Mexico City does not elevate prices alone, explains Escoffié in his book ‘Country without a roof’. The true Gentrification Motor They are the real estate fundsthe greats LESSORSand the Tourist Rental Platformswhich modify the nature of the neighborhoods building luxury homes and replacing the local trade by multinational chains. President Sheinbaum pointed out that foreigners rejection is a response to mass arrival of digital nomads After the pandemic, mainly from the United States. These “visitors” have much greater purchasing power than the local population and its presence It increased In 60% compared to figures in 2019, and currently, some 700,000 Americans live in Mexico. The precedent: Portugal. Lisbon would have served of Canarian in the mine For the Mexican government to anticipate what would happen in the colonies of Mexico City, since Lisbon has suffered the same symptoms that the Mexican capital now presents. Such and as analyzed in The Guardian The researcher at the University of Lisbon Agustín Cocola-Gant, Portugal promoted for years a low taxation for real estate investors foreigners and launched “golden visas“To attract digital nomads and investors, granting tax advantages over local inhabitants. These policies caused a 105.8% increase in the price of housing in Lisbon between 2015 and 2023, according to published data by The confidential. The result was the expulsion of thousands of Portuguese of its traditional neighborhoodsunable to face the increase in life and housing. As Cocola-Gant explained, Portugal went from occupying the 22 of the 27 countries with the most expensive housing in 2015, to occupy first place today. In Xataka | Cities full of empty houses and neighbors incapable of finding housing: the cities of “Las Persianas descedas” arrive Image | Unspash (Keith Helfrich)

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