fined

Spain has just fined Ibai and Jordi Wild for it

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The National Markets and Competition Commission has just hired a Portuguese company to track covert advertising on social networks. The three fines that he has managed to impose with this newly released surveillance add up, now with the discounts for prompt payment and other mitigating factors, to 2,877.91 euros between Ibai Llanos, Jordi Wild and Nachter. They are just crumbs in the context of how much these people earn. influencers with their activity. Three reasons. Ibai Llanos, Jordi Wild and Nachter have been sanctioned for different breaches of the General Law of Audiovisual Communication: unidentified advertising, content without protection of minors and irregular promotion of medicines. It cost Ibai Llanos 710 euros, reduced to 568 for advance payment, not to point out that several videos published in The Evening They showed a beverage brand without differentiating it from the editorial content through the optical, acoustic or spatial mechanisms required by the standard. Jordi Wild has paid 1,543.44 euros, reduced to 1,241.95, to broadcast extreme fighting matches from the Dogfight Wild Tournament on YouTube without age ratings or the minor restriction mechanisms offered by the platform. Nachter has received the highest fine: 1,779.94 euros, reduced to 1,067.96 after acknowledging responsibility, for promoting anti-flu drugs on networks without complying with the requirements that the law imposes on the advertising of medicines. The three are equated due to their special relevance with traditional television providers, by exceeding certain thresholds of income, audience and activity. The comparison. These are low fines in general terms, but they are even more surprising if we compare them with what a pharmaceutical company pays for similar errors. The Supreme Court confirmed in March 2025 a fine of 90,001 euros to a laboratory that omitted the price of a medicine in a communication addressed only to doctors and pharmacists, not even to the general public. Months earlier, the Superior Court of Justice of Madrid had ratified another fine of 90,000 euros to a pharmaceutical company for advertising in the press a prescription drug. Nachter promoted over-the-counter flu medicines directly to millions of followers on social networks, without health professionals involved, and has ended up paying eighty-odd times less than those two companies for an infringement aimed at the general public, not health professionals. New surveillance. On July 14, the CNMC formalized three contracts with the Portuguese company Primetag for 32,800 euros to analyze for twelve months the content published by particularly relevant users of Instagram, TikTok and YouTube in search of unidentified commercial communications. Until now, this surveillance was manual and sporadic. The order arrived weeks after the CNMC required—without sanctioning— to Sofía Suescun, Tamara Gorro, Peldanyos, Samantha Vallejo-Nágera and Lola Lolita for unidentified advertising, after separate complaints from the Association of Communication Users. The organization opted for the requirement and not the fine in those cases because those publications were prior to the interpretative criteria that the CNMC itself established in June 2025. In the case of Lola Lolita, in addition, it was established for the future that content can be considered advertising even if there is no direct payment. But this surveillance of influencers is not new. History of a crawl. For example, In 2022 the CNMC proposed equating streamers with televisionone year later Spain approved its own streamer registry and in 2024 a law of influencers that it was said that would only affect 5% of creators. In between, a consumer study detected that 77.75% of the profiles analyzed failed to comply with the obligation to identify their ads. Twitch, the platform where Ibai Llanos concentrates a good part of his audience, It doesn’t even have its own parental control system. beyond the possibility of closing accounts of minors under 13 years of age. Covert advertising on networks. It is not a new phenomenon nor exclusive to these three cases. There are the aforementioned 77.75% of the reviewed publications that failed to comply with the obligation to indicate advertising content. There were creators with more than ten million followers and the Ministry of Consumer Affairs warned that, under the Unfair Competition Law, fines could exceed 100,000 euros. That came at a time when streamers like Ibai, More fines. There is room for those fines to increase. For serious infractions committed by large providers, the law contemplates sanctions of up to 5% of annual turnover with a limit of 750,000 euros, far from the 2,877.91 euros of this week’s fines. The Evening of the Year, the event that organizes Ibai Llanos alone Since it broke its partnership with Gerard Piqué, it generated in its fifth edition, in 2025, income over eight million euros: about five million in ticket sales, about three in sponsorships, and around an additional million from subscriptions and advertising on Twitch. Jordi Wild, for his part, is already billing more than two million euros a year through its production company, with a net profit of around one and a half million and which in 2024 grew by 40% compared to the previous year. That is to say, we can describe these fines as merely symbolic and even dangerous: if they are nothing more than a trifle for those who receive them, they can almost be interpreted as a declaration of unofficial impunity. In Xataka | The El Xokas and Burger King controversy proves something: brands need streamers but they do not tolerate what they really are

The EU has just fined Google 890 million for the DMA. The figure weighs less than a paragraph almost hidden in the statement

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The European Commission announced this Thursday two fines for a total of 890 million euros to Google for violating the Digital Markets Regulation (DMA). There are 460 million for self-preference in Google Search and 430 million for blocking Google Play developers who want to offer payment alternatives outside the store. It is the first firm sanction against Google under the DMA. Arrives less than a week after the 550 million to AliExpress under the Digital Services Lawthe sister standard that monitors the sale of products on platforms. In detail. The two breaches point to the core of Google’s business. In Searchplaces its own services (Shopping, Hotels, Flights, sports results…) at the top of the page, with rich visual formats, its own filters and graphic elements that rivals cannot replicate. External comparators, such as Idealo, Trivago or Skyscanner, appear below and in a simple list format. In Playdevelopers could not freely link to their own websites or alternative stores to complete the purchase. And when they did, Google continued to charge a commission on those external transactions for a period that the Commission considers “excessive.” The Commission gives Google 60 days to correct both practices. If you do not do so, you are exposed to periodic penalty payments of up to 5% of your daily worldwide turnover. Between the lines. The figure is impressive but is relative if we consider that Alphabet had a turnover of more than $350 billion in 2025 and the DMA allows sanctions of up to 10% of global turnover. That is to say, the 890 million are a lot of money but they are far from the legal ceiling: the penalty could have reached 35,000 million. The most important paragraph is almost hidden in the Commission’s statement: Google has submitted proposals on “how it plans to apply the decision’s principles to summaries and AI mode.” That is, the AI Overviews that already appear on the classic results also have to be subject to the rules of the DMA. There the technical complexity skyrockets because a LLM that synthesizes information from dozens of sources does not separate its own services from those of others with the same cleanliness. The context. Google has already accumulated almost 10 billion euros in European fines since 2017. The difference with the old sanctions is one of method. Those were antitrust: They came after years of investigation and punished already consolidated practices. The DMA operates in reverse. Establish ex ante rules for gatekeepers or designated “gatekeepers” (Alphabet has been since September 2023) and sanctions continued non-compliance. The Commission no longer disputes whether Google is dominant. Part of it is. Yes, but. Kent Walker, president of Global Affairs of Google, has reacted harshly. It has said that complying with the DMA will force the company to “remove real-time search features that Europeans appreciate” and “dismantle security protections on Google Play.” “It is not fair competition, it is a worsening of the product driven by a small group of complainants with particular interests,” he added. The Commission itself acknowledges, however, that Google has made considerable progress during the investigation. It has started testing changes to the presentation of Shopping, Hotels and Flights, and the regulator is examining them. The fine punishes already completed non-compliance. The real negotiation is about what’s next. And now what. Three open fronts: Google can appeal to the General Court of the EU. Given the track record, it likely will. These resources take years. This month, without going any further, the 2018 fine has been settled. Eight years. The technical adaptation in Search and Play will have to be verified. Rivals have been complaining for a decade that Google’s solutions are more cosmetic than anything else and that its dominant position remains intact after each round. The dialogue on AI Mode remains open. This is where how the search for the future is regulated is decided, and where the Commission has fewer precedents to rely on. The next round is not about ten blue links under a search bar. In Xataka | The worst news for Google is not that the EU forces it to open Android to ChatGPT: it is sharing its training data Featured image | Xataka

A Catalan city council fined an individual for “cutting down some trees.” They have discovered an international network of illegal garbage trafficking

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The Civil Guard, Europol and the French Gendarmerie They just arrested four people for illegally bringing at least 46,000 tons of French waste into Catalonia. And the case has a crumb. Because when you talk about ‘international garbage trafficking’ you imagine trucks passing in the dark through lost ports in the Pyrenees and ships unloading in the middle of the night. But the truth is that no truck had to hide: they crossed the border between France and Spain without any problems. The papers were, “in theory”, in order. In theory? There was the kid of the matter and what confused the authorities. It made no sense to bring garbage into Catalonia from France because the Catalan fee (75 euros) is higher than the French one (69): although the overall costs are higher, the savings would be very small. The key was something else: that the trucks moved around Europe declaring that what they were carrying in their vats was “soil.” And that was what was new. The network had gone one step further and was no longer “selling” cheap landfills, it was selling completely reclassifying the waste. In this way, the garbage traveled to Spain as material and ended up buried in a fruit field. By using the term “land” everything was radically simplified: no one got paid, no file was activated. Do we have a legal loophole? Not exactly: the legislation is not only clear, but even in this case, the alerts were activated. Sant Esteve Sesrovires detected the irregular actions, opened a file, informed the Prosecutor’s Office and proposed a fine of 814,900 euros. Why concept? Due to land spills and felling of trees. It was when investigating the matter that the bottom of the matter was discovered. Why is it important? Because it is the third episode of the same pattern in four months: in March, a European macro operation with 337 detainees; in April, 167,000 tons of rubble and asbestos in Axarquía; now, this. And, above all, because Spanish legislation continues to be very lax. Our management requires “seriously damaging the balance of natural systems.” It must be modified (it is a European requirement), but we have not done so yet. Therefore, this case will be judged in terms of document falsification, tax crime, money laundering. That is to say, although environmental crimes are among the crimes charged, recent experience suggests that the conviction, if it comes, will come because of the paperwork. It is a good metaphor for a country that has built one of the most expensive tax systems in Europebut we have left it entirely in the hands of responsible self-declaration. Image | Zibik In Xataka | Europe has a problem with waste management, to the point that there are mafias illegally “exporting” it from Italy to Cuenca

An air conditioner that leaks on the street seems harmless. Until you discover that you can be fined

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Summer has just begun and we are already suffering the first extreme heat wave that has made the air conditioners are working at full capacitywhich implies that they produce more condensation water. many people let that water fall directly into the street Thinking that nothing happens, it’s just water, right? Although it may seem harmless since it is condensation water, pouring liquids onto public roads is listed as an infraction in most municipal ordinances. If you do not have the drain of your air conditioning correctly installed or if you have a bottle on the balcony or window and you let it overflow, you risk being fined. What the ordinances say It depends on each municipality, but in many of them the dumping of liquids of any type is considered an infraction, even if it is clean water. For example, in the Municipal urban cleaning ordinance of Valencia They do not explicitly mention air conditioning, but it is prohibited to “Pouring water, and in particular, watering plants placed outside buildings if as a result of this operation spills and splashes occur on public roads or on their elements.” In Madrid, the Ordinance on Cleaning Public Spaces, Waste Management and Circular Economy classifies as a minor infraction “Pouring water into public spaces from watering plants” and also “Pouring water into public spaces from cleaning terraces of buildings or similar.” There are town councils like Malaga that do explicitly mention air conditioning. In the Ordinance for the cleaning of public spaces and comprehensive waste management They say that “Air conditioning units that face public roads will not be able to discharge water into it.” There are town councils that take it further, such as the town hall of El Puig, in Valencia, which has a specific ordinance on air conditioning devices. In addition to instructions on where and how to install them, one of the rules is that “The collection of water through drainage or any other means that prevents its discharge onto public roads must be planned.” These are just a few examples, but Each town council has its own regulations. Risk of fines According to lawyer Arsenio Martínez on your Instagram profile, fines can range between 90 and 1,000 euros depending on the severity. It also warns that if water causes an accident or damage, the owner of the device will have to bear all the expenses derived from possible injuries and damage caused. The cleaning and waste disposal ordinances that we have consulted do not establish penalties for this specific violation. For example, the city council of Valencia toughened sanctions for dirtying public roads with fines from 750 to 3,000 euros, but they do not mention the discharge of water specifically. Just because there isn’t an explicitly established amount doesn’t mean they can’t fine you: it is still a violation. Of course, in most cases it appears as “mild”, so the amount should not skyrocket, but it depends on each municipality. If you want to avoid scares and your installation allows it, the best and most comfortable thing is for the condensation water pipe to be connected to a downspout. When this is not possible, we usually have a jug or bucket to collect the water. In this case, if you have it on the window or balcony, remember empty it periodically so that it does not overflow and fall onto the sidewalk. Image | Amparo Babiloni, Xataka In Xataka | Europe is discovering what Spain learned the hard way decades ago: extreme heat destroys your infrastructure

The judge canceled the trial and fined them

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Law is one of the professions that embraced the use of generative AI even before the ChatGPT boom arrived. We have known cases of Lawyers sanctioned for including false quotesbut that hasn’t deterred others from doing the same. The latest case we heard about takes it to a new level: both the prosecution and the defense used AI and the judge said enough. what has happened. It has happened in Mississippi, United States. The case in question involved a lawyer, named Tom Withers, who was seeking unpaid legal fees from the city of Aberdeen. According to what they say in 404mediaeverything was going well until the judge noticed that there was something strange in the briefs presented by the lawyers of both parties: both cited cases that did not exist. Come on, they had used AI and had not even stopped to check for inaccuracies. Consequences. The lawyers acknowledged having used AI without verifying the results. Judge Sharion Aycock not only decided to suspend the trial, she also disqualified two of the four lawyers involved from appearing before her court for two years. The others were not spared and all received a fine that ranged between $1,000 and $3,500. Withers, the plaintiff attorney, was not representing himself, so he has escaped sanction. Why it is important. This case represents an increasingly common trend in the legal sector. Already There are many lawyers caught using AIbut also this time it takes it to a new level because all parties have fallen into temptation. Just as the lawyer said Rob Freund in X“there were two clients who were basically paying for ChatGPT to argue with itself.” In Spain too. Dozens of cases have already been recorded in the United States, but it is not a trend exclusive to there. Just a few days ago, The Superior Court of Justice of Galicia initiated an investigation against a lawyer for “procedural bad faith.” Apparently, the appeal he presented contained no less than “24 false jurisprudential citations.” He has not been the only one, at the beginning of the year a lawyer was fined 420 euros in the Canary Islands to cite 48 false sentences. The hallucinations. They remain the Achilles Heel of LLMs and they have a lot to do with how they are trained: the models always prioritize giving an answer, even if it is inaccurate. There are ways to minimize hallucinationsbut at this point we all know these weaknesses, which is why these cases are so striking. The serious thing is not that lawyers are using AI, but that some do so without any type of verification. Of course, it is unknown what tools they used, but they exist specific AI tools for lawyers that promise greater reliability. Image | Xataka with Gemini In Xataka | “These are things that a university student would get in trouble for”: Deloitte scammed Australia with a report made with AI

Brussels has just fined Temu the largest fine in its history with the Digital Services Law: 200 million euros

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This Thursday, the European Commission sanctioned the Chinese e-commerce platform with the largest fine imposed so far under the Digital Services Law. Brussels considers that Temu has not been able to detect or stop the sale of dangerous items reaching European consumers, from chargers to baby toys. What exactly happened. Brussels accuses Temu of “not having identified, analyzed or evaluated with due diligence the systemic risks” derived from offering illegal products on its website, ensuring that this practice entails “potential harm” to EU users. This violates the Digital Services Act (DSA), the European regulation that forces large platforms to monitor what circulates through their services. The 200 million exceed the 120 that prevailed over the social network last December, so far the highest penalty under this regulation. No filters. The Commission maintains that this is not a specific case of defective products, but rather a failure in the platform’s own security system. In the words of the Executive“the evidence collected indicates that European consumers are very likely to encounter illegal items in Temu.” The problem, therefore, would not be in a specific seller, but in the company’s inability to filter what it sells. In detail. The research has been supported by several sources. The main one was a “secret shopping” exercise commissioned from an independent contractor, who has carried out laboratory tests on items chosen at random. The results, according to Brusselswere worrying in three categories: Electric chargers: a very high percentage did not pass basic safety tests, with the risk of short circuits and burns. Toys and objects for babies: Many presented medium or high severity hazards, either because they contained chemicals above legal limits or because of the risk of suffocation due to detached parts. Jeweler’s: Irregularities were also detected. According to the statement, these data were compared with customs controls of the Member States and with the European market surveillance database (ICSMS). The three routes, according to the Commission, showed “high or very high” percentages of non-compliant products, although the organization has decided not to publish the exact figures. Product bombing. In addition to the products, Brussels focuses on the technology of the platform. The Commission criticizes that Temu did not evaluate how the design of its own service (recommendation systems and promotional campaigns run by affiliated influencers) could be amplifying the dissemination of these articles. Furthermore, according to the agency, the company based its 2024 risk assessment on generic information from the sector and not on evidence on its own website, ignoring external studies (such as reports from consumer associations in Denmark and Finland) that already warned of the problem. What Brussels says. “Temu’s risk assessment underestimates specific risks, lacks detail, is not based on solid evidence and is not comprehensive,” counted the vice president of the Commission responsible for Technological Sovereignty, Henna Virkkunen. The Finnish commissioner insists that these analyzes “are not mere bureaucratic procedures”, but the backbone of the DSA. How much does the fine weigh? Although the figure is relatively large, represents only 0.38% of Temu’s estimated turnover for 2025 (calculated at around €53 billion), very far from the 6% limit allowed by regulations. The Commission justifies this moderation because the sanction is “proportionate” to other aspects that remain under investigation. The situation has been brewing since 2024based on complaints from the European Consumer Organization (BEUC) and 17 of its national associations. And now what. Temu has three months to pay and until August 28 of this year to submit a “corrective action plan.” That document will then be reviewed by the European Committee for Digital Services, which will have one month to issue a response. After that, the Commission will have another month to set the final decision and on what date the fine will be applied. If the company does not correct course, it is exposed to periodic fines (daily, weekly or monthly) until it complies. The company can appeal to the European courts, but Brussels has already warned that the fine is final and does not intend to lower it even if the company corrects its behavior. Cover image | François Genon and own assembly In Xataka | Europe is already cherishing what was always a dream: the industrial manufacturing of qubits for quantum machines

A millionaire has been fined 120,000 euros for exceeding the speed limit

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In Finland, breaking the speed limit can ruin your day. Above all, if you are a millionaire and they fine you for driving above the permitted limit. The latest example was experienced by Anders Wiklöf, one of the richest men in Finland, who was stopped by the police on March 22 after catching him driving at 59 km/h through an urban area of ​​Mariehamn, in the Åland archipelago, where the limit was 30 km/h. For exceeding 29 kilometers per hour, the police imposed a fine of 120,000 euros. ​The millionaire accepted it without question. Wiklöf is president and founder of Wiklöf Holding, a group of more than 20 companies with investments in logistics, aviation, real estate and tourism valued at more than 400 million dollars. When the police stopped him for speeding, he did not try to escape the problem. “The agents asked me if I wanted to take the case to court, but if I made a mistake, I accept it. They were polite and nice guys who were just doing their job,” declared to the local newspaper Nya Åland. Wiklöf will pay the fine for speeding without even appealing it, although he did take the opportunity to ask the Government that the money be used to cover the planned cuts in health, one of the hottest political debates of the moment in Finland. This unusual normality regarding the amount of the penalty is due to the fact that the Nordic country’s sanction system links the amount of the fines to the offender’s income. That is to say, for most mortals such a sanction implies ruin for life, for this millionaire it is little more than pocket change. Wiklöf has not learned his lesson. Despite the surprising amount of the fineit’s not the first time that police officers stop Wiklöf for speeding. The millionaire already accumulates four documented penalties for speeding: one of 95,000 euros in 2013, 63,680 euros in 2018, 121,000 euros in 2023 and this is 120,000 euros in 2026, which adds up to a total of 399,680 euros in those traffic fines alone. For these same violations, any driver in Spain would hardly have paid more than 600 euros in total, since the regulations in Spain establish a series of fixed penalties depending on the severity of the violation, but are not linked to the offender’s assets. Wiklöf himself already said it bluntly in 2013: “In Sweden they would have fined me about 450 euros. I don’t understand how I can be a bigger offender here than there, but the law is the law.” Nokia executives’ feet are heavy. The most famous case of this sanctions system Anssi Vanjoki starreda 44-year-old Nokia executive, who in January 2002 was traveling at 75 km/h on an urban road in Helsinki with a limit of 50 km/h. For exceeding 25 kilometers per hour, the authorities imposed a fine of 116,000 eurosfor years it was considered the highest traffic fine in history. Another Nokia executive, Pekka Ala-Pietilä, He also received a sanction of 35,000 euros for a similar violation at the same time. Vanjoki ended up appealing his fine, alleging a drop in income compared to the previous year, and got a reduction. In Finland, a fine can’t ruin you. No matter how high and disproportionate these fines may seem, in reality they will never cause the offender to go bankrupt. The key is in a calculation system in force since 1921. While in Spain everyone pays the same for the same offense depending on its severity, in Finland the police consult the offender’s previous year’s income database in real time and calculate the fine in days salary depending on the severity of the infraction. In this calculation, the monthly net salary is taken, the vital minimum of 255 euros is subtracted and divided by 60 to obtain the value of each “fine day” (Päiväsakko). The greater the speeding, the more days of fines are accumulated. For the majority of Finnish citizens, the result of this calculation translates into fines of between 30 and 80 euros for minor infractions such as those committed by Wiklöf. Astronomical figures only appear when the fined person is very rich. Despite the complaints of some affected (in 2015, millionaire Reima Kuisla threatened to leave the country after paying more than 50,000 euros for speeding), the model has great social support for consider it fair and proportional. A fine of 400 euros does not have the same deterrent character for someone with an income of 25,000 euros a year, than 25 million. In Xataka | In 2010, the owner of a Ferrari missed a radar in Switzerland at 137 km/h. He took home the most expensive fine in history Image | Unsplash (toine G)

when you can be fined for off-road use and when you can’t

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We are going to tell you in which cases it is considered that you do improper use of the V-16 beacon with which they can fine you, as well as the fines that may result. We are also going to clarify the cases in which they are not going to do it. Because turning on the beacon accidentally or to test it is not the same as doing so in other contexts. In this way, with this information you can have greater peace of mind and avoid the fear of how many tests and checks you can perform safely. When you can be fined for improper use Next, we are going to tell you the three cases of misuse for which you can be fined for using the V-16 beacon. In addition to telling you that they are illegal, we will also inform you about the fine they carry. And be careful because there is a case in which the fine can reach 30,000 euros. Use it to park wrong: When you activate the beacon to park improperly, such as in double row. It is illegal and can have fines of 200 euros. Fake breakdown on the shoulder: If you fake a car breakdown to sleep or to rest on the shoulder. It is illegal and can have fines of 200 euros. Fake accident: If you fake an accident, then the misuse is very serious, and the fine can be up to 30,000 euros. When is it safe to use the beacon Instead, if you activate the beacon by accident You don’t have to worry, because the DGT and the manufacturers have implemented a margin of 100 seconds from when you activate it until the signal is sent to the cloud. If you activate it in a garage or off-streetthen you don’t have to worry either. The DGT has intelligent filters that discriminate off-street signals. Come on, if the geolocation of the beacon indicates that it is activated at home or a private garage, for example, the DGT assistant will ignore the signal. Cover image | DGT In Xataka Basics | V-16 beacon map: how to use it to see which ones are activated in real time in Spain

The owner of an Audi A3 was fined three times for driving without a license. On the fourth, the court took away the car

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What prevents a driver from driving without a license? Obviously, the law. But going down to a purely practical field, what prevents a driver without a driving license from going to the garage at home, taking his car, turning the key and putting it in first gear to take the car to work, take a walk or go out? That’s what has happened in Vigo where Justice has only found the way out for one woman: to take away her Audi. The Provincial Court, tired of imposing sanctions on him that emphasized that he was prohibited from driving, has decided to confiscate his Audi to avoid greater harm. By then the sentences had had “no deterrent effect,” in the words of the ruling. Either you give it to me or I’ll take it from you There are not many violations for which they can keep our car. There are not many reasons why they can revoke our driving license. Surely you have already found one of them. Bingo. A positive for alcohol or drugs leaves, for the moment, the car immobilized and depending on the severity of the positive, it can leave us without a driving license. In cases that the car is immobilizeda passenger who does not test positive may well take charge. alcohol control Or a family member or friend can come pick it up, as long as the immobilized car is not hindering driving. If neither of these two cases occur, the tow truck comes and takes it to the municipal warehouse. The next day, the car can be removed. By a person who has a driver’s license, of course. But, as we said, what really prevents a person from taking their car again when they arrive at the garage at home? The limits have been found by the resident of Vigo who stars in a story collected by The Voice of Galicia. The Provincial Court has ended up confiscating his Audi to prevent him from driving again without a license and in the process has answered the question of how many times is too many times. They explain in the Galician media that on March 15, 2025, she was caught driving without a valid driving license because all her points had previously been removed. Taking charge of the case, the Criminal Court sentenced him to six months and one day in prison for a crime against traffic safety. But he applied a less common decision: seized his Audi A3. The reason is that the convicted woman was the fourth time she had faced justice for similar events. To the point that the judge in charge pointed out that his record includes three other similar convictions in just 11 months. On those three previous occasions, the driver was fined for driving without a driving license. In the third, in addition to the financial penalty, he was imposed 60 days of work for the benefit of the community. On the fourth occasion lost the Audi A3 with whom he was driving. Upon hearing the verdict, the accused appealed to the Pontevedra Court, alleging that the three previous convictions for the same reason (driving without a license) are not enough to apply the aggravating circumstance of multiple recidivism. In addition, he requested that a mitigating circumstance be applied for drug addiction and asked that the car be returned because he considered that the measure was disproportionate and unjustified. For its part, the Pontevedra Court has confirmed that the seizure of the vehicle was a correct measure because the three previous convictions had had “no deterrent effect.” In addition, he emphasizes that the car itself was a “potentially dangerous instrument” since the driver had been detected driving without lights at night or under the influence of drugs. Photo | Audi and DGT In Xataka | In 1896 a man decided to drive at the reckless speed of 13 km/h. And he received the first fine in history

We are 21 days away from 2026. 21 days away from being fined if we do not have insurance for our electric scooter

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We have seen it with the V-16 lights and it will be repeated in the future. A standard arrives, makes a lot of noise and is forgotten. Until a few days before it comes into force, noise is made again and those affected run out to get their papers in order. It is the same thing that has happened with electric scooters. January 2, 2026. It is the date chosen by the DGT so that all electric scooters that circulate in Spain have three obligations: Owner’s liability insurance Electric scooter registration Electric scooter certification As with the V-16 lights, it is not something that was decided yesterday. It is something that It was approved in 2024 (to comply with the transposition of the Directive 2021/2118) so users have had more than a year and a half to complete all the procedures. Furthermore, the decision can be applied by City Councils for years as in Córdoba that has been active since 2023. What are the procedures? The one that can give us the most headaches is civil liability insurance. All users who use the electric scooter they must have insurance to cover our damages in the event that another driver is responsible for an accident in which we are involved or to cover damages to third parties if we are to blame. In addition, the electric scooter will have to be registered and have a certification confirming its approval. The latter is mandatory for all electric scooters that have been sold in Spain as new since 2024. But, in addition, it will be mandatory from 2027 for those that were purchased previously. The “registration”. This license plate is actually a plate that must be visible on the electric scooter with the relevant information that certifies its approval. The plate, like the approval, must be included in all electric scooters sold from 2024. If you have an electric scooter that does not have said plate and that does not have the certification, you must request a test in one of the four laboratories that have the approval of the DGT to carry out these certifications. You can do the procedure request from the Traffic website but only one of them, IDIADA, is located in Spain. What is certified? Electric scooters have been, for a few years, considered in a category of their own. Specifically, they are personal mobility vehicles and these are the most important criteria they must meet: Maximum speed of 25 km/h Weigh less than 50 kg Maximum power of 1,000 W if they do not have a self-balancing system Maximum power of 2,500 W if they have a self-balancing system Maximum handlebar height of 70 centimeters What if I don’t comply? Whoever does not comply will have to prepare the portfolio. And with the obligation to have civil liability insurance for the electric scooter also comes the obligation to pay a fine if we do not comply with it. Specifically, the penalty can range from 200 to 1,000 euros since in the reformulation of the Automobile Insurance Law It is established that electric scooters, classified as light personal vehicles, will face penalties of one third of those registered for cars. That is, a third of the penalty of between 600 and 3,000 euros that is established for those who drive a car without insurance, depending on the seriousness of the facts. Photo | Michel Grolet In Xataka | Barcelona suspected that many electric scooters are souped-up. They just stopped one that could reach 113 km/h

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