protection Archives - usatoday24

to remove protection

April 10, 2026 by usatoday24

Michael Colosi is a young technology entrepreneur who, like many other millionairesmoved to southwest Florida attracted by the good weather and the low taxes of the state. In March 2024, Colosi bought two hectares of land in Punta Gorda with the intention of building a house and settling there permanently. What he did not imagine is that, before building a single wall of his future mansion, the county was going to present him with a bill for $118,527. The reason: the possibility that a protected bluebird could nest in their plot. The squatter of a bird. That bird is the Florida scrub-jay, the only bird whose species exists exclusively in that state. For this reason, it has been classified as a threatened species since 1987 under the Endangered Species Act and its fate has been caught at the center of a legal battle that, according to expertscould have consequences for hundreds of other species throughout the US. One of the consequences of this protected species status is that Charlotte County can apply a fee in sections to landowners who want to build in areas considered potential habitat for the bird. In the case of Colosi, taking into account the surface area of its land and the fact that it is located in one of the nesting areas of this bird, the fee amounts to $118,527. Lawsuit for an unfair rate. This rate is applied to the entire plot, regardless of whether it is going to be built on the entire property or only part of it. In fact, his own claim document presented by the millionaire indicates that, if his property had only about 280 square meters less, the applicable rate would be $52,696. That is, less than half for going down to a lower section. Colosi maintains that the system is arbitrary and unconstitutional and that the county has not even checked to see if there are jays on its land. However, he cannot appeal or reduce the rate under any circumstances. Jamie Scudera, the county’s project manager, responded in an email to Colosi that “Your only alternative would be to not buy anything in a jay zone, because there is no other option other than our plan at this time.” Florida scrub jay Two arguments for a historical case. Colosi filed a federal lawsuit in October 2024 with the aim of appealing the fee, but the case has implications that go beyond discussing the amount of the fee. This lawsuit launches two legal arguments that, if successful, they would change the landscape of environmental protection in the United States. The first argument questions that the rate is proportionate and demands that it, at least, be directly related to the real impact of the planned construction. The second, and more controversial, is the argument that the Florida scrub jay should not be protected by federal legislation because it lives only in one state and does not affect interstate commerce which, according to the Pacific Legal Foundation that supports the millionaire, exceeds powers of Congress under the commerce clause of the Constitution. A bird without “economic value” that moves tourists from all over the country. The lawsuit includes a claim that has raised eyebrows among biologists and conservationists: that the Florida scrub jay has “no commercial or economic value.” Wildlife defenders refute this thesis with concrete data. Aaron Bloom, attorney for Earthjustice, points out that more than 1,000 people outside of Florida used the app eBird from Cornell University to record jay sightings only in 2024. Biologists from Yale, Harvard, Cornell and Princeton have visited the Archbold Biological Station expressly to study the species, and Audubon Florida organizes bird-watching tours that bring visitors from all over the country to Florida to observe it. The lawsuit’s argument is that, living only in Florida, the jay cannot affect interstate commerce and therefore does not deserve federal protection. The contradiction that conservationists point out is more than evident: under that logic, a species present in several states would be protected by the law, but one so localized that it only exists in a single territory would be unprotected precisely because it is rarer. The weight of what is at stake. According to Bloom, Defenders of Wildlife has documented 1,229 threatened species in the same situation, so their situation could also change if they allow the Florida millionaire to continue with his lawsuit to save a few thousand dollars. Charlotte County records show that at least 15 jays have been sighted in the Colosi neighborhood in the last year, and that hundreds of homeowners have paid protection fees without question over the last eleven years. The parcel’s own cadastral file warned with a note before the purchase: “The value of the land may be affected by the scrub jay habitat.” So, in theory, the millionaire was informed of the situation before purchasing the plot. What remains in doubt is whether he understood the meaning of that note. The Pacific Legal Foundation, which supports the millionaire in his lawsuit, already led the battle two decades ago to eliminate the bald eagle protection When the bird lived in multiple states, the main difference with the case of the jay is that this species can only live in Florida and has nowhere to go if it loses its habitat. In Xataka | Of all the places there were to build a $400,000 house, this millionaire chose the most unusual: in a tree Image | Flickr (FWC Fish and Wildlife Research Institute, Dan Irizarry), unsplash (Alejandra Cifre González)

The countries of the Persian Gulf have adopted an unexpected civil protection measure against Iran’s attacks: teleworking

April 8, 2026 by usatoday24

When an employee in Riyadh receives an email from his company telling him not to come to the office the next day, the most common reason was usually a sandstorm, construction work, or a holiday. In recent weeks, the reason has been something else: the possibility that its offices, probably located in a downtown financial district, could become Iranian missile target. In the Persian Gulf, teleworking has ceased to be a post-pandemic convenience and has become a civil protection tool in the midst of a geopolitical crisis that has been repeated in Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait and Bahrain since the start of the armed conflict between the US, Israel and Iran. Riyadh: the most visible offices, the first to be emptied. According to published Reutersseveral Western and Saudi companies in Riyadh this week expanded their teleworking recommendations via email or text message sent to their employees. The notices focused on employees working in the King Abdullah financial district, Faisaliah Tower, Business Gate and Laysen Valley, areas where major US banks, technology companies such as Microsoft and Apple, and the Saudi sovereign wealth fund itself are based. The arguments for adopting this measure were not unfounded. Iran threatened to attack American interests in the region in retaliation and, in fact, attacked several Amazon data centers in United Arab Emirates. The order to telework does not mean that this simple measure will keep the civilian population safe, but it does distance them from the international offices occupied by American companies. The Arab Emirates were the first to adopt teleworking. The United Arab Emirates were, in fact, the first in ordering teleworking for its employees, immediately after Iran’s first attacks. According to published the local newspaper Khaleej Times, The Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratization asked private companies to adopt teleworking as a precautionary measure, keeping only workers whose physical presence was essential in their jobs. In those first attacks, four people were injured by debris from intercepted drones that fell on residential buildings, and damage was reported to the dubai international airportthe Burj Al Arab and the Palm Jumeirah. Teleworking recommended, not mandatory. The authorities of other countries in the region, such as Bahrain, Kuwait and Saudi Arabia, also followed in the footsteps of the United Arab Emirates and recommended private companies adopt teleworking and restrictions on influx to offices due to the risk of Iranian missile attacks. Qatar, also punished for reprisals against US interests during the conflict, was another of the countries that activated teleworking protocols for its officials. However, something that all of them have in common is that none of them consider themselves as an obligation to teleworkbut rather companies are recommended to adopt teleworking, leaving the risk assessment to their discretion and that of local authorities. The Government of Dubai Media Office confirmed that the emirate’s private sector continued operating normally, with most business activities uninterrupted despite the risk of attacks. A region that learns to work under pressure. Although these countries are not officially at war with Iran, they are involved and targeted in Iranian attacks in retaliation against US and Israeli companies in the area. In this context, many fear that any escalation would lead Iran to attack critical infrastructure in the region more forcefully, which explains the caution of companies even after the announcement of the ceasefire reached in extremis during the early morning. trump qualified the pact of “total and complete victory.” But as negotiators work in Islamabad to turn that provisional ceasefire into a lasting agreement, Gulf companies continue to watch the calendar with one eye on the news and another on their security protocols to protect their employees. In Xataka | Working from anywhere was the dream of teleworking: not notifying those location changes can get you fired Image | Unsplash (Kate Trysh, Microsoft Copilot)

the price to pay may be relaxing the protection of our rivers

March 24, 2026 by usatoday24

Our country has large reserves of these critical minerals, essential for manufacturing everything from batteries to wind turbines. In this scenario, Andalusia has emerged as the modern “El Dorado”, concentrating 90% of the value of national production metal mining. As stated in the Map of Critical Minerals of Andalusia edited by the Boardaccess to these resources is already a “strategic security issue” to be able to move forward with the European Green Deal. The fear is clear: we risk replacing our former dependence on fossil fuels with dependence on raw materials for which there is increasing global competition. Berja hits the first blow on the table. While the offices debate, the province of Almería is already preparing to drill. According to The Diario de AlmeríaIn just three months, the Minera de Órgiva company will begin extractive activity in the Lupión well concession, in the municipality of Berja. Its owner, Celso Amor, confirms that start-up is imminent and they will begin extracting mineral to carry out industrial tests and design the final plant. The target there is fluorite, a raw material considered critical by the European Union which is vital for steel mills, hydrofluoric acid production, refrigeration systems and the chemical industry. It is not a minor project: estimates indicate that there are more than 10 million tons of fluorite in the deposit, placing it among the most important in Europe. Furthermore, to minimize its ecological footprint in the Gádor mountain range, the exploitation has opted for a design in which the entire mine will be completely underground, including the treatment plant; a model of which there is only one similar installation in the world, located in Chile. The geopolitical pulse: disengaging from China. The opening in Berja is not an isolated case, but the reflection of a policy of continental survival. Currently, much of the critical raw materials are concentrated in countries like China, which controls 90% of rare earthsor the Congo, main supplier of cobalt. The European Union wants to cut this dependency to shield sectors ranging from automotive to artificial intelligence. Brussels currently has 47 strategic projects identified linked to mining throughout the continentof which seven are located in Spain. Our country He is already a key pawn: we provide 17% of the copper extracted in the EU, 12% of the zinc and we are the leading European producer of fluorine and gypsum. There is a regulatory controversy behind this. However, removing these minerals from the earth collides head-on with the protection of ecosystems. As he warns The Newspaperdozens of extractive companies have long warned that the EU Water Framework Directive prevents them from receiving the necessary authorizations to operate. To resolve this situation, the European Commission launched a public consultation process (‘Call for Evidence’) aimed at reviewing and making this water legislation more flexible. Brussels’ official goal is to address regulatory bottlenecks and simplify legislation to promote access to critical raw materials. However, environmental platforms have raised the alarm. Environmental sectors They criticize that these changes They want to do it on the fast track and warn of its consequences: if the flexibility goes ahead and a project is considered of “higher interest”, “greater pollution” will be allowed, authorizing discharges into rivers or aquifers that until now were prohibited. All this in a country like Spain, where 43% of water bodies already fail to meet environmental requirements. To try to balance the balance, the European Commission has opened a call for experts to form the Stakeholder Platform on Water Resilience, seeking to protect the water cycle from pollution and climate change. Beyond fluorite: the Andalusian map. While Europe decides what to do with its waters, the Andalusian subsoil continues to attract attention. As the local Almeria media reportsthere are projects in initial phases to study the extraction of lithium in Pulpí, and metals such as silver, iron or copper in the Sierra Almagrera and Los Filabres. Rafael Navarro, researcher at IGME-CSIC, calls for caution, remembering that from the time an investigation is carried out until a mine is opened, three or four years can easily pass. The map of Critical Minerals of the Junta de Andalucía confirms this potentialhighlighting a high potential in the Arteal area (Sierra Almagrera, Almería) as a possible lithium resource associated with brines. The document also reveals that in the Granada basin (Montevives, Escúzar) the second largest deposit of strontium in the world is located, producing 200,000 tons annually and crowning Spain as the main producer in the EU. The high price of sovereignty. We have the resources that Europe desperately needs to not depend on Asian powers, and projects like Berja show that the industry is ready to start operating. However, the debate on the modification of the Water Framework Directive raises an uncomfortable question that society and European institutions will have to answer very soon: are we willing to relax the protection of our rivers and aquifers to secure our technological and energy future? The answer will define the environmental landscape for decades to come. Image | Pexels Xataka | In 2010, Japan learned to acquire its rare earths without depending on China. Germany wants to copy its strategy now

Data Protection has imposed a fine

March 5, 2026 by usatoday24

In recent years, many large clubs have tried to modernize their relationship with members through digital tools. FC Barcelona took a further step by promoting a system that allowed it to verify the identity of its members using biometric data, such as voice or facial image, within its census update process. The initiative sought to strengthen identification and reduce possible impersonations. However, this project has ended up generating a regulatory conflict that has resulted in a fine of 500,000 euros imposed by the Spanish Data Protection Agency (AEPD). The file. The AEPD does not generically question the use of biometric tools, but rather a prerequisite that the regulator considers essential. According to El ConfidencialFC Barcelona did not carry out an impact assessment on data protection in accordance with what is established article 35 of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). This type of analysis must be carried out before implementing treatments that may pose a high risk to the rights and freedoms of the affected people. Partner Digital Profile. In this process, the system processed certain biometric traits with the objective of authenticating each person within the club’s digital ecosystem. The documentation analyzed by the AEPD indicates that the mechanism allowed “biometric vectors to be generated from the member’s image and their voice for authentication.” These vectors were used as a reference to validate the identity of the member in different procedures linked to the club. Campaign organized in several phases. The verification phase began on March 21, 2023 using digital identification tools. In this way, partners could complete the update process both remotely and in person. The system also included an alternative route for those who did not want to use biometrics, who could continue to identify themselves through traditional mechanisms. The scale factor. One of the elements that the regulator took into account was the number of people affected by the system. The FC Barcelona census has around 143,000 members, which places the project in a particularly sensitive dimension from the point of view of data protection. This volume, in the opinion of the AEPD, raised the level of potential risk for the rights and freedoms of those affected. Prior evaluation process. The GDPR requires a data protection impact assessment to be carried out when processing may pose a high risk to people’s rights and freedoms. During the investigation, the aforementioned media reports, FC Barcelona presented reports on the biometric systems used in the project. The AEPD concluded that these documents could not be considered a complete impact assessment in the terms required by article 35 of the Regulation. Avoiding a violation. Article 9 of the GDPR regulates, among other aspects, the processing of biometric data when it is used to uniquely identify a person, within the so-called special categories of data. According to the resolution, the AEPD finally decided to archive this possible infringement as the necessary elements to apply that provision were not proven. The answer. FC Barcelona has decided to appeal the sanction imposed by the AEPD and defends its actions in the process of updating the census. Barça’s legal services also highlight that the sanction initially proposed was much greater than the one finally set by the regulator. In the club’s words, a penalty of almost 6 million euros was proposed, but they managed to reduce it to 500,000 euros. Images | Fikri Rasyid In Xataka | OpenAI promised them very happy as the army’s new AI. Until thousands of users started uninstalling ChatGPT

What does the Spanish data protection agency allow and how to do it

September 5, 2025 by usatoday24

Let’s explain How and when can you record spam calls to report To those who are sending them. In 2023 we received The antispam law hoping that these calls stop, although today We continue to receive commercial calls. But the law serves, and there are companies that They are already being finedso now it does not correspond to us to know how we can fight them. The thing is that the Spanish Agency for Data Protection allows you to record spam calls to report themand we are going to tell you what the procedure is. Record spam call The first thing you have to do is be able to record the call. Unfortunately, most mobiles They no longer allow you to record callshence You will have to resort to more rudimentary methods How to use an audio recorder on another mobile or on a computer. You will have to receive the call and put it on the hands free to hear high. This way, You can record the sound with another device While you receive the call. You can also use Apps to record callsalthough careful because you will be giving access to all your calls. It is not the most recommended solution. Finally, you should know that not all calls are prohibited. When you hire a product it is possible that Among the terms and conditions you accept is to receive calls commercial, so having your explicit permission a company that you have hired for something can call you. For example, imagine that you register in an app of a gasoline brand, because it is possible that this company calls you to offer you other products. Now denounces the call Once you have the recording, you can proceed Entering the corresponding section of the Spanish Agency for Data Protection to denounce these calls. The address is SEDEAEPD.GOB.ES/SEDE-ELECTRONICA-WEB/VISTAS/FORMNUEVARECLAMACION/NUEVARECLAMACION.JSF. Once inside, You are going to ask for certain data that you must contribute to make the complaint. These are: Identification of the entity promoted in each call: You will have to say the company, brand or product made by the commercial call. You will also have to contribute a photo or screen capture where the number is seen from which they call you and the date and time they do. Telephone Line Number Specification: You will have to specify what the phone number they have called. Come on, you will have to say your phone number, and provide an invoice or contract to demonstrate that you are the titular person. If you are not a holder, you will need a signed statement of whoever. Rational indications of the existence of the infraction: You will have to demonstrate that this infraction has existed. Come on, what You can send a copy of the call recording where they try that they have done it. Be registered in exclusion services: If the call is prior to June 30, 2023, you will have to prove that your number was registered from at least 2 months before the call to an advertising exclusion service, such as the Robinson list. Finally, you should know that You can only make the complaint If the call has been made after June 30, 2023, which is when the last law entered into force. If the call is previous, you will have to prove that you had been in advertising exclusion services such as the Robinson list. When you start the process on the web, you will have to choose whether you want to make the complaint or on paper or through the Internet. If you go by the electronic method, You will have to identify yourself as a citizen using the Cl@see permanent, Cl@ve pin, DNIE, Digital certificate or the equivalent of another EU country. Now, you just have to fill out the form of the website. In it, you have to start with your personal data, the data of the claimed company, an explanation of the facts that have happened, and the page where the recording is attached. If you don’t know the company you have called you, you can put it as A stranger. After completing the form you will need to sign it with the program of Autofirms. In Xataka Basics | Tips to stop receiving junk emails and finishing your email account spam

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