Victoria Fox's Blog, page 134

Orange and MásMóvil close the final agreement with the EC for their merger

Orange and MásMóvil have definitively closed the final agreement with the European Commission regarding the merger of both companies in Spain, according to sources familiar with the process told EXPANSIÓN.

The definitive agreement reached fundamentally assumes that the terms of the remedies , the concessions that Orange and MásMóvil undertook to grant to a third party – in this case to the Romanian group Digi – obliged by the Commission, will not be modified.

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Competence network against hate on the internet: How hate on the internet threatens diversity of opinion

Insults and threats are part of everyday life for many Internet users – and, according to a representative study, are causing people to increasingly withdraw from political discourse online. According to the study published by the Competence Network against Hate on the Internet, 57 percent of those surveyed participate less frequently in discussions on the Internet because of fear. Almost as many say they deliberately word their contributions more carefully. 89 percent of those surveyed have the impression that hate online has increased in recent years.

The study entitled Loud Hate – Quiet Withdrawal also provides insights into how widespread insults and other forms of hate speech are on the Internet. 49 percent of those surveyed said they had already been insulted online. According to their own statements, 25 percent were confronted with physical violence and 13 percent with sexual violence. 42 percent of the young women surveyed had already been harassed by being sent a naked photo without asking. Hate on the Internet is a separate category in the study. One in eight people feel affected by this.

Stalking, doxing and dick pics

The study defines online hate as a “variety of different online phenomena, including derogatory, degrading, intimidating or hateful online phenomena directed at people or certain groups of people.” Hate on the Internet goes beyond so-called hate speech, the authors write. As examples of hate on the Internet, they cite racist memes, sending so-called dick pics, stalking and so-called doxing, the digital publication of private data such as addresses.

Digital violence is closely linked to analog violence, the study emphasizes. Hatred on the Internet is also intertwined with the spread of disinformation, which in turn often comes from right-wing extremist and right-wing populist actors.

Basically, hate on the internet can affect anyone, as the study says. However, the results of the survey show that different population groups are affected to different degrees. 30 percent of the people surveyed with a visible migration background said they experienced hate online. According to their own statements, young women are affected just as often, and people with a homosexual or bisexual orientation are similarly affected, at 28 and 36 percent respectively.

Study warns that marginalized groups are becoming silent

Those directly affected by online hate were particularly likely to say they were less likely to express their own political opinions online and were less likely to take part in discussions. The authors write that the diversity of opinions also suffers from hatred on the Internet: In the democratic discourse on the Internet, it is primarily marginalized or disadvantaged groups that are silenced by the problem.

However, according to the study, whether content or actions on the Internet are perceived as hate depends on another factor: those who are politically more left-wing perceive hate on the Internet more often than people with different political views. Sociodemographic characteristics such as age, gender, education or East-West differences play a smaller role in the perception of hate online.

Other studies in the past have also found that online hate attacks cause people to withdraw from online debates. Central to this was the study Hate on the Internet: The Creeping Attack on Our Democracy (PDF), published in 2019 by the Institute for Democracy and Civil Society (IDZ), which dealt with the dangers of digital hate speech after the murder of CDU politician Walter Lübcke by a right-wing extremist . The IDZ study and a Forsa survey commissioned by the North Rhine-Westphalia Media Authority last year also support the findings of the new survey, according to which certain population groups are more affected by hate online than others.

Call for more political regulation

The study authors are calling for politicians to take stronger action against hate online. Among other things, they demand more support for those affected, for example through advice centers. There is also a need for a “national media literacy education offensive”, for which the federal and state governments would have to provide billions in funding, similar to the so-called digital pact. The large social media platforms would also have to be held responsible: They would have to bear the costs of the social damage caused by hate and disinformation.

The competence network against hate on the Internet is a coalition of the organizations Das NETTZ, Society for Media Education and Communication Culture, HateAid, jugendschutz.net, and New German Media Makers. For the study, the network, in collaboration with the research company pollytix strategic research, surveyed 3,061 internet users aged 16 and over nationwide between October 23rd and November 3rd, 2023.

Insults and threats are part of everyday life for many Internet users – and, according to a representative study, are causing people to increasingly withdraw from political discourse online. According to the study published by the Competence Network against Hate on the Internet, 57 percent of those surveyed participate less frequently in discussions on the Internet because of fear. Almost as many say they deliberately word their contributions more carefully. 89 percent of those surveyed have the impression that hate online has increased in recent years.

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Apple Vision Pro: These glasses can replace the iPhone

I’m writing this article while the Superbowl final between the San Francisco 49ers and the Kansas City Chiefs is underway. The text document in front of me takes up almost the entire field of vision – but all I have to do is turn my head a little to the left and then I can see the game in razor sharp focus on a large screen floating freely in space. During the halftime show, I can see every bead of sweat on Usher’s face. If I turn my head to the right, I see a document with notes I made. All of this while I’m sitting at the table in the living room – the text documents and the video screen are virtual windows that the Vision Pro, the first smart glasses from Apple , which I purchased on behalf of ZEIT ONLINE, reflect in front of my eyes.

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Al Kamel will invest ten million to bring AI to racing

The race management technology company, which works for circuits such as Montmeló and competitions such as Formula E, covers 265 events a year, between tests and races.

“Racing is going to change a lot.” José Luis García Molina , a veteran of the motor world, admits that the industry in which he has worked all his life is facing a revolution and that the massive adoption of artificial intelligence (AI) in the sector

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Indra takes 100% of GTA to train pilots

Indra , the technology and defense and security group, has just closed the purchase operation of 100% of the capital of Global Training Aviation (GTA) , a Spanish firm specialized in the training of aeronautical pilots and cabin crew, according to

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Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra: Oh man, Samsung!

At its best, Samsung’s new Galaxy S24 Ultra is an impressive smartphone that does many things better than the competition. That quickly edits pictures, summarizes websites and tells me what clothes people are wearing in my favorite series. At the worst moments, you have to wonder how the company was able to bring this phone to market in the first place.

The moments of fascination and frustration with the new smartphone flagships come primarily from Samsung’s new main feature, Galaxy AI. When introducing its S24 line, the South Korean company said that it was now ushering in a “new era” with the “first AI Phone”. AI functions were already available in Google’s current Pixel smartphones, but Samsung’s aim is to make the cell phone even more productive, creative and comfortable. A promise that I have been testing the S24 Ultra, this year’s top model, in the past few weeks.

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Telefónica's ERE exceeds forecasts: 3,640 requests of which 3,393 withdrawals will be accepted

Telefónica workers have massively accepted the ERE proposed by the company. 3,640 workers have signed up, a figure that exceeds the official target for planned casualties, which was 3,421. In total, the company has decided to accept 3,393 cancellations, of which 2,946 belong to Telefónica España, 391 to Móviles and 56 to Telefónica Soluciones. This implies that there will not be forced dismissals, although the final number of dismissals that will occur, after the adjustments, will be 3,420, that is, one less than those officially agreed upon when signing the ERE.

Telefónica workers have massively signed up to the ERE proposed by the company, which initially contemplated an official objective of 3,421 total dismissals. After the end of the secondment period last night, February 8, at 12:00 p.m., the total number of employees who have chosen to take advantage of the sick leave plan was 3,640, as EXPANSION has learned from sources familiar with the process. In total, the number of final withdrawals that will be accepted will be 3,393, that is, 28 less than the 3,421 initially planned. In total, 2,946 applications will be accepted at Telefónica de España, 391 at Telefónica Móviles España and 56 at Telefónica Soluciones. In this way, Telefónica’s ERE will be resolved without forced dismissals, the same sources point out. Since the proposed withdrawals have exceeded the total number of planned withdrawals, there will be 247 applications that will be denied.

3,420 total casualties at the end

In any case, on Monday the 12th there will be a new meeting between the unions and the company in which the figures will be definitively finalized, with fine adjustments. If any of the 3,393 withdrawals initially accepted could not be consolidated because the seconded employees were part of some of the “critical” units (such as cybersecurity or cloud, where there are difficulties in hiring new personnel given the strong market demand), it would be used the “bag” of 247 applications now denied to complete the figure of 3,420 total dismissals (one reduction has been reduced from the initial figure) officially agreed upon, without resorting, therefore, to dismissals.

Beneficial conditions

In a statement, the UGT union has indicated that the massive subscription to the conditions of the ERE “demonstrates that the exit conditions achieved during the negotiation by UGT have been the most beneficial to date, an issue widely supported by the staff after the closure in yesterday of the application period”. The statement from the socialist union points out that ” UGT achieved a great agreement in a scenario of maximum uncertainty and tension in the sector , which led us to make the unanimous decision as an organization to validate the agreements that would protect the long-term conditions of the workforce in a III CEV while protecting both the income and access to retirement of workers affected by a process of collective dismissals that the company considered as forced.

For their part, Telefónica sources have assessed the result of the process “positively” and highlight that “it confirms the company’s success in promoting social peace through voluntariness and dialogue with all social agents and company employees.”

1.3 billion cost

The agreement with the unions was closed on January 4, and regarding the economic impact, the operator indicated to the CNMV in a relevant fact that “the current value of the Plan’s expenditure is estimated at a provision of around 1,300 million euros (before taxes), without impact on cash. The average annual savings from direct expenses will be around 285 million euros from 2025. In any case, the impact on cash generation will be positive from 2024, as will the capture of savings, since the departure of employees is estimated to take place as early as the first quarter of 2024.” The total cost represents an expense per employee of 380,000 euros, which is a figure significantly lower than the cost of previous sick leave plans, where the average was 571,000 euros per worker.

The registration period has been kept open between January 9 and February 8 and the company’s official response will be on February 14. Departures will mainly begin on February 29 , but the ERE will be open until March 31, 2025.

Unanimous agreement

The agreement was unanimously supported by the company and the representation of the workers (UGT, CCOO and Sumados), with 24 votes in favor , zero against and no abstentions, although until the end there was uncertainty as to whether CCOO would go to approve the plan, since some areas of the union had been against the clause that established that if all the planned dismissals were not voluntarily achieved, the operator could undertake voluntary layoffs.

The initial losses planned in the agreement were 2,958 departures for Telefónica de España , almost 28% less than the 4,085 that were proposed at the beginning of the negotiations; 397 in Telefónica Móviles , almost 59% less than the initial 958, and 66 in Telefónica Soluciones , almost 19% less than the initial 81.

Therefore, the company reduced the impact of the collective dismissal by 33% in relation to the 5,124 departures that it proposed to the unions at the beginning of the negotiations.

Conditions

Similarly, the company also improved the economic conditions offered to employees who will finally leave the company and has brought them into line with those of the previous exit plan, negotiated in 2021.

In the proposal conveyed to the unions on December 21, Telefónica offered employees born in 1968 an income of 68% of the regulatory salary until the age of 63 and 38% until the age of 65.

For those born in 1967, 1966, 1965 or 1964 , 62% of the regulatory salary until age 63 and 34% until age 65, to which is added a voluntary bonus of 10,000 euros.

Meanwhile, for workers born in 1963 or previous years, it offers an income of 52% of the regulatory salary until age 63 and 34% until age 65, to which it has also added a voluntary bonus of 10,000 euros.

Likewise, the final ERE proposal by Telefónica includes the reversibility of income, which implies that in the event of death the legal heirs will receive the pending compensation.

Also included is the payment of the employee’s Social Security discount during unemployment, group insurance up to age 63, and 100% basic health policy up to age 63 (or as long as the Special Social Security Agreement is paid).

Previous cuts

Telefónica already undertook a very powerful job cut in the first decade of the century, with the departure, between 1999 and 2013, of 31,500 employees in Spain through various ERE . Of those, the last occurred between 2011 and 2013 and affected more than 6,800 workers. But these ERE were highly criticized for the cost they entailed for the State . Especially since the last ERE coincided with the obtaining of large accounting profits from the purchase of 50% of Vivo from Portugal Telecom, which revalued the 50% stake that Telefónica already had.

For this reason, starting in 2016, the operator changed the formula and launched the PSI with voluntary cancellations that did not imply costs for the public coffers.

The first of the last three PSIs was agreed at the end of 2015 and was carried out in 2016 and 2017 and allowed the departure of some 6,300 workers from the group, at a cost of 3,685 million euros, which represents an average cost per person of about 571,000 euros.

The second , in 2019, involved the separation of 2,636 employees , which meant a provision of 1,732 million euros , with an average cost of 603,000 euros per worker.

The third, in 2021, caused another 2,982 people to leave and a provision was made in the fourth quarter of 2021 of 1,382 million euros, with an average cost lower than the previous ones, of about 463,500 euros. Altogether, since 2015, the telecom operator has managed to leave just over 11,900 employees in Spain, at a cost of around 6.8 billion, at an average of 571,400 euros per worker.

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The end of the landline in Spain

The use of the fixed network for talking is plummeting and its replacement by mobile traffic has been accelerating. There are more and more homes without a fixed voice line and in those that exist, it is used much less.

Next April 19, Telefónica will celebrate its first hundred years of existence in style. And taking advantage of the commemoration, the main Spanish telecommunications operator is going to carry out an act full of symbolism: the disconnection now

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Funds and companies meet at the MWC festivities

The events, parties and dinners that take place during the mobile phone fair are a great meeting point that “leads to investments and alliances.”

The MWC in Barcelona is just around the corner and without health restrictions, a very powerful edition is presented in which the arrival of generative artificial intelligence to terminals will be one of the star topics.

But what would become of

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OpenAI reaches $2 billion in annualized revenue

Sam Altman, CEO of the company, is seeking investors for a $7 trillion semiconductor megaproject.

OpenAI, the company behind ChatGPT , is experiencing meteoric growth fueled by the rise of generative artificial intelligence. The company already generates annualized revenues of $2 billion, as revealed by the Financial Times . Founded

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