Technology

Ferguson, Klaassen and Schmidt outline in Foreign Affairs a race for an AI-based "empire"
Historian Niall Ferguson, researcher Lisa Klaassen and former Google chief Eric Schmidt argue in a Foreign Affairs essay that China and the United States wield a new kind of imperial power built on control of language models, semiconductors, energy and capital. According to the authors, that dominance sets the terms of global innovation and reproduces a center-periphery pattern. The text compares the situation with historical empires and warns about financial limits and the risk around Taiwan.
TechnologyInternationalInfobaeOct 21AI
Meta jumps on Wall Street after beating forecasts and doubling down on AI
Meta, owner of Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp, reported 26% revenue growth and projected fourth-quarter revenue of between $73 billion and $76 billion, above expectations. GAAP earnings per share were $3.83; excluding the $9.89 billion charge from an agreement with U.S. prosecutors, it would have been $7.40. It raised the floor of its 2026 capital investment plan to $135 billion and announced a new class of non-voting shares.
TechnologyInternationalAmbitoOct 21AI
Report says up to 12,000 North Koreans work as slaves in a Russian drone factory
A report by CSIS and the George W. Bush Institute, published on October 14, 2026, denounces that up to 12,000 North Koreans work at the drone plant in Yelabuga, in Tatarstan (Russia), as victims of "serious human rights violations and human trafficking." The document analyzes the role of Russia, North Korea, China and Iran in expanding unmanned aerial vehicle production: Moscow obtains more than 5,500 drones a month, China is the main supplier of dual-use components and Iran supplied Shahed drones. North Korea keeps up to 90% of wages.
TechnologyInternationalBioBioChileOct 21AI
PHP Foundation urges updating patches for two critical vulnerabilities
The PHP Foundation urged users to update patches 8.5.12, 8.4.27, 8.3.36 and 8.2.35, released on Wednesday, which fix two critical vulnerabilities that allow an attacker to execute code on servers running PHP. The entity highlighted the help of artificial intelligence in detecting the flaws and said the problem dates back to a Quarkslab audit in 2024, whose resolution was delayed by a "structural failure" in its decision-making process and resources.
TechnologyInternationalSWI swissinfo.chOct 21AI
Five keys to the cyber crisis caused by two critical PHP flaws
Two critical vulnerabilities in PHP, the programming language behind a large share of websites, triggered a global cyber emergency. PHP developers are working on patches, and European Union cybersecurity authorities advised those unable to apply them to take their web service offline. The flaws were rated 9.2 out of 10 on the CVSS v4.0 scale and would allow unauthenticated remote code execution. Government sites in Europe, Dutch political parties and the Port of Rotterdam went offline.
TechnologyInternationalFrance 24Oct 21AI
Murtra moves Telefónica's top management to Brazil for a special board meeting
Telefónica chairman Marc Murtra moved nearly all of the company's executive leadership and board of directors to São Paulo for a special board meeting to review the Transform and Growth strategic plan, launched twelve months ago. The meeting coincides with the final stretch of the campaign for Brazil's runoff election. The Brazilian subsidiary generated 31.7% of the group's revenue and 38% of EBITDA in the last financial year.
TechnologyInternationalEL PAÍSOct 21AI
A fake app imitating WhatsApp topped 500,000 downloads on Google Play
A fraudulent application imitating WhatsApp reportedly surpassed 500,000 downloads on Google Play, according to El Economista. Its distribution would have been possible due to flaws in control mechanisms. The app used images, screenshots and descriptions similar to the original, and its developer appeared as Agment Assets instead of Meta. Although it has already been removed, it stayed for several weeks in the Early Access section. ESET warns that such apps may seek passwords, banking information or install malicious programs.
TechnologyInternationalRevista SemanaOct 21AI
Fresenius Medical Care launches multiFiltratePRO system in the U.S. after FDA clearance
Fresenius Medical Care launched the multiFiltratePRO system in the United States after receiving FDA clearance on October 19, 2026. The clearance includes the Cienby and Calrezdy solutions, which allow regional citrate anticoagulation as indicated. According to the text, this is an initial U.S. commercialization step that expands the company's critical care portfolio, following the recent U.S. introduction of the 5008X.
TechnologyInternationalTradingViewOct 21AI
Several countries warn over critical vulnerabilities in PHP, one of the most widely used web languages
The United States, Spain, Germany, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom and Japan issued alerts over two "critical" vulnerabilities in the PHP programming language, used to build websites and applications. The NSA warned the flaws can provide direct access to a server's file system or database. Spain's Incibe rated the alert at its highest level and put severity at 9.2 out of 10. Patched versions are already available and agencies recommend updating immediately.
TechnologyInternationalRPP NoticiasOct 21AI
The next cybersecurity incident may not involve a person, but an unsupervised non-human identity
During Cybersecurity Month, Vanessa Delgado, strategic alliances manager at Controles Empresariales, warned that digital protection can no longer be limited to people: AI agents, bots and APIs access systems, query information and execute tasks inside companies. Each new connection raises questions about permissions, oversight and responsibilities. Delgado outlined six management measures, including assigning an owner to each digital identity, applying least privilege, logging activity and monitoring continuously.
TechnologyInternationalDiario del SurOct 21AI
Pentagon authorizes Homeland Security to test "heat ray" for possible use at the border
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth signed a memo last month authorizing the Department of Homeland Security to test the Active Denial System, a non-lethal weapon known as a "heat ray" that emits 95-gigahertz electromagnetic waves and causes a painful burning sensation, according to CNN. The permit provides for the temporary loan of one unit for seven months starting in September and states that Pentagon personnel will not operate the system. Its possible deployment at the Mexican border would mark an unprecedented step.
TechnologyInternationalEL PAÍSOct 21AI
Tamagotchi returns to the spotlight as a hardware model for AI agents
The Tamagotchi, created by Japan's Bandai and sold since 1996, is drawing attention again in the age of artificial intelligence. Its pocket design, with a monochrome LCD screen and three buttons, is inspiring new physical devices for AI agents. The case cited is Meta's Muse Charm, a portable device with a tiny screen and a permanent digital avatar. The text attributes the revival to digital fatigue and interest in single-purpose hardware, without internet or app stores.
TechnologyInternationalInfobaeOct 21AI
PHP2Shell vulnerabilities force web servers to update worldwide
Two PHP vulnerabilities known as PHP2Shell, disclosed on October 21, 2026, allow code execution on web servers without an account or password. The PHP development team released fixed versions 8.5.12, 8.4.27, 8.3.36 and 8.2.35 and urged immediate installation. Governments in Europe, Asia and the United States asked users to update or disconnect systems. In Colombia, Colcert reported 8,699 PHP services exposed to the internet and issued a high-risk alert.
TechnologyInternationalImpacto TICOct 21AI
Mateo Salvatto receives the 2026 Muhammad Ali Humanitarian Award for his inclusive technology
Argentine entrepreneur Mateo Salvatto, 27, received the 2026 Muhammad Ali Humanitarian Award for the social impact of Asteroid Technologies, the company he founded and whose Háblalo app has more than 500,000 free users and is available in 25 languages. The company has clients in 11 countries, counts Globant among its investors and is preparing an investment round toward the end of 2026, with Europe, Mexico and the United States as priority markets.
TechnologyInternationalLa NaciónOct 21AI
Two critical PHP flaws force governments and media outlets to take websites offline worldwide
Governments and cybersecurity agencies urged organizations to apply patches for two critical vulnerabilities found in the PHP programming language, which underpins much of the internet. A fix was published on Wednesday afternoon and several entities, including the Finnish government, Edinburgh City Council, the BBC and the Wikimedia Foundation, took pages offline as a precaution. The flaws were discovered using AI by researchers at Wiz and Calif, who described them as the most severe vulnerabilities ever found by this technology.
TechnologyInternationalBBCOct 21AI
Anthropic proposes that the US be able to block dangerous AI models with court authorization
Anthropic, creator of the Claude AI assistant, presented US lawmakers with its own regulatory framework amid the absence of a federal law, under which Washington could block a dangerous AI model only with a judge's authorization. The text sets that power for imminent risk of causing more than 50 deaths or serious injuries or losses above US$1 billion. It would also require developers to test the most powerful models, disclose results, submit them to independent evaluation and maintain a safety program.
TechnologyInternationalLa NaciónOct 21AI
Critical PHP vulnerability forces shutdown of institutional and corporate portals
Two critical flaws in PHP, the language behind roughly 70% of the world's websites, have triggered an international technical response. The flaws, in the interpreter's memory management, could allow remote code execution without authentication. They were found by researchers at Calif and Wiz using AI tools. INCIBE set the risk at 9.2 out of 10 and joined alerts from US, European and Asian agencies. The PHP Foundation has already released patches.
TechnologyInternationalLa Voz de GaliciaOct 21AI
Meta ordered to pay $25 billion to New Mexico for misleading users about Facebook privacy
A judge ordered Meta to pay $25 billion to the state of New Mexico after a jury found the company misled users about privacy and content moderation policies on Facebook. The case is tied to Cambridge Analytica, the British consultancy that worked for Donald Trump's 2016 campaign and obtained user data without consent. Judge Francis Mathew set the amount; Attorney General Raúl Torrez called it one of the largest state verdicts against a company in US history.
TechnologyInternationalClarin.comOct 21AI
Anthropic proposes a public fund with 5% of its shares as Musk floats distributing SpaceX shares to children
Anthropic has committed to allocating 5% of its shares to a Public Benefit Fund, subject to shareholder approval, to address the social consequences of AI. Elon Musk, by contrast, has floated giving SpaceX shares to American children, with an estimated distribution of about $11 billion tied to the value of the stock. Both proposals address who should benefit from the wealth generated by artificial intelligence and the impact of automation on employment.
TechnologyInternationalInfobaeOct 21AI
BBVA Research: one in four jobs in Navarra is exposed to AI
A BBVA Research report presented in Pamplona indicates that around 26% of employment in Navarra is in jobs highly exposed to artificial intelligence, one of the lowest rates among Spain's regions. The study notes that this exposure does not mean those jobs will disappear, and forecasts that Navarra will create about 8,700 jobs in two years and cut its unemployment rate to 6.8% in 2027.
TechnologyInternationalNoticias de NavarraOct 21AI