Latest news with #Fornés
Daily Mirror
07-08-2025
- Business
- Daily Mirror
Spanish beach bars demand urgent action as they reveal cost of Brits staying away
The president of the Association of Entrepreneurs of Concessions has demanded that the Balearic government take urgent action to head off this summer's negative results before more businesses and jobs are lost Beach bar owners in one of Spain's most popular resorts say they are facing a dire August and are attributing a lot of the blame to what they call "tourism‑phobia". The lobby group has warned that August, normally a busy month for Majorca, will not produce any sort of boom as tourists watch their spending and stay away from the island en masse. The president of the Association of Entrepreneurs of Concessions has demanded that the Balearic government take urgent action to head off this summer's negative results before more businesses and jobs are lost. The president, Onofre Fornés, says that "results are far below expectations, with July closing with a 20% drop in turnover compared to 2024 and August not looking any better." He argues that high visitor numbers this summer hide the reality, which is a slump caused in part by tourists' falling spending power. The intervention came after some locals said holidaymakers had been 'scared away' from Majorca. Have you been put off taking a holiday in Spain? We'd love to know why. Em ail webtravel@ "The authorities must adopt urgent measures to control the rise in tourist prices, counteract tourism‑phobia and preserve the purchasing power of traditional tourists," Mr Fornés said. "Incomes are not buoyant, costs are rising and the demand for essential services for them such as hammocks and sun loungers is contained." The two key resorts of Playa de Muro and Can Picafort are being singled out as suffering the most. In March, visitors from Majorca's third-largest market, the UK, were down 23.2 % to 48,741. For the Balearics as a whole, the UK fell 25.3 % to 52,170. Other markets showed notable decreases as well, with France down 39.4 % in Majorca and Italy 40.1 %. Mr Fornés has blamed "irresponsible" protestors who send out "negative messages against tourism, "deteriorating the perception of the destination and having a direct impact on the sector's income." Those protesters may not agree with the lobbyist's arguments, however. They have long stressed that the cost of living in Spanish resorts such as the Balearic Islands, as well as the Canary Islands, is too high and the wages they can earn too low. In their eyes, a major part of the problem is the cost of housing, which has been aggravated by the demand for holiday lets such as Airbnbs. Tourism is booming across Europe. George Washington University revealed that in 2024, 747 million travelers visited Europe, more than the population of Europe itself, and this inevitably puts a "strain on local infrastructure, environment, and communities." In Spain, the government is acting. Already this year, it has called for the removal of nearly 66,000 unregulated Airbnb listings and pulled back on social media influencer campaigns that bring selfie tourists to its small and easily overwhelmed beaches. Jessica Harvey, head of press at the Spanish Tourist Office, told the BBC: "We are working with a sustainable tourism model leading with smart technology. We have developed a digital platform that monitors how many people are on beaches, as well as the air quality, sea temperatures, weather and even jellyfish in the water."
Yahoo
25-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Is Signal that secure? What the experts think about Trump admin's war plans leak
Signal is viewed as one of the most secure messaging apps available to the public, but both experts and lawmakers are sharing their concerns about its use by top Trump administration officials. Several cabinet secretaries, CIA director John Ratcliffe, and the national security advisor Mike Waltz were discussing their plans to strike Yemen in a group chat on the app and accidentally added a journalist, Jeffrey Goldberg of The Atlantic, to the conversation. Goldberg revealed in a first-hand account on Monday that 'precise information about weapons packages, targets, and timing' was included in the chat. The Atlantic's editor-in-chief said the use of the app displayed 'shocking recklessness.' Miguel Fornés, a cybersecurity expert at the cybersecurity company Surfshark, argued that the incident is a wake-up call for any organisation handling sensitive information. 'Protocols of handling critical information exist to prevent such breaches,' Fornés said in a statement shared with The Independent. 'Most companies and government agencies have reliable security policies designed to manage sensitive documents and ensure secure communication among involved parties.' 'Typically, only approved devices within an authorized network are permitted to perform actions such as viewing documents, joining a chat, or, in this case, even being invited to a chat,' he added. 'All information across a company must be disclosed following principles of least privilege and need to know. This restricts permissions, minimizes access, and limits the exposure of sensitive information to only those who absolutely require it.' Fornés argued that 'Signal offers encrypted messaging, but it does not provide the same level of security as government telecommunications systems.' 'If a journalist is accidentally added to such a private chat, imagine how spies or malicious actors can bypass this to exploit the vulnerability, potentially accessing sensitive information and compromising national security,' said Fornés. 'This incident exemplifies a full-fledged case of a data leak of top-secret information.' Mark Montgomery, the senior director at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, agreed, telling Politico, 'I guess Signal is a few steps above leaving a copy of your war plan at the Chinese Embassy — but it's far below the standards required for discussing any elements of a war plan.' Signal has increased in popularity in Washington following the revelation of a large-scale breach connected to the Chinese government of U.S. telecommunications networks, allowing hackers to get hold of American cell phone records and to spy on the conversations of top politicians, such as President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance. U.S. officials have said that Americans should use apps like Signal as an extra layer of security. The app has significant privacy features and collects minimal amounts of data, in addition to having default settings of encrypting all messages and calls. The app also deletes all messages from a conversation within a certain time frame. However, experts say that it shouldn't be used by government officials instead of internal government systems. A former White House official told Politico that the use of Signal to discuss war plans was 'unbelievable.' 'These guys all have traveling security details to set up secure comms for them, wherever they are,' the official added, noting that those taking part in the group chat were likely using their personal devices, as most often, Signal cannot be downloaded to government devices. 'Their personal phones are all hackable, and it's highly likely that foreign intelligence services are sitting on their phones watching them type the s*** out,' the former White House official told Politico. 'Forget Signal, just do it over a dating app, you might as well, that would be just as secure as what you're doing,' they added. Former National Security Agency official Jacob Williams noted when speaking to Politico that Signal can be linked to a desktop application, meaning that the app's data is 'being delivered to potentially multiple desktop and laptop computers, where it isn't being stored in a phone's secure enclave. That data is then at risk from commodity malware on the system.' During a hearing on Tuesday with Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard and CIA Director John Ratcliffe, who were both reportedly part of the group chat outlined by Goldberg, Virginia Democratic Senator Mark Warner said, "If this was the case of a military officer or an intelligence officer and they had this kind of behavior, they would be fired." 'This is one more example of the kind of sloppy, careless, incompetent behavior, particularly toward classified information,' added Warner. Oregon Democratic Senator Ron Wyden argued: 'I'm of the view that there ought to be resignations, starting with the national security advisor and the secretary of defense.' Ratcliffe attempted to place the blame on the Biden administration during the hearing, saying that it was 'permissible' to use Signal in a work environment and that such a practice 'preceded' the Trump administration. 'It is permissible to use to communicate and coordinate for work purposes, provided…that any decisions that are made are also recorded through formal channels,' said Ratcliffe. Gabbard, meanwhile, claimed that 'there was no classified material that was shared in that Signal chat,' despite reporting by Goldberg that the chat included war plans and the name of an active CIA agent. The Independent has contacted Signal for comment.
The Independent
25-03-2025
- Politics
- The Independent
Is Signal that secure? What the experts think about Trump admin's war plans leak
Signal is viewed as one of the most secure messaging apps available to the public, but both experts and lawmakers are sharing their concerns about its use by top Trump administration officials. Several cabinet secretaries, CIA director John Ratcliffe, and the national security advisor Mike Waltz were discussing their plans to strike Yemen in a group chat on the app and accidentally added a journalist, Jeffrey Goldberg of The Atlantic, to the conversation. Goldberg revealed in a first-hand account on Monday that 'precise information about weapons packages, targets, and timing' was included in the chat. The Atlantic's editor-in-chief said the use of the app displayed 'shocking recklessness.' Miguel Fornés, a cybersecurity expert at the cybersecurity company Surfshark, argued that the incident is a wake-up call for any organisation handling sensitive information. 'Protocols of handling critical information exist to prevent such breaches,' Fornés said in a statement shared with The Independent. 'Most companies and government agencies have reliable security policies designed to manage sensitive documents and ensure secure communication among involved parties.' 'Typically, only approved devices within an authorized network are permitted to perform actions such as viewing documents, joining a chat, or, in this case, even being invited to a chat,' he added. 'All information across a company must be disclosed following principles of least privilege and need to know. This restricts permissions, minimizes access, and limits the exposure of sensitive information to only those who absolutely require it.' Fornés argued that 'Signal offers encrypted messaging, but it does not provide the same level of security as government telecommunications systems.' 'If a journalist is accidentally added to such a private chat, imagine how spies or malicious actors can bypass this to exploit the vulnerability, potentially accessing sensitive information and compromising national security,' said Fornés. 'This incident exemplifies a full-fledged case of a data leak of top-secret information.' Mark Montgomery, the senior director at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, agreed, telling Politico, 'I guess Signal is a few steps above leaving a copy of your war plan at the Chinese Embassy — but it's far below the standards required for discussing any elements of a war plan.' Signal has increased in popularity in Washington following the revelation of a large-scale breach connected to the Chinese government of U.S. telecommunications networks, allowing hackers to get hold of American cell phone records and to spy on the conversations of top politicians, such as President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance. U.S. officials have said that Americans should use apps like Signal as an extra layer of security. The app has significant privacy features and collects minimal amounts of data, in addition to having default settings of encrypting all messages and calls. The app also deletes all messages from a conversation within a certain time frame. However, experts say that it shouldn't be used by government officials instead of internal government systems. A former White House official told Politico that the use of Signal to discuss war plans was 'unbelievable.' 'These guys all have traveling security details to set up secure comms for them, wherever they are,' the official added, noting that those taking part in the group chat were likely using their personal devices, as most often, Signal cannot be downloaded to government devices. 'Their personal phones are all hackable, and it's highly likely that foreign intelligence services are sitting on their phones watching them type the s*** out,' the former White House official told Politico. 'Forget Signal, just do it over a dating app, you might as well, that would be just as secure as what you're doing,' they added. Former National Security Agency official Jacob Williams noted when speaking to Politico that Signal can be linked to a desktop application, meaning that the app's data is 'being delivered to potentially multiple desktop and laptop computers, where it isn't being stored in a phone's secure enclave. That data is then at risk from commodity malware on the system.' During a hearing on Tuesday with Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard and CIA Director John Ratcliffe, who were both reportedly part of the group chat outlined by Goldberg, Virginia Democratic Senator Mark Warner said, "If this was the case of a military officer or an intelligence officer and they had this kind of behavior, they would be fired." 'This is one more example of the kind of sloppy, careless, incompetent behavior, particularly toward classified information,' added Warner. Oregon Democratic Senator Ron Wyden argued: 'I'm of the view that there ought to be resignations, starting with the national security advisor and the secretary of defense.' Ratcliffe attempted to place the blame on the Biden administration during the hearing, saying that it was 'permissible' to use Signal in a work environment and that such a practice 'preceded' the Trump administration. 'It is permissible to use to communicate and coordinate for work purposes, provided…that any decisions that are made are also recorded through formal channels,' said Ratcliffe. Gabbard, meanwhile, claimed that 'there was no classified material that was shared in that Signal chat,' despite reporting by Goldberg that the chat included war plans and the name of an active CIA agent.
