Vibe Coded AI App Generates Recipes for Cyanide Ice Cream and Cum Soup

What's happening:

An AI app built using “vibe coding” — a casual, minimal-effort approach to coding — is generating disturbing recipe ideas like cyanide-laced ice cream and “cum soup.”

Who is involved

• The developer used AI tools like GPT-4 and Replit Ghostwriter to auto-generate code.

• 404 Media tested the app and confirmed it served up dangerous or bizarre recipes.

• End users on platforms like Replit could unknowingly replicate or share harmful code.

Zoom in: The project’s creator intentionally leaned on AI without understanding the backend logic, calling it “a vibe-coded app,” exposing how AI can create fully functional — but potentially dangerous — tools when misused.

Why it caught my attention: AI is an incredible tool that opens the door to programming for many people — but without a solid understanding of how coding works, "vibe coding" can lead to apps that are careless or even dangerous.

Source: 404 Media

Do smartphones and social media really harm teens’ mental health?

What’s happening: A controversial new study claims smartphone and social media use may have caused a global rise in youth mental health issues — including depression and anxiety — since 2010.

Who is involved

• Jean Twenge, a psychologist at San Diego State University, led the study.

• The findings are based on global data from over 2 million adolescents.

• Critics say the conclusions are too definitive and don’t prove causation.

Zoom in: Twenge argues the rise of smartphones aligns too closely with the downturn in teen mental health to be ignored. But other experts caution against jumping to conclusions without stronger causal evidence.

Why it caught my attention: Science takes time to untangle cause and effect, so it's bold for a researcher to state findings so definitively. That said, the impact of smartphones and social media on our mental health is real — and we should be cautious about how these now-ubiquitous tools shape our well-being.

Source: Nature

Nintendo’s new doomscrolling-alternative app has one great feature

What’s happening: Nintendo launched Nintendo Today, a new mobile news app designed to bypass toxic social media and deliver updates, trailers, and event calendars directly to fans — including teases for the upcoming Switch 2.

Who is involved

• Nintendo, looking to own its communication pipeline.

• Fans hungry for Switch 2 news and in-game event tracking.

• Social platforms like X, Facebook, and YouTube, which Nintendo is quietly sidestepping.

Zoom in: While still early and a bit buggy, the app's standout feature is a calendar that tracks both real-world events (like store openings) and in-game happenings for 11 popular titles — from Animal Crossing to Splatoon 3.

Why it caught my attention: I'm hyped for all things Nintendo Switch 2, so this app feels like a direct line to what I care about. With social media platforms getting messier, it’s interesting to see Nintendo make this strategic move to control its own messaging — whether it works or not, we’ll have to wait and see.

Source: Polygon

How chatbots could spark the next big mental health crisis

What’s happening: New research from OpenAI and MIT suggests that heavy usage of chatbots like ChatGPT correlates with increased loneliness and reduced real-world social interaction.

Who is involved:

• OpenAI & MIT Media Lab: Conducted two studies tracking over 5,000 users.

• Power users: The top 10% of users (by time spent) reported more loneliness and emotional dependence.

• Chatbot platforms: Character.ai, Replika, and Nomi are marketing bots as emotional or romantic companions.

• Lawmakers: Watching AI closely as parallels emerge with social media’s mental health fallout.

Zoom in: The studies don’t claim chatbots cause loneliness — but highlight a feedback loop: lonely people seek connection through bots, which may deepen isolation. OpenAI researchers urge the industry to design bots with “socioaffective alignment” — prioritizing user well-being over engagement.

Why it caught my attention: While affective computing promises emotional support, it’s troubling that these tools may push already-isolated individuals further into loneliness. It echoes MIT’s own efforts, like The Guardian, to use tech for good — yet here we see how design choices can create the opposite effect. The line between therapeutic support and emotional exploitation is thin — and too easily crossed.

Source: Platformer

Delete your DNA from 23andMe right now

What’s happening: 23andMe filed for bankruptcy, triggering serious privacy concerns about the fate of genetic data from 15M+ users. California’s Attorney General issued a rare “consumer alert” urging people to delete their DNA from the company’s systems.

Who is involved:

• 23andMe: Once a $6B genetic testing pioneer, now valued at ~$50M and in bankruptcy court.

• CEO Anne Wojcicki: Resigned but remains on the board to pursue buying back the company.

• California AG Rob Bonta: Urging consumers to delete their data and destroy samples.

• Privacy advocates: Warn of potential misuse if DNA data is sold, hacked, or repurposed.

Zoom in: 23andMe suffered a massive breach in 2023, exposing data from 7M users. Now, in bankruptcy, your DNA could be treated as an asset — possibly sold or transferred to a buyer. U.S. laws like the California Consumer Privacy Act give users the right to delete their data, but you must act proactively.

Why it caught my attention: We live inside sprawling socio-technical systems that harvest our most personal data — even our genetic code. The 23andMe collapse is a wake-up call: no tech company is “too big to fail,” and users must know how to reclaim control. Data permanence + corporate instability = a risky mix.

Source: Washington Post

The AI revolution is here. Can we build a Good Robot?

What’s happening: A new podcast series, Good Robot, explores the intensifying debate over AI’s future — from existential threats to real-world harms — and the people shaping it. With AI rapidly evolving, the stakes over what kind of intelligence we’re building are higher than ever.

Who is involved

• AI leaders: Elon Musk, Sam Altman, and other tech visionaries torn between ambition and fear.

• Critics & ethicists: Raising alarms over biased algorithms, deepfakes, misinformation, and the ethics of automation.

• Future Perfect & Unexplainable: Vox's reporting teams diving into the ideologies behind AI development.

• Everyday users: Now directly affected by AI in hiring, healthcare, education, and more.

Zoom in: The series contrasts longtermist fears of rogue AGI turning us into paper clips with pressing, current issues like surveillance, bias, and job displacement. It also confronts AI’s philosophical dilemmas: Can it be ethical? Should it act like us? What happens if it does?

Why it caught my attention: As someone actively using AI to brainstorm and write, this series hits home. It forces reflection on how AI fits into creative work — not just as a tool, but as a force reshaping how we think, collaborate, and define intelligence.

Here are the links to the episodes:
Good Robot #1: The magic intelligence in the sky

Good Robot #2: Everything is not awesome

Good Robot #3: Let’s fix everything

Good Robot #4: Who, me?

Source: Vox

Cracking the code of vibe coding

What’s happening: "Vibe coding" — building apps by describing ideas to AI — is redefining software development. It's fast, accessible, and increasingly popular, but it raises alarms about the loss of craftsmanship, creativity, and critical technical understanding.

Who is involved:

• Developers & creators using AI tools like Cursor, Replit, and Windsurf

• Non-coders & entrepreneurs gaining new superpowers through AI

• Veteran engineers raising flags on quality, maintenance, and security

• Thought leaders like Andrej Karpathy and Pete Sena shaping the conversation

Zoom in: AI lets people create apps in minutes, but it struggles with long-term maintenance, nuanced system design, and security. The divide is growing between those who understand the tech and those who only prompt it.

Why it caught my attention: Because I’ve been vibe coding myself — and I see both the promise and the pitfalls. As with photography and publishing before, this is the next step in tech’s democratization. But just like we teach media literacy today, we’ll need a new kind of AI/technical literacy to keep up — to build responsibly, debug confidently, and innovate meaningfully.

Source: UX Collective

Trump’s Aggression Sours Europe on US Cloud Giants

What’s happening: European companies and governments are beginning to pull back from U.S. cloud giants like Amazon, Microsoft, and Google due to growing fears of data access, privacy risks, and political unpredictability tied to the Trump administration.

Who is involved:

• European firms & governments exploring European cloud alternatives

• U.S. hyperscalers (AWS, Azure, Google Cloud) under scrutiny

• Startups like Exoscale & Elastx reporting spikes in new customer interest

• Privacy-conscious users & small tech firms leading the migration

Zoom in:

• Dutch lawmakers passed motions to reduce U.S. tech dependence.

• Over 100 organizations urged the EU to prioritize tech sovereignty.

• Trump’s recent actions (like firing privacy board members) have deepened distrust in the EU-US data sharing framework.

• The shift is still small but could grow fast — driven by values, not just infrastructure.

Why it caught my attention: Lately, I’ve seen a rise in startups outside the U.S. offering competitive cloud solutions — lower latency, better pricing, and stronger data control. With U.S. political instability shaking trust, there’s a real chance for global players to step in and reshape the cloud landscape.

Source: WIRED

Google is rolling out Gemini’s real-time AI video features

What’s happening: Google is rolling out real-time visual AI features for Gemini. Now, select users can share their screen or camera feed, and Gemini will interpret what it sees — and respond in natural language.

Who is involved:

• Google Gemini Live users with the AI Premium plan

• Project Astra team, powering these capabilities

• Competitors like Amazon (Alexa Plus) and Apple (delayed Siri upgrade), currently lagging behind

Zoom in:

• Features include screen reading and live camera analysis.

• Users can ask Gemini questions like “What does this screen say?” or “Which paint color fits this object?”

• First spotted on a Xiaomi phone, now expanding to more Gemini Advanced subscribers.

Why it caught my attention: This marks a huge leap in AI assistants — not just talking to your phone, but letting it see and understand your world. As tools like this grow more intuitive, they’ll reshape how we interact with devices in daily life — from productivity to creativity.

Source: The Verge

The surprising power of Spotify’s algorithm

What’s happening: After quitting Spotify due to clunky UX and annoying ads, tech writer Adam Clark Estes rejoined months later — realizing he couldn’t replicate Spotify’s eerily spot-on recommendations anywhere else.

Who is involved:

• Adam Clark Estes, Vox’s senior tech correspondent

• Spotify’s AI-driven music recommendation engine

• Competing services: Apple Music, YouTube Music, Amazon Music

• You (the listener) — shaping and shaped by the algorithm

Zoom in: Spotify’s edge isn’t just its algorithm — it’s your relationship with it. Years of listening history and feedback make it uniquely attuned to your preferences, almost like a musical mirror. No rival service could match the personalized magic Estes had slowly co-created.

“Spotify’s algorithm got me the way an old friend gets me.”

Why it caught my attention: It hit a philosophical nerve — how algorithms don't just serve us, they shape us. Like Donna Haraway’s cyborg vision, we’re now part-human, part-algorithm, with our politics, tastes, and identities entangled in invisible code. It’s not just about music — it’s about who we are becoming.

Source: Vox

Inside Google’s AI panic — and pivot

What’s happening: After OpenAI’s ChatGPT blindsided the tech world, Google launched a frantic two-year race to reclaim its dominance in AI — marked by all-nighters, layoffs, accelerated launches, and big bets like Bard and Gemini.

Who is involved:

• Sissie Hsiao, leader of Bard (now Gemini app)

• Demis Hassabis, CEO of Google DeepMind

• Sundar Pichai, Google CEO, under pressure to move faster

• James Manyika & Jeff Dean, shaping AI strategy and model development

Zoom in:
Despite inventing the very tech behind ChatGPT (transformers), Google hesitated to release powerful models, fearing reputational risk. That caution cost them — and when OpenAI surged ahead, Google scrambled: merging Brain and DeepMind, shrinking guardrails, and pushing products like Bard and Gemini to market despite bugs and backlash.

Gemini now powers features across Search, Gmail, YouTube, and more — but missteps (like AI-generated Nazi soldiers of color) show the risks of moving too fast.

Why it caught my attention: It’s a vivid reminder that even innovation giants like Google struggle with scale vs. speed. Once a nimble startup, Google’s massive size made it slower to respond — even with all its resources. The story makes me think about the paradox of mature companies trying to stay inventive, and how hard it is to balance boldness, caution, and culture at the top.

Source: WIRED

The Hunger Games takes on media manipulation

What’s happening: Suzanne Collins’ new Hunger Games prequel, Sunrise on the Reaping, doubles down on a clear message: media literacy matters. Through Haymitch Abernathy’s early life, the book shows how propaganda, branding, and narrative control shape both survival and rebellion.

Who is involved:

• Haymitch Abernathy, the young tribute turned media-savvy survivor

• Plutarch Heavensbee, the Capitol videographer turned rebel

• Suzanne Collins, author weaving urgent lessons into dystopian fiction

Zoom in: The book breaks down real-world media tactics — card stacking, emotional manipulation, self-branding — and shows how even resistance needs a narrative. Haymitch and friends learn to “paint posters” with their actions to shape public perception, a direct metaphor for how all of us live under surveillance and story-shaping forces today.

“May the narrative be ever in your favor,” indeed.

Why it caught my attention: It’s powerful how fiction can illuminate present-day struggles. Collins’ work captures the urgent need to build media literacy in an era of social manipulation, misinformation, and spectacle. In a world shaped by TikToks, spin, and soundbites, stories like this challenge us to look deeper — and resist being passively programmed.

Source: Polygon

‘Will I Lose My Job?’ Federal Workers Flock to Reddit for Answers.

What’s happening: Federal workers are turning to Reddit—specifically the VeteransAffairs and FedNews subreddits—for community, information, and support amid deep job cuts in the Department of Veterans Affairs under the Trump administration.

Who is involved:

• Federal employees facing uncertainty, especially at the V.A.

• David Carson, a veteran and unpaid Reddit moderator, helping maintain respectful, fact-focused conversations

• Anxious workers using Reddit pseudonymously to ask questions, vent, and connect

Zoom in: Reddit’s unique structure—community-run, text-based, anonymous—has made it a trusted space in a chaotic media landscape. Carson, despite personal challenges and past conflicts with the V.A., now devotes 6+ hours a day moderating to protect that trust.

Why it caught my attention: In a digital world driven by outrage and algorithms, this is a rare story of social media at its best—fostering real connection, accountability, and mutual support. More platforms should follow this example.

Source: NY Times

Screaming customers, unpaid workers: Inside the chaotic demise of Indian online delivery pioneer Dunzo

What’s happening: Dunzo — once a rising star in India’s delivery sector and backed by Google and Reliance — shut down in January 2025 after a disastrous pivot to quick-commerce via “dark stores.” The collapse left hundreds of workers and vendors unpaid.

Who is involved:

• Dunzo: Founded in 2014, initially thrived as a hyperlocal concierge service

• Reliance: Invested $200M in 2022, later wrote it off

• Former employees & vendors: Many still owed salaries and payments

• CEO Kabeer Biswas: Has since joined Flipkart’s new quick-commerce unit

Zoom in: Dunzo’s downfall was rooted in:

• Abandoning its core marketplace model to chase fast delivery

• Overstretching operations with 120 underperforming dark stores

• Poor execution, internal chaos, and rising competition from Blinkit, Zepto, and Swiggy Instamart

• Reports of unpaid wages, missed tax payments, and vendor defaults added to its reputational hit

Why it caught my attention: It’s fascinating how startups bank on different kinds of innovation — tech, business model, or operational. Dunzo’s failure shows how critical it is to recognize your true innovation edge. Scaling without that self-awareness, or ignoring the socio-technical environment you operate in, can quickly unravel even the most promising ventures.

Source: Rest of the World

In Las Vegas, a former SpaceX engineer is pulling CO2 from the air to make concrete

What’s happening: A former SpaceX engineer has launched Project Juniper in Las Vegas — the first U.S. integrated direct air capture plant that both pulls CO2 from the air and stores it by turning it into concrete.

Who is involved:

• Clairity Tech, founded by Glen Meyerowitz

• Initialized Capital & Lowercarbon Capital, early investors

• Competing with global leaders like Climeworks in Iceland

Zoom in: Clairity uses a cheap, durable sorbent (akin to baking soda) to capture CO2, then mineralizes it with industrial waste like fly ash — creating low-carbon concrete. Bonus: it produces clean water as a byproduct and is optimized for dry climates like Nevada.

The kicker: It’s small (100 tons/year now), but aims to scale up to 10 million tons in 10 years — a 100,000x jump.

Why it caught my attention: It’s energizing to see climate tech actually launching — not just theorizing. Real-world innovation like this gives hope that we can engineer scalable, sustainable solutions to keep the planet livable.

Source: Fast Company

White House seriously considering deal from Oracle to run TikTok

What’s happening: The Biden administration is in advanced talks with Oracle to oversee TikTok’s U.S. operations. However, concerns remain about whether the deal would actually prevent Chinese access to American user data.

Who is involved:

• White House officials: VP JD Vance, national security adviser Mike Waltz leading negotiations.

• Oracle: Preferred partner for TikTok’s U.S. operations.

• Congressional China hawks: Skeptical the deal would fully secure user data.

• Beijing: Opposes any forced sale of TikTok.

Zoom in: The proposal, dubbed “Project Texas 2.0,” echoes past failed efforts to wall off TikTok’s U.S. data from ByteDance, its China-based parent. Some experts warn Oracle’s oversight won’t eliminate security risks unless the algorithm itself is fully rebuilt in the U.S.

Why it caught my attention: This doesn’t address the broader issue of data privacy across all social media platforms. TikTok’s scrutiny highlights systemic failures in protecting user data—something John Oliver recently dissected in his take on digital privacy.

Source: Politico

FTC Wipes AI, Amazon, and Microsoft-Critical Blogs

What’s happening: The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has deleted over 300 business guidance blogs, including key posts from the Biden era addressing AI ethics, privacy, and Big Tech compliance. The move erases FTC enforcement insights on companies like Amazon and Microsoft.

Who is involved:

• FTC (Trump administration): Removed blogs critical of major tech firms.

• Big Tech: Amazon, Microsoft, and AI firms benefitted from erased guidance.

• Privacy advocates: Concerned the deletion weakens accountability.

Zoom in: One removed post detailed Amazon’s alleged misuse of consumer data for AI training, while another covered Microsoft’s $20M settlement over illegally collecting children’s data on Xbox. The FTC also wiped award-winning AI ethics guidance on chatbot transparency.

Why it caught my attention: We’re still battling privacy abuses by Big Tech, and clear policies on emerging tech are rare. The FTC’s blogs served as a repository of best practices, helping corporations, grassroots movements, and individuals navigate digital rights issues. Now, a key resource for holding tech accountable is gone.

Source: WIRED

Vibecoding: AI Puts Software Creation in Everyone’s Hands

What’s happening: AI-powered tools are making it possible for non-coders to build custom apps just by describing their ideas in plain language—a trend known as vibecoding. AI handles the coding, debugging, and deployment, allowing anyone to create functional software.

Who is involved

• Andrej Karpathy: AI researcher who coined “vibecoding.”

• AI coding platforms: Tools like Cursor, Replit, Bolt, and Lovable turn ideas into working apps.

• Non-programmers: Everyday users are now building custom automation tools for daily tasks.

Zoom in: The author built tools like a podcast transcriber, a furniture fit checker, and a lunch-packing assistant—all without writing code. While vibecoding is still imperfect, it’s accelerating software creation and could reshape how people interact with technology.

Why it caught my attention

Coding is powerful but has a steep learning curve. AI lowers the barrier to entry, making programming more accessible and helping beginners see results quickly—potentially inspiring more people to explore software development.

Source: NYTimes

Cybersecurity officials warn against potentially costly Medusa ransomware attacks

What's happening: The FBI and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) have issued a warning about the Medusa ransomware, active since 2021, which has recently affected hundreds of individuals.

Who is involved: Medusa has targeted over 300 victims across various sectors, including medical, education, legal, insurance, technology, and manufacturing. ​

Zoom in: The ransomware operates on a double extortion model, encrypting victim data and threatening to publicly release it if the ransom is not paid. ​

Why it caught my attention: This underscores the critical need for digital literacy. Just as financial literacy is essential, understanding how to protect one's digital footprint is vital in today's interconnected world.​

How to protect yourself:

• Keep operating systems, software, and firmware updated. ​

• Use multifactor authentication for all services, such as email and VPNs.

• Employ long, unique passwords and avoid frequent, predictable password changes. ​

• Maintain offline backups of critical data.

By enhancing digital literacy and implementing these measures, individuals and organizations can better safeguard against such cyber threats.​

Source: AP | The Washington Post

Everything you say to your Echo will be sent to Amazon starting on March 28

What's happening: Starting March 28, Amazon will discontinue the "Do Not Send Voice Recordings" feature on Echo devices, meaning all voice commands will be sent to Amazon's cloud for processing. ​

Who is involved: This change affects users of certain Echo devices, specifically the Echo Dot (4th Gen), Echo Show 10, and Echo Show 15, who had enabled the "Do Not Send Voice Recordings" setting. ​

Zoom in: Amazon states that this shift is necessary to support new generative AI features that rely on cloud processing power. ​

Why it caught my attention: Privacy fosters creativity and freedom, allowing individuals to explore ideas without fear of exposure. The rapid advancement of AI and the Internet of Things raises concerns about Big Tech's use of personal information, especially given their history of prioritizing rapid development over careful consideration of societal implications. This policy change by Amazon exemplifies the need for vigilance regarding how our data is utilized.

Source: Ars Technica

Microsoft teams up with AI start-up to simulate brain reasoning

What's happening: Microsoft has partnered with Swiss AI start-up inait to develop advanced AI models that emulate mammalian brain reasoning, aiming to enhance applications in sectors like financial trading and robotics. ​

Who is involved: This collaboration brings together Microsoft's extensive AI resources and inait's expertise in digital neuroscience, built on two decades of research. ​

Zoom in: The initiative focuses on creating AI systems capable of learning from real-world experiences, moving beyond traditional data-driven models to more adaptive and efficient technologies. ​

Why it caught my attention: It’s always fascinating to see how computers attempt to emulate the human brain.This effort coul

d lead to AI that is not only more intelligent but also more efficient in its use of electricity and data storage, addressing key challenges in AI infrastructure.

Source: Financial Times | Microsoft

Inside the Democrats’ new media strategy to reach voters and take on Trump

What's happening: Democrats are doubling down on social media, working with influencers and embracing new media formats to counter Republican messaging. Lawmakers are now acting as content creators, posting viral videos and collaborating with digital influencers to engage younger voters.

Who is involved:

• Senators Cory Booker (NJ) and Elizabeth Warren (MA) led a coordinated "Sh*t that ain't true" video campaign to fact-check Trump’s claims.

• The Democratic Policy and Communications Committee (DPCC) is supporting lawmakers with social media training, equipment, and content strategies.

• Influencers like Sulhee Jessica Woo ("bento box queen") and Brian Tyler Cohen are being brought in to amplify Democratic messaging.

Zoom in: Democrats are trying to replicate the right-wing media ecosystem but face challenges in authenticity and resonance. Viral content often gets mocked, and some Democrats worry about an overreliance on a small group of influencers. There are also discussions about credentialing content creators to cover Capitol Hill like traditional journalists.

Why it caught my attention: This shift underscores the growing role of social media in politics, but it also raises concerns about breaking through algorithm-driven echo chambers. Platforms prioritize engagement over balance, making it difficult for political messaging to reach beyond already-sympathetic audiences. It’s unclear if these efforts will truly expand Democrats' reach or just reinforce existing bubbles.

Source: The Washington Post

The A.I. Data Center Boom: A New Era in Computing

What’s happening: Tech giants are radically transforming computing infrastructure to support A.I. The shift requires massive investments in data centers, specialized chips, and power solutions, reshaping technology, finance, and energy.

Who is involved

• Big Tech: OpenAI, Google, Amazon, Microsoft, and Meta are pouring billions into A.I.-focused data centers.

• Investors & Industries: Private equity firms, electricians, and power companies are capitalizing on the boom.

• Local Communities: Some are benefiting from economic growth, while others resist due to environmental concerns.

Zoom in:

• OpenAI and partners plan to spend $500 billion on new data centers.

• Data center electricity use in the U.S. could triple by 2028, surpassing crypto mining.

• Companies are turning to nuclear energy and alternative cooling methods to sustain A.I. demands.

Why it caught my attention: A.I. isn’t just a tool—it’s reshaping infrastructure, labor markets, and energy consumption. The way we design our socio-technical systems is shifting faster than ever, marking a new chapter in human-technology interaction.

Source: The New York Times

People are using Google’s new AI model to remove watermarks from images

What's happening: Users have discovered that Google's new Gemini 2.0 Flash AI model can effectively remove watermarks from images, including those from stock photo sites like Getty Images.

Who is involved:

• Google: Developer of the Gemini 2.0 Flash AI model.​

• Content Creators & Stock Photo Agencies: Potentially affected by unauthorized use of their watermarked images.​

• Users: Utilizing the AI model to edit images, raising ethical and legal questions.​

Zoom in:

• Gemini 2.0 Flash not only removes watermarks but also fills in the gaps left behind, making the edits less detectable. ​

• Other AI models, like Anthropic’s Claude 3.7 Sonnet and OpenAI’s GPT-4o, refuse to remove watermarks, labeling such actions as unethical and potentially illegal. ​

Why it caught my attention: The emergence of AI tools capable of removing watermarks underscores the pressing need to balance technological advancement with the protection of artists' and creators' rights. While generative AI offers new creative avenues, it's crucial to establish boundaries that respect intellectual property and ensure fair use.

Source: TechCrunch

Augmented Reality (AR) allows you to experience space in a new way. I develop this AR game during my time as a student at CCT using Google Tango and the game engine Unity.

This AR game layers digital images of the three remaining Mosler paintings over live video of the exhibition space. Players can view the three dimensional objects through the screen and walk around them. When the three objects are aligned properly, they form a rectangular frame. This rectangular alignment unlocks an image of the missing fourth Mosler painting.

It was in the middle of the October of 2015 when I first encounter the architectural design known as stairs as this immoveable and intimidating object. It wasn’t until I suffered an injury in my knee that I came to see stairs as this object that is there, that facilitates getting from a lower to higher place and vice versa, but only for those who can actually use both their legs. Inspired by the short story of Julio Cortazár and the short documentary The Unconscious Art of Graffiti Removal I set myself to make a short film that dealt with the subjects of stairs.

Introduction

Throughout our daily lives we interact with several websites, apps, and many other data collection systems. According to a study conducted by Lorrie Faith Cranor and Aleecia McDonald from Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh to calculate the amount of time it would take each one of us to actually read all the privacy policies we encounter on average while we surf the web. According to their estimates, the average American visits between 1,354 and 1,518 websites in a year, and it would take us 76 working days to actually read all of them. And this is just websites, just imaging how the numbers would increase counting the different data collection systems that we engage daily while moving through public spaces. As we shift towards a future where ubiquitous computing is more widespread we will need to rethink what privacy is and how we protect it. At this moment in time we rely heavily on Notice and Consent, or what Solove (2013) calls the Self Management framework, which as many scholars and organizations agree, is not enough to protect our privacy. In this paper, I will work through the reasons why the Privacy Self Management framework is not enough, but it can serve as a platform to build on top to create better privacy protections.

Part I will be focused on what privacy and Big Data are. It is important to understand these two concepts before going any further, because they will frame how we will understand what we are trying to protect. As pointed out by Kagal and Abelson (2010), there are two main ways to understand privacy. Both the UN Declaration of Human Rights and Brandeis and Warren’s The Right to Privacy focus on (1) privacy as the “right to be let alone”, while Alan Westin’s definition focused on (2) privacy as the ability to control one's own information. In addition to understanding what privacy is, we also need to spend a little bit of space to discuss what Big Data is. In their report, Big Data and Privacy: A Technological Perspective, the President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology (PCAST) conceptualized “Big Data” as the collection of a large amount of data and its analysis on a big scale. As PCAST points out, this is possible due to the ubiquity of both analogous and digital data capture systems (Surveillance cameras, GPS, Cookies and so on).  

Part II will be spent discussing the Notice and Consent framework we currently use to protect our data. This framework has its roots in the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development’s (OECD) Guidelines on the Protection of Privacy and Transborder Flows of Personal Data, which were conceptualized back in the1980. As we will see, although this framework is useful, it is inadequate to protect our privacy in our current context. As we will see, Notice and Consent has many issues, from people not reading to the way it is written. Privacy Policies are not accessible by the average person, they are written by lawyers for lawyers. In addition to this, the Notice and Consent framework asks the individual for her consent at the moment when they first open an app or website, which does not allow the user to really foresee the ways the data provided could be used in the future. 

Part III will be used to explore the different approaches that can be used to protect user’s privacy. Many scholars [see Cate and Mayer-Schönberger (2013); Solove (2013); Kagal and Abelson (2010); Mundie] argue that we need to change our approach to the protection and regulation of the use of data, instead of its collection. Others like Alissa Cooper, John Morris, and Erica Newland propose using a system like the Creative Commons, in which the user can choose the level of privacy she wants. All of these frameworks can work together and on top of the self management framework that is already in place. 

Finally, Part IV will focus on some concluding remarks on the self management framework, the pressure it puts on the individual and the need to add other mechanisms to protect our privacy.

Part I: Privacy and Big Data

With the advent of “Big Data” and the widespread use of ubiquitous computing, data collection practices have become more simple to perform. As explained by PCAST, “since early in the computer age, public and private entities have been assembling digital information about people”, however with the large amount data that is being collected, through digital and analogous means, and the infrastructure that is in place to analyze all of it, it is now possible to process all of it, both for beneficial and harmful use.  

This has raised many concerns about users’ privacy being violated. As pointed out by many scholars and organizations [Solove (2013); Cate and Mayer-Schönberger (2013); Gindin (2009); FTC (2015)] do consent to give up some data in exchange for certain types of services, however at the moment of doing so, users/consumers generally do not see how an innocuous piece of personal data could be harmful in the future, but with the use of “Big Data” and analytics, corporations and other groups are capable of merging large amount of data, predict future behaviors and even deduce consumers identities. This brings us back to the two different approaches discussed by Kagal and Abelson (2010) to understand privacy. The UN Declaration of Human Rights definition of privacy states “[no] one shall be subjected to arbitrary interference with his privacy, family, home or correspondence, nor to attacks upon his honor and reputation”. As Kagal and Abelson see it, this builds upon Brandeis and Warren definition of privacy, “the right to be left alone”. 

The other way to understand privacy is based on Alan Westin’s work, who defines it as “the ability for people to determine for themselves when, how, and to what extent, information about them is communicated to others” (in Kagal and Abelson, 2010; 1). The difference between Westin’s definition to the UN and Brandeis and Warren’s one, is that is based on how information is access, while the latter is based how information is being used. Many of the policies and regulations and policies that in place today use Westin’s approach and focus on access control, in which the user treats its privacy as a digital currency to get services. 

Kagal and Abelson, as many other privacy experts, call for a shift on how we approach privacy. Instead of focusing on information being collected and accessed, regulations and policies should start working on restricting how it is being used. In this section of the paper, we have discussed the different ways to understand privacy and how “Big Data” has changed the game. In Part II we will define the self management framework and the issues it has.

Part II: The Self Management Framework

As mentioned both in the introduction and the section above, we live in a world in which data form consumers is collected in large amounts and processed to infer the behavioral patterns, to create targeted advertisement and to offer consumers services they might need. However, the collection of this might result in harmful effects for the consumer, due to her political views, sexual orientation and so on, that can be inferred when different datasets are combined for certain uses. In order to prevent these harmful effects we rely on the self management framework, in which the consumer consents to the ways the data he/she is giving up will be used after reading a notice. Unfortunately this is not what actually happens. 

The self management framework we rely on is almost 40 years old. The Fair Information Practice Principles (FIPPs) were first articulated back in 1973 by the U.S. Department of Health, Education and Welfare. Eventually the OECD adopted them as guidelines for privacy in 1980. These principles are notice, choice, access, accuracy, data minimization, security, and accountability (FTC, 2015; 19). As much as these principles are useful and do provide a framework to protect privacy, we are stretching their use in the digital context we live in today. Companies are able to access our data as long as consumers are notified and they consent to the terms of service, however there are many issues with this. As noted in the introduction it would take 76 working hours to actually read all the privacy policies we come across in the World Wide Web, which no one really has time to do. On top of that, if someone takes the time to read one, the documents are full of legalese, which an average person would not be able to understand easily. However consumers still want to have access to these services and do consent by clicking accept on all the notices they receive, even though these notices are not meaningful. These issues are what Solove (2013; 1883) identifies as cognitive problems. Individuals are not well informed on the privacy policies they are agreeing to and they are making decisions (exchanging their information) based on conceptions that are not quite right. Many consumers give up sensible information for small benefits. The problem here is that users do not quite understand how the information they perceive as innocuous could be used using methods like data fusion. 

Furthermore, Solove describes 3 different types of structural problems regarding privacy management. First, we have the problem of scale, which refers we live in a moment in which individuals are bombarded with “Notice and Choice” notification from many of the services we use and it is not possible to keep track of a single person to keep track of how all her data is being collected and used. Second, there is the problem of aggregation; consumers cannot possibly know how the data that is out there will be put together and what can be revealed about them. Finally, we have the problem of assessing harm. Usually, the consumer will agree when the data is initially collected without fully understanding what could be the long-term harms that can arise in the future. All of these put together makes the Notice and Choice or privacy self management framework very flawed for the context we are using it in. 

It is not necessary to discard this framework, however it is imperative to build other mechanisms on top of it to help consumers better protect their privacy.

Part III: Different Privacy Management Frameworks

So, if the privacy self management does not work that well and people are not engaging in meaningful Notice and Choice practices, where do we go from here? Privacy experts and scholars have engaged in discussions to see which other possibilities could be used. Most agree that it is not necessary to get rid of the framework that is in place as of now, but it needs other mechanisms to help protect people’s privacy.  The next two subsections will focus on two specific mechanisms: (1) data usage and privacy profiles. 

1. Focusing on Use, not Collection

Mundie (2015) argues that instead of focusing on how data is collected, it would be more meaningful to focus on how it is being used. As he points out, when people are asked how their privacy is being violated, the vast majority tends to answer referring to how their data is being used in different ways they are not fully informed on. Mundie proposes to create data wrappers, which are encrypted and can be used by authorized users in authorized devices. This idea is borrowing heavily on Digital Rights Management (DRM) use in media such as music and movies. 

The user would consent to have her data collected, but it would be closed in a “wrapper” with many metadata associated with it which would not reveal the identity of the user. In order to be able to open the encrypted wrapper, the person would need to have authorization, not just for him, but also for the device in which it is being open and in the program it is being run. This would limit the ways information is being used and might provide the consumer with more meaningful notice on how the data is being used. However, this might turn cumbersome, if the consumer keeps getting notices every time its data is being used, on top that it might impair innovation on the other end, where the data could be used to discover new things.

2. Privacy Profiles

Another approach that is being discussed is the idea of having a set of privacy profiles. Professor Jones (2015) proposes to turn Notice and Consent on its head, and enable people to choose from a different set of preferences to let the collector know how the user wants its data handled. Cooper, Morris and Newland (2010) propose to follow a similar system as the Creative Commons, which “offers four simple license conditions (Attribution, Share Alike, Non-Commercial, and No Derivative Works) that users can combine to form licenses for creative works”. This rule-set lets other users know how they can use other individual’s intellectual properties. 

As the PCAST points out, such “privacy profiles” could be built up by organizations that work on the field of privacy, such as the FTC, and consumers could choose from a wide variety of options depending on who they trust more. Such an approach would lessen the weight that self management puts on the average consumer and distributes it into more entities.

Part IV: Conclusions

As discussed above, the privacy self management approach, although useful, is not sufficient to actually protect consumers privacy. It needs other mechanisms built on top in order to provide a more meaningful notice and consent. In the present paper discussed two different ideas, data “wrappers” and privacy profiles. Neither of them is perfect, but they do provide different ways to control one's own data. In the case of the data “wrappers”, the user would need to continue to give consent every time their data was going to be used, which is not feasible, while the privacy profiles (or preferences) might take away agency from the user. However, these approaches are not mutually exclusive and can be combined. It is out of the scope of this paper to propose a solution, however, borrowing ideas from other systems that have been successful, such as DRMs and the Creative Commons, is important and useful, now that it's time to look to the future and think on how to keep privacy protected.

Bibliography:

Hal Abelson and Lalana Kagal, Access Control is an Inadequate Framework for Privacy Protection, W3C Workshop on Privacy for Advanced Web APIs, London (2010). http://www.w3.org/2010/api‐privacy‐ws/papers.html

Fred H Cate and Viktor Mayer-Schönberger, Notice and consent in a world of Big Data. International Data Privacy Law3.2 (2013): 67 - 73.

Fred H Cate and Viktor Mayer-Schönberger , Notice and Consent in a World of Big Data Microsoft Global Privacy Summit Summary Report and Outcomes (2012).

Alissa Cooper, John Morris, and Erica Newland, Access Control is an Inadequate Framework for Privacy Protection, W3C Workshop on Privacy for Advanced Web APIs London (2010). http://www.w3.org/2010/api-privacy-ws/papers/privacy-ws-12.html

Federal Trade Commision, Internet of Thing: Privacy & Security in Connected World, (2015).

Federal Trade Commission, “Privacy Online: Fair Information Practices in the Electronic Marketplace,” (2000).

Susan E. Gindin, Nobody Reads Your Privacy Policy or Online Contract: Lessons Learned and Questions Raised by the FTC's Action against Sears, Northwestern Journal of Technology and Intellectual Property 1:8, (2009‐ 2010).

Meg Leta Jones, Privacy Without Screens & the Internet of Other People's Things, 51 Idaho Law Review 639 (2015).

Craig Mundie, Privacy Pragmatism: Focus on Data Use, Not Data Collection, Foreign Affairs, (2014).

Alexis C. Madrigal, Reading the Privacy Policies You Encounter in a Year Would Take 76 Work Days, The Atlantic (March 2012). 

President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology, Big Data and Privacy, A Technological Perspective, (May 2014).

Lee Rainie & Janna Anderson, Digital Life in 2025: The Future of Privacy, PEW RESEARCH CENTER 28 (2014), http://www.pewinternet.org/files/2014/12/PI_FutureofPrivacy_1218141.pdf. 

Daniel J. Solove, Privacy Self Management and the Consent Dilemma. (2013). 

Se había terminado la transmisión en vivo y todavía retumbaban en mi cabeza las palabras del Juez Fredy Orellana.

…”se dicta auto de procesamiento en contra de don José Rubén Zamora Marroquín por la posible comisión de los delitos de tráfico de influencias, chantaje y de lavado de dinero u otros activos, quedando vinculado a proceso a partir de este momento”.

Estaba en el parqueo de la Torre de Tribunales. A unos metros de mi podía ver a mi tío Gonzalo dar una entrevista. Unos reporteros se acercaron a mi para hacerme preguntas sobre lo sucedido. Les digo que no sé qué pensar y que tengo que hablar con los abogados para entender qué es lo que viene.

Me alejo de ellos. Gonzalo me está esperando. Me da unas palmadas de ánimo en la espalda y mientras caminamos le digo:

“Vamos a estar bien Gonchi, hemos pasado por peores cosas”.

Gonzalo me para en seco, pone su mano en mi hombro y dice:

“No Ramón, esto nunca lo han vivido. Esto es una maratón y tienen que prepararse para lo que viene”.

Los demonios de visita en casa

Tenía 12 años y estaba de vacaciones del colegio. Como siempre lo hacía, había bajado de mi cuarto al levantarme y había entrado al cuarto de mis papás para ver las noticias con mi papá. Yo me sentaba en un sillón al lado de su cama. Mientras mi papá leía de inicio a fin los periódicos que llegaban a la casa, yo miraba las noticias en la televisión. Ese día mi papá me había prometido que veríamos una película juntos.

De repente, mis hermanos, mi mamá y dos trabajadoras de la casa estaban dentro del cuarto de mis papás. Mi hermano y mi papá se encontraban en el umbral de la puerta deteniendo el ingreso de unas personas que gritaban que estaban haciendo un allanamiento. Jose les pedía las órdenes de juez, pero mi papá le decía que no peleara, que no era ese tipo de “allanamiento”. En cuestión de minutos, todos estábamos en el suelo, habían cerrado la cortina y estábamos en penumbra. Todos habían quedado acostados boca abajo frente a la cama, atados de pies y manos. Yo estaba separado de mi familia y pensé que no me habían visto al entrar porque estaba pegado a la pared. Me ubiqué al lado de la cama y traté de pasar desapercibido.

Mis hermanos me dicen que el allanamiento duró alrededor de cuatro horas. En mi mente fueron 15 minutos y solo recuerdo momentos muy específicos de lo sucedido. Recuerdo cuando me encontraron al costado de la cama y me patearon. Recuerdo haber gritado, no por el dolor, sino por el miedo de lo que podía suceder. Recuerdo ver a mi hermano Jose y a Petronila levantarse del suelo y gritar al unísono:

¡A él no lo toquen!

A Petronila la empujaron al suelo. A mi hermano le pegaron en la cara con la culata de una pistola y lo volvieron a tirar al suelo. Recuerdo que me tomaron del pelo y me tiraron en frente de mi papá. Él estaba hincado. Lo tenían desnudo y con una escopeta en la cabeza. Uno de los miembros del grupo para militar se me acercó y me dijo que viera a mi padre. Luego nos dijo:

“Tu papá ha estado molestando a personas con poder. Si promete dejar de estar chingando, todos saldrán con vida de aquí”.

Recuerdo que minutos después simularon la ejecución de mi papá frente a todos. Mi papá les pidió que hicieran lo que tuvieran que hacer, pero que no lo hicieran frente a su familia. Lo sacaron del cuarto por unos minutos y luego regresaron con él. Al regresar anunciaron que se irían y que mi papá debía prometer no decir nada de lo sucedido. Para asegurarse de ello, discutieron la posibilidad de llevarse a mi mamá o llevarme a mí como garantía. Al final nos dejaron en el suelo. Por varios minutos nadie habló ni se movió. Finalmente mi papá se levantó y salió del cuarto. Nos indicó que ya no había nadie en la casa.

Como lo ha hecho en cada caso de intimidación y después de cada uno de los atentados que hemos vivido, mi papá denunció lo sucedido. El resto del día llegaron alrededor de 300 personas entre funcionarios públicos, representantes de la comunidad internacional, familiares y amigos. También llegó el Ministerio Público (MP) para buscar evidencia. Mi mamá y yo insistimos que uno de los agentes del MP había participado en el allanamiento, nadie nos creyó. Años después, se descubrió que efectivamente este agente había participado en el allanamiento ilegal y había regresado para destruir la evidencia.

Una semana después, luego de varios otros incidentes, mi papá decide que es necesario que salgamos al exilio. Mi mamá, mis hermanos y yo salimos del país, sin saber a dónde iríamos, ni por cuánto tiempo estaríamos separados de mi papá. Eso fue el 2 de julio de 2003. 20 años después, miro como activistas, operadores de justicia y periodistas deben tomar esta misma decisión para proteger su integridad física.

En el 2004 mi mamá y yo regresamos a Guatemala. Mis hermanos mayores decidieron hacer su vida afuera del país.

¡Feliz cumpleaños!

Era agosto de 2008. Estaba cursando mi último semestre en el colegio. Durante esos últimos meses de clases estaba más enfocado en participar en las celebraciones de despedida que en los estudios. Ese jueves, 19 de agosto de 2008, nos juntamos en la casa de uno de mis amigos del colegio. Alrededor de las 4 p.m. me despedí de mi papá, le deseé feliz cumpleaños y mucha suerte en una reunión de ventas a la que iría esa noche. Cuando regresé, no vi su carro. Al día siguiente al levantarme, mi mamá me contó que mi papá nunca llegó. Le avisamos a los amigos más cercanos de mi papá y nos dijeron que se había despedido a medianoche después de celebrar con ellos su cumpleaños. Nos dijeron que siguiéramos con nuestro día y que ellos se encargarían de encontrar a mi papá. A las 11 de la mañana me llamaron de la dirección del colegio y me indicaron que tenía autorización para salir temprano porque me estaban esperando en mi casa. Al llegar, me esperaban Mario Fuentes Destarac y Juan Luis Font. Mi mamá estaba con ellos en la sala de la casa. Mario me dio la noticia de que encontraron el carro de mi papá en zona 10 con las puertas abiertas. Las personas del restaurante en el que estaba habían confirmado que mi papá había salido del restaurante y que había partido. Juan Luis nos dijo que teníamos que prepararnos para el peor escenario. Se despidieron y nos pidieron que no contestáramos ninguna llamada.

Petronila, quien ha trabajado con mi mamá en el cuidado de la casa desde que tengo memoria, decidió llamar al celular de mi papá. Después del tercer intento contestaron y la persona del otro lado de la línea le dijo que mi papá ya estaba muerto, que su cuerpo estaba en el basurero central de la ciudad de Guatemala y que nunca lo encontraríamos.

Me negué a aceptar que mi papá estaba muerto.

De repente sonó el teléfono del cuarto de mis papás. Nos pareció muy raro, ya que ese teléfono lo tenían muy pocas personas. Mi mamá contestó y del otro lado una persona le dijo que llevaban a una persona que no lograban identificar, pero que decía ser su pariente, en una ambulancia hacía un sanatorio de la zona 1 y colgó el teléfono. Les avisamos de nuevo a los amigos más cercanos de mi papá, quiénes nos dijeron que ellos irían a revisar y que por favor nos quedáramos en casa.

Un par de horas más tarde, mi mamá y yo esperábamos en frente de la entrada del Hospital Esperanza. Vimos llegar la ambulancia y por unos segundos vi a mi papá y le pude dar la mano.

Mi papá había sido secuestrado por miembros especializados de la Secretaría de Asuntos Administrativos y de Seguridad de la Presidencia de la República (SAAS) y luego entregado a una banda de secuestradores, quienes le inyectaron una fuerte dosis de barbitúricos con el fin de causarle la muerte. Tiraron su cuerpo en El Tejar, a unos 50 kilómetros de la ciudad de Guatemala y lo dieron por muerto. Gracias a una señora y a los bomberos voluntarios de la zona, mi papá llegó a un centro de salud. Pensando que estaba muerto, se prepararon para realizar la autopsia porque no tenía signos vitales (luego se supo que sus signos vitales eran casi imposibles de detectar porque tenía hipotermia). Como parte de la necropsia, y con el fin de sacar todos los fluidos de su cuerpo, le introdujeron una sonda por la uretra. Fue en ese momento que mi papá frunció el ceño y los doctores se dieron cuenta que estaba vivo.

El resto del año fue complicado. Esta vez, decidimos que nadie se iría del país. Mi padre denuncio lo sucedido y lo vinculó con una publicación realizada por elPeriódico sobre Carlos Quintanilla y sus vínculos con actores corruptos del país desde los años 80.

Estudios en el extranjero

En el 2013 cursaba mi tercer año de Antropología y Sociología en la Universidad del Valle de Guatemala (UVG). Había encontrado una carrera que me abrió las puertas a realizar investigación aplicada en el país. Ya habían pasado casi cinco años desde el secuestro de mi papá y 10 años desde el allanamiento a la casa de zona 12. Me había permitido pensar que eran sucesos del pasado y que ya no volveríamos a vivir algo similar.

Siempre insistí en querer estudiar en Guatemala. Pensaba que, para poder hacer cambios en el país, tenía que formarme dentro del mismo. Mi papá siempre me insistió que debía salir, que se sentiría más tranquilo si yo no estuviera en Guatemala. A pesar de nuestros desacuerdos en el tema, siempre me apoyó con mis decisiones.

Fue hasta abril del 2013 que cambié de opinión.

En ese entonces había un equipo de la SAAS asignado a cuidarnos debido a medidas cautelares que fueron otorgadas a la familia por la Comisión Interamericana de Derechos Humanos. El equipo de la SAAS solía recogerme alrededor de las 9:30 pm en la garita 8 de la UVG para llevarme de regreso a zona 12.

Una de esas noches nos encontramos con una séptima avenida de la zona 12, en el barrio la Reformita, vacía. Algo fuera de lo común, ya que es una avenida muy transitada a todas a horas. El equipo de la SAAS también percibió esto y noté como tomaron posiciones defensivas dentro del vehículo en el que íbamos. El piloto empezó a manejar más rápido. Al pasar uno de los semáforos, dos personas bloquearon el camino. El líder del equipo me pidió que bajará la cabeza y el piloto empezó a retroceder. Unos minutos después, sentí luces muy fuertes entrar por las ventanas, por los dos lados de la calle, y escuchar los motores de otros dos vehículos muy cerca del nuestro.

Lo siguiente que siento es el coletazo que da el pick-up al momento que el piloto pisa el acelerador a fondo y el carro sale disparado hacía delante. Veo cuando una de las personas se tira al costado del carro, pero el equipo de la SAAS no para. Les pregunto que qué está pasando. El líder me voltea a ver y me dice:

“Nuestra misión es llevarlo seguro a su casa y eso vamos a hacer”.

Minutos después me encuentro dentro de mi casa y el equipo de la SAAS le informa a mi papá que creen que lo más probable es que haya sido un intento de secuestro.

Por esas fechas elPeriódico había publicado la investigación “Un cuento de hadas sin final feliz”, una historia con los detalles de las compras de Baldetti, que incluían casas por montos multimillonarios y otros artículos de lujo con una riqueza inexplicable. Baldetti poseía cinco propiedades, un helicóptero y un jet valorados en más de 13 millones de dólares.

Después de hablar con mis papás decidimos que lo mejor era que pasará una temporada fuera del país. A través de la universidad logré conseguir una beca de intercambio y pude asistir un semestre a un programa de herramientas digitales para digitalizar patrimonio cultural. Vivi por cinco meses en Canadá. Mientras estuve en Canadá, busqué formas de extender mi estadía en el norte. Desde la distancia escuchaba las presiones que estaba recibiendo elPeriódico y las amenazas constantes que recibía mi papá durante el gobierno del Partido Patriota.

Para mi familia, que yo regresara a Guatemala no era una opción. Logré entrar a una maestría en Comunicación, Cultura y Tecnología en una universidad en Washington, D.C. Luego de terminar el programa en Canadá, regresé a Guatemala un mes para arreglar mi papelería para la visa de estudiante. Durante ese mes, volvieron a ocurrir incidentes. Una noche rodearon la casa agentes de la SAAS, quienes llegaron a informar que habían órdenes para retirar al equipo de seguridad que nos cuidaba. Que ahora la Policía Nacional Civil (PNC) se haría cargo de nuestra seguridad. Nos despedimos del equipo que nos cuidaba y mi papá rechazo la seguridad de la PNC. Les indicó que se sentía más seguro solo.

Volví a salir del país, esta vez para iniciar mi maestría. No regresaría hasta a finales del 2016 a Guatemala, con mucho anímo, pensando que luego de los movimientos sociales de 2015, los ataques contra elPeriódico y mi familia desistirían.

No fue así.

Un año de resistencia

Hoy, 9 de agosto del 2023, se cumple un año desde que el juez Fredy Orellana ligó a mi papá a proceso iniciando un juicio en el que se han violado todos sus derechos. En este proceso vivimos el doble cierre (el impreso y el digital) de elPeriódico. Hemos enfrentado cuatro casos inventados por el Ministerio Público bajo la dirección del régimen Giammattei-Martínez. Volvimos a vivenciar el exilio de familia, compañeros y amigos.

Gonzalo tenía razón, es una maratón. La democracia en Guatemala, además de maratón, es una carrera de obstaculos. Seguiremos corriendo hasta el final y resistiremos.

Hace 36 horas miro mi teléfono vibrar varias veces y me digo ahora atiendo la llamada, tengo que terminar esta reunión por zoom primero y dejar este correo enviado. Unos minutos después miro la insistencia de Julia Corado y contesto. Al contestar, me dice “Llegaron por su papá”. Le indico que mande personal del periódico y me responde que ya dos personas están ahí y que van más en camino. Miro mis mensajes y ya mis dos hermanos me escribieron.

Salgo corriendo de mi casa, dejo el horno encendido sin darme cuenta. En el camino llamo a mi hermano grande y me dice que mi cuñada acaba de llegar con mis sobrinos a la casa de mis papás y que los tienen detenidos. De golpe regreso al 2003, estoy separado de mi familia escondido debajo de la cama de mis papás, viendo como simulan la ejecución de mi papá.

Ya estoy en el carro, tirando el carro para avanzar en el tráfico de la ciudad del futuro y pienso que es viernes y fin de mes a las 4 de la tarde. Siento frustración y enojo, pero respiro profundo. Llamo a Manfredo y Edgar, amigos cercanos de mi papá, me dicen que ya saben y que están haciendo averiguaciones sobre el allanamiento y que vamos a solucionar esto. Vuelvo a llamar a mis hermanos. Nos decimos que todo va estar, pero los tres sabemos que no.

Vuelvo a llamar a Julia, hablamos de cual será la respuesta del periódico. Después de 40 minutos ya estoy por la Atanasio y pienso, el tráfico está ligero. Empiezo a recibir mensajes y llamadas de amigos y familia. No sé ni que decir. Agradezco y les digo que los mantendré informados. Mi mente me lleva al 2008, unas semanas antes de graduarme, estaba regresando a mi casa del colegio y Petronila me recibe con las noticias que mi papá no ha regresado a la casa y mi mamá está con Juan Luis y Mario. Mi papá había sido secuestrado y teníamos que prepararnos para lo peor. Recibimos una llamada que de un desconocido, “nunca van a encontrar el cuerpo”. Me niego a creer que mi papá esta muerto. El semáforo se pone verde y continuo mi viaje.

Finalmente llego al sitio, la casa de zona 12.

Hay 5 patrullas y dos camionetas sin placas. Me saluda Roberto, piloto del periódico, “Ramón, hay que sacar a los niños”. Hablo con los policías, me dicen que no se puede. Nadie puede salir ni entrar para evitar contaminar la “escena del crimen”. Sigo hablando con ellos. Empieza a llegar más gente. Llega mi tío Ricar y nos abrazamos, me pregunta qué está pasando. No puedo dar respuestas. Llega mi tío Gonzalo con el equipo de Crónica y empiezan a llamar a más medios. Sigo insistiendo a los policías que dejen salir a mis sobrinos, mi cuñada y a mi mamá. Que ellos no tienen nada que ver. Sigo haciendo llamadas. Llegan mis tíos Juan y Linda. Confundo a mi tía con mi mamá y salgo corriendo a abrazarla. Me dice, no mijo, soy tu tía.

Pasamos las siguientes horas en la entrada de mi casa. Pasan vecinos curiosos y siguen llegando más personas, todos preocupados y con muchas dudas para las que no tengo respuesta. Continuamos con llamadas para ver cómo se puede solucionar esto. Eventualmente sale uno de los abogados de mi papá y me dicen que puedo entrar, pero tengo que dejar teléfono afuera y que no saldré hasta que el allanamiento termine. Son pasadas las 6 y es posible que pasemos hasta las 6am ahí. Mis tíos me dicen que sirvo mejor afuera, que tenemos que salir con edición impresa mañana. Me quedo afuera y tenemos reunión con los editores.

Llegan las 9. Me dicen que ya saldrán. Que hay posibilidades de que dejen ir a mi papá. Miro la redes y me siento acompañado por los mensajes. Pienso los ojos están puestos aquí, hay presión, me dejo creer. Pero cada minuto que pasa me va quitando la esperanza. Finalmente me escribe el abogado. “Ya salimos, se llevan a tu papá”. Se me hace un nudo en la garganta, que no se ha deshecho.

Miro cuando sale, pero no puedo acercarme a él. Abrazo a mi mamá y le digo, todo va estar bien. Me subo al carro y me voy detrás de las patrullas. Cuando llego a la torre de tribunales, Aiken me está esperando. Me da un abrazo. Me doy cuenta que no tengo mis credenciales de prensa para poder entrar a ver a mi papá. Hablamos un rato y partimos. Llego a mi apartamento y miro el horno encendido. Lo apago y me pongo arreglar algunas cosas y me tomo una cerveza para calmar los nervios. Daniela llega a casa después de su viaje y nos abrazamos.