Rubén Arcos

The transnationalization of terrorism, revealed during the successful 9/11 terrorist attacks, prompted scholars to argue that intelligence agencies – as first line of defense against any security t...

Este artículo discute el concepto de sistemas anticipatorios y las implicaciones de su aplicación en el ámbito de la seguridad y la acción exterior de la Unión Europea; explora la función de inteligencia como parte de los sistemas anticipatorios para la toma de decisiones en materia de seguridad y defensa, y analiza las configuraciones de los sistemas anticipatorios frente a diferentes amenazas y desafíos a la seguridad. En particular, desarrolla el enfoque conceptual de los Sistemas de Actores No Estatales (SNSA) operacionalizándolo mediante el modelo de análisis de redes multicapa aplicado al estudio de caso del SNSA de la organización terrorista Euskadi Ta Askatasuna. La introducción de esta perspectiva facilita el análisis integral de la amenaza y contribuye a la comprensión y predicción del comportamiento de los actores involucrados.

Background This study analyses how Spanish digital media frame biorefineries, a key renewable energy technology in the country’s energy transition. It draws on theories of social acceptance of renewable energies and the political economy of communication to examine how power asymmetries in media coverage influence public perception and participation. Methods A mixed-methods discourse analysis and social listening approach was applied to a corpus of 350 media articles (88 unique cases) published between 2019 and 2024 and collected through Onclusive Social. Articles were coded according to actor presence, argument type, tone, territorial context and socioeconomic indicators. Reliability was ensured through double coding and Cohen’s kappa statistics. Results The analysis reveals a marked dominance of corporate and institutional actors in shaping narratives, with economic arguments strongly associated with positive coverage, while environmental and health concerns predict negative tone. Rural areas display more critical discourse than urban ones, challenging conventional NIMBY explanations. From these findings, the study derives the Communicative Hegemony Model in Energy Transition (CHMET) as a conceptual outcome that integrates observed patterns of media power and proposes axes for future testing and comparative research. Conclusions Spanish media discourse on biorefineries reflects structural imbalances that may condition social acceptance of renewable energy projects. Policy recommendations include strengthening independent scientific communication, promoting binding public deliberation and enhancing journalistic standards to balance stakeholder voices. By presenting CHMET as a product of the analysis and a framework for deeper investigation, the study contributes both empirical evidence and a conceptual tool to advance research on communicative power in energy transitions.

The rapid evolution of cyberspace and the growing engagement of individuals in digital environments have led to a paradigm shift in cybersecurity research towards a human-centric approach. This perspective acknowledges the complexity of cybersecurity threats and their far-reaching impact on individuals, communities and society as a whole. Cybersecurity therefore needs to be studied from a multidisciplinary perspective. With a dataset of 8,330 articles from the Scopus database, this study uses bibliometric analysis and co-occurrence techniques to map the field of social cybersecurity, examine research trends and assess the overall state of cybersecurity from the perspective of social sciences. VOSviewer software was used to create network maps to illustrate the relationships between key terms and to present the advancement of thematic areas in cybersecurity research. The study reveals a significant expansion in the field of social cybersecurity, moving from conventional topics related to cyber threats, such as malware and phishing, to more nuanced areas like social media and disinformation. The analysis of major research themes in social cybersecurity research indicates that cybersecurity has been integrated with various domains such as ethics, psychology, education, and law. This paper makes an important contribution by offering an overview of social cybersecurity research, an analysis of research trends and a roadmap for future research and policy development aimed at protecting the digital ecosystem through a holistic understanding of human factors in cybersecurity.

Background Disinformation represents a critical threat to our democratic societies, particularly considering the role of new technologies such as generative artificial intelligence in the creation and dissemination of content, as well as the challenges involved in its detection. Among the strategies to combat disinformation, debunking, along with media and digital literacy, are the preferred approaches for the EU. Methods This research examines the role of fact-checking organizations in promoting digital and media literacy. An analysis on the websites of a sample of 88 organizations with membership in the International Fact-Checking Network (IFCN) was conducted. The aim was to identify and classify their activities related to various literacies aimed at mitigating disinformation. Data collection was carried out across two distinct time periods. Results Findings revealed a moderate reach of these activities, with 48.6% implementation and a 60% increase since the last period analyzed (December 2022). The study concludes that: 1) there are differences in the level of adoption across different regions; 2) strategies are adapted to various target audiences, reflecting sociodemographic factors; and 3) fact-checkers serve as valuable and necessary links for the most groups outside formal education systems. Conclusion These activities are strongly reliant on externally funded projects and programs, rather than representing an independent and sustainable business model. Therefore, it is recommended to promote and expand these funding streams. The value of these initiatives lies in their potential to reach vulnerable groups who are excluded from formal education systems.