Spain pushes ahead with social media, AI rules despite Big Tech lobbying pressure
Key takeaways
- The move provoked sharp criticism from X platform owner Elon Musk, who called Socialist Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez a tyrant and a totalitarian.
- He linked the push to growing concern over cyberbullying, sexual harassment and AI-generated sexual deepfakes targeting children, especially girls, describing the impact on minors as a mental health pandemic.
- Asked whether authorities should be able to identify people who use pseudonyms online if they commit crimes, Lopez said anonymity should not shield them from liability.
Why this matters: local context for readers following news across Pakistan and the region.
Add ARY News on Google AAResize MADRID: Spain will push ahead with new rules to make social networks and AI safer despite intense lobbying from the tech industry, its digital transformation minister Oscar Lopez told Reuters.
“The profit of four tech companies cannot come at the expense of the rights of millions,” he said, adding that “powerful voices” were lobbying against proposed regulation that would curb high-risk AI systems or force companies to disclose how their social media algorithms work.
His comments echoed those by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, who on Tuesday said the Commission was targeting addictive and harmful design practices by social media firms in its upcoming Digital Fairness Act.