Spain defies Big Tech lobbying and Musk's attacks with planned AI and social media crackdown

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.

Amid similar moves by Australia, France and Greece, Spain in February announced plans to ban social media use by teenagers - with a bill already working its way through parliament - and to adopt legislation holding executives personally responsible for hate speech on their platforms.

The move provoked sharp criticism from X platform owner Elon Musk, who called Socialist Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez a tyrant and a totalitarian.

Lopez said Spain wanted a common European approach as rules are easier to enforce across the bloc of more than 400 million citizens than country-by-country, and warned that backers of a laissez-faire approach would one day regret defending "the law of the jungle."

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.

Curious what others think about this story? Contribute your thoughts to the debate below.

Spain has positioned itself as one of Europe's most vocal advocates for what Lopez called "trustworthy AI," a model he said should protect privacy, democracy, minors and public safety rather than prioritise speed or profit.

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.

"What isn't legal in the real world cannot be legal in the virtual world. Full stop."

Unlock more exclusive Cybernews content on YouTube.