Spain advances social media and AI rules despite intense US tech lobbying pressure

Spain Defends Regulatory Push Against Corporate Pressure

Spain's Digital Transformation Minister Óscar López declared on Wednesday that Madrid will advance its comprehensive regulatory package targeting social media platforms and artificial intelligence systems, dismissing what he characterized as escalating US tech lobbying efforts. "The profit of four tech companies cannot come at the expense of the rights of millions," López told reporters, highlighting the tension between corporate profits vs citizens' rights as American technology firms intensify pressure against proposals designed to regulate social media platforms1

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The minister cited "powerful voices" lobbying against measures that would constrain high-risk AI systems and force platforms to disclose how their recommendation algorithms work. Industry opposition has proven substantial, with US filings showing 11 American technology companies spent roughly $20 million on federal lobbying in the first three months of 2026, averaging $226,000 a day1

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Comprehensive AI Regulation Package Targets Multiple Fronts

Spain's AI regulation agenda encompasses multiple legislative initiatives moving through parliament simultaneously. In February, Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez announced from the World Government Summit in Dubai that Spain would ban social media for users under 16, an amendment now advancing as part of an existing digital child-protection bill1

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. Sánchez also pledged to criminalize algorithmic manipulation designed to amplify illegal content and establish executive accountability by holding executives personally liable for failures in content removal1

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Separately, Spain has approved draft legislation curbing AI-generated deepfakes, setting 16 as the age of consent for image use and banning unauthorized AI-generated likenesses in advertising. In February, prosecutors opened a probe into major platforms over AI-generated child sexual abuse material distributed on their services1

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Trustworthy AI Model Prioritizes Public Safety Over Speed

López linked the regulatory push to growing concern over cyberbullying, sexual harassment, and hate speech targeting children, especially girls, describing the impact on minors as a mental health pandemic. Spain has positioned itself as one of Europe's most vocal advocates for what López called "trustworthy AI," a model designed to protect privacy, democracy, minors, and public safety rather than prioritize speed or profit2

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On the contentious issue of online anonymity, López stated that anonymity should not shield individuals from liability. "What isn't legal in the real world cannot be legal in the virtual world. Full stop," he said, suggesting authorities should be able to identify people who use pseudonyms online if they commit crimes2

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European Coordination and International Momentum

The Spain social media rules sit within a wider European regulatory arc. EU lawmakers struck a political deal in March on amendments to the bloc's AI Act, including a prohibition on non-consensual intimate deepfakes and a delay of the high-risk system deadline to December 2027. López emphasized that Spain wants a common European approach, noting that rules are easier to enforce across the bloc of more than 400 million citizens than country-by-country1

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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 Act2

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. Australia, France, Denmark, and Greece have legislated or announced age-gated access to social platforms within roughly a year of each other, and Sánchez has been pushing for EU-wide adoption through what he calls a "coalition of the digitally willing"1

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Implementation Challenges and Political Backlash

Not all of Spain's moves have landed without controversy. The under-16 proposal drew a personal attack from Elon Musk, who called Sánchez a "fascist totalitarian" on X in February, and child-rights groups have criticized parts of the package as more performative than enforceable1

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. Verification systems strong enough to meet López's stated standard of "real barriers, not just checkboxes" remain technically and legally contested across Europe1

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Madrid has positioned itself as one of the bloc's more forward-leaning capitals on enforcement, in part by building out the El Escorial data centre as a sovereign-cloud and AI platform announced by López earlier this year. The Spanish package, if it clears parliament intact, will be one of the more aggressive national tests of whether such rules can survive both lobbying and legal challenge. The under-16 amendment is expected to face its next parliamentary vote in the coming weeks1

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