Spain Orders Investigation Into X, Meta, and TikTok Over AI-Generated Child Abuse Material

Spain to Investigate Social Media Giants, Escalating Trans-Atlantic Tech Dispute

Jason Horowitz, the Madrid bureau chief, leads The Times's coverage of Spain. Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez of Spain said on Tuesday that his government will ask prosecutors to investigate social media giants X, Meta and TikTok for allegedly spreading child sexual abuse material generated by artificial intelligence, the latest salvo in a Europe-wide effort to regulate big tech companies. "These platforms are undermining the mental health, dignity, and rights of our children," Mr. Sánchez wrote on social media. "The state cannot allow this. The impunity of these giants must end." X and TikTok did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Meta declined to comment. After the French police raided the Paris offices of X in connection with similar accusations, the company said it "categorically denies any wrongdoing." The Spanish announcement intensifies a growing dispute between European governments and American tech companies, which have been backed by the Trump administration over efforts on the continent to limit the industry. The clash has revealed starkly different visions between the United States and its tech giants and the European Union and its member states over what counts as protected speech, and the role of corporations in guaranteeing the welfare of those affected by their platforms. Europe has become a central experiment for the ability of democratic governments to regulate and effectively penalize one of the world's most dominant industries. In December, the European Union issued the first fine under its new Digital Services Act, penalizing X, the social media platform owned by Elon Musk, for 120 million euros, about $140 million, for violations. This month, French police searched the local offices of X as part of the French cybercrime division's own investigation into the spread of child pornography and Holocaust denial on the site. Britain's data protection regulator has also announced an investigation into X over sexually explicit images generated by its A.I. chatbot, Grok. Ireland's Data Protection Commission also said on Tuesday that it had opened an investigation into whether Grok had allowed pornographic images of children to spread on the platform. European leaders say their efforts are aimed at protecting citizens from abuse, rather than an attempt -- as American politicians and tech leaders have argued -- to limit free speech. Mr. Sánchez, a left-wing leader who has not been shy about challenging Mr. Trump or the American tech giants, asked prosecutors to "investigate the crimes that X, Meta, and TikTok may be committing through the creation and dissemination of child pornography using their AI." This month, Spain joined France, Denmark and Australia in seeking to ban social media for children under the age of 16, with Mr. Sánchez saying, "We will protect them from the digital Wild West." His government's proposed ban still requires parliamentary approval. But the proposed measure, and Mr. Sánchez referring to "crimes committed" by Grok, immediately triggered a vulgar and personally targeted attack against Mr. Sánchez by Mr. Musk. Some Spanish political analysts suggested that it was just the reaction hoped for by Mr. Sánchez, who has sought to position himself as a liberal leader on a global stage as he faces deep political divisions and scandals at home.

Spain to investigate social media firms over AI-generated child sexual abuse material

PM says action is looking at potential criminal liability in order to protect children and end 'impunity' of online platforms The Spanish government will ask prosecutors to investigate the social media companies X, Meta and TikTok to determine whether they have committed criminal offences by allegedly allowing their AI to generate and disseminate child sexual abuse material. Spain's socialist prime minister, Pedro Sánchez, said his government had taken the decision in order to protect "the mental health, dignity and rights of our sons and daughters" and to end the "impunity" of huge social media platforms. The government said it was taking action on the basis of an expert report that had analysed "the potential criminal liability of increasingly widespread practices in the digital environment, such as the generation and dissemination of sexual content and child sexual abuse through deepfakes and the manipulation of real images to create others with explicit sexual content, thereby undermining the dignity of the victims". The report warned of the potential involvement of social media firms in these acts because they allow "their massive dissemination with a speed and opacity that greatly hinders detection and prosecution, while also facilitating the formation of networks that produce, share, and monetise this content". The move, agreed by the cabinet on Tuesday, was announced as the Sánchez administration prepares a series of measures that will include a social media ban for under-16s and legislation to hold tech companies responsible for hateful and harmful content. It also comes less than a month after the European Commission launched an investigation into Elon Musk's X over the production of sexually explicit images and the spreading of possible child sexual abuse material by the platform's AI chatbot, Grok. On Tuesday, Ireland's Data Protection Commission (DPC) - which monitors tech companies with European headquarters in Dublin - said the "large-scale" inquiry will focus on the generative artificial intelligence functionality associated with the Grok large language model. The regulator's deputy commissioner, Graham Doyle, said it had engaged with X over the alleged ability of users to prompt the @Grok account to generate sexualised images of real people, including children. "The purpose of this investigation is to determine whether X complied with its obligations under the GDPR ... with regard to the personal data processed of EU/EEA data subjects," said Doyle. Elma Saiz, a spokesperson for the Spanish government, said Madrid would not allow digital sexual violence against minors to be "amplified or protected" by algorithms, adding: "What's at stake here is the safety of our sons and daughters and the protection of their images, their privacy and their freedom." Saiz said the cabinet would formally ask the attorney general to investigate, and, if applicable, prosecute firms that had broken the law. Meta said it could not comment on the proposed investigation as it did not have any detailed information on the matter. But it said it had an extremely strong stance on child sexual exploitation and on non-consensual intimate imagery - be it real or AI-generated - and removed all such content when it was found. X and TikTok have also been approached for comment. Sánchez's push to hold social media companies to account and to shield children from what he had called the "digital wild west" has attracted a furious response from the owners of some of the world's largest tech firms. Earlier this month, the prime minister said urgent action was needed because social media had become a "failed state where laws are ignored and crimes are tolerated". He also took Musk to task for using X to "amplify disinformation" over his administration's decision to regularise 500,000 undocumented workers and asylum seekers, pointing out that Musk was himself a migrant. The comments appeared to infuriate Musk, who called Sánchez "a tyrant and a traitor to the people of Spain" and a "true fascist totalitarian". The Spanish government's plans also angered the Russian technology entrepreneur and Telegram co-founder Pavel Durov. In a blanket message sent to all Telegram users in Spain, he accused the Sánchez administration of "pushing dangerous new regulations that threaten your internet freedoms", adding that the measures could turn Spain "into a surveillance state under the guise of 'protection'." Spanish government sources pushed back, saying Durov's unprecedented message to millions of users was designed to erode trust in institutions and demonstrated the need for social media and mobile messaging apps to be regulated. "Spaniards cannot live in a world where foreign tech oligarchs can flood our phones with propaganda at will simply because the government has announced measures to protect minors and enforce the law," they said. Growing anxieties over the harmful effects of social media have led a number of governments, including Spain, Britain, Greece and France, to adopt or consider the adoption of more stringent legislation. In December, Australia became the first country to ban children under 16 from such platforms.

Spain to Probe X, Meta, TikTok Over AI-Generated Child Sexual Abuse Material

MADRID, Feb 17 (Reuters) - The Spanish government has ordered ⁠prosecutors ⁠to investigate social media ⁠platforms X, Meta and TikTok for allegedly spreading AI-generated child sexual abuse material, Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said on Tuesday. The announcement comes as European regulators are cracking down on big tech companies, alleging the prevalence of abusive practices on online platforms ranging from anti-competitive ⁠behaviour in ⁠digital advertising to deliberate design of addictive features on social media. The three companies named by Sanchez did not immediately respond to emailed requests for comment. GROWING GLOBAL SCRUTINY OF TECH PLATFORMS "These platforms are undermining the mental health, dignity, and rights of our children," Sanchez wrote on his X account. "The state cannot allow this. The impunity ⁠of ⁠these giants must end." He said ⁠the government would ask prosecutors to "investigate the crimes that X, Meta, and TikTok may be committing through the creation and ⁠dissemination of child pornography using their AI". Spain is not the only country probing sexually explicit content generated by Elon Musk's xAI chatbot Grok on X - other governments have launched investigations, bans and demands for safeguards in a growing global push to curb ⁠illegal material. Earlier this month, Sanchez announced several measures aimed at curbing online ⁠abuse and protecting children, including a proposed ban on access to social media platforms for those under the age of 16. On the same day, French police raided the offices of Musk's X and prosecutors ordered the tech billionaire to face questions in a widening investigation amid growing scrutiny of the platform by authorities across Europe. In November, Sanchez said that Spain's parliament would investigate Meta for possible privacy violations of its Facebook and Instagram users. Meanwhile, ⁠Ireland's Data Protection Commission said on Tuesday it had opened a formal investigation into Grok over the processing of personal data and its potential to produce harmful sexualised images and video, including of children. (Reporting by David Latona and Victoria Waldersee; Additional reporting by Charlie Devereux and Emma Pinedo; Editing by Joe Bavier and Alex Richardson)

Spain to probe X, Meta, TikTok over AI-generated child sexual abuse material

The Spanish government has ordered prosecutors to investigate social media platforms X, Meta and TikTok for ⁠allegedly spreading ⁠AI-generated child sexual abuse material, Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said on Tuesday. The announcement comes as European regulators are cracking down on big tech companies, alleging the prevalence of abusive practices on online platforms ranging from anti-competitive behaviour in digital advertising to deliberate design of addictive features on social media. The three companies named by Sanchez did not immediately respond to emailed requests for comment. GROWING GLOBAL SCRUTINY OF TECH PLATFORMS "These platforms are undermining the ⁠mental health, dignity, and rights of our children," Sanchez wrote on his X account. "The state cannot allow this. The impunity of these giants must end." He said ⁠the government would ask prosecutors to "investigate the crimes that X, Meta, and TikTok may be committing through the creation and dissemination of child pornography using their AI". Spain is not the only country probing sexually explicit content generated by Elon Musk's xAI chatbot Grok on X - other governments have launched investigations, bans and demands for safeguards in a growing global push to curb illegal material. Earlier this month, Sanchez announced several measures aimed at curbing online abuse and protecting children, including a proposed ban on access to social media platforms for those under the age of 16. On the same day, French police raided the offices of Musk's X and ⁠prosecutors ordered the tech billionaire to face questions in a widening investigation amid growing scrutiny of the platform by authorities across Europe. In November, Sanchez said that Spain's parliament would investigate Meta for possible privacy violations of its Facebook and Instagram users. Meanwhile, Ireland's Data Protection Commission said on Tuesday it had opened a formal investigation into Grok over the processing of personal data and its potential to produce harmful sexualised images and video, including of children.

Spain to Probe Elon Musk's X, Meta, TikTok Over AI Images

The Spanish government is requesting that prosecutors investigate X, Meta Platforms and TikTok, saying the social-media platforms might be abetting the creation and dissemination of child pornography through artificial intelligence. A government minister said Tuesday that some 3 million AI-generated nude images, including minors, had proliferated online in just under two weeks and that Madrid was now ordering the public prosecutor's office to look into potential crimes, including child pornography and the degrading treatment of minors on major platforms. "We can't allow all this to be amplified or emboldened through an algorithm," Elma Saiz, Minister of Inclusion, Social Security and Migration, said in a press conference. "The safety of our children is at stake." Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez announced the call for an investigation in a post on X, alleging that X, Meta and TikTok were undermining the mental health, dignity, and rights of children. Meta said it takes an extremely strong stance against nonconsensual intimate imagery, which it removes when detected. The company also said it had extremely strict policies against child sexual exploitation and that its AI tools were trained not to comply with user requests to create nude images or to take images of people wearing clothes and remove their clothing. X didn't respond to a request for comment. However, X previously said it had implemented measures to restrict Grok's image generation and that it has zero tolerance for any forms of child sexual exploitation, nonconsensual nudity and unwanted sexual content. TikTok didn't respond to a request for comment, but the company doesn't allow content that shows, promotes, or facilitates the sexual abuse, exploitation, or harm of young people, according to its website. Advancements in AI have made it easy for users to generate images by typing in a set of instructions, known as prompts, on certain apps or websites. Explicit images can also be generated when those apps or websites don't have safeguards in place to prevent the models behind the technology from fulfilling certain user requests. Elon Musk's X has come under tight scrutiny in Europe lately after a public outcry over sexualized deepfake images created by its Grok AI software, which let users edit images with text prompts last year. Nonconsensual AI-generated images have since appeared on X, forcing the company to review and change some of its policies. Calls for an investigation in Spain come weeks after Sanchez--who has criticized platforms for not doing enough to protect minors--announced plans to ban social-media access for children under the age of 16 by implementing age-verification systems, following similar restrictions in Australia.