Spain has ordered state prosecutors to formally investigate major social media platforms over the suspected spread of artificial intelligence-generated child sexual abuse material.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Prime Minister Pedro S\u00e1nchez announced Tuesday that the inquiry will focus on X, Meta, and TikTok. The government believes these platforms may have enabled the creation or circulation of illegal content involving minors through AI-powered systems.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
According to S\u00e1nchez, the investigation is part of a broader national strategy aimed at strengthening child protection online and ensuring technology firms are held accountable for harmful material shared on their platforms.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In a message posted on X, the prime minister criticized the companies for what he described as inadequate safeguards for minors. He warned that Spain would not tolerate threats to children\u2019s mental health, dignity, or fundamental rights, declaring that \u201cthe impunity of these giants must end.\u201d Prosecutors have been directed to determine whether any criminal offences were committed in connection with the production or distribution of AI-generated child pornography.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The companies named in the probe had not issued immediate public responses.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The move comes as regulatory scrutiny of major technology firms intensifies across Europe. Authorities in several countries have stepped up oversight, citing concerns that range from anti-competitive advertising practices to platform features critics argue may fuel addictive behaviour among young users.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Spain has recently introduced additional online safety initiatives. Earlier this month, S\u00e1nchez proposed restricting social media access for users under 16 as part of a wider child protection strategy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Concerns over AI-generated explicit material have drawn global attention, particularly content allegedly linked to \u201cGrok,\u201d a chatbot developed by xAI and integrated into X. The platform is owned by billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Several governments have responded by launching investigations, imposing temporary bans, or demanding stricter safeguards to curb the creation and spread of illegal material involving minors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
On the same day S\u00e1nchez announced Spain\u2019s investigation, French authorities reportedly raided X\u2019s offices as part of a separate inquiry, adding to mounting regulatory pressure within the European Union.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In November, S\u00e1nchez also signaled that Spain\u2019s parliament would review Meta over alleged privacy violations affecting users of platforms such as Facebook and Instagram.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Meanwhile, Ireland\u2019s Data Protection Commission confirmed it has opened a formal investigation into Grok, citing concerns about personal data processing and the potential generation of harmful sexualised images and videos, including content involving children.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The latest actions underscore Europe\u2019s expanding campaign to regulate big technology firms and address the growing risks associated with rapidly advancing artificial intelligence systems.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Spain has ordered state prosecutors to formally investigate major social media platforms over the suspected spread of artificial intelligence-generated child sexual abuse material. Prime Minister Pedro S\u00e1nchez announced Tuesday that the inquiry will focus on X, Meta, and TikTok. The government believes these platforms may have enabled the creation or circulation of illegal content involving […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":14,"featured_media":90877,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-90876","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-news"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t