Spain’s government is moving forward with comprehensive technology regulations designed to make social media platforms and artificial intelligence systems safer, even as major tech companies intensify their lobbying efforts to stop the proposed rules.
Digital Transformation Minister Oscar Lopez told Reuters that corporate interests won’t derail the country’s regulatory plans. “The profit of four tech companies cannot come at the expense of the rights of millions,” Lopez stated, noting that “powerful voices” are working to oppose measures that would restrict dangerous AI applications and require companies to reveal how their social media recommendation systems operate.
Lopez’s statements align with recent remarks from European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, who announced Tuesday that the Commission plans to target harmful and addictive features used by social media companies through its forthcoming Digital Fairness Act.
Spain joins a growing international movement, alongside Australia, France and Greece, in pursuing stricter tech oversight. In February, Spanish lawmakers introduced legislation to prohibit social media access for teenagers, with the bill currently advancing through parliament. Additional proposed rules would make platform executives personally liable for hate speech content appearing on their services.
The regulatory push drew harsh criticism from X owner Elon Musk, who labeled Socialist Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez both a tyrant and totalitarian figure.
According to Lopez, Spain prefers coordinating with other European Union nations rather than acting alone, since unified rules across the 400-million-person bloc would be more effective than individual country approaches. He cautioned that supporters of unrestricted tech policies will eventually regret championing “the law of the jungle.”
The minister connected Spain’s regulatory drive to mounting concerns about online harassment, cyberbullying, and artificially generated explicit images targeting minors, particularly young girls. Lopez characterized the psychological effects on children as reaching pandemic levels.
Spain has emerged as a leading European voice promoting what Lopez termed “trustworthy AI” – technology frameworks that prioritize privacy protection, democratic values, child safety and public welfare over rapid deployment and maximum profits.
When asked about identifying anonymous users who commit online crimes, Lopez emphasized that digital anonymity shouldn’t provide legal immunity. “What isn’t legal in the real world cannot be legal in the virtual world. Full stop,” he declared.
