Spain has launched a criminal investigation into social media giants X, Meta, and TikTok, alleging their involvement in the creation and dissemination of AI-generated child sexual abuse material. Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez announced the move on Tuesday via X, stating the government would invoke Article 8 of the Organic Statute of the Public Prosecution Service to investigate the platforms. Sánchez accused the companies of attacking the mental health, dignity, and rights of children, emphasizing the need to end the impunity of these tech giants.
The investigation comes as Spain intensifies its scrutiny of social media platforms. "The Council of Ministers will invoke Article 8 of the Organic Statute of the Public Prosecution Service to request that it investigate the crimes that X, Meta and TikTok may be committing through the creation and dissemination of child pornography by means of their AI," Sánchez wrote, according to Time.
In other developments, Netflix has initiated legal action against ByteDance, the parent company of TikTok, over copyright infringement related to its Seedance 2.0 AI service, according to Variety. The streaming service is not alone in its legal pursuits, as other studios have also joined the suit.
Meanwhile, a report from Amnesty International revealed that a government customer of the spyware maker Intellexa hacked the phone of Angolan journalist Teixeira Cândido using Predator software in 2024, according to TechCrunch. This incident underscores the continued use of commercial spyware by governments to target journalists and critics, despite U.S. sanctions against Intellexa and its executives.
In other news, a Champions League match between Real Madrid and Benfica was temporarily halted after Real Madrid's Vinicius Junior reported a racial slur allegedly made by Benfica's Gianluca Prestianni, as reported by Sky News. The match was stopped for 11 minutes while the referee addressed the situation.
Finally, the Toyokana Center in Kinshasa, DRC, provides a safe space for girls who have experienced sexual violence, addressing a critical need highlighted by a 2022 forum and rising rates of abuse, according to NPR News and UNICEF reports. The center's creation was driven by the girls' demand for a place to be heard and protected.
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