Spain’s leader wants the EU to ‘make social media great again.’ Here’s how

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 23/01/2025 (610 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

DAVOS, Switzerland (AP) — Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez is launching a crusade against what he sees as the downsides of social media.

The Socialist leader wants the European Union, which already leads the world in internet regulation, to put additional checks on Elon Musk’s X, trendsetting video app TikTok, and Meta’s Facebook and Instagram for having, in his words, put participatory democracy and the mental health of users at risk.

“I believe social media are now a common resource for humanity, like the oceans, and they should be protected and managed accordingly,” Sánchez said.

While attending the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, the prime minister on Wednesday laid out his vision for how the EU might “make social media great again.” Here is what you need to know about his three-point plan:

Step 1: End user anonymity

Sánchez he would propose legislation aimed at ending anonymity for social media users when the EU’s leaders meet in Brussels on March 20-21.

His idea is for each username to be a pseudonym that must be registered under a real identity with European authorities, using a “European digital identity wallet.”

“This way citizens could use nicknames if they want, but in the case of a crime, public authorities would be able to connect those nicknames to real people and hold them responsible,” he said.

Sánchez argued that “no one can send packages without showing an I.D. or buy a hunting weapon without giving their name, and yet we are allowing people to roam freely on social networks without linking their profiles to a real identity. This paves the way for misinformation, hate speech and cyber harassment because it is facilitating the use of bots and it is allowing people to act without being held accountable for their actions.”

The proposal, however, clashes with longstanding demands of digital rights groups, which say that protection of online anonymity is important to protect freedom of speech and removing it could have a chilling effect. Such groups say anonymity is a cornerstone of online communications and a critical tool to challenge authority and express controversial opinions.

Step 2: More transparency for algorithms

Sánchez will urge European officials to apply the 27-nation bloc’s Digital Services Act to “force open the black box of social media algorithms.” The EU adopted the law in 2023 with the stated goal of keeping internet users safe online.

The Spanish leader says the EU also needs to reinforce the European Centre for Algorithm Transparency so it can “inspect the functioning of social networks without any limitations.”

Tech companies might resist attempts by authorities to peek under their programming hoods, citing a desire to protect their intellectual property. But authorities on both sides of the Atlantic have made moves to investigate algorithms.

EU officials said last week that they ordered X to turn over more information as part of a Digital Services Act investigation into the social media platform, including on the algorithms used by its recommendationr system. Meanwhile, Missouri’s attorney-general unveiled plans for new rules on algorithm transparency, including giving internet users a choice of the algorithms their social media platforms use.

Step 3: Hold tech CEOs responsible

The third plank of Sánchez’s plan is for the EU to go right up to the top of the social media companies for any social ills produced by their platforms.

Sánchez said he recommends that “social media CEOs (be) held personally accountable for non-compliance with laws and norms in their platforms,” describing such accountability as no different than what most business owners have for their products.

Britain has taken a similar step. Under online safety rules, senior managers at tech companies face criminal liability in certain situations, mainly for the relatively minor issue of failing to respond properly to information requests.

Why is Sánchez taking aim at social media?

Spain has joined governments around the world that are concerned with the impact of social media on children and teenagers. Spain has limited the use of mobile phones in schools, while Sánchez has decried what he calls an epidemic of online pornography that increasingly is reaching young children.

At Davos, the prime minister challenged the involvement of social media platform owners like Musk in politics. After helping to bankroll Donald Trump’s candidacy to reclaim the U.S. presidency, the world’s richest man has ventured into European politics.

Mark Zuckerberg, Meta’s CEO and the founder of Facebook, also has sought Trump’s approval. Meta has rolled back its content moderation, a move that critics say will let misinformation and online abuse spread unchecked.

“(The) owners of the big social media consoles, a small group of techno billionaires … are no longer satisfied with holding nearly total economic power,” Sánchez said. “Now they also want political power in a way that is undermining our democratic institutions.”

Sanchez’s office said Thursday that it did not have details to share beyond the ones he outlined a day earlier.

Argentine President Javier Milei, who also was attending the Davos meeting and on Thursday gave a speech railing against what he described as the evils of “woke” progressive policies, panned Sánchez’s proposal.

“I am not surprised that a Socialist like Sánchez wants to silence those who think differently,” Milei told reporters after his speech.

___

Wilson reported from Barcelona, Spain. AP Technology Writer Kelvin Chan contributed from London.