X owner Elon Musk has lashed out at Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez following Spain’s announcement of a sweeping inquiry into alleged violations by major social media platforms, including Instagram, TikTok, and X’s AI system, Grok.
Speaking at the World Governments Summit 2026 in Dubai, Sánchez said Spain would show “zero tolerance” for breaches of digital laws and would defend its “digital sovereignty against foreign coercion.” The summit is focused on artificial intelligence, economic growth, and governance under the theme Shaping Future Governments.
The Spanish leader revealed that, from next week, the government will amend its laws to make top technology executives personally accountable for violations occurring on their platforms. Under the proposed changes, CEOs could face criminal liability for failing to remove illegal or hateful content.
Sánchez urged governments worldwide to stop ignoring the harmful effects of online platforms, warning against the assumption that technology is neutral. He said Spain plans to criminalize the manipulation of algorithms and the amplification of illegal content, accusing some platforms of profiting from disinformation.
“Disinformation is created, promoted, and spread by certain actors,” Sánchez said, adding that both those actors and platforms that amplify falsehoods for profit would be held responsible.
He also announced plans to ban social media access for children under 16, citing similar laws already enforced in Australia and proposed in Greece, France, and the United Kingdom. Sánchez argued that children are being exposed to online spaces “they were never meant to navigate alone,” pledging to shield them from what he described as the “digital wild west” of abuse, addiction, manipulation, and violence.
In addition, Spain plans to introduce a “hate and polarization footprint,” a mechanism designed to measure and expose how digital platforms fuel division and spread hateful content.
Reacting to the speech, Musk posted a series of attacks on X, describing Sánchez as “dirty,” “a tyrant and traitor to the people of Spain,” and “the true fascist totalitarian.”
Meanwhile, X and its Grok AI system are already under investigation in France and the United Kingdom over alleged violations, with French authorities reportedly summoning Musk for questioning.
