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The Spanish government has asked the Public Prosecutor’s Office to take action after learning that a nonprofit research group, Maldita.es, has identified more than 1,000 videos of child sexual abuse on TikTok. According to the group’s findings, the videos have accumulated more than 48 million views and are linked to over 20,000 profiles that the investigators consider potential pedophiles, including more than 7,000 Spanish‑speaking accounts. On Monday, the Ministry of Youth and Childhood announced that the government is considering suspending TikTok services in Spain if it deems it necessary. The ministry sent a formal letter to the General Prosecutor, citing a lack of effective mechanisms on the platform to prevent the spread of such material. The letter also highlighted the ministry’s concerns about the platform’s search engine and recommendation algorithm, which the researchers say act as “filter‑less tools for pedophiles.” Maldita.es, a Spanish nonprofit that works to protect information integrity and hold platforms accountable, released a third report titled “TikTok, el hogar del pederasta.” In it, a team of journalists navigated the app as if they were a pedophile, training the algorithm to surface child‑abuse content. The team reported that they were able to view live streams in which minors were abused and that they followed sellers of child‑abuse material to messaging services such as Telegram and Zangi. The report documents networks that reach Spain, Latin America, the rest of Europe, and Southeast Asia. Among the most disturbing findings were: 780 accounts that use TikTok to attract buyers of child‑abuse material. 91 live broadcasts involving minors in 17 countries, in which users request sexual acts in exchange for money. * A community of more than 2,000 members seeking “baby content.” Minister Sira Rego called for an urgent meeting with TikTok representatives in Spain to understand the platform’s explanations, the measures it has taken, and the immediate actions it plans to implement to protect children and adolescents. She said the ministry’s findings are “extremely serious” and require a coordinated response from all competent national and European authorities. Rego also warned that the deficiencies in TikTok’s detection and moderation systems, as well as the role of its recommendation algorithms, could constitute a violation of children’s rights. The ministry’s statement emphasized that the abuse is not hidden in a corner of the platform but is supported by TikTok’s own tools, including its search engine and recommendation system. Article source: Clarin Digital | Image credit: Clarin Digital
The Spanish government has asked the Public Prosecutor’s Office to take action after learning that a nonprofit research group, Maldita.es, has identified more than 1,000 videos of child sexual abuse on TikTok. According to the group’s findings, the videos have accumulated more than 48 million views and are linked to over 20,000 profiles that the investigators consider potential pedophiles, including more than 7,000 Spanish‑speaking accounts. On Monday, the Ministry of Youth and Childhood announced that the government is considering suspending TikTok services in Spain if it deems it necessary. The ministry sent a formal letter to the General Prosecutor, citing a lack of effective mechanisms on the platform to prevent the spread of such material. The letter also highlighted the ministry’s concerns about the platform’s search engine and recommendation algorithm, which the researchers say act as “filter‑less tools for pedophiles.” Maldita.es, a Spanish nonprofit that works to protect information integrity and hold platforms accountable, released a third report titled “TikTok, el hogar del pederasta.” In it, a team of journalists navigated the app as if they were a pedophile, training the algorithm to surface child‑abuse content. The team reported that they were able to view live streams in which minors were abused and that they followed sellers of child‑abuse material to messaging services such as Telegram and Zangi. The report documents networks that reach Spain, Latin America, the rest of Europe, and Southeast Asia. Among the most disturbing findings were: 780 accounts that use TikTok to attract buyers of child‑abuse material. 91 live broadcasts involving minors in 17 countries, in which users request sexual acts in exchange for money. * A community of more than 2,000 members seeking “baby content.” Minister Sira Rego called for an urgent meeting with TikTok representatives in Spain to understand the platform’s explanations, the measures it has taken, and the immediate actions it plans to implement to protect children and adolescents. She said the ministry’s findings are “extremely serious” and require a coordinated response from all competent national and European authorities. Rego also warned that the deficiencies in TikTok’s detection and moderation systems, as well as the role of its recommendation algorithms, could constitute a violation of children’s rights. The ministry’s statement emphasized that the abuse is not hidden in a corner of the platform but is supported by TikTok’s own tools, including its search engine and recommendation system.
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