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MADRID – The Spanish Ministry of Youth and Children has formally requested that the Public Prosecutor's Office intervene following an investigation by the foundation Maldita.es, which alleges the presence of widespread child sexual abuse material (CSAM) on the social media platform TikTok. The Ministry has suggested that the suspension of the platform's services in Spain should be considered if deemed appropriate. According to sources from the department led by Minister Sira Rego, the Ministry submitted a formal letter to the Attorney General’s Office citing the findings of the investigation, which highlights what it describes as a lack of effective mechanisms on the platform to prevent the dissemination of illegal content. The investigation conducted by Maldita.es identified over 1,000 videos depicting child sexual abuse, which have collectively garnered more than 48 million views. The report further claims to have uncovered more than 20,000 profiles of potential offenders exchanging or selling such material, with over 7,000 of these accounts operating in Spanish. Additionally, the researchers located 780 accounts allegedly used to solicit buyers for CSAM, 91 live streams involving minors in 17 countries where users reportedly request sexual acts in exchange for money, and a community of over 2,000 members focused on content involving infants. In its communication to the Prosecutor's Office, the Ministry requested that authorities "adopt the necessary measures to guarantee the comprehensive protection of children and adolescents who may be affected." The Ministry emphasized that the documented facts are of "extreme gravity" and require an immediate, coordinated response from both national and European administrations. The Ministry contends that the findings reveal significant deficiencies in TikTok’s content moderation and detection systems, as well as concerns regarding how the platform’s recommendation algorithms may contribute to the spread of such material. The government suggests these failures could constitute a violation of children's rights by the platform. Minister Sira Rego has requested an urgent meeting with TikTok representatives in Spain to demand explanations and to review the measures the company intends to implement to ensure the safety of minors. This report marks the third investigation by Maldita.es regarding the alleged inaction of TikTok concerning child sexual abuse material. Maldita.es is a non-profit foundation that utilizes investigative journalism, open-source intelligence, and data analysis to monitor platform accountability. Article source: El Nuevo Diario | Image credit: El Nuevo Diario
MADRID – The Spanish Ministry of Youth and Children has formally requested that the Public Prosecutor’s Office intervene following an investigation by the foundation Maldita.es, which alleges the presence of widespread child sexual abuse material (CSAM) on the social media platform TikTok. The Ministry has suggested that the suspension of the platform’s services in Spain should be considered if deemed appropriate. According to sources from the department led by Minister Sira Rego, the Ministry submitted a formal letter to the Attorney General’s Office citing the findings of the investigation, which highlights what it describes as a lack of effective mechanisms on the platform to prevent the dissemination of illegal content. The investigation conducted by Maldita.es identified over 1,000 videos depicting child sexual abuse, which have collectively garnered more than 48 million views. The report further claims to have uncovered more than 20,000 profiles of potential offenders exchanging or selling such material, with over 7,000 of these accounts operating in Spanish. Additionally, the researchers located 780 accounts allegedly used to solicit buyers for CSAM, 91 live streams involving minors in 17 countries where users reportedly request sexual acts in exchange for money, and a community of over 2,000 members focused on content involving infants. In its communication to the Prosecutor’s Office, the Ministry requested that authorities “adopt the necessary measures to guarantee the comprehensive protection of children and adolescents who may be affected.” The Ministry emphasized that the documented facts are of “extreme gravity” and require an immediate, coordinated response from both national and European administrations. The Ministry contends that the findings reveal significant deficiencies in TikTok’s content moderation and detection systems, as well as concerns regarding how the platform’s recommendation algorithms may contribute to the spread of such material. The government suggests these failures could constitute a violation of children’s rights by the platform. Minister Sira Rego has requested an urgent meeting with TikTok representatives in Spain to demand explanations and to review the measures the company intends to implement to ensure the safety of minors. This report marks the third investigation by Maldita.es regarding the alleged inaction of TikTok concerning child sexual abuse material. Maldita.es is a non-profit foundation that utilizes investigative journalism, open-source intelligence, and data analysis to monitor platform accountability.
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