Aislinn Laing

I was just laid off by The Washington Post in the middle of a warzone. I have no words. I'm devastated.

Spanish PM Pedro Sánchez just declared war on the open internet. Under the guise of "safety" and "accountability," his government is launching a full-scale assault on free speech, specifically targeting platforms that refuse to bend the knee to state-approved narratives. In a direct hit to the "freedom of reach," Spain will now criminalize the amplification of content the state deems "illegal." This gives the government the power to dictate how software is written. If an algorithm happens to show a truth that makes the ruling party look bad, it’s a "criminal offense." Under the pretext of "protecting the children," Spain is banning anyone under 16 from social media and demanding "real barriers" for age verification. This is a massive Trojan Horse for a National Digital ID. To "save the kids," Sánchez is effectively demanding that every Spanish citizen hand over their private biometric or legal data just to scroll a feed. He has also vowed to make platform executives like Elon Musk legally accountable for what users post, effectively holding tech leaders’ personal freedom hostage. It’s a transparent attempt to force Silicon Valley (and Austin) to build "kill switches" for any content the Spanish government doesn't like. Sánchez dropped the mask at the end, specifically naming Grok, the one AI committed to the unvarnished truth, alongside TikTok and Instagram for investigation.