Spain seeks TikTok probe over child sexual abuse material — Anadolu Agency
Spain’s Ministry of Youth and Children has asked prosecutors to investigate child sexual abuse material on TikTok. The ministry also raised the possibility of suspending the platform’s operations in the country if this is deemed appropriate, Anadolu Agency reports.
The request was submitted following an investigation by the Spanish nonprofit organization Maldita.es. Over 35 days, researchers documented 1,182 public posts containing child sexual abuse material, which received a total of 48 million views. According to the organization, TikTok’s search and recommendation features helped users find such content.
Findings of the Maldita.es investigation
Researchers said that some sellers concealed parts of explicit images using emoji or pixelation and offered full videos for money. Other accounts, according to Maldita.es, displayed such images openly, including as profile pictures. Photos of children without explicit content were also recorded directing users to channels for buying, selling or exchanging such material.
The organization reported a sample of 50 videos to TikTok through the platform’s internal reporting system. According to its data, the company removed five videos and blocked another 13 in Spain. Of 231 accounts that researchers concluded had posted explicit material, 136 remained active on October 15, the final day of the study.
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The most popular video identified received more than 4 million views before being blocked in Spain. The account that posted it remained active when Maldita.es published its findings. Researchers also identified more than 7,700 Spanish-language accounts whose users claimed to possess such material, requested it or offered to distribute it.
Actions by the ministry and TikTok
The investigation also covered 91 live streams involving minors in 17 countries. According to Maldita.es, viewers offered children money to fulfill requests, including sexual ones. The organization noted that TikTok virtual gifts enabled payments during streams, while the platform itself profited from these transactions.
Minister of Youth and Children Sira Rego requested an urgent meeting with TikTok representatives in Spain so that they could explain what child-protection measures the company already applies and what it will do immediately. Maldita.es submitted the evidence it collected to Spanish cybercrime prosecutors. According to the organization, TikTok asked for more information but had not responded to questions about child protection and the investigation’s findings by the time the investigation was published.
