DAVOS, Switzerland (AP) 鈥� Spanish Prime Minister is launching a crusade against what he sees as the downsides of .
The Socialist leader wants the European Union, which already leads the world in , to put additional checks on Elon Musk鈥檚 X, trendsetting video app TikTok, and Meta鈥檚 Facebook and Instagram for having, in his words, put participatory democracy and the mental health of users at risk.
鈥淚 believe social media are now a common resource for humanity, like the oceans, and they should be protected and managed accordingly,鈥� .
While attending the in Davos, Switzerland, the prime minister on Wednesday laid out his vision for how the EU might "make social media great again.鈥� Here is what you need to know about his three-point plan:
Step 1: End user anonymity
S谩nchez he would propose legislation aimed at ending anonymity for social media users when the EU's leaders meet in Brussels on March 20-21.
His idea is for each username to be a pseudonym that must be registered under a real identity with European authorities, using a 鈥淓uropean digital identity wallet.鈥�
鈥淭his way citizens could use nicknames if they want, but in the case of a crime, public authorities would be able to connect those nicknames to real people and hold them responsible,鈥� he said.
S谩nchez argued that 鈥渘o one can send packages without showing an I.D. or buy a hunting weapon without giving their name, and yet we are allowing people to roam freely on social networks without linking their profiles to a real identity. This paves the way for misinformation, hate speech and cyber harassment because it is facilitating the use of bots and it is allowing people to act without being held accountable for their actions.鈥�
The proposal, however, clashes with longstanding demands of digital rights groups, which say that protection of online anonymity is important to protect freedom of speech and removing it could have a chilling effect. Such groups say anonymity is a cornerstone of online communications and a critical tool to challenge authority and .
Step 2: More transparency for algorithms
S谩nchez will urge European officials to apply the 27-nation bloc鈥檚 to 鈥渇orce open the black box of social media algorithms." The EU adopted the law in 2023 with the stated goal of keeping internet users safe online.
The Spanish leader says the EU also needs to reinforce the European Centre for Algorithm Transparency so it can 鈥渋nspect the functioning of social networks without any limitations.鈥�
Tech companies might resist attempts by authorities to peek under their programming hoods, citing a desire to protect their intellectual property. But authorities on both sides of the Atlantic have made moves to investigate algorithms.
EU officials that they ordered X to turn over more information as part of a Digital Services Act investigation into the social media platform, including on the algorithms used by its recommendationr system. Meanwhile, Missouri's attorney-general unveiled plans for on algorithm transparency, including giving internet users a choice of the algorithms their social media platforms use.
Step 3: Hold tech CEOs responsible
The third plank of S谩nchez鈥檚 plan is for the EU to go right up to the for any social ills produced by their platforms.
S谩nchez said he recommends that 鈥渟ocial media CEOs (be) held personally accountable for non-compliance with laws and norms in their platforms,鈥� describing such accountability as no different than what most business owners have for their products.
Britain has taken a similar step. Under , senior managers at tech companies face criminal liability in certain situations, mainly for the relatively minor issue of failing to respond properly to information requests.
Why is S谩nchez taking aim at social media?
Spain has joined governments around the world that are concerned with the impact of social media and teenagers. Spain has , while S谩nchez has decried what he calls an epidemic of online pornography that increasingly is reaching young children.
At Davos, the prime minister challenged the involvement of social media platform owners in politics. After helping to bankroll Donald Trump鈥檚 candidacy to reclaim the U.S. presidency, the world's richest man has .
Mark Zuckerberg, Meta's CEO and the founder of Facebook, also has sought Trump's approval. Meta has , a move that critics say will let misinformation and online abuse spread unchecked.
鈥�(The) owners of the big social media consoles, a small group of techno billionaires ... are no longer satisfied with holding nearly total economic power,鈥� S谩nchez said. 鈥淣ow they also want political power in a way that is undermining our democratic institutions.鈥�
Sanchez's office said Thursday that it did not have details to share beyond the ones he outlined a day earlier.
Argentine President Javier Milei, who also was attending the Davos meeting and on Thursday railing against what he described as the evils of 鈥渨oke鈥� progressive policies, panned S谩nchez's proposal.
鈥淚 am not surprised that a Socialist like S谩nchez wants to silence those who think differently,鈥� Milei told reporters after his speech.
___
Wilson reported from Barcelona, Spain. AP Technology Writer Kelvin Chan contributed from London.
Joseph Wilson And Jamey Keaten, The Associated Press
