Social Media Neutrality: The Clash over Political Interference

The Spanish government urges social media platforms to remain neutral, following comments by X's CEO Elon Musk about statistics on foreigners jailed for rape in Spain. This highlights ongoing tensions around tech industry influence in politics, with leaders stressing the importance of non-interference in national affairs.

The Spanish government has emphasized the need for social media platforms to remain impartial, following controversial comments from Elon Musk, CEO of X. Musk's remarks, referencing statistics on foreign nationals convicted of rape in Spain, have fueled a debate over the influence of tech moguls in political matters.

Speaking at a news conference, government spokesperson Pilar Alegria underscored the necessity for these platforms to maintain strict neutrality. Her comments came amid a high-profile exchange between Musk and European figures like the UK's Keir Starmer and France's Emmanuel Macron.

In Catalonia, data revealed that a majority of rape convicts were foreign nationals. However, regional and national leaders, including Catalonia's Salvador Illa and Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, warned against leveraging such statistics to propagate hate speech or connect immigration with crime.

(With inputs from agencies.)