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Spain’s Sanchez: we won’t be swayed by tech oligarchs on social media ban

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Spain will press ahead with plans to restrict young people’s access to social media and tighten regulation of online platforms, despite criticism from major technology figures, Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said on Thursday.

Speaking at an event in Madrid, Sanchez accused what he described as “tech oligarchs of the algorithm” of attempting to influence democratic decisions by spreading misinformation through their platforms. “Democracy will obviously not be swayed by the tech oligarchs of the algorithm,” Sanchez said, adding that powerful technology executives were using their reach to mislead the public.

His comments came a day after Pavel Durov, the founder of Telegram, joined Elon Musk in criticising Spain’s proposals to ban access to social media for users under 16 and to hold platform executives legally accountable for hate speech. Durov warned in a message sent to Spanish Telegram users that the legislation could force platforms to collect data on all users and enable governments to control what content people see. Musk, meanwhile, described Sanchez on X as “a tyrant and a traitor to the people of Spain.”

The Spanish government responded by saying Durov’s mass message to Telegram users illustrated why regulation of social media and messaging apps was urgently needed to protect citizens from misleading or manipulative information.

Spain is aligning itself with a broader European push to rein in the influence of major technology platforms. Countries including Britain, Greece and France are weighing tougher restrictions on social media use by minors, following Australia’s decision last year to prohibit access for children under 16.

Sanchez has been an outspoken critic of large technology companies since early last year, when he floated proposals to end anonymity on social media and link user accounts to a common European Union digital identity wallet. His government argues such measures are necessary to protect children, safeguard democratic debate and curb the spread of harmful or deceptive content online.

Spotify to sell physical books via Bookshop.org partnership

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Spotify said on Thursday it will begin selling physical books directly through its app under a new partnership with Bookshop.org, marking an unexpected move beyond its core music and audiobook offerings. The expansion comes as Spotify looks to differentiate its platform and compete more aggressively with rivals such as Apple and Amazon.

The physical book purchasing feature will roll out later this spring for users in the United States and the United Kingdom. Bookshop.org will manage pricing, inventory and fulfillment, while Spotify will integrate discovery and purchasing into its app experience.

Spotify has been steadily building out its audiobook business since launching Audiobooks in Premium two years ago. The service is now available in 22 markets, with an English-language catalogue exceeding 500,000 titles. The company said new audiobook listeners are up 36%, while listening hours have increased 37%, highlighting growing engagement despite intense competition in audio content.

The move into physical books comes at a challenging time for traditional publishing. Sales of printed books have slowed as readers increasingly shift to digital formats. Last year, News Corp, owner of publisher HarperCollins, warned that book orders were weakening, while long-standing distributor Baker & Taylor shut down operations earlier this year.

Alongside book sales, Spotify is introducing a new feature called “Page Match,” designed to bridge reading and listening. The tool allows users to scan a page from a physical book or e-book with their phone camera and jump to the corresponding point in the audiobook, then scan again later to resume reading from the exact spot. Page Match will launch with most English-language titles and is expected to be fully available to all audiobook users by late February.

Spotify has also raised the price of its monthly premium subscription by $1 to $12.99 in select markets, including the United States, Estonia and Latvia, as it continues to invest in new features and content formats.

US space stocks rise after SpaceX merges with xAI at $1.25 trillion valuation

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U.S. space-related stocks climbed after SpaceX announced a merger with xAI, valuing the combined entity at $1.25 trillion. The deal, unveiled by Elon Musk, signals a major push to expand artificial intelligence infrastructure beyond Earth and into orbit, a vision that has energized investors across the emerging space sector.

Shares of listed space companies rallied following the announcement. Rocket Lab, Planet Labs, AST SpaceMobile, Intuitive Machines and Redwire all posted gains, reflecting growing optimism that space-based infrastructure could play a central role in the next phase of AI development. Musk has said that within two to three years, generating AI computing power in space could become more cost-effective than on Earth, thanks to near-constant solar energy and reduced cooling constraints.

The merger brings together rocket launches, satellite networks, AI software and communications platforms under one umbrella, forming what Musk described as a vertically integrated innovation powerhouse. Analysts said the move strengthens SpaceX’s positioning ahead of a potential public offering later this year, which could value the company above $1.5 trillion. The announcement has also fueled expectations of increased investment in space technology, driven by both government defense spending and private-sector demand for AI-related infrastructure.