TikTok won't be banned in Spain, despite the government's request

The AEPD agrees that crimes against children are "especially serious and demand an immediate response". But it will not shut off the whole app. Instead it plans to remove "specific, determined content that amounts to unlawful processing of minors' data".

How will Spain block TikTok content instead?

The agency has asked Maldita.es for the list of links to the abusive material. With that, it will ask TikTok for concrete information on what it has done to take the reported content down. After that, it can order a block on access to those particular links and posts.

The AEPD describes this as a surgical approach rather than a ban on the whole social network. In its view, it is a specific, proportionate and appropriate measure under the law.

Is the TikTok case over?

Not at all. Maldita's investigation is still going, and the prosecutor's inquiry is open. It could also be the first step towards a deeper European Union investigation into TikTok's content moderation, especially where minors are concerned. That could cause the company serious trouble.

For people in Spain, nothing changes today: TikTok stays available. What changes is that individual videos and links could start disappearing by order of the regulator.