Reporting a police checkpoint via Telegram can cost up to 30,000 euros in Ibiza.
A message circulated in a messaging group allowed authorities to identify a woman as the author of the warning about a checkpoint, a practice punishable by law when it jeopardizes a police operation.
PalmA message sent to a Telegram group has resulted in a complaint in Ibiza. The Civil Guard has filed a report against a woman for sharing the location of a police checkpoint on the EI-200 road, in the municipality of Santa Eulària, a practice that can carry very high fines. The incident occurred last Sunday when Civil Guard officers in Santa Eulària were conducting a vehicle and pedestrian checkpoint. During the operation, they stopped a car occupied by two women who, after being identified, continued on their way as normal. A few minutes later, the officers noticed a sudden drop in traffic on that stretch of road and observed several vehicles diverting onto a parallel local road, behavior that aroused suspicion. Given this situation, they discovered a Telegram group that allegedly shares information about traffic incidents and checkpoints on the island's roads.
One of the posted messages explicitly warned of the presence of a police checkpoint at the Santa Eulària roundabout. Police efforts to identify the author of the message led them to one of the women who had been identified minutes earlier at the same checkpoint.
Once located, the Civil Guard informed her that she had been issued a citation for violating Organic Law 4/2015 on the Protection of Public Safety. Specifically, she was accused of violating Article 36.23, which classifies as a serious offense the unauthorized use of data or information related to members of the Security Forces and Corps when such dissemination could jeopardize the safety of officers or the proper conduct of an operation.
Although many citizens perceive the warning of checkpoints as an informal or even altruistic practice, legal sources point out that the key is not so much the act of informing as the potential consequences. Alerting others to the presence of a checkpoint can make it easier for drivers under the influence of alcohol or drugs, unlicensed drivers, or individuals involved in illegal activities to evade police surveillance.
Risk generated
For this reason, the regulations stipulate fines ranging from €601 to €30,000, with the aim of specifically discouraging the mass dissemination of operational information through social media or instant messaging applications. The severity of the fine can vary depending on the reach of the message, the risk generated, and whether the effectiveness of the operation has been compromised. Sources within the Civil Guard insist that communicating this type of information is not permitted when it affects ongoing operations and remind the public that, beyond the financial penalty, these practices can endanger both officers and third parties.
