Requires social media networks to provide and maintain mechanisms for deleting individual accounts on their platform; requires social media networks to have a clear and concise policy readily available and accessible on their website and application which includes how such social media network will delete individual user accounts and all associated personal data on their platform.
Summary
A08624 would amend New York’s General Business Law to require social media networks doing business in the state to provide a clear, easily accessible way for users to delete their accounts and the personal data associated with those accounts. The deletion process would have to be available from both the platform’s app and website, be no more than two clicks from the main account settings page, use plain language, and be available in any version of the platform offered in New York. For users under 18, parents or guardians would be allowed to make the deletion request unless the minor is emancipated or otherwise authorized by law.
The bill also requires platforms to post a clear and concise policy explaining how they delete user accounts and associated data, including content, metadata, and user activity logs, except where retention is legally required. Platforms would need to confirm deletion within 14 days of the request. The bill limits liability to failures to provide the deletion mechanism and confirmation, and it authorizes the Attorney General to enforce the law through civil penalties of up to $1,000 per affected individual per day of noncompliance.
Impact
If enacted, the bill would create a new section of the General Business Law governing social media account deletion and data removal practices for platforms that conduct business in New York. It would impose specific operational and disclosure requirements on covered social media networks, expand the Attorney General’s enforcement authority, and establish civil penalties for noncompliance. The measure would affect platform design, privacy policies, account management workflows, and data-retention practices, while preserving any legal obligations to retain certain information.
Sentiment
No committee transcript or vote record is available, so there is no direct evidence of debate or formal support/opposition in the provided materials. Based on the bill text, the measure appears aimed at consumer privacy and user control over online accounts, suggesting a generally pro-consumer framing. The absence of recorded votes or discussion means the overall sentiment cannot be assessed beyond the bill’s stated purpose.
Contention
The main potential points of contention are the compliance burden on social media companies, the technical requirement that deletion be accessible within two clicks, and the scope of data that must be deleted, including metadata and activity logs. Another likely issue is enforcement exposure, since the bill authorizes per-user, per-day civil penalties and Attorney General subpoenas. The bill also raises questions about how deletion requirements interact with legal retention obligations, parental authority over minors’ accounts, and whether the law could be difficult to implement consistently across different platform versions.
Social media platforms requirements established relating to accounts for minors, and enforcement mechanisms established for regulations on child social media accounts.
Requires social media platforms to remove content depicting the violent death of a human being within twenty-fours after receiving notice or otherwise becoming aware of such content; requires social media platforms to provide an easily accessible and usable mechanism for users to report such content.
Relates to social media open application programming; requires social media platforms to implement and maintain a standards-based application programming interface that permits third-party applications to retrieve data at no cost to be used for the user's benefit and to provide certain information to users; requires social media companies to submit a report to the attorney general.