A 8624: 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.

  
  STATE OF NEW YORK ________________________________________________________________________ 8624 2025-2026 Regular Sessions  IN ASSEMBLY May 22, 2025 ___________ Introduced by M. of A. CONRAD -- read once and referred to the Committee on Science and Technology AN ACT to amend the general business law, in relation to requiring social media networks to provide and maintain mechanisms for deleting individual accounts on their platform The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem- bly, do enact as follows: 1 Section 1. The general business law is amended by adding a new section 2 394-cccc to read as follows: 3 § 394-cccc. Social media networks; account deletion. 1. As used in 4 this section, "social media network" means online platforms operated for 5 commercial purposes that allow users to create, share, and view content 6 or interact socially with other users, including through messaging, 7 posting, commenting, or liking features. 8 2. A social media network that conducts business in the state, shall 9 provide and maintain a clear and easily accessible mechanism for indi- 10 vidual users, or such users' parents or guardians if the user is under 11 eighteen years of age, unless otherwise emancipated or as otherwise 12 provided by law, to delete such users' accounts and the personal data 13 associated with them. Such mechanism shall be clearly accessible to 14 users of such network, or such users' parents or guardians, and easily 15 accessed from both a social media networks' application and website, and 16 shall allow the social media network to provide a direct response to any 17 individual, within fourteen days of the deletion request, that such 18 individual's account and personal data has been deleted from such social 19 media network's application and website. For the purposes of this 20 subdivision, "clear and easily accessible" shall mean that the deletion 21 mechanism is no more than two clicks from the user's main account 22 settings page, is written in plain language, and is available in any 23 version of the platform offered to users in the state. EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets [ ] is old law to be omitted. LBD11953-02-5 
 A. 8624 2 1 3. Each social media network shall have a clear and concise policy 2 readily available and accessible on their website and application which 3 includes how such social media network will delete individual user 4 accounts and all associated personal data, including content, metadata, 5 and user activity logs, to the extent not legally required to retain, on 6 their platform. 7 4. Nothing in this section shall be construed to add to or increase 8 liability of a social media network for anything other than the failure 9 to provide a mechanism for a user to delete their account and personal 10 data on their platform and to receive a confirmation of such deletion. 11 5. Any social media platform that knowingly fails to comply with the 12 requirements of this section shall be assessed a civil penalty for such 13 violation by the attorney general not to exceed one thousand dollars per 14 individual affected, per day of noncompliance. Each day such offense 15 shall continue shall constitute a separate additional violation. In 16 determination of any such violation, the attorney general shall be 17 authorized to take proof and make a determination of the relevant facts 18 and to issue subpoenas in accordance with the civil practice law and 19 rules. 20 § 2. This act shall take effect on the one hundred eightieth day after 21 it shall have become a law.