X sues New York to block social media law
Musk's company says act violates free speech
By: Jonathan Stempel
Reuters
NEW YORK - Elon Musk's X corporation sued New York on June 17, [2025] challenging the constitutionally of a state law requiring social media companies to disclose how they monitor hate speech, extremism, disinformation, harassment and foreign political interference.
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X said the law known as the Stop Hidding Hate Act violated the First Amendment and state constitution by subjecting it to lawsuits and heavy fines unless it disclosed "highly sensitive and controversial speech" that New York may find objectionable.
..... Deciding what content is acceptable on social media platforms "engenders considerable debate among reasonable people about where to draw the correct proverbial line." X said. "This is not a role that the government may play."
..... The complaint filed in Manhattan federal court also quoted a letter form two legislators who sponsored the law, which said X and Musk in particular had a "disturbing record" on content moderation "that threatens the foundations of our democracy."
..... New York Attorney General Letitia James, a Democrat, is the named defendant in X' lawsuit. Her office did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
..... Musk recently an adviser to Republican President Donald Trump, has described himself as a free speech absolutist. He did away with the content moderation policy of Twitter, as X was previously known, after he brought the company in October 2022.
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New York's law requires social media companies to disclose steps they take to climate hate on their platforms, and to promoter their progress.
..... The law was written by state Senator Brad Hoylman-Sigal and Assembly-member Grace Lee, both Democrats, with help from the Anti-defamation League. It was signed in December [2024] by Governor Kathy Hochul, also a Democrat.
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X said New York based its law on a nearly identical 2023 California law whose enforcement was partially blocked by a federal appeals court last September [2024] over free speech concerns.
..... California agreed in a February [2025] settlement
with X not to enforce the law's disclosure requirement.