Jennifer Peltz
NEW YORK (AP) – Elon Musk’s XX sued Tuesday to try and stop social media platforms from requesting reports on how they handle problematic posts.
New York law, signed by Democratic Gov. Kathy Hochul late last year, is poised to take effect later this year. X argues that the measure clashes with the right to free speech and, among other things, federal laws of 1996 that allow posts to be relaxed to ensure that internet platforms are properly viewed.
New York is making an inappropriate effort to “inject itself into the content editing process” by requesting “politically charged disclosure” about it, Bastrop, Texas-based X Corp. argues in the lawsuit.
“The state is trying to tolerately generate public controversy about content moderation, putting pressure on social media companies such as X Corp.
The office of New York Attorney General Leticia James did not immediately respond to requests for comment on the case.
The law requires social media companies to report twice a year whether and how they define hate speech, racist or extremist content, disinformation, and other terms. The platform also needs to provide detailed explanations of content moderation practices and data, including the number of posts flagged, and the extent to which problematic material was seen or shared.
Sponsor Sen. Brad Hoyleman Cigal and Congress member Grace Lee are both Democrats and say the measure will make social media more transparent and businesses more responsible.
The law applies widely to social media companies. However, X has been one of those who have faced intense scrutiny in recent years, and in a 2024 letter to X-lobbyists, the sponsors said that the company and musk, in particular, have a “disquiet record” that “threaten the foundations of our democracy.”
The lawmaker wrote before Musk was a close adviser and chainsaw wielding cost cutter for a while in Republican President Donald Trump’s administration. The two billionaires then refute and perhaps fill in.
Since taking over its previous Twitter in 2022, Musk has dismantled its trust and safety advisory group in the name of free speech and has stopped implementing content moderation and hate speech rules that the site has followed. He restored the accounts of conspiracy theorists and encouraged involvement on the platform with payouts and content partnerships.
External groups have since recorded an increase in hate speech and harassment on the platform. X sued a research organization studying online hate speech. The lawsuit was dismissed last March.
New York law took pages from similar laws passed in California and elicited similar cases from X.
Last fall, a panel of federal appeals judges blocked some of California law on free speech, at least temporarily. The state then resolved and agreed not to implement any content amendment reporting requirements.
AP Technology Writer Barbara Ortutay was a contribution from San Francisco.
Original issue: June 17, 2025, 6:41pm EDT
