Regulon.AI — NY-S-04506 · NY S 4506 (SAFE for All Act)

Summary

Requires operators of addictive social media platforms to provide users with mechanisms to turn off algorithmic recommendations, turn off notifications (including between 12 AM and 6 AM Eastern), turn off autoplay, and limit daily platform access time. Prohibits dark patterns that subvert user choice or make it more difficult to exercise these settings or to deactivate, suspend, or cancel an account. Enforced exclusively by the New York Attorney General, who may obtain civil penalties of up to $5,000 per violation, injunctive relief, restitution, disgorgement, and damages. The effective date is 180 days after the AG promulgates implementing regulations.

Enforcement & Penalties

Enforcement Authority

Exclusive enforcement by the New York Attorney General. The AG may bring an action or special proceeding upon complaint or otherwise, on behalf of the people of the state. No private right of action. The AG must also maintain a website to receive public complaints, information, and referrals concerning operator compliance or noncompliance.

Penalties

Civil penalties of up to $5,000 per violation. The AG may also obtain injunctive relief (including preliminary relief), restitution of moneys or property obtained by the violation, disgorgement of profits or gains, and damages caused directly or indirectly by the violation.

Who Is Covered

"Operator" shall mean any person, business, or other legal entity, who operates or provides an addictive social media platform.

What Is Covered

"Addictive social media platform" shall mean a website, online service, online application, or mobile application, that offers or provides users with addictive feeds as a significant part of the provision of such website, online service, online application, or mobile application.

"Addictive feed" shall mean a regularly updated stream of algorithmic recommendations that a user encounters on a website, online service, online application, mobile application, or portion thereof.

Compliance Obligations 3 obligations · click obligation ID to open requirement page

CP-01 Deceptive & Manipulative AI Conduct · CP-01.2 · Deployer · Social Media

Gen. Bus. Law § 1510

Plain Language

Operators of addictive social media platforms must provide users with four distinct control mechanisms: (1) the ability to turn off algorithmic recommendations entirely; (2) the ability to turn off notifications related to the addictive feed, with at minimum options to disable all notifications or disable them between midnight and 6 AM Eastern; (3) the ability to turn off autoplay of media; and (4) the ability to set a hard daily time limit on platform access — a mere time-spent reminder is explicitly insufficient. These mechanisms must be available as user-facing settings. The definition of algorithmic recommendation contains extensive carve-outs for subscription-based content, search results, direct messages, accessibility settings, and sequential content from the same source.

Statutory Text

It shall be unlawful for an operator to provide an addictive social media platform to a user in this state unless such platform offers mechanisms through which a user may: 1. Turn off algorithmic recommendations; 2. Turn off notifications concerning an addictive feed, provided further that such mechanism shall, at a minimum, provide the user with the ability to turn off notifications overall or to turn off notifications between the hours of 12 AM Eastern and 6 AM Eastern; 3. Turn off autoplay on such platform; and 4. Limit such user's access to such platform to any length of day specified by such user, provided further that any mechanism which solely reminds such user of time spent on a platform rather than allowing such user to limit such user's access shall not be in compliance with this subdivision.

CP-01 Deceptive & Manipulative AI Conduct · CP-01.3 · Deployer · Social Media

Gen. Bus. Law § 1511(1)-(2)

Plain Language

Operators must present the required settings (algorithmic recommendation opt-off, notification controls, autoplay opt-off, and time limits) in a clear and accessible manner. They are prohibited from deploying any dark pattern — any mechanism or design that intentionally inhibits the article's purposes, subverts user choice or autonomy, or makes it harder for a user to exercise these settings. A separate prohibition bars designs that intentionally make it more difficult for users to deactivate, reactivate, suspend, or cancel their account or profile. Both prohibitions target intentional design choices, not inadvertent usability issues.

Statutory Text

1. The settings required in section fifteen hundred ten of this article shall be presented in a clear and accessible manner on an addictive social media platform. It shall be unlawful for such platform to deploy any mechanism or design which intentionally inhibits the purpose of this article, subverts user choice or autonomy, or makes it more difficult for a user to exercise their rights under any of the prescribed settings in section fifteen hundred ten of this article. 2. It shall be unlawful for an addictive social media platform to deploy any mechanism or design which intentionally serves to make it more difficult for a user to deactivate, reactivate, suspend, or cancel such user's account or profile.

Other · Social Media

Gen. Bus. Law § 1514

Plain Language

The Attorney General is directed to promulgate rules and regulations to implement and enforce this article. This is notable because the statute's effective date is tied to this rulemaking — the law takes effect 180 days after the AG promulgates the necessary regulations. This provision creates no compliance obligation for operators but is operationally significant because no enforcement can occur until the AG completes rulemaking.

Statutory Text

The attorney general shall promulgate rules and regulations to effectuate and enforce the provisions of this article.