Large platforms must let Hawaii residents request account deletion

Covered platforms must offer an easy way to request account deletion and confirm when it is complete. These rules cover social media platforms with at least one million monthly active users nationwide or at least $25 million in annual gross revenue, and users who are Hawaii residents acting as individuals or households. Platforms may use reasonable steps to verify that the person requesting deletion owns the account. Deletion applies to the extent technically feasible, and platforms may retain information when federal or state law permits or requires it. These requirements take effect July 1, 2027.

Platforms must archive account information out of public view and then delete it within the stated period. This schedule applies after a covered platform receives a user's confirmed request to delete an account. Platforms may keep information when federal or state law requires it. For an approved active investigation with a case number, law enforcement may direct a platform to retain information only while seeking a court-issued subpoena, order, or warrant. The platform may not use that information for another purpose. The 45-day period and 90-day deletion deadline run from the confirmed request.

The attorney general may sue over violations, seek court orders and fines, and adopt rules to enforce the chapter. Platforms must keep deletion request and compliance records for four years. These provisions apply to covered platforms and violations of the social media protections chapter. Fines may be up to $250 per violation per day. These requirements take effect July 1, 2027.