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ADL Applauds NY Governor Hochul for Signing New Social Media Transparency Law Against Online Hate Speech
A man types on a computer keyboard in Warsaw in this February 28, 2013 illustration file picture. Photo: REUTERS/Kacper Pempel/File Photo.
The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) expressed gratitude to New York Gov. Kathy Hochul for signing into law on Tuesday legislation that will help combat hate speech on major social media platforms and ensure a safer social media experience for all users.
Legislation S895B/A6789B, also known as the “Stop Hiding Hate Act,” requires social media companies to inform all users of its terms of service. It also requires social media companies to submit reports about their terms of service and content moderation policies to the New York State Attorney General for inspection, and provides solutions for violations. The new law forces major social media companies to be more transparent about their current policies on topics such as hate speech, disinformation, extremism, and racism, and will hold the companies accountable for hate content on their platforms.
New York State Senator Brad Hoylman-Sigal (D, WFP-Manhattan) penned the “Stop Hiding Act” in partnership with Assembly Member Grace Lee (D-Manhattan) and the ADL. Together they have been advocating for its passage for years, according to the anti-hate organization.
“Today represents the culmination of the hard work of Senator Hoylman-Sigal and Assembly Member Lee and tireless advocacy from community organizations and constituents across New York who support this measure for greater internet transparency and safety,” Scott Richman, the regional director of ADL New York/New Jersey, said in a released statement. “We know there is still work to be done to protect vulnerable communities from hate and extremism online, but we commend Governor Hochul for taking this important step in creating a safer internet for all New Yorkers.”
Hoylman-Sigal said in a released statement that the new law “will help boost accountability and transparency for social media companies who currently face far too little regulation, and create a safer social media environment for all.”
“With white supremacy, antisemitism, islamophobia, anti-LGBTQ hatred and anti-AAPI violence all on the rise, social media companies must ensure that their platforms don’t advance disinformation and hate-fueled violence,” he added. “The current social media landscape makes it too easy for bad actors to promote false claims, hate and dangerous conspiracies, too often leading to violence like January 6 and the rise in antisemitism and islamophobia we have seen in the aftermath of the October 7th terrorist attacks in Israel.”
Lee noted that New York is only the second state in the US, after California, to sign into law a social media transparency bill that holds such companies accountable for their moderation policies and hate speech on their platform.
“Social media companies have created an environment where hate and disinformation spread like wildfire,” Lee explained. “Algorithms that prioritize the most attention-grabbing posts often amplify hateful language, giving it a massive platform. These companies have a responsibility to protect users from this hate, but have failed to do so. The ‘Stop Hiding Hate Act’ ensures greater accountability and transparency on social media, requiring companies to clearly outline the steps they are taking to eliminate hate on their platforms. It will provide critical protections for all users online and hold these platforms accountable to the public.”
The “Stop Hiding Act” was part of a legislative bill package that Governor Kathy Hochul signed on Tuesday. “With this legislative package, we are taking bold action to hold companies accountable, strengthen protections, and give consumers the transparency and security they need and deserve,” the governor said in a released statement.
The post ADL Applauds NY Governor Hochul for Signing New Social Media Transparency Law Against Online Hate Speech first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
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After False Dawns, Gazans Hope Trump Will Force End to Two-Year-Old War
Palestinians walk past a residential building destroyed in previous Israeli strikes, after Hamas agreed to release hostages and accept some other terms in a US plan to end the war, in Nuseirat, central Gaza Strip October 4, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Mahmoud Issa
Exhausted Palestinians in Gaza clung to hopes on Saturday that US President Donald Trump would keep up pressure on Israel to end a two-year-old war that has killed tens of thousands and displaced the entire population of more than two million.
Hamas’ declaration that it was ready to hand over hostages and accept some terms of Trump’s plan to end the conflict while calling for more talks on several key issues was greeted with relief in the enclave, where most homes are now in ruins.
“It’s happy news, it saves those who are still alive,” said 32-year-old Saoud Qarneyta, reacting to Hamas’ response and Trump’s intervention. “This is enough. Houses have been damaged, everything has been damaged, what is left? Nothing.”
GAZAN RESIDENT HOPES ‘WE WILL BE DONE WITH WARS’
Ismail Zayda, 40, a father of three, displaced from a suburb in northern Gaza City where Israel launched a full-scale ground operation last month, said: “We want President Trump to keep pushing for an end to the war, if this chance is lost, it means that Gaza City will be destroyed by Israel and we might not survive.
“Enough, two years of bombardment, death and starvation. Enough,” he told Reuters on a social media chat.
“God willing this will be the last war. We will hopefully be done with the wars,” said 59-year-old Ali Ahmad, speaking in one of the tented camps where most Palestinians now live.
“We urge all sides not to backtrack. Every day of delay costs lives in Gaza, it is not just time wasted, lives get wasted too,” said Tamer Al-Burai, a Gaza City businessman displaced with members of his family in central Gaza Strip.
After two previous ceasefires — one near the start of the war and another earlier this year — lasted only a few weeks, he said; “I am very optimistic this time, maybe Trump’s seeking to be remembered as a man of peace, will bring us real peace this time.”
RESIDENT WORRIES THAT NETANYAHU WILL ‘SABOTAGE’ DEAL
Some voiced hopes of returning to their homes, but the Israeli military issued a fresh warning to Gazans on Saturday to stay out of Gaza City, describing it as a “dangerous combat zone.”
Gazans have faced previous false dawns during the past two years, when Trump and others declared at several points during on-off negotiations between Hamas, Israel and Arab and US mediators that a deal was close, only for war to rage on.
“Will it happen? Can we trust Trump? Maybe we trust Trump, but will Netanyahu abide this time? He has always sabotaged everything and continued the war. I hope he ends it now,” said Aya, 31, who was displaced with her family to Deir Al-Balah in the central Gaza Strip.
She added: “Maybe there is a chance the war ends at October 7, two years after it began.”
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Mass Rally in Rome on Fourth Day of Italy’s Pro-Palestinian Protests
A Pro-Palestinian demonstrator waves a Palestinian flag during a national protest for Gaza in Rome, Italy, October 4, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Claudia Greco
Large crowds assembled in central Rome on Saturday for the fourth straight day of protests in Italy since Israel intercepted an international flotilla trying to deliver aid to Gaza, and detained its activists.
People holding banners and Palestinian flags, chanting “Free Palestine” and other slogans, filed past the Colosseum, taking part in a march that organizers hoped would attract at least 1 million people.
“I’m here with a lot of other friends because I think it is important for us all to mobilize individually,” Francesco Galtieri, a 65-year-old musician from Rome, said. “If we don’t all mobilize, then nothing will change.”
Since Israel started blocking the flotilla late on Wednesday, protests have sprung up across Europe and in other parts of the world, but in Italy they have been a daily occurrence, in multiple cities.
On Friday, unions called a general strike in support of the flotilla, with demonstrations across the country that attracted more than 2 million, according to organizers. The interior ministry estimated attendance at around 400,000.
Italy’s right-wing government has been critical of the protests, with Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni suggesting that people would skip work for Gaza just as an excuse for a longer weekend break.
On Saturday, Meloni blamed protesters for insulting graffiti that appeared on a statue of the late Pope John Paul II outside Rome’s main train station, where Pro-Palestinian groups have been holding a protest picket.
“They say they are taking to the streets for peace, but then they insult the memory of a man who was a true defender and builder of peace. A shameful act committed by people blinded by ideology,” she said in a statement.
Israel launched its Gaza offensive after Hamas terrorists staged a cross border attack on October 7, 2023, killing some 1,200 people and taking 251 people hostage.
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Hamas Says It Agrees to Release All Israeli Hostages Under Trump Gaza Plan
Smoke rises during an Israeli military operation in Gaza City, as seen from the central Gaza Strip, October 2, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Dawoud Abu Alkas
Hamas said on Friday it had agreed to release all Israeli hostages, alive or dead, under the terms of US President Donald Trump’s Gaza proposal, and signaled readiness to immediately enter mediated negotiations to discuss the details.