WeChat Defeats Account Termination Lawsuit–Sun v. WeChat

April 18, 2025 · by · in Content Regulation

I’m blogging this otherwise unremarkable case for completeness. WeChat blocked Sun’s account in 2022, allegedly because Sun was discussing Chinese politics. Sun sued WeChat pro se for violating his civil rights (a 1983 claim). This is an easy dismissal. As the court says, the “conduct of private parties typically falls outside the scope of protection offered by § 1983,” and that’s true here:

Plaintiff does not allege any state action that would sustain a § 1983 claim. Nor has Plaintiff provided factual allegations that could support an inference that there is a “close nexus” between Defendant, a private entity, and the state, such that Defendant’s actions are attributable to the state.

Cites to Forbes v. Facebook and Fehrenbach v. Zeldin.

This adds to the ever-growing list of failed lawsuits over account terminations and content removals.

Case Citation: Sun v. WeChat (USA), 2025 WL 1126477 (E.D.N.Y. April 16, 2025)

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