Bluesky Blocked in Mississippi Due to Age Assurance Law

Bluesky Blocks Access in Mississippi Over Age Assurance Law

Bluesky, a social networking startup, has opted to restrict service access within the state of Mississippi. This decision stems from the company’s unwillingness to adhere to a recently enacted age assurance law.

Concerns Regarding Compliance

The company articulated in a blog post released on Friday that its limited team size prevents it from implementing the extensive technical modifications mandated by this legislation. Furthermore, it expressed reservations about the law’s expansive reach and potential implications for user privacy.

Details of Mississippi’s HB 1126

Mississippi’s HB 1126 necessitates that platforms institute age verification procedures for all users prior to granting access to social networks, including Bluesky. The U.S. Supreme Court denied an emergency appeal on August 14th, which would have temporarily halted the law’s enforcement while ongoing legal challenges were addressed.

This ruling left Bluesky with the necessity of determining a course of action regarding compliance.

Broad Scope of the Law

Unlike regulations focused on age-restricted content, this law demands age verification for all users. Consequently, Bluesky would be required to verify the age of every user and secure parental consent for individuals under the age of 18. The company also highlighted the substantial financial penalties for non-compliance, potentially reaching $10,000 per user.

Impact on Free Speech and Innovation

Bluesky emphasizes that the law extends beyond its stated goal of child safety. It argues that the legislation will establish “significant barriers that limit free speech and disproportionately harm smaller platforms and emerging technologies.”

Compliance would necessitate the collection and storage of sensitive user data, alongside detailed monitoring of minors. This differs from compliance expectations under regulations like the U.K.’s Online Safety Act (OSA), which focuses age checks on specific content and features.

The Mississippi law effectively prevents site usage unless users submit personal and sensitive information.

Challenges for Smaller Platforms

“Unlike tech giants with vast resources, we’re a small team focused on building decentralized social technology that puts users in control,” the company stated in its blog post. “Age verification systems require substantial infrastructure and developer time investments, complex privacy protections, and ongoing compliance monitoring — costs that can easily overwhelm smaller providers. This dynamic entrenches existing big tech platforms while stifling the innovation and competition that benefits users.”

Access Issues and Updates

Following the decision, some Bluesky users located outside of Mississippi reported difficulties accessing the service. This was attributed to their cellular providers routing traffic through servers within the state. CTO Paul Frazee indicated on Saturday that the company is “working deploy an update to our location detection that we hope will solve some inaccuracies.”

Applicability to the AT Protocol

The company’s post clarifies that its decision pertains solely to the Bluesky application built on the AT Protocol. Other applications utilizing the protocol may adopt different approaches.

Update on User Issues

This article has been updated to reflect reports of access issues experienced by users outside of Mississippi and Bluesky’s subsequent response.

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