Bluesky Age Verification: South Dakota & Wyoming Compliance

Bluesky Adapts to Age Verification Laws

Following a service blockage in Mississippi due to a recently enacted age-assurance law, the social networking platform Bluesky is implementing alternative compliance strategies in South Dakota and Wyoming.

Instead of imposing restrictions on all unverified users, individuals in South Dakota and Wyoming are now able to confirm their ages utilizing the Kids Web Services (KWS) solution.

Age Verification Methods

The KWS service provides a variety of age verification options for users. These include the use of payment cards, submission of identity documents, anonymous facial age estimation via scans, and other available methods.

Bluesky is also leveraging this same service to adhere to the requirements outlined in the U.K.’s Online Safety Act, which shares similar stipulations.

“We feel this method represents a suitable compromise,” the company stated in a blog post released on Wednesday. “Bluesky will continue to be accessible to users within these states, and a blanket restriction of the application will not be necessary.”

Challenges Posed by Mississippi’s Law

Bluesky acknowledges the intent of governments to safeguard children online. However, the company found the poorly constructed and overly broad nature of Mississippi’s law presented significant compliance difficulties.

The Mississippi legislation mandated verification for all users, not solely those accessing age-restricted content, and required parental consent for individuals under the age of 18.

Furthermore, the penalties for non-compliance were substantial, reaching up to $10,000 per user.

Resource Constraints and Market Impact

The startup previously communicated that its limited team lacked the necessary resources to implement the extensive technical modifications required to meet Mississippi’s legal demands.

This ultimately led to the difficult decision to withdraw service from the state, inadvertently strengthening the position of larger competitors, such as Meta.

In contrast, Bluesky has indicated that the laws in South Dakota and Wyoming present a more viable solution.

Growing Trend of Age Verification Regulations

The movement towards age verification laws is gaining momentum globally, extending beyond the United States.

However, the absence of federal regulations in the U.S. has prompted numerous states to independently enact their own age-verification laws.

These laws can create competitive disadvantages for smaller platforms like Bluesky. Concerns have also been raised by privacy advocates regarding increased risks of identity theft and the invasive nature of these regulations.