Link: Bluesky blocks Mississippi under new age verification law

Bluesky will block access from Mississippi IP addresses due to a new state law requiring age verification. This decision was announced in a blog post and will persist until the legality of the law is resolved in court.

The Mississippian legislation, which is more invasive than comparable laws like the UK’s Online Safety Act, demands sensitive information for site access. Bluesky criticized the law for being overly broad and infringing on privacy.

Developing the necessary systems for compliance would drain significant resources, thereby hindering the company's ability to improve global user safety tools. Bluesky's small team is already stretched thin focusing on developing safety features.

Despite similar laws facing legal challenges in the U.S., Mississippi's HB 1126 was implemented after the Supreme Court declined to block it. The decision was made without an explanation, even though concerns about constitutionality were noted.

Now, users within Mississippi will be greeted with a blocking message when trying to access Bluesky. The decision is specific to the Bluesky app and not other services using the decentralized AT Protocol.

Bluesky remains committed to an open social ecosystem that prioritizes child safety and user protection. They promise ongoing updates as the situation evolves.#

--

Yoooo, this is a quick note on a link that made me go, WTF? Find all past links here.