Bluesky Goes Dark in Mississippi Over Age Verification Law

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Source: Wired

PEOPLE IN MISSISSIPPI can no longer use the social media platform Bluesky. The company announced Friday that it will be blocking all IP addresses within Mississippi for the foreseeable future in response to a recent US Supreme Court decision that allows the state to enforce strict age verification for social media platforms.

According to Bluesky, Mississippi’s approach to verification “would fundamentally change” how users access the site. “We think this law creates challenges that go beyond its child safety goals, and creates significant barriers that limit free speech and disproportionately harm smaller platforms and emerging technologies,” the Bluesky team said in its statement.

Bluesky did not respond to a request for comment.

The company says that compliance with Mississippi’s law—which would require identifying and tracking all users under 18, in addition to asking every user for sensitive personal information to verify their age—is not possible with the team’s current resources and infrastructure. By not complying with the law, Bluesky could face fines of up to $10,000 per violation. It is the first major social media platform to take such drastic steps in response to the law.

Read more: https://www.wired.com/story/bluesky-goes-dark-in-mississippi-age-verification/