Bluesky shuts down in Mississippi over new age law
Age verification law could reshape online access and entrench big tech dominance.
Bluesky, a decentralised social media platform, has ceased operations in Mississippi due to a new state law requiring strict age verification.
The company said compliance would require tracking users, identifying children, and collecting sensitive personal information. For a small team like Bluesky’s, the burden of such infrastructure, alongside privacy concerns, made continued service unfeasible.
The law mandates age checks not just for explicit content, but for access to general social media. Bluesky highlighted that even the UK Online Safety Act does not require platforms to track which users are children.
US Mississippi law has sparked debate over whether efforts to protect minors are inadvertently undermining online privacy and free speech. Bluesky warned that such legislation may stifle innovation and entrench dominance by larger tech firms.
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