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   Bluesky exits Mississippi over age verification row   
      
   Date:   
   Tue, 26 Aug 2025 15:47:13 +0000   
      
   Description:   
   Bluesky now blocks all traffic coming from Mississippi's IP addresses, but a   
   VPN could help you get back online. Here's all you need to know.   
      
   FULL STORY   
      
   Bluesky has decided to exit Mississippi in response to the new age   
   verification law, which now requires social media platforms to verify the age   
   of every user before granting them access.    
      
   Elon Musk's X rival warns that the new requirements "would fundamentally   
   change how users access Bluesky," while opening up to privacy and security   
   challenges that would impact smaller providers in particular.    
      
   Therefore, starting Friday, August 22, 2025, Bluesky is blocking all traffic   
   from Mississippi IP addresses. This, however, means that users based in the   
   state may be able to turn to the best VPN services to keep using the app.    
      
   "We do not take this decision lightly," wrote Bluesky in its official   
   announcement , while ensuring that child safety remains a core priority. Yet,   
   "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."    
      
   Being a decentralized platform, the block applies only to the Bluesky app   
   built on the AT Protocol. "Other apps and services may choose to respond   
   differently," explains the provider.   
      
   Why is Bluesky worried about Mississippi's age verification approach?   
      
   As per Mississippi's HB1126 law , which was upheld by the US Supreme Court on   
   August 14, all social media platforms must verify that every user accessing   
   the platform is over 18 and obtain parental consent for all minors looking to   
   use the app.    
      
   The law also requires tech providers to identify and keep track of all teen   
   and child users. Fines for non-compliance can reach up to $10,000 per user.    
      
   "Building the required verification systems, parental consent workflows, and   
   compliance infrastructure would require significant resources that our small   
   team is currently unable to spare as we invest in developing safety tools and   
   features for our global community," explains Bluesky.    
      
   The economic burden is only half of the story, though.    
      
   Bluesky is also concerned that the "law's broad scope" could affect all   
   citizens in Mississippi (not only minors) to use their favorite platforms,   
   negatively impacting their right to free speech and access to information.    
      
   The provider also warns against the privacy implications that could stem from   
   collecting and storing such sensitive information about all users, as well as   
   from tracking minors online.   
      
   Age checks aren't the real issue here, either. Bluesky was indeed one of the   
   first providers to enforce age verification rules in the UK .    
      
   Yet, there's a substantial difference between the two laws.    
      
   Under the UK Online Safety Act , Bluesky and similar providers are required    
   to verify users' age only for accessing content deemed legal but harmful.    
      
   "Mississippis law, by contrast, would block everyone from accessing the site   
   teens and adults  unless they hand over sensitive information, and once they   
   do, the law in Mississippi requires Bluesky to keep track of which users are   
   children," explains the provider.   
      
   The Bluesky app is now set to block access to all Mississippi IP addresses   
   "until legal challenges to this law are resolved," explains the provider.    
      
   ======================================================================   
   Link to news story:   
   https://www.techradar.com/vpn/vpn-privacy-security/bluesky-exits-mississippi-o   
   ver-age-verification-row   
      
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