⚖️ Bluesky blocked in Mississippi

Author

Liam Gill
August 28, 2025

Bluesky Pulls Out of Mississippi Over New Law

Bluesky, the decentralized social networking startup, has blocked access to its platform in Mississippi rather than comply with the state’s new age verification law. The company explained in a blog post that, as a small team, it lacked the resources to make the sweeping technical changes the law demands and raised concerns about its broad scope and privacy implications. The legislation, HB 1126, requires all social media platforms to verify the age of every user and obtain parental consent for minors. On August 14, the U.S. Supreme Court allowed the law to take effect while legal challenges continue. Facing penalties of up to $10,000 per user for noncompliance, Bluesky opted to withdraw from the state.

Do you ever wish you could connect with one person who could drastically improve your business? Whether it's an advisor, investor, customer, spokesperson or key hire, now you can. I recently started a new job, supporting promising Canadian startups in securing their first $1-$15M in funding. The #1 way I have connected with founders is through Boardy. Boardy is an AI networking agent on WhatsApp that connects you to people in his network based on your goals. Thanks to Boardy I’ve met so many great founders that I never would have otherwise. Boardy has already helped founders close millions in deals through intros like this. If you want to be one person closer to your goals, message Boardy on WhatsApp.

This is sponsored content

Why This Law Hits Small Platforms Hard

Unlike other age assurance rules, such as the U.K.’s Online Safety Act which targets specific content categories, Mississippi’s law requires blanket verification for everyone. That would mean Bluesky must collect sensitive information from every user and store data on minors — an undertaking far beyond its capacity. In its post, Bluesky warned that the law not only burdens small companies but also undermines free speech and competition by entrenching the dominance of large tech firms with the money to comply. “Age verification systems require substantial infrastructure… costs that can easily overwhelm smaller providers,” the company wrote.

Early Fallout and Next Steps

The move has already caused ripple effects. Some users outside Mississippi reported problems accessing Bluesky when their cell providers routed traffic through servers in the state. Bluesky’s CTO, Paul Frazee, said an update to improve location detection is being rolled out to fix the issue. Importantly, the decision applies only to Bluesky’s own app on the AT Protocol — third-party apps could make different choices. The company’s stance underscores the growing tension between state-level child safety laws and the realities of running smaller, privacy-conscious platforms in a landscape dominated by tech giants.

🪙Don’t miss out on this modern-day gold rush. This company holds 29,000 hectares (over 71,000 acres) in the heart of a modern-day gold rush.*

In addition to our newsletter we offer 60+ free legal templates for companies in the UK, Canada and the US. These include employment contracts, investment agreements and more

* This is sponsored content