In the official announcement, Bluesky said that given the scale of a small startup, it does not have enough resources to make complex technical changes as required by the new law. The company also expressed concern that the regulation is too broad, violating privacy and causing disadvantages for small platforms.
Mississippi's HB 1126 requires all social media users to verify their age before accessing, and parents must agree if the user is under 18 years old. The fine for non-compliance can be up to $10,000 per case. Bluesky said that although the regulation is aimed at protecting children, it does not intentionally limit freedom of speech, increase operating costs and create barriers to new technology.
Unlike laws in the UK or some countries that only require age verification for certain content, regulations in Mississippi force platforms to collect and store sensitive information of all users. This, Bluesky said, goes beyond the infrastructure and human resources capabilities of a small company, while giving the technology giants an advantage.
After Bluesky blocked access in Mississippi, some users outside the state also encountered problems due to traffic routed via local servers. Chief technology officer Paul Frazee said the company is adjusting the positioning system to fix the problem.
Bluesky stressed that this decision only applies to an official application built on the AT Protocol. Other platform-based apps can choose their own path.
