Don't Want To Comply With Age Verification Rules, Bluesky Blocks Its Platform In Mississippi

Bluesky/UNSPLASH ILLUSTRATION

JAKARTA Bluesky has taken firm steps in rejecting the age verification law in Mississippi. The platform decided to block its services from the country.

This decision was taken because Bluesky refused to comply with its rules. According to a blog post on Friday, August 22, Bluesky does not have sufficient resources to meet substantial technical requirements.

The company also expressed concerns about user privacy.

The reason is, by complying with this rule, Bluesky can access all sensitive information belonging to its users just to undergo an age check.

"We argue that this law creates challenges that transcend child safety goals and create significant barriers that limit freedom of speech," said Bluesky.

It should be noted that the age verification rule in Mississippi is recorded in a law (UU) called HB1126. In the law, all social media platforms, including Bluesky, are required to apply age verification for all users.

This law does not only apply to content that is limited in age, but also to all users.

This means Bluesky must verify the age of each user and obtain permission from parents for users under 18 years of age.

If you don't comply with this rule, Bluesky will have to pay a fine. Mississippi set a fine of 10,000 US dollars per user or around Rp. 162 million. This is a fairly large fine.

"We believe that effective child safety policies should be designed without creating major barriers to smaller service providers," Bluesky said. "This blocking will remain in effect while courts decide whether the law will take effect."