Bluesky is adding age verification to its platform in the UK as part of efforts to comply with the country’s Online Safety Act. In an update on Thursday, the platform says it will let users verify their age by scanning their face, uploading an ID, or entering a payment card.
Bluesky will perform age verification through Kid Web Services (KWS), an Epic Games-owned tool that developers can use to implement age verification and parental controls on their platforms. If users don’t want to verify their age, or if they’re under 18, they will still be able to have an account with certain features limited. Bluesky will block “adult-appropriate content” and turn off certain features, such as direct messaging.
The UK passed the Online Safety Act in 2023, which privacy advocates have warned will “lead to a much more censored, locked-down internet for British users.” Another part of the law is coming into force on July 25th, requiring sites and apps containing porn and harmful content to provide “highly effective age assurance.” Platforms that don’t comply with the new rules will face fines of up to £18 million ($24 million) or 10 percent of their worldwide revenue, whichever is higher.
Once the age requirements take effect, Bluesky says it will show a notification to users in the UK asking them to verify their age. Based on the images shared by Bluesky, it looks like UK users will first have to register their email with KWS, which will send them instructions on how to verify their age. “In addition to these updates, we’ll continue to look at how we’re doing to shield children from unwanted content, and how we can improve,” Bluesky writes in the update.
