After blocking its service in Mississippi over its new age-assurance law, the social networking startup is taking a different approach to comply with laws in South Dakota and Wyoming. Instead of requiring Bluesky to restrict access to all unverified users, users in South Dakota and Wyoming can verify their ages through the Kids Web Services’ (KWS) solution.
The service allows users to choose from multiple methods to verify their ages, which may include payment cards, an identity document, an anonymous face scan for facial age estimation, or other alternatives. Bluesky is using the same service to comply with the U.K.’s Online Safety Act, which has similar requirements.
“We believe this approach currently strikes the right balance. Bluesky will remain available to users in these states, and we will not need to restrict the app for everyone,” the company explained in a blog post published on Wednesday.
While Bluesky, like others, understands that governments are trying to mitigate the risks for kids using the internet, poorly written and overly broad laws like the one in Mississippi made it difficult to comply. That law would have required Blueksy to verify all users, not just those trying to access age-restricted content, and obtain parental consent for users under 18. Its penalties are also hefty, at up to $10,000 per user.
The startup previously explained that its small team doesn’t have the resources to make the substantial technical changes needed to comply with Mississippi’s law. This resulted in its unfortunate decision to bow out in the state entirely, leaving larger competitors, like Meta, to continue their dominance.
By comparison, Bluesky said the laws in South Dakota and Wyoming offer a better solution.
Laws requiring age verification are expanding around the globe, not just in the United States. However, given the lack of federal regulations, dozens of U.S. states have taken the matter into their own hands and enacted age-verification laws of their own. But when these laws target social networks, it can make it difficult for smaller players like Bluesky to compete. Privacy advocates also complain that the laws put users at increased risk of identity theft and are generally invasive.
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