Residents of Mississippi can no longer access Bluesky, a significant alternative to Elon Musk’s X, due to stringent age verification regulations. A new law in Mississippi mandates age verification for social media usage, exceeding other regulations that pertain to explicit content websites. On Friday, Bluesky declared its exit from the state, expressing concerns over costs and user privacy.

In a blog entry, Bluesky remarked:

“Mississippi’s method would fundamentally alter user access to Bluesky. The recent Supreme Court ruling compels us to either adhere to Mississippi’s age verification law—mandating all Bluesky users in Mississippi to submit sensitive personal information and undergo age verification—or face substantial fines. The law also requires the identification and monitoring of child users, which is not part of our procedures in other locations. We contend that this law poses challenges beyond child safety, establishing barriers that restrict free speech and disproportionately impact smaller platforms and emerging technologies.

As a small team dedicated to decentralized social technology, we do not possess the resources that tech giants have. Age verification systems necessitate substantial infrastructure, developer effort, intricate privacy safeguards, and continuous compliance oversight—expenses that can burden smaller providers. This scenario privileges large tech firms and hampers innovation and competition, which ultimately harms users.”

Bluesky emphasized the onerous nature of Mississippi’s law and its privacy issues, pointing out that it aligns with the U.K.’s Online Safety Act, which does not require the tracking of child users and only necessitates age checks for certain content.

Mashable’s Anna Iovine extensively examined the ramifications of age verification on the internet. While some legislators contend that these measures safeguard children, they have already resulted in far-reaching effects, rendering the internet less accessible and necessitating privacy compromises for entry.