Bluesky will now check the ages of users located in South Dakota and Wyoming to comply with local online safety laws. The platform announced on Wednesday that users in both states will be able to prove their age using an ID, payment card, or other method.
Both South Dakota and Wyoming pushed ahead with their online safety laws after a Supreme Court ruling upheld a Texas law requiring age verification for porn sites. While many states only apply online safety laws to adult websites or platforms containing a certain threshold of harmful content, 404 Media points out that South Dakota and Wyoming’s laws don’t include this carveout. That means they could affect a much broader swatch of online platforms, including Reddit, X, and Discord, according to the Electronic Frontier Foundation.
Last month, Bluesky and Mastodon stopped operating in Mississippi after the Supreme Court refused to block a “likely unconstitutional” law that forces platforms to verify the ages of users when they create an account. Bluesky said the law “would block everyone from accessing the site — teens and adults — unless they hand over sensitive information.”
Just like in the UK, Bluesky spokesperson Elisabeth Diana confirmed to The Verge that the platform will restrict unverified and underage users in South Dakota and Wyoming from accessing adult content, as well as from using certain features, like direct messaging.
Update, September 10th: Added information about the age verification process.
