Bluesky will comply

After blocking his service in Mississippi during his new old -age insurance law, the social network start is taking another approach to complying with laws in South Dakota and Wyoming. Instead of requiring Bluesky to limit access to all non -verified users, users in South Dakota and Wyoming can verify their ages through Kids Web Services’ (KWS) solution.

The service allows users to choose from multiple methods of verifying their ages, which may contain debit cards, an identity document, an anonymous facial scan to estimate the face age or other alternatives. Bluesky uses the same service to comply with the UK’s online security law, which has similar requirements.

“We believe this approach is currently getting the right balance. Bluesky will remain available to users in these states, and we do not have to limit 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 risk of children using the Internet, poorly written and overly broad laws like the one in Mississippi made it difficult to comply with. This law would have required bluesy to verify all users, not just those who are trying to access age -limited content and get custody of users under 18. Its sanctions are also intense, with up to $ 10,000 per year. User.

The startup earlier explained that its small team does not have the resources to make the significant technical changes needed to comply with Mississippi’s law. This resulted in its unfortunate decision to bow completely into the state, leaving major competitors like Meta to continue their dominance.

In comparison, Bluesky said the laws of South Dakota and Wyoming offer a better solution.

Lover, which requires age verification, expands across the globe, not just in the United States. However, considering the lack of federal regulations, dozens of US states have taken the matter in their own hands and passed their own age verification laws. But when these laws are targeting social networks, it can make it difficult for smaller players like Bluesky to compete. Lawyers for privacy also complain that the laws put users at increased risk of identity theft and are generally invasive.