Mississippi’s Age Verification Law Poses Challenges for Decentralized Social Networks

A new expansive age verification law in Mississippi is sparking discussions about which platforms—such as Bluesky, Mastodon, and others—offer the most effective protection of internet freedoms.

Last week, the developers of the Bluesky social app revealed their decision to restrict access to users in Mississippi rather than comply with the new age verification rules. In a blog post, they shared that their small team does not have the resources to make the extensive technical changes required by the law, expressing concerns over its broad implications and potential privacy issues.

The law, HB 1126, requires platforms to verify the ages of all users before allowing them to access social networks like Bluesky. Recently, the Supreme Court declined an emergency appeal that sought to pause the law as various legal challenges progressed through the courts. This left Bluesky with a critical choice: comply or risk fines of up to $10,000 per user.

In response, Mississippi users have been seeking workarounds, frequently turning to VPNs.

However, there are questions about why using a VPN is necessary. After all, the decentralized social networking model was created to limit the influence and control of state authorities over these platforms.

In light of Bluesky’s announcement, Mastodon’s founder Eugen Rochko made a notable comment about their competitor, highlighting the significance of genuine decentralization.

“And that’s why real decentralization is crucial,” he stated. “No authority can mandate that the fediverse must block Mississippi.”

This prompted a response from Mike Masnick, the founder of Techdirt and a member of Bluesky’s board, who labeled Rochko’s assertion as “potentially misleading.”

“Others can certainly host their own versions of the network,” he remarked. “But are the largest instances, like the one you oversee, ready to absorb the $10k/user penalties in Mississippi? The state could focus on specific instances, correct?” (He was referencing the significant instance called mastodon.social, which Rochko also manages.)

TechCrunch reached out to Mastodon to inquire whether it plans to comply with the law regarding the mastodon.social instance but had not received a reply by the time of publication. The law’s language suggests that a Mastodon instance could easily face scrutiny, similar to a “message board,” “chat room,” “landing page,” “video channel,” or “main feed,” as specified.

Tensions escalated between Rochko and Masnick, with other participants joining the discussion, as Rochko criticized Bluesky for depending on a single U.S. company for its infrastructure—the Bluesky PBC, the firm behind the Bluesky app. He also noted it was “interesting” that this was the first time someone from Bluesky had contacted him regarding potential “collaborations” to combat such laws since its launch nearly two years ago.

“Well, I believe you know my e-mail address,” Rochko added.

Ultimately, the truth often lies between these contrasting views.

Unlike Mastodon, which connects thousands of decentralized servers through the ActivityPub protocol, Bluesky operates on its distinct protocol (AT Protocol or AT Proto) that prioritizes account portability and decentralized moderation. Rather than allowing users to create their own servers, Bluesky enables individuals to run their own versions of various components within its social networking infrastructure, such as the PDS (personal data server), relays, moderation lists, and algorithms.

Yet, Bluesky continues to be the primary entity managing a PDS, given that the network is still in its early stages. This means that much of Bluesky’s user base remains reliant on its infrastructure. However, a community called Blacksky has recently introduced its own PDS, marking a step forward in this direction. Moreover, there are independently operated relays and appviews within Bluesky’s infrastructure.

Meanwhile, these ongoing disputes about platform features do not assist Mississippi users who are barred from accessing their favored social networks.

Circumventing the Mississippi Block

Without needing a VPN, some users in Mississippi have successfully accessed Bluesky through alternative clients like Graysky, Skeets, Klearsky, TOKIMEKI, Flashes, or even modified versions of the app such as Deer.social or Zeppelin.

Rudy Fraser, founder of Blacksky, confirmed to TechCrunch that his community has no plans to block users based on their geographic locations, regardless of where they may be located worldwide.

Additionally, a sideloaded version of Bluesky has surfaced on the alternative app distribution platform AltStore. To sideload, users need to first install AltStore on their Mac or Windows device, ensuring that permissions and developer mode are enabled. After that, they can click the “+” button, enter “https://smanthasam.github.io/bskyms/alt.json” (without quotes), select the button next to “BlueskyMS,” and choose to add it. This will incorporate the source into their AltStore, allowing them to access and install the sideloaded Bluesky app.

For those in Mississippi seeking a read-only version of Bluesky, Anartia’s search engine is an available option.

However, these workarounds are not guaranteed long-term solutions, as the developers of these apps and clients must ultimately decide whether they want to risk becoming targets for Mississippi legislators. The law broadly affects any services allowing users to create profiles, post content, and interact on social networks—a vague category.

If Bluesky client applications do not maintain their own PDS for hosting user data, they may be seen as merely providing clients and therefore may not be affected. However, conveying the intricacies of a PDS to a judge could prove quite challenging.

Mississippi is not the only state exploring an age verification layer for the internet; similar laws are being considered in Arizona, Wyoming, South Dakota, and Virginia. The situation in Virginia is particularly concerning, as it includes a time limitation on social media usage.

Nevertheless, the wide array of social networking alternatives makes enforcing such legislation a bit more complex than with traditional centralized networks like Facebook or Instagram. This represents a positive move towards decentralization, irrespective of the platform you prefer.

Still, overly broad laws tend to favor larger centralized platforms that have the resources to comply, leaving smaller services like Bluesky with no recourse but to withdraw.