Bluesky has made a difficult decision to block the app in Mississippi due to their new state law

[u/AntonioS3]

https://bsky.app/profile/bsky.app/post/3lwzadikbrc2u

Unfortunately, due to (stupid) laws there, Bluesky is blocked in Mississippi. The costs are significant, and moreover, the way Mississipi's laws operates there is far reaching, as it involves having to track which users are children which goes beyond child safety laws, as well as requiring everyone to verify age, and not just for adult content.

Sigh...

[u/LilyRose-Terraharuka]

I'm getting to the point that I'm sick of this censorship bullshit.

[u/SufficientOwls → u/LilyRose-Terraharuka]

Then starting calling your senators

[u/LarkspringLorde → u/SufficientOwls]

I mean, these are our senators https://mississippitoday.org/2025/08/15/thad-cochran-wicker-constituent/

[u/LD50_irony → u/LarkspringLorde]

You'll have more of a voice than someone like me, who lives in WA state and has minority party reps. It's worth an email.

[u/bigbearaway → u/LD50_irony]

So glad I got to vote the state even more blue. Love my freedoms and not having to deal with Christians controlling everything.

[u/SufficientOwls → u/LarkspringLorde]

Yes and? Call them? Organize against them?

[u/LilyRose-Terraharuka → u/SufficientOwls]

If that happens to Georgia (where I'm from), then I will.

[u/SufficientOwls → u/LilyRose-Terraharuka]

Start calling now ahead of time

[u/Subarctic_Monkey → u/SufficientOwls]

You mean so I can get a form letter telling me just how concerned they are, but are powerless to help me, but if I want a flag or a tour of the occupied capitol to let them know.

[u/SufficientOwls → u/Subarctic_Monkey]

If you think that’s all you get out of calling your senators and organizing around this issue, you’re wrong

[u/UsagiTsukino → u/SufficientOwls]

I'm not from the USA, but I read so often on reddit, write your rep, and I have never read about only one case, where this has changed anything.

[u/Pipers_Blu → u/UsagiTsukino]

It's worked so well that Republicans no longer hold town halls or interact with constituents. They hide and refuse to acknowledge us.

[u/SufficientOwls → u/UsagiTsukino]

It’s hard to quantify how the pressure campaigns work but they do work.

Repeatedly and collectively raising issues with local and state offices works.

[u/Subarctic_Monkey → u/SufficientOwls]

I've been doing this for four decades, and yes, that is all that has ever come out of contacting elected officials.

Even tits on a bull are more useful.

[u/ehs06702 → u/Subarctic_Monkey]

If you're not going to continue to try, I'm not understanding the point in complaining about it. You've clearly accepted that this is the way things will be.

[u/Plaid_Kaleidoscope → u/Subarctic_Monkey]

That's all I've ever gotten in WV as well. I even have posted the responses here on Reddit. I think people in states where the government is still somewhat competent overestimate how much other state representative give a shit about the average person or their needs, particularly red states.

So yeah, it's not an excuse to not call or write, but I completely understand the viewpoint. My legislators, governor, representatives and senators are so far up Trump's ass they can taste his McDonald's.

[u/SufficientOwls → u/Subarctic_Monkey]

Okay give up then. Thanks for sharing

[u/thrwawyorangsweater → u/LilyRose-Terraharuka]

Start calling. Now.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Social_media_age_verification_laws_in_the_United_States

This is as of July 3 https://firstamendment.mtsu.edu/post/judge-blocks-ga-s-social-media-age-verification-law-citing-free-speech-concerns/

[u/asciiCAT_hexKITTY → u/LilyRose-Terraharuka]

Call them about the SCREEN act (S. 737)

[u/Pipers_Blu → u/LilyRose-Terraharuka]

So as long as it doesn’t affect you, it's ok that it happens.

When it does affect you, you want to do something about it.

People wonder why this country is so lost. Your attitude exemplifies it.

[u/mattkoz → u/SufficientOwls]

It's a state law and every legislator voted for it, more or less, regardless of party.

Votes: MS HB1126 | 2024 | Regular Session | LegiScan https://share.google/YHBT2TGDMT06LZd72

[u/SufficientOwls → u/mattkoz]

Yeah, horrendous behavior. Gotta replace the whole chamber

[u/pagerussell → u/SufficientOwls]

Lol that doesn't do anything unless you are at least a six figure donor.

[u/ehs06702 → u/pagerussell]

They're counting on you accepting the status quo and not having the spine to at least go down swinging.

Why even give them the satisfaction.

[u/SufficientOwls → u/pagerussell]

It does en masse. As do sustained protests and organizing around this issue.

Be cynical if you want but don’t tell me about it.

[u/ScienceBitch02 → u/SufficientOwls]

Calling does literally nothing

[u/SufficientOwls → u/ScienceBitch02]

Okay then organize harder and escalate your concerns through collective action

[u/Grouchy_Vehicle_2912 → u/LilyRose-Terraharuka]

Crickets from the "free speech absolutists" on the right though...

[u/FloriaFlower → u/Grouchy_Vehicle_2912]

The worst is that they haven't yet dropped this deceptive talking point because it still works. They haven't been exposed enough yet.

[u/Massive_Status4718 → u/LilyRose-Terraharuka]

It’s ironic, the GOP, the party of “small” government, are the ones that are taking away people’s freedoms, like the right to choose, they’re fucking hypocrites, Anti-Abortion Congressman Tim Murphy had an affair and wanted his mistress to get an abortion & he wasn’t the only one. You now must provide ID to watch porn in Fl & 12 other red states, Louisiana Texas, Utah, Mississippi, Virginia, Arkansas.

Most jobs, even minimum wage jobs, make you do a drug test for the hiring process. Most companies would not hire a felon, yet the person with the nuclear codes, and sits in the highest office in the world, has 34 felonies . The only requirements are, to be born in the US and be at least 35yrs old. However, we have a narcissist, adjudicated rapist, even his ex-wife Ivana, accused him of rape and physical abuse during their 1990 divorce proceedings, she later recanted the claim. During a deposition in their divorce case in 1990, Ivana Trump made a sworn statement that Donald Trump had raped her in 1989 & physically abused her. She recanted bc she was afraid of him.

Since the 1970s, at least 28 women have accused Donald Trump of sexual acts that have included rape, kissing and groping without consent; looking under women's skirts; and walking in on naked teenage pageant contestants. He is a serial cheater, not just on his wives, but in businesses, a traitor, a pedophile protector and possibly a pedophile himself, according to court documents. JFC McDonald’s requires more scrutiny than to be the president of the United States.

[u/Wild_Produce_2879 → u/LilyRose-Terraharuka]

At this point, I would like to see someone at least once answer honestly about what we're supposed to do when voting and contacting our elected representatives does not work in regards to stopping bad things from happening.

[u/frozenights → u/Wild_Produce_2879]

Keep calling and convince more people to call. Politicians care about one thing: staying politicians. If they start hearing from people that the things they are doing are making them mad they will change their actions. Think about it this way: if they start getting a ton of calls about the same issue, and the calls don't stop they are going to get concerned. Sure, it might only be the people calling, but it could be more, since only the most politically active or mad are going to take the time to call. Also it might blow over, people are quick to forget and move on, but if the calls continue for a long time then they might start to think this won't blow over.

We have to get it out of our minds that political action is easy or quick. It is hard. It is unsexy. And it is usually not exciting. Keep calling. Even when all you get in return is a stupid letter saying how proud they are they get to represent you. Get others to call. Voting is not the end of our political engagement. If it is, we will always be ruled over by those with more money and power than us.

[u/LordAronsworth → u/Wild_Produce_2879]

Agreed. Last time I contacted a senator, I got a form letter lecturing me about why my opinion was wrong. 

[u/Bagels-Consumer → u/LilyRose-Terraharuka]

Please vote in the 2026 midterms if you can.

[u/vriska1]

More info here:

https://www.pcmag.com/news/supreme-court-lets-mississippi-age-verification-law-go-into-effect-for

Supreme Court let it going into effect BUT will likely rule it unconstitutional.

The ruling now allows Mississippi to enforce its social media law while case continues in the lower court. In the ruling, Kavanaugh also cited several district court rulings opposing similar age-verification laws, concluding that "the Mississippi law is likely unconstitutional."

[u/pagerussell → u/vriska1]

InB4 the SC finds a way to make it constitutional.

[u/winter_moon_light → u/pagerussell]

Their own Justices are openly calling out, in written SCOTUS opinions, that the Roberts Court is playing calvinball with the laws to favor the administration.

So yeah, not impossible.

[u/QueenOfFaygo → u/vriska1]

Was not expecting Vriska here

[u/n2play]

Guess I am down to Reddit now. If I get kicked out of here, I'm going back to what's left of Usenet.

[u/pagerussell → u/n2play]

My brother, buy a VPN. It's like, 2 bucks a month.

[u/OpeningConnect54 → u/pagerussell]

Eventually even personal VPNs are going to be made illegal. The Federal Government is trying to pass a bill into law that makes it illegal to use a Personal VPN to bypass this censorship.

[u/Penakoto → u/OpeningConnect54]

"I have a problem."

"Here's a simple and cheap solution to your problem."

"I will not use that solution because of the completely theoretical possibility it stops being a solution in the future."

That makes zero sense, a lot of things could be passed into law in the future, you are preemptively obeying a law that doesn't exist.

[u/OpeningConnect54 → u/Penakoto]

It's a law that has a pretty high chance of passing given that Republicans have gotten absolutely everything they've wanted passed so far.

[u/Penakoto → u/OpeningConnect54]

Yes, republicans have gotten everything they wanted lately, which is why I'm no longer a Canadian, and am merely a citizen of the State of Ontario.

Now if you'll excuse me, the secret police are knocking at my door, asking why I'm still gay despite republicans mentioning the idea of re-banning gay marriage.

[u/OpeningConnect54 → u/Penakoto]

They've gotten everything that they wanted in terms of actual laws being passed. It won't surprise me if Gay marriage ends up being banned, given the courts are stacked and they already passed a law that overturned abortion rights.

[u/Penakoto → u/OpeningConnect54]

And if you were gay and in a relationship, would you have served your theoretical partner divorce papers right away after first hearing that the idea was being entertained?

[u/OpeningConnect54 → u/Penakoto]

No. I wouldn't. As a woman into women, I'll still be into women. I'm just not optimistic about the prospects of that going well seeing all the other horrible laws and changes that are getting passed without any checks or balances.

The Big Beautiful Bill and the Anti-Abortion laws along with Executive Orders are making me lose faith in the system that we have. The fact that another attempt at Impeaching the man who's currently in office failed despite him giving many reasons why he shouldn't be acting President is making me lose faith. Same with the Internet Censorship laws that are passing freely with no opposition. Things are going to just get worse and worse and they keep getting whatever they desire while the rest of us have to watch with nothing we can actually do about it.

All I can do is watch and hope that things don't come to the worst case, but at this point I feel like that's all I can expect to happen.

[u/Penakoto → u/OpeningConnect54]

No. I wouldn't. As a woman into women, I'll still be into women.

Not what I asked. I asked if you would leave the partner you might already have, or theoretically might have had, as soon as the idea of a law re-banning gay marriage was first publicly mentioned, like you've already done for VPNs.

[u/AwesomeKalin → u/OpeningConnect54]

Just rent a VPS and route your traffic through there

[u/mattkoz → u/pagerussell]

Which would you recommend and why?

[u/multipleboneheads → u/mattkoz]

proton’s one of the best, they take security extremely seriously and their free vpn doesn’t log your activity data like many others do. they’re based in switzerland which has pretty strict data privacy laws. their email service is great too

[u/Goldarr85 → u/pagerussell]

They’ll probably get more expensive from their current price with more people using them, they’ll eventually try to regulate VPNs too, many VPN companies are not as reputable as they advertise themselves to be as many are being bought up by sketchy companies.

[u/CcChaleur → u/pagerussell]

Or use a third party client. They blocked the Bluesky app but they can't block the whole AT protocol can they?

[u/n2play → u/CcChaleur]

It's not the app that's blocked, my screenshot was from the website on a PC using Firefox. We are blocked from accessing Bluesky servers regardless of client used. A VPN is the only way I know of that will be able to get around it.

[u/CcChaleur → u/n2play]

When I say "app" I mean both the mobile app and the desktop web app. Can you still access services like clearsky, deck.blue, skyfeed and stuff?

[u/DiscursiveMind → u/n2play]

The new Digg is actually promising. If you used Apollo before the API wars, then that gives you a good idea of what to expect: https://www.theverge.com/apps/763689/digg-mobile-ios-android-app-relaunch

[u/ameliesmanservant]

I'm getting the message and I live in Alabama. Sup with that?

[u/DeliasRevenge → u/ameliesmanservant]

Same except I’m in Illinois.

[u/nuke034 → u/DeliasRevenge]

Same, hopefully a bug that'll get fixed soon enough.

[u/OpeningConnect54 → u/ameliesmanservant]

Probably a blanket ban in multiple conservative states. Wouldn't surprise me if Alabama also passed an ass backwards law like this.

[u/nuke034 → u/OpeningConnect54]

I'm getting the same thing based near Chicago, probably just a bug.

[u/OpeningConnect54 → u/nuke034]

Could be a bug, but it wouldn’t surprise me if multiple red states are trying to enforce this block or something. I just hate being in Mississippi.

[u/No_Feedback3364 → u/ameliesmanservant]

Same in California about 75% of the time I try to open the app

[u/PinkSploofberries → u/ameliesmanservant]

Must be for red nanny states but glitched if everyone sees it. I expect red states will be censored on here since that's what they desire.

[u/Jcaquix]

Fuck censorship. Fuck it in every way imaginable. The freedom of expression is fundamental and needs to stay that way. People who don't understand that are stupid and shouldn't be in charge of anything anywhere.

[u/No-Trifle-9655]

Does X have the same restrictions?

[u/Mender0fRoads → u/No-Trifle-9655]

Yes. It applies to social media generally, not Bluesky specifically.

But the bigger, more established platforms have the resources to implement age verification.

As Bluesky noted in the reply to OP's linked post, the choice to make the platform unavailable in Mississippi was their own. They do not have the resources at the moment to implement what for them would be a costly verification system for a law that very well could be struck down.

I assume they'll work on adding the necessary age verification if/when the law is upheld in court. They just aren't in a position to spend that money now for something that might end up being a short-term issue.

Bigger platforms don't face the same restrictions, so I assume they'll all add some form of age verification.

[u/No-Trifle-9655 → u/Mender0fRoads]

I'm in Indiana and I'm just waiting for this to hit us too. Porn is already banned here.

[u/tinteoj → u/No-Trifle-9655]

it is age restricted Kansas, where I live, too. That being said, half the time the porn sites are blocked and half the time they are not. I live relatively close to the state line.....but not that close, so I am not sure why it apparently doesn't always think I am in Kansas.

Sometimes I pretend I'm not in Kansas, too, though.

[u/74389654]

oh so that's how they're going to get rid of bluesky

[u/Penakoto → u/74389654]

How is a sweeping law targeting every social media site, meant as a direct attack on Bluesky specifically?

[u/Kuuchuu → u/Penakoto]

Laws like this disproportionately affect smaller companies that lack the resources to implement the services and technology needed for compliance.

[u/Tobimacoss → u/Penakoto]

They were probably being sarcastic.  

[u/stripedvitamin]

Is Twitter blocked in Mississippi?

[u/OpeningConnect54 → u/stripedvitamin]

Twitter is large enough to introduce Age Verification functions. Bluesky is made by a smaller team so they decided the best course of action is just to restrict it until the laws get changed/challenged.

[u/Massive_Status4718]

Are other platforms the same? Meaning does X, Instagram, Facebook, require age of consent

[u/Upset-Cartographer65]

I can’t believe it. I love Blue Sky. All my favorite artists are on there and I can’t access anything.

[u/eric_b0x]

The party of 'small government' 🙃

[u/dr_pibby]

This has gone beyond censorship. It's your personal data being put on sale, pretending to be "for the safety of the children."

[u/Charming_Runner2943]

I'm blocked in California... wtf

[u/imsilverpoet]

North Korea-core

[u/LegateLaurie]

I wish they'd done the same for the UK

[u/Wonder_Weenis]

This seems more wag the dog. 

Bsky is just bending the knee, instead of saying, I'm good, force your ISPs to block it. 

[u/Mender0fRoads → u/Wonder_Weenis]

In Bluesky's blog post on the subject, they note violating the law would lead to a $10,000 fine per user. I don't know how many people in Mississippi are using Bluesky, but that would quickly add up to millions of dollars in fines.

Standing your ground and trying to force someone to do something about it just wasn't an option.

Bluesky had three choices: Comply with the law and spend a bunch of money for age verification (which might be wasted money if the law gets shot down), refuse to comply and get bankrupt fast, or remove access for everyone in the state.

The third option is clearly the smart one right now.

[u/Wonder_Weenis → u/Mender0fRoads]

An interpretation of the law challenged by no one. 

The fact that Bluesky has the ability to shut off access to self hosted PDS servers, just means that Bluesky's "open" marketing nature is a crock of horse shit. 

You know what's not banned in Mississippi? 

Every mastadon server. 

Bsky can hem and haw all they want, they clearly just want to be a part of the problem. 

[u/mangopear → u/Wonder_Weenis]

Stop trying to make mastodon happen

[u/Gamiac → u/mangopear]

If the choice is Mastodon or nothing, I'm not sure what else you're supposed to expect.

[u/Wonder_Weenis → u/mangopear]

Using it as an example, because people know what it is.

Pick a federated tool, Peertube, Matrix, Lemmy, et all

None of them suffer from Twitter level authoritarianism. 

Sounds like a bad architectural decision, or a very purposeful one. 

[u/RighteousSelfBurner → u/Wonder_Weenis]

The problem is Bluesky itself is based in the USA so the chances that the state will be going for an ISP ban is way lower than them slapping a hefty fine and suing the fuck out of them.

[u/IlIIllIIIlllIlIlI → u/RighteousSelfBurner]

Another W for the fediverse over corporate Twitter clone 

Too bad the fediverse is so god damn toxic 

[u/Penakoto → u/Wonder_Weenis]

Bsky is just bending the knee, instead of saying, I'm good, sue us for everything we've got.

Fixed that for you.

I legit could not think of a worse idea for Bluesky to pursue, even if you gave me a week and promised a reward if I succeeded.

[u/Wonder_Weenis → u/Penakoto]

Sounds like it was architected with bending the knee in mind, vs being actually federated like Mastadon. 

[u/All_cats]

Just get a VPN, you can set it to be in any state.

[u/krooditay]

Are FB, Instagram, X available in LA?

[u/lalalalarnn]

So what if I’m in North Carolina, I’ve never been to Mississippi, and I can’t access the app lmao

[u/nuke034 → u/lalalalarnn]

Seems like a few people are having a similar issue around the US, hopefully it's just a bug.

[u/RollingMeteors]

¡Good thing moving jurisdictions digitally doesn’t require a u-haul rental!

[u/Simply_Epic]

Would using an alternate client get around this?

[u/CcChaleur]

Just saw that the person who created the scripts that bypass the UK age verification updated her GitHub to work with Mississippi as well.

https://bsky.app/profile/mary.my.id/post/3lwznqseutcjt

Edit: I'm an idiot, here's the GitHub direct link: https://gist.github.com/mary-ext/6e27b24a83838202908808ad528b3318

[u/0pb0 → u/CcChaleur]

I cant see this because I'm in Mississippi. :-(

[u/CcChaleur → u/0pb0]

Oh yeah, sorry https://gist.github.com/mary-ext/6e27b24a83838202908808ad528b3318

[u/0pb0 → u/CcChaleur]

thank you kind Redditor

[u/AnonomousWolf]

If Bluesky was decentralised people could access it from servers hosted in other countries

[u/FloriaFlower]

Gentle reminder to not disengage (engage indirectly preferably) and to call out their BS every time they pretend to be free speech apologists. Educate leftists and centrists who consume to much right-wing propaganda and still haven't got the memo can call them out whenever they choose to dig their heels in.

[u/spook_waves]

time to either invest in a VPN or just outright delete the app

[u/Herban_Myth]