Social network BlueSky has verified the age of users in Ohio and has complied with new regulations starting Monday, September 29th. The company that offers open, decentralized competitors to X and threads says it will enable the state’s Children’s Web Services (KWS) age verification solution. This is the same solution that Blueski already adheres to similar laws in South Dakota and Wyoming.
Bluesky announced its move in Ohio via its Bluesky Safety account on Sunday, and announced an update to its blog post on the issue last month.
Given the lack of federal guidance, changes occur as many USes deploy their own age verification laws to protect children from online risks. Ohio law is intended to protect children from pornography and requires Ohio users to upload a government-issued photo ID or other personal identification copy before accessing adult content. This includes the types of adult content you can find on social networks.
KWS provides a technology infrastructure that allows Bluesky to verify the age of users by providing multiple ways, not only uploading government-issued identity documents. According to its website, KWS can also be verified by users through face scans, payment cards, and more.
Unfortunately for our users, not all of these age guarantee laws are written as the same.
One law deployed in Mississippi was inadequately written and used an overly broad language, which led Bluesky to stop services in the state. The startup explained that as a small team, they didn’t have the resources to make the substantial technical changes needed to follow. This has opened the state to large competitors like Meta, who continue to dominate the social networking market.
These legal requirements can ultimately hurt small startups like Bluesky. Bluesky still works to gain traction under the shadows of the Tech Giant Meta. If you need to check your age, it can block potential new users and distract your team from other areas where you can innovate, such as features, protocols, and other underlying technologies.
The addition of age verification for Ohio users comes just after some Bluesky users began opposing the company’s moderation service and conditions updates. Bluesky recently committed to more aggressively punishing people who violate the site’s guidelines, including rules for harassment and toxic content.
