Bluesky blocks links to DHS employee records leak

What happened

• Bluesky is blocking users from opening links to a newly leaked archive of records on more than 41,000 Department of Homeland Security employees and contractors, labeling the pages "malicious."
• Bluesky told WIRED the files include email addresses and phone numbers "shared without their authorization," in violation of its community guidelines.
• Bluesky said it chose to block the links rather than remove individual posts "to avoid limiting public discussion or restricting broader access to reporting and commentary."
• The records were published Wednesday by the transparency nonprofit Distributed Denial of Secrets and list employees' and contractors' names, contact information and membership in internal groups, in some cases tied to surveillance and undercover operations, according to WIRED.
• Users who try to open the archive through Bluesky's website or app land on a "Blocked Link" page saying the URL was identified as "malicious" and blocked for their safety; at least one third-party app, Klearsky, opens the links without warning.
• Bluesky did not respond to questions about whether the block was automatic or whether any government agency asked the company to restrict access to the data.
• DDoSecrets cofounder Emma Best said this is not the first time a social media platform has labeled the organization's site malicious or tried to restrict access to its publications, citing Twitter's 2020 suspension of the group's account and blocking of links after it published BlueLeaks.

Why it matters

The block shows how a major social platform is applying its moderation rules to a large leak of government employee data, while the same open protocol lets third-party apps bypass the restriction.

What is unknown

It is unclear whether Bluesky's block was applied automatically or at the request of a government agency; the company did not answer those questions. The archive's full contents and accuracy have not been independently verified beyond WIRED's review of a preview, and Bluesky's guidelines also protect factual reporting on government transparency, which may bear on how such cases are handled.