ICE Becomes Third Most-Blocked Account on Bluesky,Sparking Decentralization Debate
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Bluesky,the decentralized social media platform,is facing a reckoning as U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) rapidly becomes one of its most-blocked accounts following official verification on Friday. The surge in blocks underscores a growing tension between the platform’s original ethos of user control and its increasing resemblance to mainstream social media giants.
Government Presence on Bluesky Fuels Backlash
The current wave of blocking builds on earlier discontent. Last October, the White House and several other federal agencies – including the Departments of Homeland Security, Commerce, Transportation, and State – joined bluesky, initially using the platform to deflect blame for a government shutdown. This move promptly made the white House one of the most-blocked accounts, currently holding the No. 2 position, trailing only Vice President J.D. Vance, according to data from the tracking site Clearsky. Clearsky utilizes Bluesky’s API to monitor blocking activity.
Though, ICE’s arrival on the platform was delayed. According to Bluecrawler’s Join Date Checker, the agency’s official account, @icegov.bsky.social, didn’t join bluesky until November 26, 2025. The recent verification of this account appears to have been the catalyst for the current backlash.
Questions Surround ICE Verification
The timing of ICE’s verification has raised eyebrows. According to the independently-run Verified Account Tracker, the verification suggests either a lack of sufficient facts within Bluesky’s team, a failure to recognise the account’s existence – a scenario considered unlikely – or internal debate regarding how to handle the situation. Bluesky has not yet responded to requests for comment.as of today, one tracker indicates the ICE account is over 60% of the way to becoming the most-blocked account on the platform.
ICE maintains a presence on other major social media platforms, including X, Instagram, facebook, YouTube, and LinkedIn, typically securing verification were available.
The controversy surrounding ICE’s presence on Bluesky highlights a fundamental divergence in philosophies between the platform and the broader fediverse. The fediverse, a network of interconnected, independent social media platforms like Mastodon, Pixelfed, and PeerTube, prioritizes user control and community governance. In contrast, Bluesky’s decision to host and verify ICE positions it closer to the centralized model of larger platforms.
The U.S. government has largely avoided establishing a presence on Mastodon, likely due to its smaller user base and the potential for easy blocking by individual server operators. While government agencies could technically establish their own Mastodon servers,other communities could choose not to interact with them,severely limiting their reach.
Mastodon Founder Voices Opposition
This tension was recently exemplified by Eugen Rochko,the founder of Mastodon,who stepped down as CEO in November citing burnout.Rochko recently posted a message on Mastodon stating that “Abolish ICE” doesn’t go “nearly far enough” to address the issues surrounding the agency. Shortly after, he announced he was disconnecting his account from the bridge connecting Mastodon and Bluesky.
Bridging technology, such as the Bridgy Fed project, aims to facilitate interoperability between decentralized platforms, even those using different protocols like Bluesky’s AT Protocol. Coincidentally, Bridgy Fed recently launched a feature allowing users to block entire domains, potentially enabling fediverse users to collectively block U.S.government agencies on Bluesky.
Rochko declined to comment on whether ICE’s participation on bluesky influenced his decision to disconnect the bridge, characterizing it as a “personal” one. However, a broader debate continues within the decentralized social media landscape regarding the merits of bridging different networks with varying approaches to decentralization.
The decision to bridge or not bridge these networks remains a contentious issue, with supporters and critics on both sides.
