Bluesky is preventing users from accessing links to a newly released archive containing records on more than 41,000 Department of Homeland Security employees and contractors, according to reporting published by WIRED. The social media platform labels the pages as "malicious" and blocks them for user safety. The files, which were published Wednesday by transparency nonprofit Distributed Denial of Secrets, include employee and contractor names, contact details, and membership in internal groups—some linked to surveillance and undercover operations.
The leaked DHS records contain people's email addresses and phone numbers that were shared without authorization, according to Bluesky's statement to WIRED. A WIRED investigation discovered that the files detail how DHS is structured, ranging from senior leadership down to individual immigration agents, and in certain instances seem to reveal who can access particular technologies. Users attempting to view the archive through Bluesky's website or app encounter a "Blocked Link" page stating the URL has been flagged as "malicious" and restricted for their protection. The organization's homepage for Distributed Denial of Secrets loads without issue from Bluesky, and at least one third-party application, Klearsky, opens the DHS archive links without any warning.
Bluesky explained to WIRED that it opted to block the links rather than delete individual posts "to avoid limiting public discussion or restricting broader access to reporting and commentary." The company didn't answer questions about whether the restriction was applied automatically or if any government agency requested the company limit access to the information. The platform's current community guidelines prohibit sharing "home addresses, personal contact info, financial or medical data, or identification documents," though a preview of the leaked data analyzed by WIRED appeared to contain work-related contact information that one expert characterized as details typically printed "on a business card." Those same guidelines explicitly safeguard "factual reporting" on public interest matters "related to government transparency and public officials."
This isn't the first time social media companies have restricted access to Distributed Denial of Secrets publications. Twitter suspended the organization's account in 2020, before Elon Musk's acquisition and the X rebrand, and blocked links to its site after the group released BlueLeaks, a 269-gigabyte collection of internal records from hundreds of police agencies and fusion centers. Emma Best, who cofounded DDoSecrets, says tech platforms frequently yield to government pressure but maintains they can't prevent information from circulating. A group identifying itself as the Department of Peace provided the archive, called "Icepick," to DDoSecrets and journalist maia arson crimew, who also created a searchable website for the records—Bluesky blocks that site as well. Meanwhile, at least one competitor has taken a different approach: on X, the Grok chatbot directed interested users to the Icepick website, describing it as a "cleaned searchable web tool" and noting that the full dataset is available through DDoSecrets' site or by torrent. Bluesky promotes a decentralized content moderation approach that allows users to choose independent services for labeling or filtering posts, though the company appears to have made this blocking decision centrally. The tension between protecting personal information and enabling transparency reporting may continue to challenge platforms as leaks of government data become more common.