Bluesky blocks links to leaked archive of US Department of Homeland Security employee data
Social network Bluesky is blocking links to an archive of records on more than 41,000 US Department of Homeland Security employees and contractors, labeling them “malicious.” The company says the data was shared without people's authorization.
Social network Bluesky has begun blocking users from opening links to a newly leaked archive of records on more than 41,000 employees and contractors of the US Department of Homeland Security (DHS). The pages are labeled “malicious.” The case shows how platforms weigh the protection of personal data against public interest in government activity.
The archive was published on Wednesday by the transparency nonprofit Distributed Denial of Secrets (DDoSecrets). It lists names, contact details and membership in internal groups, in some cases tied to surveillance and undercover operations. A WIRED investigation found that the files describe in detail how DHS is organized, from senior leadership to individual immigration agents.
Bluesky's explanation
Bluesky says email addresses and phone numbers were shared without people's authorization, violating its community guidelines. The company chose to block the links rather than remove individual posts, to avoid limiting public discussion or access to reporting and commentary. Bluesky did not respond to questions about whether the block was automatic or whether any government agency asked it to restrict access.
The guidelines bar sharing home addresses, personal contact information, financial or medical data, and identification documents, but protect factual reporting related to government transparency. A preview analyzed by WIRED apparently contained work-related contact details that an expert compared to information printed on a business card.
Other circumstances
The DDoSecrets homepage loads normally from Bluesky, and at least one third-party app, Klearsky, opens links to the archive without warning. DDoSecrets cofounder Emma Best says platforms have previously mislabeled the organization's site as malicious; in 2020, Twitter suspended its account and blocked links after it published BlueLeaks, a trove of internal records from police agencies.
The archive, dubbed “Icepick,” was given to DDoSecrets by a group calling itself the Department of Peace and to journalist maia arson crimew, who also built a search site. Bluesky blocks that site too. On X, the Grok chatbot has pointed users to the site.
