Bluesky Is Blocking Links to a Major Leak of DHS Employee Records
Bluesky tells WIRED it blocked links to a leaked archive of information on 41,000 ICE, CBP, and other DHS workers because it contains people’s contact information, shared without their authorization.
Bluesky, a decentralized social media platform, is blocking links to a leaked archive of over 41,000 Department of Homeland Security (DHS) employee records. The DHS records were published on Wednesday by the transparency nonprofit Distributed Denial of Secrets (DDoSecrets) and list sensitive information such as names, contact details, and membership in internal groups.
The leaked archive outlines the organization's structure, from senior leadership to individual immigration agents. Some files may even reveal who has access to certain technologies. When users attempt to access the archive through Bluesky, they are redirected to a page labeled "Blocked Link" and informed that the URL has been identified as "malicious" and blocked for their safety.
Bluesky's current community guidelines prohibit sharing "home addresses, personal contact info, financial or medical data, or identification documents." However, the leaked DHS records appear to contain work-related contact information, which some experts describe as details that would be printed "on a business card." Despite its community guidelines, Bluesky chose to block the links rather than remove individual posts, aiming to avoid limiting public discussion and restricting broader access to reporting and commentary.
The DHS records were initially shared by DDoSecrets, a nonprofit organization dedicated to transparency. DDoSecrets obtained the files from a group called the Department of Peace, which received them through an anonymous source. WIRED found that the leaked files detail how DHS is organized, including senior leadership and individual roles. It also appears that some files show who has access to specific technologies.
Other social media platforms have faced similar issues with the DDoSecrets leak. Twitter suspended DDoSecrets' account in 2020, prior to Elon Musk's acquisition and the X rebrand, and blocked links to its website after the group published BlueLeaks. DDoSecrets insists that tech platforms cannot prevent the information from spreading, stating, "They can't stop the signal."
In contrast to Bluesky's approach, X allows its Grok chatbot to point users to the Icepick website, describing it as a "cleaned searchable web tool." X's response to WIRED's request for comment was not immediately available.
Written by urgent.news from Wired's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
