Bluesky, a social networking platform, has implemented measures to block access to a recently leaked archive containing records of over 41,000 Department of Homeland Security (DHS) employees and contractors. The leaked files, shared without authorization, include names, email addresses, phone numbers, and details of internal group memberships, some of which are linked to surveillance and undercover operations. The archive was published by Distributed Denial of Secrets (DDoSecrets), a transparency nonprofit, and has raised significant concerns about data privacy and security.
In response, Bluesky has labeled the links to the archive as 'malicious' and has opted to block these links rather than removing individual posts. This decision aligns with their community guidelines, which restrict sharing personal contact information but protect factual reporting on government transparency. Despite the block, the DDoSecrets homepage remains accessible from Bluesky, and some third-party apps like Klearsky still allow access to the DHS archive without restrictions.
Bluesky was initially developed as a Twitter research project and became an independent entity in 2024. It now supports a decentralized content moderation approach that empowers users to choose independent services for labeling and filtering posts. This incident echoes past challenges faced by DDoSecrets on other platforms, such as Twitter's previous suspension of their account after publishing the BlueLeaks files. Emma Best, cofounder of DDoSecrets, highlights that tech platforms often succumb to government pressure to limit access to sensitive information but maintains that the spread of information is ultimately unstoppable.
The leaked archive, referred to as 'Icepick,' was provided to DDoSecrets by a group named the Department of Peace and has been made searchable via a dedicated website developed by journalist maia arson crimew. While Bluesky blocks this site, its competitor X has taken a different approach, with the Grok chatbot directing users to the Icepick website and providing instructions for accessing the dataset via DDoSecrets or torrent.
