Bluesky ICE Official Account Block: Massive User Backlash After Verification

It took only a few days to reach the No. 3 spot. Following its official verification on January 16, 2026, the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) account has become one of the most-blocked profiles on Bluesky. Users are making it clear that government surveillance agencies aren't welcome in their decentralized digital space.

Bluesky ICE Account Block Surge and User Metrics

According to the third-party tracking site Clearsky, ICE currently sits just behind Vice President J.D. Vance (No. 1) and the White House (No. 2) on the platform's most-blocked list. The account, @icegov.bsky.social, originally joined on November 26, 2025, but the recent verification badge acted as a catalyst for a coordinated blocking campaign.

One tracker indicates that ICE is over 60% of the way to becoming the absolute most-blocked account on the network. This rapid ascent highlights the tension between Bluesky's growth into a mainstream social giant and its roots in the open social web.

The Fediverse Friction and Protocol Divides

The move has also sparked friction with the wider fediverse. Eugen Rochko, founder of Mastodon, recently opted his account out of the bridge connecting Mastodon and Bluesky, citing personal reasons amid the ICE controversy. Unlike Bluesky, Mastodon's ActivityPub protocol allows individual server admins to block government entities entirely, effectively curbing their reach.