Bluesky to Enhance Verification and Combat Impersonation

Bluesky Addresses Impersonation Concerns Amidst Rapid Growth

With an increasing number of celebrities and prominent influencers joining Bluesky, the burgeoning social media platform is experiencing heightened concerns regarding account impersonation and the authentication of user identities.

The Bluesky Safety team announced on Friday an update to their impersonation policy, describing it as “more aggressive.” This signifies a firm stance against both impersonation and the practice of registering usernames with the intent to mimic others.

Increased Moderation Efforts

The company stated that its capacity to respond to impersonation reports will be significantly improved due to a fourfold increase in the size of its moderation team.

Despite this expansion, a substantial backlog of moderation requests remains, attributed to the recent surge in new user registrations.

User Confusion and Self-Verification

Over recent weeks, a noticeable trend has emerged on Bluesky: users frequently questioning the authenticity of accounts, asking “Is this a real person or a parody account?” often without conclusive answers.

In response, some users have proactively begun compiling their own lists and creating verification badges to help distinguish genuine accounts.

Current Verification Methods

Unlike platforms like X (formerly Twitter), Bluesky currently does not employ a traditional verified user badge.

Instead, the platform relies on alternative indicators of trustworthiness, such as verified domains within user handles.

For instance, accounts affiliated with the Bluesky team are identifiable by the “bsky.team” domain in their username.

Ongoing Efforts to Verify Organizations and Individuals

Bluesky has confirmed it is actively assisting numerous organizations and high-profile individuals in establishing verified domain handles.

Parody and Fan Account Guidelines

Parody and fan accounts are permitted on Bluesky, provided they clearly identify themselves as such in both their display name and biographical information.

The platform explicitly prohibits “identity churning,” meaning the creation of an impersonation account solely to accumulate followers before switching to a different identity to evade detection.

Future Verification Plans

Bluesky CEO Jay Graber indicated earlier this week that the company is considering further enhancements to account verification.

These potential improvements could involve enabling third-party applications or organizations to provide their own verification services.

Graber explained that users could then choose to trust Bluesky’s verification or rely on external sources.

Exploring Additional Verification Options

The Bluesky Safety team concluded their update by acknowledging user feedback regarding the desire for more robust identity verification methods beyond domain verification.

They are currently investigating additional options to improve account verification and anticipate sharing further details in the near future.