With the rapid growth of Bluesky, the social media platform has been facing an increasing number of concerns regarding impersonation and verified identity. These issues have prompted the Bluesky Safety team to take action and update their policies to address these challenges more effectively.
- Enhanced Impersonation Policy:
- The company has made its impersonation policy more aggressive, aiming to crack down on impersonation and handle-squatting accounts by removing them promptly.
- The moderation team has been expanded fourfold to ensure quicker response times to impersonation reports, although there is still a backlog of reports due to the influx of new users.
- Lack of Verified User Badge:
- Unlike other platforms like Twitter, Bluesky does not have a verified user badge. Instead, it relies on signals like verified domains in user handles to denote the authenticity of an account.
- Bluesky is working on assisting organizations and high-profile individuals in setting up their verified domain handles for added trustworthiness.
- Guidelines for Parodies and Fan Accounts:
- Parodies and fan accounts are permitted on Bluesky as long as they clearly identify themselves in the display name and bio to prevent confusion with official accounts.
- “Identity churning,” where users repeatedly change their identities to gain followers, is prohibited, and such accounts will be removed.
In a recent statement, Bluesky CEO Jay Graber hinted at the possibility of introducing more verification methods in the future. The company may explore partnerships with other apps and organizations to offer alternative verification services, allowing users to choose the verification method they prefer.
In response to user feedback, the Bluesky Safety team acknowledged the demand for additional ways to verify identity beyond domain verification. They are actively exploring new options to enhance account verification and plan to share more details in the near future.
In conclusion, Bluesky is committed to addressing concerns surrounding impersonation and verified identity on its platform. By implementing stricter policies, expanding moderation teams, and exploring new verification methods, Bluesky aims to create a safer and more trustworthy environment for its users.
