Bluesky updated its impersonation policy to be “more aggressive” after a third-party analysis highlighted its authentication problem. Bluesky Safety’s account said the social media service is removing impersonators and stalkers. Bluesky doesn’t have a standard authentication system, so it’s easy for unscrupulous users to impersonate someone else to get attention or trick other people. That may not have been much of a problem in the past, but the recent influx of new users has thrown the issue into overdrive.
Although users can verify their identity on Bluesky by linking their account to a domain name, the process is not as straightforward as paying for a checkmark. They will need to add a text string to the DNS record associated with their domain so they can look up their URL. For example, we can search for the Engadget.com handle on Bluesky if we go through this authentication process. Individuals can link their accounts to their own domains or pay for Bluesky’s custom domain service. In its new announcement, the platform says it is working with organizations and high-profile individuals to set up their verified handles.
That said, when a user verifies their account, their old handle (usually username.bsky.social) is released and available to other registrants. Alexios Mantzarlis, a third party from Cornell Tech who analyzed the app’s user base, found that 44 percent of Bluesky’s 100 most followed accounts have a doppelganger. That’s why Bluesky now requires parody, satire or fan accounts to label themselves as such on both their handles and their bio. If they don’t, or if they only show their account type in one of those features, they will be treated as an unauthorized person and will be kicked out of the site.
Bluesky now expressly disallows ownership, too. Accounts that start out as impersonators for the purpose of gaining new users, then switch to a different identity in an attempt to circumvent the ban, will still be activated in the app. Finally, it says it’s testing “additional options to improve account verification,” though they’re not ready for release yet.
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