The decentralized Twitter/X alternative social network Bluesky has updated its impersonation policy to fend off fake accounts from the platform in hopes of driving confidence among users that "the accounts they interact with are authentic." It detailed the several changes in a six-part announcement post made through the Bluesky Safety account.
Bluesky said its updated impersonation policy is now more "aggressive" and will remove accounts indulged in impersonation and handle-squatting. It is also working with high-profile accounts on the platform to help them set up their verified domain handles.
Bluesky's verification problem was recently highlighted in a third-party analysis, revealing that about 44% of the top 100 most followed accounts have at least one doppelganger account. Following user feedback wanting more ways to verify their identity, the social network is exploring ways to "enhance account verification" and will share updates in the future.
The social network started as an invite-only platform but got an influx of new users after it opened the doors for everyone. As a result, Bluesky has piled up a backlog of moderation reports. It has now quadrupled the size of its moderation team to quickly process impersonation reports.
Bluesky will allow parody, satire, and fan accounts. Still, the updated policy now requires such accounts to clearly label themselves in both the display name and bio to alert other users that the account isn't official.
This is similar to how YouTube updated its policy last year regarding fan accounts, taking a toll on accounts that try to impersonate others. Bluesky will attach an impersonation label for accounts that fail to convey their intention in any of these places.
Identity churning is another thing that's on Bluesky's radar this time. It's the process of changing an account's identity to mislead users. For instance, if someone creates an impersonation account to attract followers and then switches to a different identity to keep that account. Bluesky said it will remove such accounts from its platform.
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