Two years after launching, social community Bluesky is revising its Community Guidelines and other policies, and asking for suggestions from its customers on a few of the modifications. The startup, a competitor to X, Threads, and open networks like Mastodon, says its new insurance policies are supposed to supply improved readability and extra element round its person security procedures and the appeals course of.
Lots of the modifications are being pushed by new world rules, together with the UK On-line Security Act (OSA), the EU Digital Companies Act (DSA), and the US TAKE IT DOWN Act.
A few of the modifications characterize an effort by Bluesky to purposefully form its group and the habits of its customers, nudging them to be nicer and extra respectful of others. This comes after a collection of complaints and media articles suggesting the group tends in direction of self-seriousness, bad-news sharing, and a lack of humor and diversity of thought.
For regulatory compliance, Bluesky’s Terms of Service have been up to date to adjust to on-line security legal guidelines and rules, and to require age assurance the place required. For example, in July, the UK’s On-line Security Act started requiring that platforms with grownup content material to implement age verification, which suggests Bluesky users in the country should both scan their face, add their ID, or enter a cost card to make use of the positioning.
The method for complaints and appeals can also be now extra detailed.
One notable replace references an “casual dispute decision course of,” the place Bluesky agrees to speak on the cellphone with a person about their dispute earlier than any formal dispute course of takes place. “We expect most disputes might be resolved informally,” Bluesky notes.
That’s fairly completely different from what’s happening at bigger social networks, like Fb and Instagram, the place customers are being banned with none understanding of what they did unsuitable and no solution to get in contact with the corporate to complain.
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Bluesky additionally says it should enable customers to resolve sure claims of hurt in courtroom, as a substitute of via arbitration. That is additionally considerably uncommon for tech corporations that always prefer to mediate disputes outdoors the courts.
Nevertheless, Bluesky customers could also be extra within the proposed modifications to the Group Tips, which they’re invited to offer feedback about. (The modifications go into impact Oct. 15, 2025 after the suggestions interval completes).
These revised tips are organized round 4 ideas: Security First, Respect Others, Be Genuine, and Comply with the Guidelines. These normal ideas are supposed to information Bluesky’s moderation selections round whether or not content material needs to be labeled or eliminated, if the corporate can droop or ban your account, or, in some circumstances, report you to regulation enforcement.
Bluesky’s guidelines embody many common sense insurance policies round not selling violence or hurt (together with self-harm and animal abuse), not posting content material that’s unlawful, that which sexualizes minors (together with in roleplay), and disallowing dangerous actions like doxxing and different non-consensual private data-sharing, or posting spam or malicious content material, amongst different issues.
It carves out provisions for journalism, parody, and satire. For example, journalists engaged in “factual reporting” can put up about felony acts and violence, psychological well being, on-line security, and different subjects, like warnings of on-line viral challenges that could be dangerous.
The place Bluesky might get into bother is with the nuances of what’s thought of a “risk,” “hurt,” or “abuse.”
The coverage states that customers ought to “respect others” by not posting, selling, or encouraging “hate, harassment, or bullying.” For instance, the coverage bans exploitive deepfakes and content material that “incites discrimination or hatred,” that means posts that assault people or teams primarily based on “race, ethnicity, faith, gender identification, sexual orientation, incapacity, or different protected traits.”
That is an space the place Bluesky has faltered earlier than, when, in earlier days, its moderation selections strained its relationship with the Black group, and, in one other case, when its failure to average angered the trans group.
Extra just lately, the corporate has been dealing with backlash that it’s turn out to be too left-leaning, the place customers have been fast to criticize, post hateful replies, and the place the group usually lacked humor.
The unique concept behind Bluesky was to supply customers with instruments to create the group they need, together with not solely blocking and reporting instruments, however others, like subscribable block lists or opt-in moderation providers that align along with your values. Nevertheless, Bluesky customers have nonetheless proven a desire for the app itself to deal with a lot of the moderation, railing against its belief and security division when it made selections they disagreed with.
As well as, Bluesky’s Privacy Policy and Copyright Policy have been additionally rewritten to adjust to world legal guidelines round person rights, knowledge switch, retention and deletion, takedown procedures, transparency reporting, and extra. These each go into impact on September 15, 2025, and there’s no suggestions interval for both.