Bluesky Revamps Policies and Community Guidelines with Key Updates
Bluesky, a burgeoning social network, has introduced an extensive update to its Community Guidelines and policies, seeking user feedback on these changes. As it positions itself alongside competitors like X, Threads, and networks such as Mastodon, the company emphasizes enhancing user safety procedures and clarifying the appeals process.
Driven largely by new global regulations, notably the U.K.’s Online Safety Act, the EU’s Digital Services Act, and the U.S.’s TAKE IT DOWN Act, Bluesky's revisions mark a significant shift. These adjustments aim to foster a community where users exhibit respect and kindness, countering past criticisms about a lack of diversity, seriousness, and humor.
Changes to the Terms of Service require age verification for adult content, adhering to current online safety laws. For example, the U.K. demands age confirmation through face scans, ID uploads, or payment card details, reflecting the global drive for digital safety.
Bluesky's new regulations outline a detailed complaint and appeal process, introducing an innovative "informal dispute resolution" where users may discuss issues via phone before formal proceedings, setting the platform apart from its larger counterparts like Facebook and Instagram, which lack direct dispute channels.
The shift also allows users to bring certain harm claims to court, offering an alternative to arbitration, which many tech firms prefer. Despite Bluesky's intention for users to self-moderate via tools like block lists, there remains a call for the platform to manage moderation more actively, as seen in recent user feedback.
The impending changes, open for user input until October 2025, center on principles such as Safety First, Respect for Others, Authenticity, and Rule Compliance. They include ordinary guidelines against violence, harmful actions, and illegal activities while protecting journalistic and satirical expression.
Bluesky seeks to refine its moderation stance with clearer policies on "threat," "harm," and "abuse," particularly around hate, harassment, and bullying, aligning itself against content targeting protected characteristics like race and gender identity.
Additionally, Bluesky updates its Privacy and Copyright policies to fulfill legal requirements regarding user data rights, transfer, and retention, effective from mid-September 2025, despite no feedback window for these sections.
