Bluesky, a rising competitor to X (formerly Twitter), has announced a new feature aimed at boosting authenticity on its platform. Starting this week, verified accounts on Bluesky will now display a blue check mark — a move designed to help users distinguish real people and organisations from impersonators.
In a blog post released Monday, the platform’s team emphasized the importance of trust in online interactions. “Trust is everything,” they wrote. “We’re taking steps to ensure our users can confidently know who they’re engaging with.”
The feature mirrors an older verification model once used on Twitter to confirm notable or genuine individuals. However, that approach was scrapped by Elon Musk after acquiring the company in 2022. Musk replaced identity-based verification with a subscription-based model, offering blue checks through the X Premium plan — a change that many critics argued made impersonation easier.
Bluesky, founded by Twitter co-creator Jack Dorsey in 2019, was envisioned as a decentralized alternative to traditional social media. Dorsey believed that giving users more control over their data and moderation tools was a better solution to online misinformation and abuse than centralised policing.
Although development was slow, Bluesky officially launched in 2023, shortly after Musk’s controversial acquisition of Twitter. The platform has since attracted over 30 million users and currently allows verification through domain-based handles — a method that over 270,000 users have already adopted.
Now, Bluesky is expanding its verification efforts by assigning blue check marks to “trusted verifiers.” In time, users will be able to submit requests for verification, according to the platform’s roadmap.
Speaking to AFP, Bluesky COO Rose Wang expressed optimism about the platform’s future. “This is our breakout year,” she said. “People want a place that’s safe, engaging, and genuine — and we believe Bluesky is becoming that space.”
