Bluesky, a Twitter competitor, reveals plans for content moderation
Former Twitter CEO and co-founder Jack Dorsey is backing the decentralised social media platform Bluesky, which has recently unveiled its proposals for content moderation and safety measures. Powered by the AT Protocol, Bluesky aims to provide users with a social media experience that prioritises community-centric moderation. While the platform is currently controlled by the Bluesky team, the ultimate goal is to enable users to migrate to other social media platforms using the protocol, thereby promoting decentralisation and avoiding a monopolistic structure.
The three key proposals put forth by Bluesky concentrate on user lists, reply-gating, and thread moderation, as well as labelling and moderation controls and hashtags. User lists allow Bluesky users to create curated lists and choose whether to share them or keep them private.
The proposals also address the issue of controlling who can respond to posts. Bluesky suggests implementing mechanisms to prevent random users from participating and instead encouraging trusted community members to engage in discussions. Various methods to ensure the quality of replies in a thread are being considered.
In addition, Bluesky has outlined guidelines for labelling mature content and its impact on moderation practises. They have also discussed ways to enhance the accessibility and usefulness of hashtags.
Bluesky acknowledges that there are still technical challenges to overcome before these proposals can be fully implemented. For instance, the development of “Block Lists” has been delayed due to concerns about fan-out costs. However, Bluesky is sharing these proposals with around 75% confidence that the technical challenges can be resolved. The proposals have been made available on GitHub for public reference.
Bluesky app users will also be subject to new Community Guidelines that prohibit discrimination, the promotion of harm, the dissemination of criminal media, and misleading impersonation. Violators of these guidelines may face temporary suspension or permanent removal from the platform, and their posts may be taken down.
Currently in private beta, Bluesky is inviting select users to join the platform to facilitate improvements and prevent an overwhelming influx of accounts or malicious users. Jay Graber serves as the CEO of Bluesky, while Jack Dorsey sits on the board of directors.
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