Bluesky Adds Blue Tick for Verification

Bluesky announced on Monday that it is rolling out blue check verification on its platform.

Like Twitter’s original blue check (RIP), Bluesky’s blue check will verify that notable accounts are legitimate, enabling users to trust that an account’s posts are real.

In its earliest phase, Bluesky will work with a select few “Trusted Verifiers,” which are independent organizations that can verify accounts as members of their team. For example, a company could verify members of its public relations team with blue checks, making it easier for users to see that they can be trusted as sources of company news.

The platform says that its moderation team will verify each new verification to validate authenticity.

Bluesky already had a form of verification, letting any user set a domain they own as their username. For example, the users know that the account is real because it is verified by its domain name, which an impersonator would not be able to access.

In the case of public figures like celebrities, journalists, and politicians, the additional layer of verification can help the platform cut down on disinformation from impersonators. 

According to Bluesky, 270,000 accounts have linked their Bluesky username to a website.

“Domain handles continue to be an important part of verification on Bluesky,” the Bluesky team said in a statement. “At the same time, we’ve heard from users that a larger visual signal would be useful in knowing which accounts are authentic.”

At launch, Bluesky is not accepting applications for verification, but announced plans to launch a request form in the future.