Bluesky, a social networking platform, recently lifted its restriction on heads of state signing up for the service, opening the doors for various officeholders to join. This decision comes ahead of significant elections, such as those in the U.S. and India, scheduled for this year.
During Bluesky’s initial invite-only phase last year, the company explicitly prohibited heads of state from signing up and required users to contact the startup before inviting prominent figures.
However, in February of this year, Bluesky transitioned to an open sign-up system after operating on an invite-only basis for nearly a year.
Bluesky has encountered moderation challenges in the past, including issues with racial slurs in usernames. Users have consistently urged the platform to take a stricter stance against hate speech.
In response to these challenges, Bluesky introduced moderation lists and automated tools for content moderation last December. Additionally, it recently unveiled the Ozone tool, empowering users to create their own moderation and labeling mechanisms.
The platform’s decision to allow political heads to join raises new moderation considerations, as it may encounter novel types of content-related issues. Bluesky will need to adapt and prepare for these potential challenges.
In contrast, Bluesky’s competitor Threads has opted not to actively promote political content. Bluesky users, however, have the flexibility to explore various political content streams without relying on a central algorithm, as they can subscribe to different feeds.
