Bluesky Safety

The 2026 US midterm elections are on November 3. Today we’re sharing how we’re protecting the electoral process on Bluesky: what our rules cover, how we’re preparing, and how you can help. 🧵

To make a plan to vote, visit the website of Democracy Works, a nonpartisan nonprofit that helps voters find accurate information about their polling place:

The 2026 US midterm elections are on November 3. Today we’re sharing how we’re protecting the electoral process on Bluesky: what our rules cover, how we’re preparing, and how you can help. 🧵

Our work is guided by two commitments that we apply together: we act quickly to take down content that could cause harm—like threats, impersonation, and false voting information—and we protect people’s right to talk about the midterms, including disagreement.

We're aware of a phishing attack that has compromised more than 4,500 accounts. The attack spread through posts promoting a fake offer of a government payment. We have temporarily suspended the compromised accounts and are working with their owners to secure them and restore access.

If your account was suspended, email moderation@blueskyweb.xyz and we will help to get you back into your account. (We also emailed all compromised account holders.) Only enter your Bluesky password in the Bluesky app, bsky.app, or bsky.social.

Dogpiling or harassing users is unacceptable. We have taken recent action against accounts for this behavior, and we will be increasing our efforts, consistent with our Community Guidelines.

We’ve received questions from users about recent changes to the way the app handles account-level moderation labels. The goal of these changes was to reduce accidental exposure of adult content to minors and those who opt out of this content in their personal moderation settings.

Since May 2025, we've removed 8,526 accounts tied to state-backed influence activity on Bluesky. 4,907 of those takedowns happened in 2026 alone, roughly double the rate we saw in 2025. 1/4 🧵

3/ To be clear, Bluesky's systems were not breached. Individual user accounts were compromised, likely via credentials leaked in data breaches. Our detection and remediations are fast: most are actioned within hours of their first post. Posts averaged 50 views before takedown. 3/4

Since May 2025, we've removed 8,526 accounts tied to state-backed influence activity on Bluesky. 4,907 of those takedowns happened in 2026 alone, roughly double the rate we saw in 2025. 1/4 🧵

Last year, Bluesky introduced a strike system to help enforce our Community Guidelines and bring greater precision and consistency to our moderation practices. Here’s how it works. 🧵

If your account has been suspended, you can appeal directly within the Bluesky app. Successful appeals restore your account and end any suspension.

Last year, Bluesky introduced a strike system to help enforce our Community Guidelines and bring greater precision and consistency to our moderation practices. Here’s how it works. 🧵

Not every violation results in an immediate suspension. Users are notified of infractions and the strikes they’ve accumulated. As strikes accumulate, enforcement escalates from temporary suspensions to a permanent ban.

Last year, Bluesky introduced a strike system to help enforce our Community Guidelines and bring greater precision and consistency to our moderation practices. Here’s how it works. 🧵

We’re aware of a recent increase in automated spam and account compromises on @bsky.app. We’re actively removing violating content, banning violating users, and working to restore impacted accounts to their rightful owners.

We have found no evidence that our systems have been compromised. If you're concerned about your account, please enable two-factor authentication and reset your password. bsky.social/about/blog/5...

Incident report: Earlier this week, our automated moderation system incorrectly labeled ~32,000 accounts as requiring moderator review. Here’s what happened, what we fixed, and the current status. 1/5

The issue stemmed from a connector between our moderation tool and automation system. After a restart, it failed to resume from the correct point and replayed past events - as far back as 2024. 4/5

Incident report: Earlier this week, our automated moderation system incorrectly labeled ~32,000 accounts as requiring moderator review. Here’s what happened, what we fixed, and the current status. 1/5

A system failure caused older moderation events to be reprocessed as if they were new. This triggered account-level review labels, even though no recent activity had occurred. We identified this after investigating a user report. 2/5

If you want to change Bluesky’s default moderation settings, go to your moderation settings on the web - bsky.app/moderation. Apple limits adult-content controls inside iOS apps, so you won’t see those options on the iPhone app itself. 1/2

We're announcing a new partnership with StopNCII.org to prevent non-consensual intimate imagery (NCII) from spreading on Bluesky. While NCII hasn't been frequent on our platform, these incidents are devastating for victims and preventing them is a top safety priority. 1/4

When we detect a new match to these fingerprints, our moderators review and block the content before it appears online. You can create hashes directly through StopNCII.org. Alternatively - report NCII through our in-app reporting under Adult Content > Non-Consensual Intimate Imagery. 3/4

We're announcing a new partnership with StopNCII.org to prevent non-consensual intimate imagery (NCII) from spreading on Bluesky. While NCII hasn't been frequent on our platform, these incidents are devastating for victims and preventing them is a top safety priority. 1/4

🔐 Account Security Thread 🔐 We're seeing an increased number of phishing and social engineering attempts targeting Bluesky users. While we're working hard to protect you, here are essential steps YOU can take to secure your account and stay safe. 1/10 🧵👇

📝 QUICK SECURITY CHECKLIST: ✓ Strong, unique password ✓ 2FA enabled ✓ App passwords reviewed ✓ Suspicious DMs reported ✓ Never share login credentials ✓ Verify official communications 9/10

🔐 Account Security Thread 🔐 We're seeing an increased number of phishing and social engineering attempts targeting Bluesky users. While we're working hard to protect you, here are essential steps YOU can take to secure your account and stay safe. 1/10 🧵👇

🎣 RECOGNIZE PHISHING - Scammers often impersonate Bluesky staff. Our accounts have blue verification checkmarks—if an account looks like Bluesky but lacks the checkmark, it's not official. When in doubt, don't engage. 7/10

🔐 Account Security Thread 🔐 We're seeing an increased number of phishing and social engineering attempts targeting Bluesky users. While we're working hard to protect you, here are essential steps YOU can take to secure your account and stay safe. 1/10 🧵👇

⚠️ VERIFICATION SCAM WARNING - We will NEVER DM you about account verification. Messages from "Bluesky staff" or services offering to get your account verified through DMs are scams. Report and block immediately. 5/10

🔐 Account Security Thread 🔐 We're seeing an increased number of phishing and social engineering attempts targeting Bluesky users. While we're working hard to protect you, here are essential steps YOU can take to secure your account and stay safe. 1/10 🧵👇

🛡️ ENABLE 2FA - Add an extra security layer via Settings > Privacy and Security > Enable 2FA. While Bluesky 2FA helps protect your account, make sure your email also has 2FA enabled for maximum protection. 3/10

🔐 Account Security Thread 🔐 We're seeing an increased number of phishing and social engineering attempts targeting Bluesky users. While we're working hard to protect you, here are essential steps YOU can take to secure your account and stay safe. 1/10 🧵👇