Bluesky has rolled out an official verification system, complete with a familiar-looking blue checkmark. While the addition of this feature brings the app even closer to becoming an X clone, the new system does have a slightly different approach for verifying accounts. At the very least, there doesn’t seem to be any inclusion of paid badges.
According to Bluesky, it will proactively verify authentic and notable accounts and assign blue checks to them. Certain independent organisations also have the ability to directly verify accounts via an additional Trusted Verifiers feature. Of course, these verifications will be checked by Bluesky to ensure their authenticity.
An example of a trusted verifier is The New York Times, which can hand out verified badges to its journalists. To distinguish trusted verifiers from regular verified accounts, the badges for these accounts feature scalloped edges rather than smooth. Additionally, users can tap on an account’s badge to see which organisations have granted the verification. For those who wish to hide verification, Bluesky has also given them the option to do so in the settings.
The introduction of this feature is a major change for the social media app, as it has previously avoided introducing a centralised verification system. The platform has used a domain-based system in the past, where users can use handles that match the domains they are associated with. However, this approach has faced criticism for being too complicated and ineffective at preventing impersonation.
That said, not everyone might be a fan of the new verification system. Neowin reported that users closely following the platform’s development have expressed their concerns on the matter, arguing that the new system would turn the app into another X and that users flocked to Bluesky to escape from such spaces. Another commenter reportedly argued that the badges are redundant and give too much power to centralised entities, Bluesky included. The disgruntled comments have since been removed from the conversation.
