Bluesky, the social platform often seen as a less chaotic and open alternative to X, has finally announced plans for an account verification system. The core idea is to put a blue tick as a visual identifier for all accounts belonging to important figures.
The company, however, is taking a slightly different route, compared to how blue tick verification now works on platforms such as X and Meta-owned Facebook and Instagram. So far, the only way to exist as a verified account on Bluesky was putting a business or institution’s name in the domain.
That approach, however, didn’t always work. Late in 2024, the company had to grapple with the menace of impersonation and handle-squatting. The company subsequently tightened its policy around such activity and said a robust verification system will arrive soon.
How will Bluesky verification work?
Bluesky will verify accounts through a couple of methods. In the first wave, it will select important public figures and bestow a blue checkmark icon on their social account. This is the system that was initially followed by X (back when it went by Twitter) and Meta-owned platforms.
“Bluesky will proactively verify authentic and notable accounts and display a blue check next to their names,” says the company. The approach is familiar, but the criteria that decide which account is “important” or “notable” enough remain a mystery.
For now, Bluesky will cherry-pick important accounts that will get a blue checkmark appearing before their user name. More importantly, you can not request to get your account verified.
“As this feature stabilizes, we’ll launch a request form for notable and authentic accounts interested in becoming verified or becoming trusted verifiers,” the company says in a blog post.
Giving power to trusted institutions
In addition to vetting and giving a blue check to accounts at its discretion, Bluesky is also setting up a Trusted Verifiers system. These are independent bodies, such as a media house or government agency, that can verify the accounts of their important employees.
The account of Trusted Verifiers will have its own blue tick, but it will appear as a scalloped blue check. The personal accounts they verify will have the familiar rounded check mark.
Personal accounts that are authenticated by a third-party, such as a journalist profile issued a blue tick by a media organization, would still go through a check by Bluesky’s team. Viewers can also check if an account was verified by Bluesky directly or by a trusted body.
Why is it better than X and Meta?
X, Facebook, and Instagram started off by verifying important or notable accounts through their own team. They focused on politicians, actors, sportsmen, and other important figures who are at risk of impersonation and could lead to online scams.
The Elon Musk-owned platform ended the in-house verification system. Instead, the company started offering blue checks to any account that paid for a premium subscription. This approach has opened the doors for a lot of online nuisances.
“There is evidence of motivated malicious actors abusing the ‘verified account’ to deceive users,” the European Commission said in a notice released in 2024. A year before that, Kaspersky also warned that fake accounts with a blue tick mark are impersonating brands to dupe users.
The most recent analysis came out in January this year, detailing how the X Premium subscription is being abused by scammers. The folks over at Sentinel One discovered that verified accounts are being exploited to hawk sham crypto projects.
Likewise, Meta now offers a subscription tool that will give you a verified blue tick mark on Instagram and Facebook, one that extends to Threads, as well. It doesn’t really help with enhancing the account reach, but ensures priority access to Meta support.
“Paying an extra $15 a month for a blue checkmark ultimately did exactly what I expected — nothing. My kids, in fact, think it’s lame to pay for that sort of vanity,” wrote Digital Trends’ Phil Nickinson after trying Meta Verified for his Instagram account.
In a nutshell, Meta and X’s approach lost the true meaning and purpose of having a blue check mark on one’s social profile. It used to stand for notability, importance, and trust. Now, you can simply buy it for the same amount as a tall glass of overpriced sugar-bomb coffee.
It’s heartening to see that at least an upstart like Bluesky is still doing it the right way.