It seems BlueSky is serious about offering boots to some users. The company says it will do more to “enforce moderation policies to better cultivate spaces for healthy conversation.”
This is part of a broader update to social media companies’ community guidelines after asking users in August to provide feedback on previous drafts of these changes. In a new blog post, the company has received comments from more than 14,000 community members, saying it was “particularly heard from community members who shared concerns about how guidelines affect creative expression and traditionally marginalized voices.”
“After considering this feedback and returning to its experimental roots, we are trying to encourage constructive dialogue and focus on enforcing rules for harassment and toxic content,” the company said. “First of all, we intend to increase our enforcement efforts.”
As part of its enforcement, Bluesky said it would “escalate enforcement actions more quickly towards account restrictions.” When asked for more details, a Bluesky spokesman told TechCrunch that if they move forward, users who violate the guidelines will receive fewer warnings before their accounts are deactivated.
Additionally, the company will “make a product change that makes clear when content is likely to violate community guidelines,” so users will likely also present further warnings before posting content that could violate the guidelines.
Who is banned and why remains a difficult question for Blueski (for most social networks). For example, there have been repeated complaints that it has been unfairly suspended in view of funding for Palestinians in Gaza.
Recently, many users have criticized Bruski’s decision to temporarily suspend horror writer Gretchen Felker Martin due to her now-opinional comments on Charlie Kirk’s filming. Author Roxane Gay described Bluesky’s decision as “unacceptable”, “authorized” and “absolute shame,” along with the cancellation of DC Comics’ Felker-Martin’s “Red Hood” comic book.
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Felker Martin responded succinctly to Blueski’s post, which announced a new guidelines that “this suck.”
In addition to criticism from more left-leaning users, Bluesky also faces ongoing complaints that it has become a liberal echo chamber. (And it seems there are definitely users who can’t joke about it.)
The company’s posts mention future product changes, including “Zen Mode,” which sets new defaults for users who need a milder social media experience, and “prompts on how to engage in a more constructive conversation.”
Bluesky said the actual guidelines have been further revised based on user feedback in some sections, with a new section on more specific languages and protected representations such as journalism and education.
Since these changes were announced on Friday, many of the responses on Bluesky have focused on guidelines that prohibit “sexual content containing non-consensual activities” even if the content is animated, illustrated or synthesized. (The gaming market, including Steam and Itch.io, has recently faced a backlash after appearing to crack down on games with edgy or illegal adult content.)
For example, one user complained that Bluesky “doesn’t have to worry about whether cartoons have rights or whether they’ll be done by actual trans and Palestinians.” Another said the language was “literally always there because it’s something about boilerplate’s social media,” suggesting that users were confused because of “Bluesky’s Dogs – T Comms.”
A Bluesky spokesman said, “There was a misunderstanding here. We haven’t changed anything about enforcement in this area and we are not going to do so.”
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