Bluesky takes action against parody accounts and impersonators.

Bluesky Social is experiencing a significant increase in its user base, but this influx is causing issues related to impersonation accounts. To address this situation, the decentralized platform has decided to implement a stricter policy regarding parody accounts that are not properly labeled. Through a thread on the platform's security account, it was communicated that parody, satire, or fan accounts are allowed, but they must be clearly identified in the username and bio so that other users recognize they are not official accounts.

Additionally, Bluesky is ramping up its efforts against what is referred to as "identity switching," a practice in which impersonation profiles are created to attract followers, and then these profiles are completely rebranded. Changes to the service's policies are justified, as research shows that 44% of the 100 most-followed accounts on Bluesky have at least one doppelganger.

The unconventional way Bluesky handles verification has led to the emergence of copies, especially with the arrival of celebrities and political figures. Without a traditional verification process, users must "self-verify" using custom domain names. This manual method requires that specific text be added to the DNS record of the associated domain. For example, important accounts like those of the New York Times use their own domain, such as @nytimes.com, instead of the default @person.bsky.social.

This approach has also triggered a new problem known as "name squatting," as those who switch to custom names often have to maintain their old accounts to prevent impersonators from hijacking them.