Government censorship has impacted the social network Bluesky, but a loophole is available due to the platform’s structure. Earlier this month, Bluesky complied with a request from Turkish governmental authorities to restrict access to 72 accounts in Turkey, as reported by the Freedom of Expression Association. Consequently, these accounts are no longer visible to users in Turkey, limiting their reach.
The report highlights that 59 accounts were blocked to protect “national security and public order,” while an additional 13 accounts and at least one post were made invisible within Turkey. The move has raised concerns among the Bluesky community, particularly among Turkish users who shifted from X to avoid government censorship. Questions have emerged about whether Bluesky upholds its claims of openness and decentralization, particularly in comparison to platforms like Mastodon, another decentralized social network.
Bluesky’s current technical infrastructure allows users to potentially bypass these blocks more easily than on a network like X. Unlike Mastodon, where users can switch servers to evade censorship, Bluesky users have limited options for moderation configuration within the official app. Nonetheless, geographic labelers such as the newly implemented Turkish moderation tool automatically handle government-mandated censorship, preventing users from opting out if the company agrees to regional censorship.
Despite these restrictions, third-party Bluesky applications are not obliged to follow the same moderation rules. These apps, part of the broader open social web known as the Atmosphere, can provide alternative interfaces to Bluesky’s content free from the same geographic and moderation constraints. The censored accounts are not banned from Bluesky’s infrastructure, such as relays and personal data servers, which can be operated by third parties outside the company.
Currently, third-party apps like Skeets, Ouranos, Deer.social, and Skywalker offer avenues to circumvent Turkish censorship. However, the absence of geographic labelers in these apps is not always deliberate; developers may not have implemented them due to the additional work required. These apps typically have smaller user bases, allowing them to avoid the scrutiny of government censors. Still, should they gain popularity, they may face government pressure similar to that faced by Bluesky.
One developer, Aviva Ruben, is building an alternative Bluesky client, Deer.social, which allows users to disable official moderation services and use third-party labelers instead. This app also provides an option for users to manually set their location to bypass geolocation-based restrictions and censorship.
Ruben expressed hope in the current policy but acknowledged concerns about potential future restrictions. The developing landscape of government censorship, which currently centers on Turkey, might expand to requests from other governments, including the U.S., to hide content beyond that which is illegal.
Ultimately, while current loopholes exist, Bluesky’s official app is subject to government censorship, marking a significant development due to its wide reach among users.
