Bluesky Adds Blue Check System With a Twist

The microblogging platform Bluesky is introducing its own blue check system to highlight notable accounts, with some unique twists. The good news is that Bluesky isn’t making blue checks a paid feature, unlike what X has done with its own verification system. Moreover, Bluesky will also allow some trusted organizations to issue blue checks to users.

Bluesky already lets individual users and organizations verify their identity by using a custom domain in place of their username, and the company said today that over 270,000 accounts on Bluesky are doing so. However, the Bluesky team also acknowledged that users need a more visual cue to identify notable accounts on the platform.

“We’ve heard from users that a larger visual signal would be useful in knowing which accounts are authentic. Now, we’re introducing a new layer — a user-friendly, easily recognizable blue check,” the company said today.

Bluecheck will start adding blue checks to “authentic and notable accounts,” similar to what Twitter used to do back in the day. Verified users will also be able to hide their blue check if they prefer to.

The company will also pick up some organizations to become trusted verifieds, which allow them to issue blue checks to their employees that the Bluesky moderation team will still verify. The New York Times is one of the first trusted verifiers that Bluesky has chosen, and the publication will be able to give blue checks to its journalists.

Trusted verifiers on Bluesky will have a scalloped blue check. When a Bluesky user is given a blue check from a trusted verifier, this will also be visible from their profile.

“During this initial phase, Bluesky is not accepting direct applications for verification. 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 also explained today.

Overall, the Bluesky team seems to have implemented a well-balanced system that allows independent organizations to directly verify accounts. In comparison, Twitter/X now only gives checkmarks to organizations paying for X Verified Organizations, which starts at $200 per month or $2,000 per year.