Sign in Subscribe
open social web

Bluesky Adopts More Flexible Model for Content Moderation

By adopting a composable moderation system, Bluesky makes space for plural moderation without forcing smaller players to run their own servers.

Bluesky Adopts More Flexible Model for Content Moderation
Photo by Gigin Krishnan / Unsplash

By Mallory Knodel

Sometimes, letters work. Earlier this summer, alongside Martin Husovec and Daphne Keller, I submitted comments to Bluesky about its approach to trust and safety. We argued that for the AT Protocol to deliver on its promise of an open social web, content moderation must be designed in a way that empowers users and communities to set their own content moderation standards.

How we believe moderation should work on the AT Protocol

In a federated network like Bluesky, each user account (for example, @mallory.techpolicy.social.ap.brid.gy) is stored on a hosting provider called a Personal Data Server (PDS). Bluesky currently operates the largest of these, the bsky.social PDS, which hosts most user accounts today. 

The way PDS providers respond to harmful or illegal content determines whether the network stays open and resilient. If every PDS simply deletes posts or accounts at the server level, that content disappears from the network entirely. Other apps and communities cannot decide for themselves how to handle it, and the only way they could preserve access would be to operate their own PDS. Running a PDS requires significant resources for storage, legal review, and compliance, which creates high barriers for smaller players. By contrast, if PDSes use labels instead of deletions, the underlying content remains visible across the network. Other services can then reuse that shared baseline and focus on applying their own rules, making it far cheaper and more practical for diverse moderation systems to exist.

Our recommendation was straightforward: limit true account takedowns at the PDS level to serious cases like illegal material or large-scale network abuse. For other violations, PDSes should apply strong labels, such as “!takedown,” that signal the problem without erasing the account entirely. We call this a composable moderation system: decisions are expressed as labels that different apps and communities can then interpret in their own way. One app might hide labeled accounts, another might warn users before showing them, and another might ignore the label altogether. Because moderation is layered and reusable, each community can “compose” the version that fits its needs.

Bluesky’s update

Last week, Paul Frazee, Bluesky’s co-founder and Chief Technology Officer, confirmed that this is the direction Bluesky will now pursue. He acknowledged that the system had unintentionally departed from this model and that Bluesky is course-correcting. It is encouraging to see Bluesky embrace the same principles we put forward: preserving user agency, reducing the cost of alternative moderation, and keeping the ecosystem open to innovation.

What this means for the open social web

By relying on labels rather than deletions, Bluesky lowers barriers for new moderation services and enables a pluralistic ecosystem. Communities can build on a shared base of content while applying their own rules and standards. That flexibility is what makes federation powerful, and it is critical for a healthy, open social web.

If this approach works, it could also inform how moderation evolves on other federated systems like ActivityPub. Today, Mastodon and ActivityPub moderation largely happens at the server level, through tools like account suspensions and defederation. A label-based system could allow servers to share signals about spam or abuse, while still letting each community decide how to act on them. Labels travel farther than deletions, and that portability makes diverse forms of moderation easier to build.

Open questions

We still have some questions. In his blog post, Paul Frazee explained that account takedowns at the PDS level will be limited to network abuse and illegal content, with other cases handled through strong labels like “!takedown.” That is encouraging, but we still wonder whether the same approach applies to individual posts. Are posts also labeled rather than deleted, and do they persist on the PDS for as long as the account exists?

Paul also noted that accounts removed from a PDS should still be able to migrate elsewhere. That principle makes sense, but it will need a stronger caveat for especially severe categories such as child sexual abuse material.

Even with these questions, the shift announced last week marks a meaningful step forward. It shows that advocacy grounded in technical and legal expertise can shape the infrastructure of tomorrow’s internet.

Bluestockings Cooperative Closing

After 26 years of serving as a radical feminist bookstore and community hub on New York’s Lower East Side, Bluestockings Cooperative has announced it will close at the end of 2025. The space has long been a refuge for queer, trans, sex worker, and other marginalised communities, offering books, events, and collective organizing in the face of systemic neglect and rising costs.

The news is devastating for those who have found belonging within its walls. At Exchange Point, we were honored to partner with Bluestockings earlier this year by curating a list of books. Bluestockings’ closure is a profound loss, not only for New York, but for the global networks of activists, the worker-stewards in the store who report being locked out of the decision-making process, and the readers and dreamers who looked to it as a beacon of radical imagination. We mourn this ending, while carrying forward the spirit of solidarity it nurtured.

Support the Internet Exchange

If you find our emails useful, consider becoming a paid subscriber! You'll get access to our members-only Signal community where we share ideas, discuss upcoming topics, and exchange links. Paid subscribers can also leave comments on posts and enjoy a warm, fuzzy feeling.

Not ready for a long-term commitment? You can always leave us a tip.

Become A Paid Subscriber

Internet Governance

Digital Rights

Technology for Society

Privacy and Security

Upcoming Events

Careers and Funding Opportunities

Opportunities to Get Involved

What did we miss? Please send us a reply or write to editor@exchangepoint.tech.

💡
Want to see some of our week's links in advance? Follow us on Mastodon, Bluesky or LinkedIn, and don't forget to forward and share!

Comments ()