Bluesky, a rapidly growing social media platform, is facing criticism for failing to adhere to European Union (EU) transparency regulations.
Reports from Reuters indicate that the platform has not provided crucial information required under the EU’s Digital Services Act (DSA).
A European Commission spokesperson revealed that Bluesky has yet to establish a dedicated page on its website to disclose its number of EU-based users and its legal entity details.
This is a mandatory requirement under the DSA, even for platforms classified as small or below the threshold of a “Very Large Online Platform.”
“All platforms operating in the EU – even the smallest ones below the threshold, such as Bluesky – must have a dedicated page on their website that specifies their number of users within the EU and their legal establishment. As of today, Bluesky does not comply with this requirement,” the spokesperson stated.
The absence of this page puts Bluesky in violation of EU regulations, which aim to ensure transparency and accountability across all platforms operating within the region.
EU’s Approach to Enforcement
The European Commission has not directly approached Bluesky but has instead engaged with the 27 EU member states to investigate the platform’s compliance.
Bluesky has not yet responded to the Commission’s concerns or provided an explanation for its lack of compliance.
Failure to adhere to the DSA could result in financial penalties or restricted access to EU markets. While Bluesky’s user base continues to grow, non-compliance risks undermining its reputation and expansion efforts.
Background on Bluesky
Bluesky began as a project by Twitter to develop an open social protocol aimed at decentralising social media. The objective was to create a system enabling interoperability between platforms, giving users greater control over their data and content.
Initially serving as a placeholder name, Bluesky evolved into an independent entity, focusing on user autonomy and privacy.
On 19 November, Bluesky CEO Jay Graber announced that the platform’s user base had exceeded 20 million, with over a million new users joining daily. Bluesky currently operates with a small team of around 20 full-time employees, each supporting approximately one million users.
One of Bluesky’s standout features is its customisable algorithmic feeds. These allow users to create or subscribe to personalised content streams, moving away from reliance on a single “For You” feed. According to Graber, this feature has led to the creation of over 50,000 custom feeds, underscoring Bluesky’s commitment to user-driven content curation.
In a significant move addressing concerns about privacy and content usage, Bluesky stated it would not use user-generated content to train generative AI tools. This announcement came as X (formerly Twitter) updated its terms of service to include the analysis of user data for AI model training.
However, Bluesky does employ AI internally for content moderation, aiming to enhance user safety.