Bluesky has an update rolled out This fixes an important problem that could lead to identity theft in the decentralized social network. Now, when you verify your identity on the platform with your own domain, Bluesky will no longer release your old .bsky.social username. In the past, going through the authentication process made your original .bsky.social name available again, meaning you’ll have to log in again to secure your old username if you don’t want impersonators to spy on it.
The social network has been trying to fix its verification issues, which became a significant issue after the service launched welcomed the influx of new users in the last few months. A third-party company from Cornell Tech that analyzed the app’s user base previously found that 44 percent of Bluesky’s 100 most followed accounts have a lookalike. In response, Bluesky assumed adopted a more aggressive policy on identity theft and required parody, satire or fan accounts to identify themselves as such in both their profiles and bio in late November. It also specifically banned impersonation, in which users first acted as impersonators to gain followers and later changed their identities to avoid enforcement actions.
In addition to reserving your old username, the updated Bluesky app adds a Mentions tab to notifications, making it much easier to find replies to your posts. As The edge Notes also has a new button that lets you choose how replies are displayed, allowing you to view them in linear order or in threaded discussions.
