The social media platform Bluesky has introduced new verification options that will feature two different kinds of blue checkmarks.
Bluesky plans to roll out two new verification options for its users. Verification involves the display of blue checkmarks to help users be sure that when they interact with a notable person or company, it’s who the profile claims they are.
Since Bluesky’s launch, there have been plenty of fake accounts set up. I lost count early on of how many “Elon Musks” I saw on the service. Bluesky first demanded that parody accounts blatantly label themselves as such or be removed from the platform. (I find it a little sad that what should be obvious parody has to be labeled as such, but then that speaks to the gullibility of the masses.)
Then they came up with an interesting way for organizations to prove their account was really held by the organization. It involved verifying through established websites. The website owner has to add a file to the domain that Bluesky can see. Their handle then becomes their web address.
For example, my Bluesky profile’s URL uses my handle, “PatricksPlace” in a somewhat unattractive URL: https://bsky.app/profile/patricksplace.bsky.social.
If I wanted to, I could change that URL to display this website’s URL. Anyone who clicks my profile would then know that the profile was connected to this website.
Consider USA Today’s Bluesky profile. They took advantage of that first form of verification. So you’ll find that newspaper’s profile under this URL: https://bsky.app/profile/usatoday.com.
Anyone could start an account claiming to be USAToday, but they’d have to have a code matching what’s added to their website to get the “USAToday.com” handle. So there’s at least some verification
Still, other than the subtle URL difference, there’s no obvious checkmark in evidence.
The new options involve two different types of blue checkmarks.
In a blog post, Bluesky introduced the two verification options and explained the difference. Both, as you can see in the photo above, are familiar checkmarks you’ve seen elsewhere.
The round blue checkmark indicates an account Bluesky verified on its own. The example it gives is for Bluesky’s CEO, Jay Graber. As you can see here, her profile sports a round blue circle with a white checkmark in the middle.
NBC News also has a blue checkmark. I also see one for Bloomberg News and NPR. I think it’s important particularly for celebrities and news outlets to be verified so you know you’re hearing from the real entity.
They’re also using what they call a “scalloped blue checks.” You can see an example on the profile for The New York Times. A scalloped check indicates a “trusted verifier.” That, according to Bluesky’s blog page, is an organization that can directly issue blue checks.
In the case of NYT, they can probably issue blue checks to their reporters; that way a media outlet that Bluesky has verified can then verify its lead correspondents.
A smart move…as long as they don’t do what X did
Twitter — now X — had verifications for years. Their system made sense and seemed to rely only on the self-verification option.
But after Elon Musk bought Twitter, he changed the verification system. People could suddenly purchase the blue checkmarks by subscribing to Twitter.
That meant any scam artist could claim to be any celebrity or organization, subscribe, and get a blue checkmark. People who came upon their profile would think they were talking to the genuine article.
Musk then began removing existing checks for those who’d been verified unless those users subscribed.
Then came the colors: Blue checks remained on people’s profiles. But gold went to companies and gray went to government agencies.
Then he said there would be a mix of verified accounts and subscribers, all of whom would have the same blue checkmark.
Most ironic: X began restoring the checkmarks to users who weren’t paying for them, and some of them no longer wanted them because they didn’t want to be associated with the paid service.
It’ll be interesting to see whether Bluesky keeps its verification options the way it is now. Hopefully, it won’t make the same missteps that X did.
