Decentralized No More: How Government Pressure is Changing the Social Network

In a move that has raised concerns among the Bluesky community, the social network has begun to restrict access to certain accounts in Turkey at the request of the Turkish government. According to a recent report by the Freedom of Expression Association, Bluesky has blocked 72 accounts in Turkey, citing the need to protect “national security and public order.”

This development has sparked questions about the social network’s commitment to decentralization and freedom of expression. Many users had migrated to Bluesky from X in an effort to escape government censorship, only to find themselves facing similar restrictions on the new platform.

However, a closer look at Bluesky’s technical underpinnings reveals a potential loophole that allows users to bypass these blocks. Third-party apps that make up the larger open social web known as the Atmosphere do not have to follow the same rules as the official Bluesky app. This means that users can access censored accounts and posts by using alternative apps that do not implement geographic labelers.

Currently, third-party apps like Skeets, Ouranos, Deer.social, Skywalker, and others can be used to bypass Turkish censors. However, this “solution” comes with several caveats. The app developers’ choice not to use geographic labelers is not necessarily intentional, and adding them would require extra work. Moreover, these third-party apps have much smaller user bases than the official Bluesky app, which makes them less of a concern for government censors… for now.

One developer, Aviva Ruben, is building an alternative Bluesky client called Deer.social that works differently. Users can choose to entirely disable Bluesky’s official moderation service and labelers in favor of using other third-party labelers instead. The app also allows users to configure their location manually in its settings, an option that would let users avoid geolocation-based blocks and censorship.

While today’s government censorship concerns are focused on Turkey, Bluesky’s community has to prepare for a future where any government, including the U.S., could request that the company hide posts beyond those that are blatantly illegal. Ruben says Deer.social would add a “no location” option to the app, so users could choose to avoid all geographic labelers.

Despite these possible loopholes, censorship has arrived at Bluesky. And considering the official app reaches the largest number of people, this is a notable evolution. The Bluesky community must now confront the reality that even decentralized platforms are not immune to government pressure.

What’s Next?

As the debate surrounding government censorship and decentralization continues, one thing is clear: the future of social media is uncertain. Will Bluesky find a way to balance its commitment to freedom of expression with the need to comply with government regulations? Only time will tell.