Bluesky surpasses 40 million users, tests disliked button for smarter moderation

Bluesky, a decentralized social networking platform, has reached 40 million registered users and is introducing a new “dislikes” beta feature designed to improve personalization and user control over content feeds. This feature allows users to signal posts they want to see less of, quietly influencing feed rankings, reply visibility, and conversation flow to foster more relevant and respectful exchanges. Alongside this, Bluesky is testing "social neighborhoods," an algorithmic approach that prioritizes replies from users within a closer interaction network to enhance conversation relevance and context. The platform emphasizes user-driven moderation tools, such as content filters, moderation lists, muting words, detaching quote posts, and easier reply controls, rather than centralized bans, aiming to balance openness with safety. Bluesky also implements systems to detect and reduce toxic or spammy replies and encourages users to engage with full thread context before responding, addressing complaints about disjointed feeds on competing platforms like Threads. Despite the milestone and growth, the number of active users has not been disclosed, and the platform continues to navigate debates around moderation standards and community management.