Bluesky experiences explosive user growth amid safety concerns

In the United States, the social media platform Bluesky has recently gained significant attention due to its surge in user numbers. Since November 2023, the platform has grown from 13 million users to over 30 million, driven by discontent with Elon Musk’s X, formerly known as Twitter. Bluesky's rapid rise in popularity has corresponded with a marked departure of users and advertisers from X, especially after Musk's controversial decisions to cut the workforce and moderate content. As a result of the influx of new users, Bluesky has observed an uptick in harmful content appearing on its platform. In response to the increase in harmful content, Bluesky has taken steps to enhance its safety features. The company has expanded its content moderation team and introduced new tools to improve user safety. One significant partnership has been established with the Internet Watch Foundation (IWF), a non-profit organization dedicated to eradicating child sexual abuse material online. By collaborating with IWF, Bluesky aims to bolster its capacity to detect and eliminate harmful content, particularly regarding child exploitation. In addition to user growth, the IWF has noted a disturbing trend regarding child sexual abuse material discovered online. In the year 2024, the organization reported discovering a record number of webpages containing such egregious content. The IWF has highlighted the pressing need for cooperation between governments, the technology sector, and society as a whole to combat this alarming increase in online abuse. Representatives from the IWF, including Derek Ray-Hill, have emphasized the urgency of tackling this crisis collectively. Bluesky's head of trust and safety, Aaron Rodericks, has expressed optimism regarding the partnership with the IWF, stating that it marks a significant advancement in their efforts to address child sexual abuse material on their platform. Together, they hope to foster a safer online environment for users, particularly as Bluesky continues to attract a diverse and growing audience that values user safety and content integrity. The situation surrounding Bluesky reflects broader issues in the social media landscape, where the balance between user growth and content moderation remains a critical challenge.