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Title: Users React To Bluesky's Upcoming Blue Check Mark Verification System

Link: https://tech.slashdot.org/story/25/04/18/2231...

Bluesky is testing a new verification system featuring blue checks issued by
"Trusted Verifiers" like news organizations, rather than a centralized
authority or pay-to-play model like X (formerly Twitter). "Looking at the
comments on the pull request, it's clear this idea has sparked a lot of
discussion and a lot of concern among the community who follow the platform's
development closely," reports Neowin. "Many users voiced strong opposition to
the change, arguing that the existing domain name verification is sufficient
and more aligned with the decentralized ethos that Bluesky aims for." From
the report: There's a general worry that adding a visual badge, especially
one controlled in part by Bluesky, feels too much like the centralized
systems they were trying to escape from by joining Bluesky: "Do not want.
BSky is not Twitter 2.0. Do not become like Elon Musk. We came here to get
AWAY from that bs." Several commenters also expressed that the current domain
name system, while not perfect, is an elegant and decentralized way to build
trust, and that adding this new layer feels redundant and gives too much
power to centralized entities, including Bluesky itself: "Let's please not do
this. Domain names as user IDs is an elegant solution as a system of trust
that builds off the infrastructure of an open web." While the majority of the
initial reaction seems negative, focusing on concerns about centralization
and the value of the existing domain verification, there was some support for
the idea of a visual badge, making it easier to quickly identify genuine
accounts. One user commented: "I support this change. I like someone to
verify that the account is indeed genuine and the username field showing the
domain isn't helpful that much... A badge makes it easier to just tick it off
that it's genuine." The PR author, estrattonbailey, later added a description
to the pull request explaining that the goal is a "stronger visual signal"
for notable accounts and clarifying it's not a paid service.

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

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