Top 5 Privacy Settings to Secure Your Bluesky Account
Bluesky is a decentralized platform where privacy can be tricky. Public profiles, visible interactions, and third-party tools analyzing your data are just some of the challenges. But don’t worry - here are five quick steps to secure your account:
Adjust Profile Visibility: Limit access by turning off "Logged-out visibility" in settings.
Control Replies: Set who can reply to your posts - followers only or customize per post.
Enable Two-Factor Authentication: Add an extra layer of security to your account.
Manage Followers: Regularly review your followers and remove unwanted connections.
Use App-Specific Passwords: Securely connect third-party apps without risking your main account.
Key Tip: Bluesky is public by design. Regularly review your settings to stay in control of your data and interactions.
How to Change Privacy Settings on Bluesky - Full Guide
Bluesky Privacy Settings Overview
Bluesky offers privacy settings that help you manage visibility and interactions on the platform. While Bluesky functions as a public social network, it provides tools to give you some control over your online experience.
Basic Privacy Controls
Content Visibility Management: Posts and likes are visible to everyone by default. However, you can restrict non-logged-in users from viewing your profile and filter your feed based on language preferences.
User Interaction Controls: You can block users, mute accounts, and filter out explicit content or unwanted replies.
What Privacy Settings Can't Do
Platform Limitations
You can't make your account private - every profile remains public [3].
Third-party tools can still access your public data.
Data Persistence
Deleting posts doesn't completely erase them from the platform.
Public information can still be used in custom feeds created by third-party developers.
Block lists are publicly accessible and can be analyzed, such as identifying the most blocked accounts over a 48-hour period [2].
With these tools and limitations in mind, let's explore the top five settings to better secure your Bluesky account.
5 Key Privacy Settings for Your Account
Follow these steps to better protect your Bluesky account.
1. Adjust Profile Visibility
Go to Settings > Privacy.
Turn off the 'Logged-out visibility' option to prevent non-logged-in users from viewing your profile.
Additional suggestions:
Use a generic or abstract profile picture.
Avoid sharing too much personal information in your bio.
Leave out specific location details or anything sensitive.
After setting up your profile visibility, you can manage who can reply to your posts.
2. Manage Follower Reply Settings
Default Reply Settings:
Head to Settings > Moderation > Interaction Settings.
Under 'Who can reply', select 'Your followers'.
Per-Post Reply Settings:
When creating a post, tap 'Anyone can reply' in the composer.
Switch it to 'Your followers' and hit 'Save'.
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Privacy Settings: What Works Best
Different privacy settings offer varying levels of protection, depending on what you need.
Settings Comparison Chart
Here's a quick overview of key privacy settings and what they offer:
Two-Factor Authentication: Adds an extra layer of security to prevent unauthorized access.
App-Specific Passwords: Lets third-party apps access your account securely but requires careful oversight.
Profile Visibility (Logged-Out): Restricts profile access to logged-in users only.
Reply Controls: Helps you manage who can respond to your posts, reducing unwanted interactions.
Mute/Block: Mute hides someone's content privately, while Block creates a public barrier from interactions.
The key to making these settings effective is using them consistently.
Important Privacy Considerations
"Many aspects of Bluesky are public, including posts, reposts, likes, photos, blocks, who you are following, and current profile information." [2]
Some important details to keep in mind:
Blocking someone doesn’t automatically stop them from following you.
Muting is discreet, hiding content without alerting the other person, while blocking is more visible and direct.
These privacy tools function within Bluesky’s open-network framework. [2]
Up next, learn how TheBlue.social enhances these privacy features.
TheBlue.social Privacy Tools
TheBlue.social enhances Bluesky's privacy settings with three extra tools: connection cleanup, follow management, and secure analytics.
Privacy Protection Features
Connection Cleanup
Easily remove connections that don’t follow you back.
"Cleaning up non-mutual connections is effortless." - Carl Poppa
Smart Follow Management
Simplify managing large follower lists.
"This is a godsend, will make it easy for me to follow back as I promised, doing it manually when I have over 1,000 to catch up is not realistic..." - Blue Wave Diamond
Analytics Privacy
Access engagement metrics discreetly.
"Extremely grateful, thank you. Such a useful tool! … This helps a lot. There's not another analytics tool out there like yours. theblue.social TheBlue is the TheBest!" - Franklin Seal
These features are consistently updated to ensure privacy and offer a smoother Bluesky experience.
Conclusion
Protect your Bluesky account by turning on two-factor authentication [4], regularly reviewing your followers [1], using app-specific passwords [2], and checking your privacy settings after every update [4]. Staying safe on a decentralized network requires constant attention [2] but provides great rewards and utility.