Bluesky has added a new privacy setting that gives users more control over who sees their posts. The feature, reported by Engadget, allows users to prevent their content from being recommended to non-followers through the app's algorithmic Discover feed.
The setting is available in the app's privacy settings and works at the account level. That means enabling it applies to all posts, not just individual ones. Users who turn it on will no longer have their posts surfaced in the Discover feed to people who do not already follow them.
The Discover feed is one of the main places Bluesky users find content from accounts they don't follow. Going viral through that feed can have unintended consequences, which the company acknowledged in describing the update.
The new setting does not make accounts fully private. Bluesky does not allow private accounts, unlike some other platforms. And even with the setting turned on, posts could still appear in other algorithmically curated feeds or in services that use Bluesky's AT Protocol, the open social networking protocol that underlies the platform.
Bluesky described the update as part of a broader effort. The company said the change is "one of a few updates we're working on to give you more control over your experience and help you find your people."
The feature is specifically designed for users concerned about their posts being taken out of context if they unexpectedly reach a large audience. It does not restrict who can see posts directly, only where those posts might be algorithmically amplified to strangers.
