The rapid growth of BlueSky, driven by users migrating from other social networks like X (formerly Twitter), is attracting not just individuals but also cybercriminals. Recently surpassing the 20 million user mark, BlueSky has become a new target for cryptocurrency scams, according to observations by BleepingComputer.

Emergence of Scams

As BlueSky's popularity expands, so does the presence of scam-related content similar to those previously encountered on X. Common tactics include impersonating high-profile figures and promoting false crypto giveaways. One such instance involved a misleading post featuring an AI image of Mark Zuckerberg, promoting fictitious crypto assets like "MetaChain" and "MetaCoin," falsely linked to the tech giant Meta and its Metaverse initiative. Other scams exploit familiar themes, such as a notorious "Satoshi Bitcoin" giveaway claim, which directed users to now-defunct malicious sites. These scams often utilize enticing language and visuals, sometimes incorporating popular culture references as seen in posts using segments from TV shows to enhance engagement.

Tackling the Surge in Reports

BlueSky's safety team reports a significant uptick in scam-related complaints, receiving a record-breaking 42,000 reports in just one day. As user activity intensifies, the platform acknowledges a surge in malicious activities, affirming its commitment to rapidly moderating and eliminating harmful content, including through enhanced user reporting mechanisms.

Decentralization: A Double-Edged Sword

As a decentralized platform based on the AT protocol, BlueSky offers users greater content control and independence. However, this also presents challenges in content moderation, particularly when malicious actors leverage third-party instances to circulate scams. Unlike centralized platforms, BlueSky's distributed nature complicates efforts to uniformly monitor and curb such deceptive content. The platform promises to bolster its moderation capabilities as it navigates these challenges, a necessary step to ensure user safety while maintaining the benefits of a decentralized network. As BlueSky continues its growth trajectory, addressing these issues remains a top priority to safeguard the user experience.

The link has been copied!