Everything you post publicly on Bluesky, including your profile, likes, who you follow, and who you block, is distributed across a decentralized network and visible to anyone, including third-party servers that may store copies.
This analysis describes what Bluesky's agreement states, permits, or reserves. It does not constitute a legal determination about enforceability. Regulatory applicability and practical outcomes may vary by jurisdiction, enforcement context, and individual circumstances. Read our methodology
Because Bluesky runs on the AT Protocol, public content is not just visible on Bluesky's own servers but can be replicated by any third-party node on the network, which means a deletion request submitted to Bluesky may not remove content from all third-party servers that have already copied it.
Interpretive note: The practical scope of deletion rights in the context of AT Protocol's decentralized architecture is not fully addressed in the document; the extent to which Bluesky can compel removal from independent third-party nodes is uncertain.
Users who delete posts or close their account may find that copies of their public content persist on third-party AT Protocol servers outside Bluesky's control, limiting the practical effectiveness of data deletion rights.
How other platforms handle this
Your Profile will not publicly include or link to Your Content submitted semi-/anonymously to our services.
If you choose to reveal any personal information about yourself to other users, you do so at your own risk. We strongly encourage you to use caution in disclosing any personal information online.
When you are asked to provide information, you may decline to do so; but if you choose not to provide information that is necessary to provide some of our Services, you may not be able to use those Services.
"Your Posts and Public Profile. Bluesky is a decentralized microblogging service where most user activity is public by design. This includes your posts, profile, likes, following, and blocks. Your Posts. The Bluesky App is a microblogging service that lets you post content and comment on other users' posts. We collect your posts. Your posts and comments are public, so exercise care when deciding what to share.Excerpt from Bluesky's Privacy Policy
(1) REGULATORY LANDSCAPE: The decentralized distribution of public content creates a tension with GDPR Article 17 (right to erasure) and equivalent provisions under UK GDPR, Brazil's LGPD, and CCPA deletion rights.
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Because Bluesky runs on the AT Protocol, public content is not just visible on Bluesky's own servers but can be replicated by any third-party node on the network, which means a deletion request submitted to Bluesky may not remove content from all third-party servers that have already copied it.
Users who delete posts or close their account may find that copies of their public content persist on third-party AT Protocol servers outside Bluesky's control, limiting the practical effectiveness of data deletion rights.
ConductAtlas has identified this type of provision across 290 platforms. See the full comparison.
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