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Discover Feed and Recommender System Opt-Out

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What it is

Bluesky uses an algorithm to decide what content appears in your Discover Feed, and you can turn this off in your settings; however, third-party feeds have their own algorithms that Bluesky does not oversee.

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

ConductAtlas Analysis

Why it matters (compliance & governance perspective)

The ability to opt out of the algorithmic Discover Feed is a meaningful user control, but the disclaimer that Bluesky does not control third-party feed recommender systems means users installing those feeds take on additional opacity regarding how their content experience is curated.

Consumer impact (what this means for users)

You can disable Bluesky's own algorithmic feed in your settings, but if you use third-party feeds, those feeds operate with recommender systems that Bluesky does not regulate or monitor, which means your exposure to algorithmically curated content from those sources is governed by those third parties' policies.

What you can do

⚠️ These actions may provide transparency or partial mitigation but may not fully address the underlying issue. Effectiveness varies by jurisdiction and individual circumstances.
  • Opt Out of Arbitration
    Navigate to your Bluesky account settings and locate the Discover Feed option to opt out of algorithmic content recommendations. This does not affect third-party feeds you have installed.

How other platforms handle this

Verizon Medium

California law gives residents the right to know what personal information we collect, use, share or sell; to delete personal information under certain circumstances; to opt-out of the sale or sharing of their personal information; to correct inaccurate personal information; to limit the use and dis...

T-Mobile Medium

T-Mobile collects Customer Proprietary Network Information (CPNI), which is information about the quantity, technical configuration, type, destination, location, and amount of use of your service. T-Mobile may use your CPNI within its family of companies for the purpose of providing wireless telecom...

FanDuel Medium

If you would like to opt out of the disclosure of your personal information for purposes that could be considered "sales" for those third parties' own commercial purposes, or "sharing" or processing for purposes of targeted advertising, please visit the following link, which is also available in the...

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▸ View Original Clause Language DOCUMENT RECORD
"
Bluesky uses a recommender algorithm to populate the Discover Feed and personalize recommendations such as suggested accounts. You can opt out of the Discover Feed via your settings. In addition to the Discover Feed, you can install third-party feeds hosted by other services. Bluesky does not control the recommender systems used by third-party feeds.

— Excerpt from Bluesky's Bluesky Terms of Service

ConductAtlas Analysis

Institutional analysis (Compliance & governance intelligence)

(1) REGULATORY LANDSCAPE: Recommender system transparency and opt-out obligations are addressed in the EU DSA, which requires platforms to offer at least one non-profiling-based recommender option and to disclose the main parameters used in recommender systems. The terms' opt-out provision appears consistent with this requirement for the Bluesky-native Discover Feed, but the disclaimer regarding third-party feeds raises questions about whether the DSA's transparency obligations extend to feeds hosted on third-party services that integrate with Bluesky. (2) GOVERNANCE EXPOSURE: Low for the Bluesky-native opt-out, which is explicitly provided. Medium for third-party feeds, where the absence of oversight or disclosure requirements creates potential user protection gaps. (3) JURISDICTION FLAGS: EU/EEA users have DSA-mandated rights to at least one recommendation system not based on profiling; the opt-out provision appears to satisfy this for the native Discover Feed. Regulatory scrutiny of third-party algorithmic systems accessed through platform integrations is an emerging area. (4) CONTRACT AND VENDOR IMPLICATIONS: Organizations using Bluesky for employee communications or marketing should note that installing third-party feeds means content curation by systems Bluesky disclaims responsibility for, which could affect content moderation and brand safety controls. (5) COMPLIANCE CONSIDERATIONS: Legal and compliance teams advising on Bluesky use should note the practical distinction between the Bluesky-native Discover Feed, for which an opt-out exists, and third-party feeds, for which no such opt-out mechanism is described in these terms.

Full compliance analysis

Regulatory citations, enforcement risk, and due diligence action items.

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Applicable regulations

CCPA/CPRA
California, USA
Colorado AI Act
US-CO
Connecticut Data Privacy Act Amendments
US-CT
CAN-SPAM
United States Federal
FTC Act Section 5
United States Federal
GDPR
European Union
Indiana Consumer Data Protection Act
US-IN
Kentucky Consumer Data Protection Act
US-KY
Universal Opt-Out Mechanism Expansion 2026
US
VPPA
United States Federal

Provision details

Document information
Document
Bluesky Terms of Service
Entity
Bluesky
Document last updated
May 5, 2026
Tracking information
First tracked
May 7, 2026
Last verified
May 10, 2026
Record ID
CA-P-008614
Document ID
CA-D-00539
Evidence Provenance
Source URL
Wayback Machine
Content hash (SHA-256)
1f9848d00d7dd1a2e10d568b4985faea4042732fb12fd989f196ebde39969a72
Analysis generated
May 7, 2026 21:18 UTC
Methodology
Evidence
✓ Snapshot stored   ✓ Hash verified
Citation Record
Entity: Bluesky
Document: Bluesky Terms of Service
Record ID: CA-P-008614
Captured: 2026-05-07 21:18:23 UTC
SHA-256: 1f9848d00d7dd1a2…
URL: https://conductatlas.com/platform/bluesky/bluesky-terms-of-service/discover-feed-and-recommender-system-opt-out/
Accessed: May 13, 2026
Permanent archival reference. Stable identifier suitable for legal filings, compliance documentation, and research citation.
Classification
Severity
Low
Categories

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Frequently Asked Questions

What does Bluesky's Discover Feed and Recommender System Opt-Out clause do?

The ability to opt out of the algorithmic Discover Feed is a meaningful user control, but the disclaimer that Bluesky does not control third-party feed recommender systems means users installing those feeds take on additional opacity regarding how their content experience is curated.

How does this clause affect you?

You can disable Bluesky's own algorithmic feed in your settings, but if you use third-party feeds, those feeds operate with recommender systems that Bluesky does not regulate or monitor, which means your exposure to algorithmically curated content from those sources is governed by those third parties' policies.

Is ConductAtlas affiliated with Bluesky?

No. ConductAtlas is an independent monitoring service. We are not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by Bluesky.