Bluesky, the social media site embraced by leftists fleeing platforms like X and Threads, is facing a flood of bots and impersonation accounts as President Donald Trump returns to office. The platform, once billed as a “decentralized alternative” for those disillusioned with Musk’s X, is now struggling with the unintended consequences of its rapid growth.
Since Trump’s re-election, Bluesky’s user base has nearly doubled from 15 million to 27 million. But with that growth comes a surge in spam bots and fake profiles—particularly pornographic content and impersonator accounts. Journalist Patrick George was recently targeted by a bot mimicking his identity to contact one of his sources, a troubling trend growing more common across the platform.
Security researchers have confirmed the scale of the problem. Alexios Mantzarlis of Cornell Tech found that 44 percent of Bluesky’s top 100 accounts had at least one impersonator, but only 16 percent were labeled as such. V.S. Subrahmanian of Northwestern University warned that smaller accounts are especially vulnerable, as they provide an easier entry point for bad actors.
Bluesky’s current identity verification method—linking profiles to custom web domains—is proving inadequate and too technical for mainstream users. Experts warn that it’s easily spoofed by those with malicious intent, leaving the platform exposed as it tries to compete with larger, better-funded rivals.
The bot epidemic reflects deeper challenges within Bluesky’s infrastructure. Without significant investment in detection tools and user safety systems, the platform risks losing credibility. Analysts recommend that Bluesky begin building sophisticated detection systems that differentiate real users from bots before its reputation is permanently damaged.
