Bluesky introduces algorithmic opt-out to curb viral reach

The feature, found within the Privacy and Security menu, addresses a growing demand for control over audience size. While Bluesky remains a public-by-default network, this update ensures that users can communicate with their immediate followers without the risk of their words being surfaced to the entire ecosystem. The company notes that this adjustment can take up to an hour to propagate across the system.

This choice is recorded at the account level rather than being restricted to the primary app interface. Because Bluesky operates on the AT Protocol, this preference attaches to the user’s identity across the network. While third-party clients built on the same protocol will receive the signal that a user wishes to remain outside the algorithmic feed, those developers maintain the discretion to decide whether or not to honor the request.