Last month, a wave of compromised accounts on Bluesky was reported, affecting hundreds of users, including academics and journalists. This infiltration allowed for the dissemination of misleading information, such as a video misattributed to an economist and professor at the Colorado School of Mines, Ben Gilbert, who was unaware of the hijacking of his account.
The campaign, linked to the Moscow-based Social Design Agency, aims to undermine support for Ukraine amidst ongoing geopolitical tensions. Researchers from Clemson University have noted that this tactic represents a shift in strategy for Russian influence operations, utilizing real accounts instead of solely relying on fake profiles.
Bluesky, which currently has around 42 million users, is gaining traction as a competitor to X, where user numbers exceed 600 million. In response to the recent events, Bluesky has been actively removing fraudulent posts, with efforts in place since April. The platform has acknowledged the challenge posed by such operations, labeling it an industrywide issue.