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Plain-English summary
Bluesky's terms include mandatory arbitration for most disputes, waiving your right to a jury trial and class actions. The company limits its total liability to $100 for most claims and disclaims responsibility for all third-party claims. Bluesky also has a broad license to use and adapt your content, and cannot guarantee complete deletion of content from other decentralized services even if you delete your account. You are responsible for all activity on your account, even if unauthorized.
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Risk Flags
Clauses that indicate potential for significant user harm, especially those that are difficult to reverse. These are critical for users to understand.
high95% confidence confidence
Mandatory Arbitration
These Terms contain an agreement to resolve most disputes through arbitration instead of suing in court, and to waive jury trials and class actions in most cases.
Why it matters: You agree to resolve disputes through arbitration instead of court, and must waive your right to a jury trial and class actions in most cases, which limits your legal recourse.
These Terms contain an agreement to resolve most disputes between us through arbitration (instead of suing in court) and to waive jury trials and class actions in most cases.
Except for claims falling within specific exceptions, Bluesky's total cumulative liability for all claims arising out of or related to these Terms is limited to one hundred U.S. dollars (US$100).
Why it matters: Bluesky's financial liability to you for most claims is capped at $100, which may not cover significant damages you could incur.
Except for claims falling within the Exceptions to Exclusion, Bluesky's total cumulative liability for all claims arising out of or related to these Terms—whether in contract, tort, statute, or otherwise—is limited to one hundred U.S. dollars (US$100).
Limitation of Liability, paragraph 11 · Citation strength: strong
high90% confidence confidence
Exclusion of Third-Party Claims from Liability
All third-party claims are expressly excluded from Bluesky's liability, regardless of cause or theory of liability.
Why it matters: You cannot hold Bluesky liable for claims involving third parties, which shifts the burden of issues caused by others to you.
**All third-party claims are expressly excluded from Bluesky's liability**, regardless of cause or theory of liability.
Limitation of Liability, paragraph 6 · Citation strength: strong
Data Use
How the company collects, uses, shares, and protects your data. This section does not cover security or data breaches, but rather the company's stated practices.
medium90% confidence confidence
Broad License to User Content for Operations and Promotion
By sharing content on Bluesky, users grant a limited, worldwide, non-exclusive, royalty-free license to operate, improve, adapt, display, and enable third-party tools for their content, including for promotional materials.
Why it matters: You grant Bluesky a broad license to use and adapt your content worldwide for their operations, improvements, and promotional activities, including allowing third-party partners to access it.
By sharing Content on Bluesky, you grant us a limited, worldwide, non-exclusive, royalty-free license to:
User Content, paragraph 7 · Citation strength: strong
medium90% confidence confidence
No Guarantee of Complete Content Deletion on AT Protocol
Due to the decentralized nature of the AT Protocol, Bluesky cannot control or force other services and Developer Applications on the AT Protocol to treat user content in a particular way, meaning complete deletion across the network may not always be possible.
Why it matters: Even if you delete your account, your content may persist on other decentralized services and Developer Applications on the AT Protocol because Bluesky cannot control their data handling.
Due to the decentralized nature of the AT Protocol, we cannot control or force other services and Developer Applications on the AT Protocol to treat your Content in a particular way and some posts may continue to exist on these services that are outside our control. That means that complete deletion across the network may not always be possible.
User Content, paragraph 13 · Citation strength: strong
low90% confidence confidence
Use of Content for Operations and Promotion
Bluesky uses user content only to operate, provide, and improve Bluesky and its features, including sharing it across Bluesky and the AT Protocol, and to promote and market Bluesky and its services.
Why it matters: Your content is used to run and improve Bluesky, including sharing it across their platform and the AT Protocol, and for promotional purposes.
We use your Content only to (i) operate, provide, and improve Bluesky and its features, including by sharing it across Bluesky and the AT Protocol; and (ii) promote and market Bluesky and its services.
User Content, paragraph 5 · Citation strength: strong
low90% confidence confidence
Automated and Human Moderation of Content
Bluesky uses automated tools and human moderation to detect and act on prohibited content, prioritizing the swift removal of terrorism content, child sexual exploitation and abuse (CSEA) content, and other priority illegal content.
Why it matters: Your content is subject to both automated tools and human review for moderation to detect and remove prohibited and illegal content.
We proactively use automated tools and human moderation to detect and act on prohibited content. Bluesky prioritizes the swift removal of terrorism content, child sexual exploitation and abuse (CSEA) content, and other priority illegal content. This proactive technology includes tools that help us recognize hashes of known illegal content and that can detect violations of our terms based on the text in and content of a post.
Details on how users can cancel services, provisions for automatic renewals, and associated terms.
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No billing surprises spotted
Verbaterm only flags concerns it can cite. No cancellation, auto-renewal, or refund terms needed attention here.
Gotchas
Unexpected or subtle clauses that could negatively impact users, often requiring careful attention.
medium95% confidence confidence
User Responsibility for Account Activity Even If Unauthorized
You are responsible for any use of Bluesky made through your valid login credentials, including any communications or actions taken through your Account, whether or not you authorized it.
Why it matters: You are held responsible for all activities on your account, even if you did not authorize them, should your login credentials be used.
You are responsible for any use of Bluesky made through your valid login credentials, including any communications or actions taken through your Account, whether or not you authorized it.
Account Registration and Responsibilities, paragraph 2 · Citation strength: strong
medium90% confidence confidence
Disclaimer of Warranties
Bluesky and all content and services are offered "as is" and "as available," with all warranties expressly disclaimed, including implied warranties of merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, and non-infringement.
Why it matters: Bluesky does not guarantee its service will be error-free or meet your expectations; you use it at your own risk without implied warranties.
1. Implied warranties of merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, non-infringement, and any warranties arising from course of dealing or usage of trade; 2. Any guarantee that Bluesky Social will be uninterrupted, timely, secure, error-free, or meet your expectations or requirements.
You agree to indemnify, defend, and hold harmless Bluesky for any claims, disputes, demands, liabilities, damages, losses, and expenses arising out of or related to your access or use of Bluesky Social, your user content, your violation of terms, or your violation of any law or third-party rights.
Why it matters: You are responsible for any legal costs and damages Bluesky incurs due to your actions, content, or violations of their terms or laws.
You agree to indemnify, defend, and hold harmless Bluesky, its affiliates, and their respective officers, directors, employees, and agents (collectively, the “**Bluesky Parties**”) from and against any and all claims, disputes, demands, liabilities, damages, losses, and expenses—including reasonable legal and accounting fees—arising out of or in any way related to:
Bluesky may provide access to third-party services, but it does not control or endorse them, and your use of such services is at your own risk.
Why it matters: You are solely responsible for reviewing and complying with the terms and privacy policies of any third-party services you access through Bluesky, and Bluesky is not liable for any harm from such use.
We do not control, verify, or assume responsibility for the content, policies, or practices of third-party sites or services. You are solely responsible for reviewing and complying with the terms and privacy policies of any third-party resource you choose to access.
Bluesky Not Responsible for User or Third-Party Content
Bluesky is not responsible or liable for any content shared or transmitted by you, other users, or third parties, and you may encounter objectionable content.
Why it matters: Bluesky will not be held accountable for content posted by other users or third parties, meaning you may see content that is inaccurate, offensive, or otherwise objectionable.
Bluesky is not responsible or liable for any Content shared or transmitted by you, other users, or third parties. You understand that you may encounter Content that is inaccurate, misleading, offensive, inappropriate, untimely, or otherwise objectionable.