The FSF is now on Bluesky: Here’s how and why we did it

by Eko K.A. Owen — Published on Aug 31, 2026 02:58 PM

The Free Software Foundation (FSF) is now on Bluesky, the microblogging service based on the AT Protocol. We can’t advocate that you sign up for a Bluesky account like we do with Mastodon or PeerTube since signing up for Bluesky means loading the registration page’s nonfree JavaScript. But, we have done this ourselves to make an effort to reach people where they are, letting them know about software freedom, including establishing understanding of the issues of this service itself. We post on the platform via a program our tech team specifically wrote for us to integrate into our existing workflow. If you’re on social media, follow the FSF on Bluesky and on Mastodon today.

The more we share the free software philosophy, the closer we get to a free world.

Bluesky: some steps forward, some steps back

The Bluesky developers have taken steps to improve upon microblogging services like X (Twitter), but there continue to be some issues with its clients and governance structure. If you’re considering joining, we recommend keeping these points in mind:

JavaScript: When signing up for Bluesky, like with many other websites or services, you must use nonfree JavaScript, which violates your user rights. No matter what operating system you run, even a free one like GNU/Linux, the vast majority of sites online will serve up and download proprietary programs without asking or telling you — all in the form of nonfree JavaScript.
Federated, but: While federated, Bluesky is generally not considered part of the « fediverse » network of social media services like Mastodon and PeerTube, as it uses its own AT protocol rather than ActivityPub. Bluesky itself is the chief arbiter of how AT Protocol is defined, something which we’ve seen used against free communities of users time and time again. Hosting your own Bluesky « Personal Data Server (PDS) » and relay is technically possible, but generally far more difficult and resource-intensive than spinning up an instance of Mastodon, let alone any of the lighter-weight ActivityPub servers like Akkoma or Starling.
Free software codebase, but: Much of the Bluesky codebase is freely licensed. This allows users to run, copy, modify, and share large parts of the codebase. However, Bluesky’s web client still serves nonfree JavaScript to users, just like its registration page. (Since our script was written for us specifically, we have not extensively vetted all available clients.)

Why did we sign up?

Simply put, we have to continue to reach people where they are. Bluesky is a decent choice for us that evades many of the issues of other, more problematic networks. Without reaching people who don’t already know about us, we unfortunately have very little chance of achieving our mission and educating new people about the free software philosophy. We accepted running Bluesky’s nonfree JavaScript a single time if it meant being able to reach people who have never heard of software freedom.

If you are on Bluesky, give us a follow for free software news and events. If you know other people who care about freedom and human rights, even if they don’t know anything yet about free software, suggest our microblogging accounts. We say it pretty often because it’s true: the more people who know about free software and why it’s important, the closer we get to a world where every single person has the freedom to control their computing.

Take Action

The nonfree javascript on Bluesky’s signup page is a problem. Take action today and contact Bluesky about accessing the platform in freedom.