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Bluesky Rolls Out Privacy-First ‘Find Friends’ on Mobile in 13 Countries

The contact-matching design targets leak-prone address book uploads through mutual consent backed by cryptographic protections.

Overview

  • Matching occurs only when both users opt in and have each other saved in their contacts.
  • Participation requires phone-number ownership verified via a six-digit SMS code.
  • Uploaded contacts are stored as hashed pairs with encryption tied to a separately held hardware security key, and users can delete their data and opt out.
  • The feature avoids automated invite texts, limiting outreach to deliberate, user-sent messages.
  • Rollout begins today for the mobile app in Australia, Brazil, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the Netherlands, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, the UK, and the US, with matches appearing gradually as more people opt in.