Overview

• VP JD Vance set up his Bluesky account on June 18 and the platform suspended it within 30 minutes under an automated impersonation filter.
• Bluesky restored his account within about 20 minutes and added a verification badge to confirm its authenticity.
• Vance’s inaugural posts criticized transgender medical treatments for youth and quoted Justice Clarence Thomas’s concurrence in the Supreme Court’s Skrmetti ruling.
• As of June 19, Vance’s profile has over 7,000 followers but has been blocked by more than 78,000 users.
• Bluesky’s rapid growth as a liberal alternative to X has highlighted challenges in balancing free speech, moderation and reliable verification.