Bluesky, an alternative social network to X that has surpassed 10 million users, is facing significant challenges in moderating content in Portuguese

Bluesky struggles to moderate child abuse material in Portuguese

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2024-10-10 01:00:19

Bluesky, an alternative social network to X that has surpassed 10 million users, is facing significant challenges in moderating content in Portuguese related to the sexual exploitation of children and adolescents.

An investigation by Nucleo, in collaboration with independent researchers, identified 125 Portuguese-language profiles that share or sell illegal materials, including explicit photographs of child sexual abuse, without any censorship of the images.

Alongside Brazilian researchers Tatiana Azevedo and Letícia Oliveira, Nucleo's investigation mapped profiles and posts that blatantly violate Bluesky's terms of service and local law over a two-week period.

During the analysis, it was possible to identify that Bluesky was not moderating phrases, terms, or emojis commonly associated with child sexual abuse material (CSAM) in Portuguese, even when they are explicit.

In a statement to Nucleo, Bluesky said that "out moderation team takes down accounts that engage in this content, and we purge this data from our infrastructure. In the last month, we've increased the size of our moderation team to handle the influx of new accounts."