Bluesky Applies for .bsky Domains to Give Users Control of Their Web Identity
Bluesky seeks approval for .bsky domains, promising shorter handles and user-owned identities, with ICANN's review expected to take 18 to 24 months in total.
Summary
Bluesky CEO Toni Schneider said Monday that the company applied to make .bsky an internet domain suffix like .com or .org. If approved, users could replace handles such as @sarahp.bsky.social with sarahp.bsky, while profiles could evolve from basic biographies and post feeds into fuller personal home pages. ICANN, the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers, will publish new domain applications on October 7, 2026, including Bluesky’s request, before an approval process expected to take 18 to 24 months.
Bluesky has not finalized how .bsky domains would be requested, registered or distributed, but says it will neither sell nor monetize them. That rejects a potential registration revenue stream for a significantly funded startup that does not generate advertising revenue. COO Rose Wang said the policy reflects Bluesky’s open web belief that users should control their online identities instead of renting a presence that a platform can revoke.
Positives
- Approved .bsky domains could shorten @sarahp.bsky.social to the cleaner sarahp.bsky.
- Bluesky profiles could expand into comprehensive personal home pages that establish users’ broader online presence.
- Bluesky plans neither to sell nor monetize .bsky domains, prioritizing identity ownership over registration revenue.
- ICANN will publish Bluesky’s application on October 7, 2026, beginning a defined review process.
Risks & concerns
- ICANN has not approved .bsky, leaving Bluesky’s domain plan uncertain.
- The ICANN process will take 18 to 24 months, delaying any launch for users.
- Bluesky has not decided how users would request, register or receive .bsky domains.
- Refusing domain sales removes a potential revenue stream while Bluesky remains without advertising revenue.