Bluesky, the open social network, has introduced a new feature that allows users to opt out of the algorithmic Discover feed, preventing their posts from appearing in the main feed of the app. While this doesn’t make posts private, it does ensure that users’ content is less discoverable to people outside their personal network.

The company cites a desire to respect users who do not wish to go viral, and instead wish to communicate solely with their followers. To activate this feature, users simply toggle a setting in the Privacy and Security section of the app, a change that can take up to an hour to fully take effect.

Interestingly, this preference is recorded at the account level, meaning it will follow the user even if they choose to post from another app powered by the same underlying protocol, AT Proto. However, these other apps still need to respect this setting, which is optional for them.

The feature is part of Bluesky’s ongoing efforts to provide users with more control over their online presence. Whether this is a step towards a more privacy-conscious online culture or merely a tool to manage visibility, only time will tell. For now, users can rest assured that their posts aren’t as easily discoverable as they once were.