Wait, how did a decentralized service like Bluesky go down?

Tech Crunch - Apr 25th, 2025

On Thursday evening, the decentralized social network Bluesky experienced a significant outage, leaving users unable to load the app on both the web and mobile devices for approximately an hour. The issue was identified as 'Major PDS Networking Problems,' according to Bluesky's status updates. Although Bluesky is decentralized, most users rely on its official app, which made the outage widespread. A fix was quickly applied, and the service was restored shortly after the disruption began.

This incident raises questions about the resilience of decentralized networks, as one of their key benefits is supposed to be the absence of a single point of failure. As Bluesky operates in its early stages, few users have set up independent infrastructure, resulting in broader impacts from outages. The outage also reignited competition between Bluesky and other decentralized platforms like Mastodon, which operates on a different protocol. Mastodon users used the opportunity to critique Bluesky's approach, highlighting the challenges and growing pains of emerging decentralized networks.

Mastodon Bluesky At Protocol Outage Decentralized Social Networks Pds Networking Problems

Story submitted by Fairstory

RATING

7.0

Fair Story

Consider it well-founded

The article provides a timely and generally accurate report on the Bluesky outage, effectively explaining the situation and its implications for decentralized networks. It presents a balanced view by including perspectives from both Bluesky and Mastodon users, though it could benefit from more input from Bluesky's developers or technical experts. While the article is clear and engaging, with a structure that aids comprehension, it lacks depth in technical analysis and transparency about the sources and methodology behind its claims. Overall, it serves as a useful update for readers interested in the reliability of decentralized platforms but could be enhanced by more detailed sourcing and technical insights.

Accuracy

The article accurately reports the occurrence of a significant outage on the decentralized social network Bluesky, citing specific times and the nature of the problem as "Major PDS Networking Problems." These details align with the information provided by Bluesky's status updates. However, the article could benefit from more technical details about the nature of the networking problems and a quantification of the outage's impact, such as the percentage of users affected or geographic distribution. The claim that the outage was resolved shortly after it began is consistent with the timeline provided, but additional verification from external sources could strengthen this assertion.

Balance

The article presents a balanced view by acknowledging the decentralized nature of Bluesky while also critiquing its current centralized implementation. It mentions the rivalry with Mastodon, providing perspectives from both Bluesky and Mastodon users. However, the article leans slightly towards highlighting the criticisms from Mastodon users without equally emphasizing any defense or explanations from Bluesky's developers. Including more perspectives from Bluesky's team or users who were unaffected by the outage could provide a more rounded view.

Clarity

The article is well-structured and uses clear language to explain the situation, making it accessible to readers unfamiliar with decentralized networks. It logically progresses from describing the outage to exploring its implications and user reactions. However, some technical terms, like 'PDS,' are briefly defined but could use more context for a general audience. Overall, the article maintains a neutral tone and effectively communicates the key points.

Source quality

The article primarily relies on Bluesky's status page for information about the outage, which is a credible source for such technical issues. However, it lacks a variety of sources, such as expert opinions or independent verification from tech analysts. The inclusion of quotes from Mastodon users adds a user perspective but does not necessarily enhance the credibility of the technical details. More authoritative sources, such as network experts or Bluesky developers, would improve the source quality.

Transparency

The article provides a clear explanation of the outage and its immediate resolution but lacks transparency regarding the technical specifics of the "Major PDS Networking Problems." It also does not explain the methodology behind its claims, such as how it determined the outage's impact or how it sourced user reactions from Mastodon. Disclosing more about the basis for these claims and any potential conflicts of interest would enhance transparency.