Bluesky wants to give you your own domain on the open web
- ID
- 32335
- Status
- summarized
- Published
- 06 Oct 2026, 10:41 PM
- Fetched
- 06 Oct 2026, 11:41 PM
- Provider
- TechCrunch
- Category
- technology
- Original URL
- https://techcrunch.com/2026/10/06/bluesky-wants-to-give-you-your-own-domain-on-the-open-web/
- Source URL
- https://techcrunch.com/feed/
Summary
- Score
- 3.0
- Created
- 06 Oct 2026, 11:43 PM
- Tags
- Audience
- developerssaas_startup_founders
What happened
Bluesky has applied to ICANN to make ".bsky" a top-level internet domain suffix, CEO Toni Schneider said, which would let users shorten handles like @sarahp.bsky.social to sarahp.bsky and potentially turn profiles into fuller personal home pages. ICANN is set to publish the new-domain applications on October 7, 2026, and Bluesky says the approval process will take 18 to 24 months. Bluesky has not finalized how .bsky domains would be requested, registered, or distributed, but COO Rose Wang said the company has no plans to sell or monetize them.
Why it matters
Nothing to act on now: the application is not approved, the registration mechanics are undefined, and the timeline is 18-24 months. The one concrete signal worth noting is Bluesky's stated commitment not to sell or monetize .bsky domains, which means if it ships, your social handle could become a portable identifier rather than a rented one — but do not build product plans, reserve names, or migrate identity schemes on the back of an unfiled-timeline TLD. If you already treat domains as identity for your product or personal brand, this changes nothing this year.
Discussion angle
Ask whether platform handles should ever be treated as durable identity: if a .bsky handle takes 18-24 months and is unapproved, what would actually make you move off a username you don't control — and does the "we won't sell domains" promise hold once a company needs revenue?