Atproto Spaces Alpha Released, Paving Way for Private Accounts on Bluesky
The alpha release gives Bluesky a concrete technical path toward private accounts, a long-requested feature the service has lacked since its start.
Reporting from 1 source: GIGAZINE.
On August 20, 2026, an alpha version of Atproto Spaces was released, enabling storage and sharing of private data on the AT Protocol. This allows implementing private features on AT Protocol-based services and is expected to lead to private accounts on Bluesky. Data is not encrypted, and no security audit has been conducted.
The AT Protocol development community began a working group on private data in September 2025, and the mechanism's name evolved from 'private data' to 'permissioned data' to 'buckets' before settling on Atproto Spaces. The technology builds miniature AT Protocol networks accessible only to authorized users, and data is not shared by relays, so it can remain private.
As a sample service, the team published a web app called bulletin that lets mutual followers on Bluesky share sticky notes. Atproto Spaces only controls access rights, not encryption, and has not undergone a security audit, so the development team advises against uploading confidential or others' information.
Synthesized by Yomimono from the 1 cited source below, including Japanese-language reporting where cited, then editorially reviewed before publishing.