Discord’s age verification era is upon us, despite community backlash
Discord is rolling out age verification measures globally, despite previous user backlash over privacy concerns related to biometric scans and ID checks. The company states that over 90% of users won't need to verify with ID, instead using existing account data and machine learning to determine age groups.
Why it matters
This reflects the growing pressure on social media platforms to implement age verification for user safety, while also highlighting the ongoing tension between user privacy concerns and regulatory compliance in the tech industry.
Starting Wednesday, Discord, the community messaging platform, will roll out age verification measures to all users.
The rollout comes after the company initially delayed its age verification plans in February due to backlash from users concerned that biometric scans and ID checks could jeopardize their privacy . Those concerns weren’t unfounded; last year, a third-party vendor that works with Discord was breached , potentially exposing the data of 70,000 users’ data, including government ID photos and selfies used for identity verification.
“Age assurance draws strong opinions and skepticism, especially when it involves sharing biometric information or a form of ID,” Discord CTO Stanislav Vishnevskiy wrote in a blog post , published Tuesday. “At the same time, age assurance laws are expanding, and since my last post we’ve had to launch age assurance in other regions, including in Brazil and in Texas.”
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