Discord delays age verification plans after user outcry

Source: BBC Technology

Discord delays age verification plans after user outcry

Reuters

Discord has pushed back its plan to verify the age of all users, originally slated for March, following weeks of user backlash.

Delay announcement

Stanislav Vishnevskiy, Discord’s co‑founder and chief technology officer, announced that the global rollout of a verification process to identify users under 16 will be delayed until the latter half of this year. The company emphasized that it will still meet any specific legal obligations for age verification and that such measures will eventually become part of the platform.

New verification options

Discord is developing “more verification options” that will not require facial or ID scans. One option under development is credit‑card verification.

“We knew this rollout was going to be controversial,” Vishnevskiy wrote in a Tuesday blog post.
“In hindsight, we should have provided more detail about our intentions and how the process works.”

User concerns and trust

Vishnevskiy acknowledged broader mistrust toward tech companies and online surveillance, noting that this sentiment fuels concerns about why Discord is pursuing age verification and how the data will be used.

• Less than 10 % of users are expected to need to verify their age when the system eventually launches.
• Users who have not verified their age will be unable to access “age‑restricted content,” and default settings will apply until verification is completed.

Discord already employs an internal “age determination” system that considers factors such as account age, presence of a payment method, server types, and general activity patterns. According to Vishnevskiy, this system does not read messages, analyse conversations, or examine posted content. The company plans to publish the methodology before the global rollout.

Regulatory context

The platform, which reports 200 million monthly users, initially planned to default users into a version of Discord designed for people under 16 until their age could be verified. This move aims to align with emerging regulations on social‑media access for young people in the UK, Australia, the EU, Brazil, and various U.S. states. Discord is also preparing for a public listing later this year.

Community reaction

One server host with over 60 000 members, known as Alastair (or Eret), told the BBC, “I do not trust them.” Many users originally gravitated to Discord for its ability to create private, invite‑only spaces for text, voice, and video discussions.

Security incidents

Discord has faced recent security challenges that have eroded user trust:

• In October, official ID photos of around 70 000 users collected from a prior age‑verification partnership were likely leaked in a cyber‑attack. Details can be found in the BBC report here.
• Over the past week, online researchers discovered that Persona, a UK‑based age‑verification partner, left thousands of files exposed on the open internet. Discord clarified that its test with Persona was limited and has now ended. More information is available here.

Discord reiterated that when a global age‑verification system is finally implemented, no images used in the process will be stored.

Growth among younger users

Since the pandemic, the number of teenagers on Discord has risen significantly, according to Vishnevskiy, contributing to the heightened focus on age‑verification measures.