Introduction to Discord’s Age Verification

Discord, a popular messaging platform among gamers and developers, has recently announced its plan to roll out age verification for all users. This move aims to make the platform safer, especially for minors. However, the announcement has been met with backlash from users, particularly after a data breach exposed the government IDs of 70,000 users.

The Data Breach Incident

In October, hackers breached a third-party vendor used by Discord for age verification, accessing sensitive information including government ID photos. This incident has raised concerns about the safety of users’ data and the trustworthiness of Discord’s age verification process.

Discord’s Response to the Data Breach

According to Ars Technica, Discord immediately stopped using the breached vendor and is now working with a different third-party vendor for age verification. Discord’s spokesperson, Badalich, emphasized that the company is not doing biometric scanning or facial recognition, but rather facial estimation, and that the ID is immediately deleted after verification.

Age Verification Process

Users will have the option to use facial age estimation or submit a form of identification to Discord’s vendor partners. The facial age estimation process uses on-device edge-AI, which processes user data on their own devices, thereby avoiding the need to export user’s personal data onto any form of cloud services.

Privacy Concerns and Protections

Despite the efforts to protect user data, many users are still concerned about the privacy implications of the age verification process. The Verge reports that some users may avoid verifying their age due to concerns around data privacy. Discord highlights that if a user chooses to provide a video selfie, the data is said to ‘never leave a user’s device.’ If a user decides to provide government ID to Discord’s vendor partners, the data is ‘deleted quickly.’

Market Impact and Future Implications

The introduction of age verification on Discord raises important questions about data privacy, online safety, and the responsibility of tech companies to protect their users. As TechCrunch notes, this move follows Discord’s decision to establish age checks for users in the U.K. and Australia last year.

Conclusion and Practical Takeaways

In conclusion, while Discord’s age verification process aims to make the platform safer, the recent data breach has highlighted the need for the company to prioritize user data protection. Users should be cautious when providing sensitive information and consider the potential risks and benefits of age verification.

Practical takeaways for users include:

• Understand the age verification process and the data that will be collected.
• Consider the potential risks and benefits of providing sensitive information.
• Be cautious when using third-party vendors for age verification.