Discord to Roll Out Age Verification With Face Scan or ID

Is Discord's age verification protecting teens with privacy-forward tech or creating mass surveillance?

Published 12 hours ago

Discord to Roll Out Age Verification With Face Scan or ID

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Above: The Discord app displayed in a smartphone app store. Image credit: Jakub Porzycki/NurPhoto/Getty Images

The Spin

Pro-establishment narrative

Discord's new age verification system protects teens with privacy-forward technology that uses on-device facial estimation and immediately deletes ID documents, while most adults won't even notice changes since the inference model automatically verifies accounts using tenure and activity patterns. The teen-by-default approach delivers age-appropriate protections without compromising meaningful connections, and the new Teen Council ensures actual teen voices shape safety features.

Discord Verge

Establishment-critical narrative

Forcing face scans and government ID uploads to access basic Discord features represents a massive privacy violation, especially after the October hack that left 70,000 ID photos vulnerable to cybercriminals. This surveillance system blocks adults from content and servers unless they submit biometric data or legal documents to faceless algorithms, marking the death of online anonymity.

Kotaku The Pinknews

Metaculus Prediction

Limited Coverage

This story currently has limited reporting from right-leaning sources. We will continue to monitor all major outlets and update our coverage as additional perspectives become available.