Discord will soon require age verification for full access
Game-focused chat and community platform, Discord, will soon require users to submit face scans or identity documents as part of a new "teen-by-default" age verification mandate.
The company said the move will enhance "age-appropriate protections while maintaining privacy, community, and meaningful connection on the platform."
The measure will result in all users being handed a teen-appropriate experience by default that will restrict access to age-gated spaces, implement content filtering, and prohibit some forms of communication.
Following the beginning of a phased global rollout in March, Discord users will need to complete an age verification process in order to change those settings. The company has already implemented age-verification in the UK and Australia.
The changes will arrive around a year after Discord and Roblox were both accused of 'facilitating the sexual exploitation' of a minor in a lawsuit filed in California.
"Age assurance is the foundation of this new experience and is designed to respect Discord users privacy and choice. Discord users can choose to use facial age estimation or submit a form of identification to its vendor partners, with more options coming in the future," reads a Discord blog post.
"Additionally, Discord will implement its age inference model, a new system that runs in the background to help determine whether an account belongs to an adult, without always requiring users to verify their age. Some users may be asked to use multiple methods if more information is needed to assign an age group."
Discord said its approach to age-assurance will ensure video selfies used for facial age estimation never leave a user's device, and that identity documents submitted to its vendor partners are swiftly deleted.
It noted that most users will only be asked to complete the process once, but explained some might be asked for multiple methods of verification "when more information is needed to assign an age group."
The news comes with Discord reportedly preparing to go public—and just months after the company confirmed a data breach impacting one of its third-party customer service providers may have exposed the government-ID photographs of around 70,000 users.
