Discord, the popular voice, video, and text chat platform, has postponed the launch of its global age-verification system from March to the second half of 2023. This decision comes after significant user backlash regarding the company's initial plans.
Discord's Co-founder and CTO, Stanislav Vishnevskiy, acknowledged the controversy in a blog post, stating that the company underestimated user concerns and should have been clearer about the system's functionality. He also noted that the broader distrust towards tech companies and online surveillance has amplified skepticism around the move.
Discord's original plan was to require users suspected of being under 16 to verify their age through facial scans, photo verification, or government ID uploads. However, following the backlash, the company is now developing alternative verification methods that would not involve facial recognition or ID scans, with credit card verification being considered as one option.
The company estimates that less than 10 percent of its users will need to undergo age verification. Until the verification process is completed, affected users will be restricted from accessing age-restricted content and placed into default settings designed for under-16 users.
Discord already uses an internal "age determination" system that considers account age, payment methods on file, types of servers joined, and general activity patterns.
The user backlash was further fueled by past incidents, including the reported exposure of ID photos from roughly 70,000 users during a previous verification partnership and the public accessibility of files connected to Persona, a UK-based verification partner.
Discord says it no longer works with Persona and that images used in the global verification process will not be stored.
The company states that the move towards age verification is partly driven by evolving youth online safety laws in various regions, including the UK, Australia, the EU, Brazil, and several U.S. states.
Discord, which reports around 200 million monthly users, is also reportedly preparing to go public this year, adding pressure to align with regulatory expectations.
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