Discord clarifies it 'is not requiring everyone to complete a face scan or upload an ID' and will 'confirm your age group using information we already have'

If you don't like the idea of giving your data to Discord to enter adult servers, the good news is you've likely already given enough information that it doesn't need to do that. I'm sure you're happy to find out.

In its latest blog, Discord clarifies "it is not requiring everyone to complete a face scan or upload an ID to use Discord" and that the "vast majority of people can continue using Discord exactly as they do today, without ever being asked to confirm their age."

See, it turns out you've likely already given Discord enough data for it to accurately guess your age and allow you access. "For the majority of adult users, we will be able to confirm your age group using information we already have. We use age prediction to determine, with high confidence, when a user is an adult. This allows many adults to access age-appropriate features without completing an explicit age check."

You will only be checked if you want access to adult servers or servers with adult sections, so there's a decent chance you won't be affected by the change either way. However, if Discord fails to properly verify you with the information it has, you will have to give your ID and/or a face scan "through trusted partners."

Discord says it only receives the age of users, and identity details given in the verification process are not associated with your account. Still, the fact that Discord can seemingly predict your age based on behaviour is certainly a testament to the sheer volume of data companies collect in their apps.

For me, that will be mostly the names of my friends and about four dozen servers I joined for a specific purpose and never came back to. Does that seem like the behaviour of a 20-something-year-old geek? Probably.

Discord is taking criticism for the decision to roll out ID verification, not only because it requires a level of data many are uncomfortable with sharing, but also because, mere months ago, 70,000 verification ID photos appear to have been leaked in a Discord security breach. That includes names, usernames, emails, credit cards, and IP addresses.

At the time, Discord said all "affected users globally have been contacted, and we continue to work closely with law enforcement, data protection authorities, and external security experts. We’ve secured the affected systems and ended work with the compromised vendor. We take our responsibility to protect your personal data seriously and understand the concern this may cause."

Though mitigating factors were put in place, the more companies that have your data, the more likely you are to be caught up when bad actors strike. This is without mentioning what a company can do with your data, even when it's entirely secure. In my case, however, a bad actor would simply get a photo of Norma Reedus for my verification photo. One step ahead of the curve, me.

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