Discord will decide which servers to age-gate 'with a combination of automated detection with AI validation and human review'

NG Resonance tells Alex D, "The chances of you finding a bug in a globally distributed AI construct are ten billion to one." — (Image credit: Eidos)

In March, Discord will be rolling out facial scanning and ID checks globally for users who don't want to be locked into a "teen-appropriate experience". Some of the stuff being restricted is fairly specific, and even if you were locked out of it because, say, you had privacy concerns and weren't comfortable giving Discord your info to prove you're an adult, maybe you wouldn't miss it.

Losing the ability to talk in "stage channels" where designated speakers talk to an audience who can only listen, for instance, wouldn't change the way most people use Discord.

Speaking to GamesMarket, a Discord representative did at least clarify that, "We do not automatically age-gate servers or content related to a specific game based on its rating alone". So that's something. Instead, the filtering will be done "with a combination of automated detection with AI validation and human review to proactively identify and age-gate servers". Oh, well if AI is involved I'm sure it'll turn out fine.

Is this as concerning as the fact Discord is telling some users in the UK they'll be part of "an experiment" with an age-verification vendor whose investors include Peter Thiel, co-founder of ICE's premier surveillance provider, Palantir? Not really. But it's another data point in favor of looking at more of the free Discord alternatives out there, or even returning to monkey by retreating all the way back to IRC.

Jody's first computer was a Commodore 64, so he remembers having to use a code wheel to play Pool of Radiance. A former music journalist who interviewed everyone from Giorgio Moroder to Trent Reznor, Jody also co-hosted Australia's first radio show about videogames, Zed Games. He's written for Rock Paper Shotgun, The Big Issue, GamesRadar, Zam, Glixel, Five Out of Ten Magazine, and Playboy.com, whose cheques with the bunny logo made for fun conversations at the bank. Jody's first article for PC Gamer was about the audio of Alien Isolation, published in 2015, and since then he's written about why Silent Hill belongs on PC, why Recettear: An Item Shop's Tale is the best fantasy shopkeeper tycoon game, and how weird Lost Ark can get. Jody edited PC Gamer Indie from 2017 to 2018, and he eventually lived up to his promise to play every Warhammer videogame.

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