Discord to start assuming all users are underage unless they prove otherwise
Summary
Discord's new age-inference model may classify users as underage, prompting the need for personal information to verify age. This comes shortly after a data breach involving the company's age verification partner, raising privacy concerns among users.
Key Insights
What exactly does the 'teen-by-default' experience restrict on Discord?
The teen-by-default settings include content filters that blur sensitive content, restricted access to age-gated channels, servers, and app commands, direct messages from unknown users routed to a separate inbox, warning prompts for friend requests from unknowns, and restrictions on speaking onstage in servers unless age-verified as an adult.
How does Discord's age verification process work and what are the privacy protections?
Users can verify age via on-device facial age estimation using video selfies that never leave the device or by submitting ID to vendor partners, which are deleted quickly after confirmation. An age inference model may assign ages without verification in some cases, and more options are planned; verification status remains private.