Discord Rolls Out New System That Automatically Estimates Users' Ages
Discord has rolled out an automatic age estimation system based on account signals in all countries except Australia and the United Kingdom, following the age verification system it suspended in February. According to the company, 90 percent of users will not be asked to verify their age, while default safety restrictions will be applied to accounts assigned to the 13-17 age group.
Murat İKİLİK··3 min read
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Discord has launched a new global age assurance system, following the age verification system it suspended in February after user backlash. According to the company's announcement, the system will be in effect in all countries except Australia and the United Kingdom starting today. Under the new arrangement, Discord will automatically assign users to an estimated age group based on "various account signals," and certain restrictions will be applied to accounts assessed to be in the 13-17 age range.
Why was the previous system suspended?
Discord had halted the age verification system it previously announced in February due to data privacy concerns. Under the previous system, adults were required to verify themselves via video selfie or identity document. A data breach at a third-party Discord vendor had led to the exposure of user information and scanned photo IDs, and the system was criticized for this reason.
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How does the new system work?
According to an announcement by Discord co-founder Stanislav Vishnevskiy, the platform's age group estimation model examines signals such as account age and history, activity levels in channels and servers, and connected communities, servers, and games. Vishnevskiy states that the system does not look at users' "messages, calls, or other content" and that the accuracy of age estimation is equivalent to what could be achieved with biometrics. According to the company's expectation, with this system, 90 percent of users will not be asked to verify their age.
Users assessed to be over 18 will be placed in the Adult age group and no changes will be made to their accounts. For users in the teen age group, certain safety protections will be enabled by default, such as filtering and blurring of sensitive content and restrictions on access to 18+ servers and messaging features.
Verification options expanded
When Discord suspended the launch of age assurance, it had committed to offering additional verification options; these options are also being made available with the new update. In addition to face and ID scans, users will be able to verify their age via credit card, Apple App Store, Google Play Store, Google Wallet, and the AgeKey credential system.
If Discord cannot automatically estimate a user's age, some settings and features will be unavailable until the user provides additional information to verify their age group from Settings > Account Status. Adult users who are mistakenly assigned to the teen group will also be able to provide additional verification information through this setting.
In his assessment of the matter, Vishnevskiy made the following statements: "We believe that meeting age requirements shouldn't require identity checks or selfies for everyone. We'd prefer to offer you more options, including less intrusive ones that don't require biometrics or sensitive personal data. My hope is that our approach shows that we can preserve what makes Discord special and that we take the responsibility that comes with it seriously."
