Discord slammed over age verification face scan controversy
www.newsweek.com
Discord users are unhappy with the platform's decision to roll out age verification requirements for adult user accounts starting in March.

Starting in early March, the platform will place every account into a default “teen-appropriate” experience unless it has proof that users are adults.

The move has brought widespread criticism from Discord users, who are citing privacy and security concerns following a recent breach of a third-party vendor that ended up exposing around 70,000 government ID images used to verify the age of Discord users.

  • Tetsuo@jlai.luEnglish
    13·
    12 hours ago

    So teen-per-default means that adults can freely talk to teens, which should be prevented.

    That’s not my understanding.

    I get your point but by default if Discord thinks you are a teen it also implies all the limitations associated with that status. Which means some media will be blurred and some commands cannot be done.

    An adult can keep his “teen default status” but he also keeps all the limitations associated with it. Which I suppose doesn’t mean they can “freely” talk to other accounts as you state.

    Notably the DM that a groomer would send will end up in a special inbox for all teens or for that matter “default teen”.

    • Redjard@lemmy.dbzer0.comEnglish
      31·
      11 hours ago

      If every message goes to a special inbox, none do. You just train people to use that inbox like they use their current inbox

      • Tetsuo@jlai.luEnglish
        12·
        11 hours ago

        No it’s DM from people that are not in your friend list. I often receive scam messages on Discord and only notice them months latter.

        The simple fact that they will be hidden deep in the inbox IMO is important. If a teen doesn’t see messages from strangers they had no prior contact with that’s good in my book.

        I think it’s much better than just letting these nasty DMs stay in the dark anyway.

        At least a teen will have to go out of his way and ignore the warnings to get in contact with some freak.

        Also what better solution do you suggest to implement ?

        • Redjard@lemmy.dbzer0.comEnglish
          2·
          10 hours ago

          It’ll train everyone to ignore the warnings, so if a different platform implements such a system more sensibly users will be inclined to ignore those warnings too now. Overusing a warning is a really quick way to make people ignore it even where used correctly.
          If you placed wet floor signs everywhere just in case, fall injuries would increase.

          Systems around this will develop, either people will learn to dig up the dms, or it’ll be incorporated into normal communication. It’s already become the norm to use friend requests as a dm request on discord, due to previous dm restrictions.