Discord announced on Monday that it’s rolling out age verification on its platform globally starting next month, when it will automatically set all users’ accounts to a “teen-appropriate” experience unless they demonstrate that they’re adults.

Users who aren’t verified as adults will not be able to access age-restricted servers and channels, won’t be able to speak in Discord’s livestream-like “stage” channels, and will see content filters for any content Discord detects as graphic or sensitive. They will also get warning prompts for friend requests from potentially unfamiliar users, and DMs from unfamiliar users will be automatically filtered into a separate inbox.

Direct messages and servers that are not age-restricted will continue to function normally, but users won’t be able to send messages or view content in an age-restricted server until they complete the age check process, even if it’s a server they were part of before age verification rolled out. Savannah Badalich, Discord’s global head of product policy, said in an interview with The Verge that those servers will be “obfuscated” with a black screen until the user verifies they’re an adult. Users also won’t be able to join any new age-restricted servers without verifying their age.

  • Auth@lemmy.world
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    21 days ago

    how is a government requirement for age verification forcing a company to implement a non profitable change the fault of capitalism? I guess the 10 years have been a good sample of what capitalism does to a platform. Discord saw a problem and used VC capital to build one of the most well engineered platforms on the market with hundreds of millions of free users and many happy to pay to support it.

    • Jakeroxs@sh.itjust.works
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      20 days ago

      If you don’t think this is all a pretense to collect more data and sell it… All the way up to the govt enforcing these rules lmao

      • Auth@lemmy.world
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        20 days ago

        wow this is just what they need to know who you are… the final piece of the puzzle. You dont think discord can accurately identify most of its users already. They have email, IP, device, port scans of the network, all the people they interact with, contact list scans, social media and online account linking. This only affects a small subset of users and doesnt even go to discord as its done through a 3rd party service.

        • Jakeroxs@sh.itjust.works
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          20 days ago

          “They already have your data bro, it’s fine just let them scan your face too bro, it’s all a third party really bro trust them.”

    • nikki@lemmy.blahaj.zone
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      21 days ago

      the ID isn’t a direct cause. i just mention capitalism because most of the rest of the cause for me leaving is the enshittification. this is just the straw that broke the camels back like how reddit killing the app api is what pushed me off that platform

      • NotMyOldRedditName@lemmy.world
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        20 days ago

        It absolutely is a direct cause.

        These ID verification companies have been lobbying governments to mandate this so they can earn $$$$

        • Auth@lemmy.world
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          20 days ago

          Thats true but ID companies are not lobbying or making changes on a scale that matters. This change isnt going through because an id company lobbied the government. Its actually a popular position with the constituents of the democracy. Its supported by many different interest groups for various reasons good and bad. To simplify it down to “id companies lobbying the government to earn money” is in my opinion intentionally misleading.

    • jaybone@lemmy.zip
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      21 days ago

      You could argue that in a general sense government regulation goes against unfettered capitalism. Though in this age where personal information is a commodity, some might say this is being used as a pretense.

      • Auth@lemmy.world
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        20 days ago

        I think the argument that this is done to collect more personal info is stupid.

    • Red_October@lemmy.world
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      20 days ago

      Did you miss the part where the change is global? It also applies where the government hasn’t required it.