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

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.

That’s not the only thing you’d lose out on if you were stuck in Teenage Discord Purgatory, though. As well as a bunch of additional restrictions on direct messages and friend requests, you’ll be age-gated from participating in certain servers entirely. And how will those servers be chosen?

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.