this post was submitted on 09 Feb 2026
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Discord will require a face scan or ID for full access next month (www.theverge.com)
submitted 1 day ago by tonytins@pawb.social to c/technology@lemmy.world
426 comments fedilink hide all child comments
 

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.

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[–] NotMyOldRedditName@lemmy.world 8 points 1 day ago (2 children)

It absolutely is a direct cause.

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

[–] Nikki@lemmy.blahaj.zone 3 points 1 day ago

good point, wasn't my original intent but yeah lol

[–] Auth@lemmy.world -4 points 1 day ago (2 children)

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.

[–] wewbull@feddit.uk 1 points 22 hours ago (1 children)

Palantir

[–] Auth@lemmy.world 1 points 13 hours ago (1 children)

you mean the company that already has full access to government data?

[–] wewbull@feddit.uk 1 points 9 hours ago (1 children)

Yes. It's got immense influence in government policy.

[–] Auth@lemmy.world 1 points 6 hours ago* (last edited 6 hours ago)

Ok so why do they need discord when they already have this information. Do you see what im getting at here?

[–] NotMyOldRedditName@lemmy.world 3 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago) (1 children)

I think you underestimate how much lobbying is happening by these firms. It's a 10s of billions of dollars industry, and it's up and coming hence why it's suddenly starting to happen everywhere. It's not happening because its suddenly a good idea all over the world.

Huge money involved.

[–] Auth@lemmy.world 1 points 13 hours ago (1 children)

source? I completely disagree that this is a result of extreme amounts of lobbying money being injected into politics. The issue is very very popular with the average parent and thats what politicians are reacting to.

[–] NotMyOldRedditName@lemmy.world 1 points 12 hours ago* (last edited 10 hours ago)

While this might not all be explicit lobby, they are being lobbied, and there's an exceptional amount of money being put into it in many ways. And if you don't think millions and millions of dollars are going into things like SPAC's to support candidates who will support it via side conversations, or other campaign finance tricks around the world then you just don't know how things work in the US.

Here's an example of Yoti spending money supporting the Texas laws.

https://www.supremecourt.gov/DocketPDF/23/23-1122/332630/20241122163435761_23-1122%20Amicus%20Brief.pdf

Yoti In response to COPPA

https://downloads.regulations.gov/FTC-2024-0003-0192/attachment_1.pdf

You really think they spend all that time writing this up and they aren't having side conversations or nudge nudge wink wink deals going on? The US has a supreme court justice Clarence Thomas blatantly taking money from people and nothing happens.

This is a world wide campaign to support it by these companies who built the tools. There's is an official industry lobby group as well https://avpassociation.com/

Edit: This is actual lobby record relating to kids online saftey act. https://lda.senate.gov/filings/public/filing/edf57428-13bb-4f91-89af-137bbe898e91/print/

Edit: Here's Onfido (now Entrust) an explicit lobby: https://lda.senate.gov/filings/public/filing/251cf218-5db4-49bd-8b12-cf3cfa950d15/print/

Edit: Onfido lobbying again in EU over many years: https://www.lobbyfacts.eu/datacard/onfido?rid=193458043836-76&sid=157476

Edit: This is ID.me lobbying the US government, getting hang of the search (which isn't great) which is millions of dollars in identify verification lobbying. And just think of how much money is being spent behind the money they legally disclosed. Lots.

https://lda.senate.gov/filings/public/filing/search/?registrant=ID.me&registrant_country=&registrant_ppb_country=&client=&client_state=&client_country=&client_ppb_country=&house_id=&lobbyist=&lobbyist_covered_position=&lobbyist_conviction_disclosure=&lobbyist_conviction_date_range_from=&lobbyist_conviction_date_range_to=&report_period=&report_year=&report_dt_posted_from=&report_dt_posted_to=&report_amount_reported_min=&report_amount_reported_max=&report_filing_uuid=&report_house_doc_id=&report_issue_area_description=&affiliated_organization=&affiliated_organization_country=&foreign_entity=&foreign_entity_country=&foreign_entity_ppb_country=&foreign_entity_ownership_percentage_min=&foreign_entity_ownership_percentage_max=&search=search#js_searchFormTitle