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
423 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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[–] uniquethrowagay@feddit.org 87 points 18 hours ago* (last edited 14 hours ago) (4 children)

The German ~~passport~~ ID card (and I'm sure many others) has a NFC chip in it and you can use it with an open source app to securely prove your identity online. In cases like this, the only information pulled from your ID would be "over 18" or "not over 18".

It's one of the few things my government did right in the digital space. And yet almost nobody in the private sector uses this. I'm tired of being asked to upload a photo of my ID for age verification.

[–] Takios@discuss.tchncs.de 48 points 18 hours ago (2 children)

Of course they don't use it. They want your data, not just your age. As long as the government does not make using ID this way for age verification mandatory*, companies will continue to use processes that give them the most data that they can sell.

*: As in not making verification mandatory but if a company wants to do it they must to it this way

[–] sqgl@sh.itjust.works 2 points 11 hours ago

In Australia digital ID is not mandatory (though the government tried to make it so).

We were the first with these adult filters.

I don't know if a system similar to Germany was proposed but there is a security problem with having all our data collated on a government server.

[–] uniquethrowagay@feddit.org 3 points 14 hours ago (1 children)

Our (privatized) mail service offers an identification process to third parties where you either walk into a post office with your physical ID card or you make a video call with a call center and show it to them. I don't think they transmit any more data than "over 18 yes/no". So while data hording might often be the reason, I don't think it's the only one ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

[–] General_Effort@lemmy.world 1 points 10 hours ago

I heard that the reason why no one uses the ID card option is that the privatized post office lobbied the government to make it so expensive as not to compete with their service.

[–] MissyBee@lemmy.blahaj.zone 6 points 14 hours ago (1 children)

The German ID card can do this, not the passport. Just checked because I would love to use this feature. My ID card chip is broken. Gotta wait till renewal then.

[–] uniquethrowagay@feddit.org 2 points 14 hours ago (2 children)

Yeah that was the language barrier speaking. ID of course. You know you can get a new card at your local Einwohnermeldeamt (for a fee)?

[–] GutterRat42@lemmy.world 4 points 13 hours ago (1 children)

Is that a German word, or do we need to call an emergency neurologist for you?

[–] nekbardrun@lemmy.world 3 points 12 hours ago

I don't think we need to call a notfallneurologe for that person.

[–] MissyBee@lemmy.blahaj.zone 2 points 14 hours ago

Yeah, cost-benefit ratio is not sufficient. I will wait for next year till renewal.

[–] themachinestops@lemmy.dbzer0.com 4 points 15 hours ago

Never knew about this. This might be the only age verification I am okay with.