Discord testing age verification system in Australia and UK. This approach has included ID and facial scans. This action is a welcome development as the platform continues to come under criticism and increasing legal pressure over its purported expertise of keeping younger users safe. We are trialing these new measures with user safety at the forefront. This is particularly critical in light of the increasing prevalence of regressive social media platform regulations.
Discord is at a particularly dangerous time with these changes. For too long, it has permitted users of any age to create an account using only a display name, free to communicate with strangers across the globe. Such an open policy has led to widespread alarm. In reply, New Jersey has recently initiated a lawsuit against the company. The lawsuit claims that Discord has not done enough to protect children from strangers and predators on the platform.
New Jersey’s Lawsuit Against Discord
According to New Jersey Attorney General Matthew Platkin, “Discord has deceived children and parents about the efficacy of the Application’s safety features, leaving children vulnerable to harassment, abuse, and sexual exploitation by predators who lurk on the platform.” He pointed to the extreme urgency of acting today. If we don’t end this practice, kids in New Jersey will keep being harmed by the predatory conduct that Discord allows. The lawsuit highlights concerns about how easily predators can “gain direct, private access to a child user with just a few clicks.”
Discord’s new age verification process isn’t an ongoing check, only a one-time verification requirement. And as soon as users are verified, they’ll get a direct message indicating which age group they’ve been assigned to. Crucially, all data collected through this process will not be retained by Discord or its vendor, allaying many privacy-related concerns.
This new campaign for age verification follows a wave of recently passed legislation. In the UK, the Online Safety Act mandates that platforms potentially hosting pornographic content must employ a “robust” age-verification technique. Facebook and Instagram are banned for those under age 16 in Australia. Discord’s trial of this new way could be a direct reaction to these increasingly strict regulations.
Yet, as the planned implementation of discord’s age verification process approaches, discord has posted age verification details to their support page. The platform is making these moves to increase user safety. It equally seeks to create legal safe harbor, catering to the increasing calls for withholding social media firms’ immunity from accountability.
Author’s Opinion
Discord’s introduction of an age verification system is a step in the right direction to address growing concerns about the platform’s safety, particularly for younger users. While this move aligns with new regulations and seeks to shield the company from legal risks, it also reflects the broader issue of online safety that many social media platforms face. It remains to be seen whether this initiative will be effective in deterring harmful behavior, but it’s clear that Discord is trying to strike a balance between compliance and user protection in an increasingly regulated online environment.
Featured image credit: Ars Technica
Follow us for more breaking news on DMR