Discord will now automatically estimate your age

Discord is rolling out a new global age assurance system, seven months after pausing its previous verification measures following backlash from users. Starting today in every country except Australia and the UK, Discord will automatically assign users to an estimated age group based on “multiple account signals,” with account restrictions placed on users believed to be between 13 and 17.The updates follow Discord slamming the brakes on its earlier age verification rollout in February in response to data privacy concerns. Its previous system required adults to verify themselves via video selfies or ID documentation, and faced criticism after a data breach at a third-party Discord vendor exposed user info and scanned photo IDs.Since then, Discord has now pivoted to a system that shouldn’t require users to take any action themselves. According to the announcement from Discord co-founder Stanislav Vishnevskiy, signals examined by the platform’s age group estimation model include account age and history, activity levels across channels and servers, and connected communities, servers, and games. Vishnevskiy says the system doesn’t look at user “messages, calls, or other content,” and that its age estimation accuracy is on par with “what’s possible with biometrics.” Discord is anticipating that under this system, 90 percent of its users won’t be asked to confirm their age.Users believed to be over 18 will be placed in the Adult age group, with no changes to their account. Users in the Teen age group will have certain safety protections enabled by default, including filters and blurring for sensitive content, and restricted access for +18 servers and messaging features. Discord pledged to introduce additional verification options when it paused the age assurance launch, and these are now rolling out as part of this update. Alongside face and ID scans, users can also choose to confirm their age via credit cards, Apple’s App Store, Google’s Play Store, Google Wallet, and the AgeKey credential system.If Discord is unable to automatically estimate the user’s age, some settings and features won’t be available until the user provides additional information to confirm their age group in User Settings > Account Status. Adult users can also use this setting to supply additional verification details if they’re misassigned to the teen group.“We believe meeting age requirements shouldn’t require ID checks or selfies for everyone. We’d prefer to give you more choices, including less intrusive options that don’t require biometrics or sensitive personal data,” said Vishnevskiy. “My hope is that our approach shows we can preserve what makes Discord special while taking seriously the responsibility that comes with it.”Follow topics and authors from this story to see more like this in your personalized homepage feed and to receive email updates.Jess Weatherbed