Discord delays global age verification rollout after criticism
AP News • • business
Key Points:
- Discord has postponed its global rollout of a controversial age verification policy to the second half of 2026 following strong user backlash over privacy concerns.
- The original policy, announced in February, included face scanning or ID uploads for users whose age could not be determined, which drew criticism especially after a security breach involving a third-party vendor.
- Discord emphasized it no longer works with the breached vendor and enforces strict security and privacy standards for all partners, including deleting data as soon as possible.
- For over 90% of users, age verification will remain unchanged, as Discord uses account-level signals rather than message content to estimate age; for others, alternative verification methods like credit card checks will be expanded.
- Users who opt out
