Discord announced earlier this month that it would roll out age verification measures globally, even in states and countries where it's not legally mandated.Now, those plans are on hold, and Discord is addressing some of the most pressing issues.Discord already uses age verification systems in regions where they are legally required, such as the UK and Australia.
The company announced on February 9, 2026 that it would bring similar verification measures to all regions, aiming to " [give] teens strong protections while allowing verified adults flexibility," using facial scans and government-issued ID documents.Most features would remain functional for all accounts, but only verified users would be able to see age-restricted channels, servers, and messages.The announcement did not go over well, for a few reasons.
One of Discord's contracted companies for age verifications was hacked in 2025, leading to "approximately 70,000 users that may have had government ID photos exposed." Discord cut ties with that company, but a similar data breach could still happen with other partners.Discord was also testing Persona as a partner for age verification in the United Kingdom, which also had a data breach and was partially funded by Peter Thiel's Founders Fund.There were also concerns with Discord and its partners intentionally handing over that data to authorities, potentially linked to account activity.
To quote Douglas Adams, "This has made a lot of people very angry and been widely regarded as a bad move." Discord is still moving ahead with age verification, but the process will be different than previously announced, with more transparency in the process.The global rollout is also on hold until the second half of 2026.Discord plans to add more age verification options, including credit card verification.
Each company used for age verification will also be listed on Discord's site, and none of Discord's partners will be able to send facial scans to external servers.That's the stated reason from Discord for dropping Persona as an ID verification provider.The company said, "For or 90%+ of users, nothing changes.
Most users never access age-restricted content or change their default safety settings.For those who do, we have an internal system that works to accurately determine your age.[…] If you're among the less than 10% of users who do need to verify, we'll give you options, designed to tell us only your age and never your identity." Importantly, countries and states with strict age verification laws will still need facial age estimation or ID checks, using providers like k-ID.
In most of the United States and other regions, Discord will use its more relaxed verification methods.This is still personal data collection that Discord doesn't in regions without mandatory ID checks.Instead of pushing back on those laws, which have numerous privacy and safety issues and don't actually protect children, Discord is embracing a slightly more relaxed version.
It's still worth checking out Signal and other services as alternatives for some of your group chats, but at least staying on Discord won't be as bad as originally planned.Source: Discord
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