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.

  • nikki@lemmy.blahaj.zone
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    13 hours ago

    the ID isn’t a direct cause. i just mention capitalism because most of the rest of the cause for me leaving is the enshittification. this is just the straw that broke the camels back like how reddit killing the app api is what pushed me off that platform

    • NotMyOldRedditName@lemmy.world
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      12 hours ago

      It absolutely is a direct cause.

      These ID verification companies have been lobbying governments to mandate this so they can earn $$$$

      • Auth@lemmy.world
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        11 hours ago

        Thats true but ID companies are not lobbying or making changes on a scale that matters. This change isnt going through because an id company lobbied the government. Its actually a popular position with the constituents of the democracy. Its supported by many different interest groups for various reasons good and bad. To simplify it down to “id companies lobbying the government to earn money” is in my opinion intentionally misleading.

        • NotMyOldRedditName@lemmy.world
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          5 hours ago

          I think you underestimate how much lobbying is happening by these firms. It’s a 10s of billions of dollars industry, and it’s up and coming hence why it’s suddenly starting to happen everywhere. It’s not happening because its suddenly a good idea all over the world.

          Huge money involved.