Discord is Rolling out Facial Scanning.....

[pio]

 

Quote

You'll still be able to use Discord if you opt not to participate in this particular surveillance nightmare, but beginning in early March you'll be locked into a "teen-appropriate experience" if you don't. That means content filters, age gates, the inability to speak in "stage channels"—essentially channels that enable a group of people to converse while an audience listens—and restrictions on direct message and friend requests.

https://www.pcgamer.com/games/discord-is-rolling-out-facial-scanning-and-id-checks-in-march-for-everyone-who-doesnt-want-to-be-locked-into-a-teen-appropriate-experience/

I don't even really know what to say here.  Rumors all over the internet put this as not a good announcement.  Personally, I have pulled ALL of my payments to Discord, including my Nitro and all server boosts I had put out for 2 different communities.  This is a me decision because I feel like this is the start to something really bad from Discord.  There's talks of alternatives popping up all over social media, but I guess we'll see where this heads from here.  Rumor has it, all apps and sites are going to be required to do this in the future.

I don't know about you guys, but I personally support the user's right to their personal data.  I don't think facial scans, or ID requirements are the correct answer to the current ongoing issues.  

[Kaz]

There's a reddit post where a discord associate says that not every account will be subject to ID/facial recognition, because they already have a ton of data and may determine that someone is over that age based on their data.  I'd guess people who had accounts at the start of discord won't be harassed about it.

 

I still think it's bad.  Discord has already had a data breach, any anything that requires government issued ID's or people to turn on their web cam is going to end badly.  I knew when discord was the subject of classified material leaks that it was going to face a lot of pressure.  Identifying users is just the start.  Remember, Discord app keeps tabs on other programs that are running.  The web browser is better because of that.  Using ublock to block the nitro advertisements is just a bonus.

 

I think the proper response is to teach kids not to tell strangers on the internet who they are, and the dangers and potential red flags of grooming.  That's what my generation did.  If discord had an option to report and it turned that information over to law enforcement, that would be the best choice.  I'd have no problems with my computer submitting logs if I report someone.  That's a potential way around end to end encryption.

 

Oh well.  IRC, AIM, Ventrilo, Teamspeak, Skype, Dolby Axon, and Discord.  Every one of these started as a great product.  Most of them got worse over time.  Discord peaked before Nitro was introduced, once they started putting ads in I knew it's days were numbered.  Skype would have stood the test of time if they hadn't bloated it with advertisements.

 

There will be others in the future.  I just have to tell my friends what to migrate to.  I think messaging, + voice + screen share are the gold standard.  Static servers with various channels were just a bonus.  The next mainstream app will probably have them all.

 

Edited 58 minutes ago by Kaz
typo