Discord Faces Backlash Over Age Verification in UK

Discord's recent age verification initiative, specifically in the UK, has led to widespread criticism from users and privacy advocates. Discord initially announced that all users would experience a default teen mode until age is verified, method raising concerns over privacy as it involves collecting video selfies to estimate age. Issues intensified when a disclaimer on Discord's FAQ about using Persona for verification was briefly posted and removed, suggesting that user information could be stored for up to seven days. Critics were further unsettled by Persona's ties to Peter Thiel's Founders Fund and the speculated risk of data misuse or government access. Persona's CEO, Rick Song, has confirmed the deletion of user data and denied any current government contracts. Discord has since ended its experimentation with Persona, promising transparency in future vendor collaborations.