Discord Backtracks on Persona Age Verification After Backlash
▼ Summary
– Discord has ended a limited test of the age verification provider Persona in the UK following user privacy concerns.
– Discord removed mentions of Persona from its support page, and Persona states it deleted the collected test data immediately after verification.
– Persona faced scrutiny after researchers found exposed code at a US government-authorized endpoint, though its CEO denies having government contracts.
– For age verification, Discord uses k-ID, which employs facial scans that run locally on a user’s device and deletes ID images after confirmation.
– Most Discord users won’t need to verify their age, but those who cannot be confidently identified as adults will be placed into a restricted “teen” experience.
In response to significant user criticism, Discord has ended a trial involving the third-party age verification service Persona. The company clarified that this was a limited test conducted in the United Kingdom, where its broader age assurance system is already active, and that the experiment is now over. The decision to halt the Persona test follows user scrutiny of the provider’s data practices, which include gathering information from public records and third-party databases.
Discord had initially referenced Persona on a support page, noting that some UK users might be part of an experiment. That mention was removed in mid-February. According to Persona’s CEO, any data collected during Discord’s brief test was deleted immediately after the verification process. The scrutiny intensified due to a report from an independent publication, which cited security researchers who found exposed code linked to a U.S. government-authorized endpoint. This code reportedly showed an interface combining facial recognition with financial reporting tools. Persona’s leadership has denied having any government contracts and stated the exposed material, which appeared to involve an AI chatbot, has been taken down. They are also in contact with the researchers who made the discovery.
For its ongoing age verification efforts, Discord has publicly named k-ID as a partner. This service offers facial age estimation that operates locally on a user’s device, meaning the video selfie is not uploaded. For verifications requiring official ID documents, k-ID utilizes another company called Veratad. Discord and k-ID state that images of identity documents and matching selfies are deleted immediately after age confirmation. The video used for facial age estimation never leaves the user’s phone or computer.
A Discord representative emphasized that the company is continually assessing vendor partners to enhance privacy and expand user options for age assurance. They also noted that most users will never need to verify their age. An internal machine learning model analyzes existing account information, device data, and activity to estimate age with high confidence. Only when this model cannot confidently classify someone as an adult is further verification prompted. Users who are not verified are defaulted into a restricted “teen” experience, which blocks access to age-restricted servers and applies content filters. To lift these restrictions, they must complete verification, which could involve a facial scan or submitting a photo ID.
(Source: The Verge)
