Discord will require a face scan or ID for full access next month https://www.theverge.com/tech/875309/discord-age-verification-global-roll-out

[stonebear2@hachyderm.io]

@noybeu is this on your radar yet?

@verge

[bob@beamship.mpaq.org]

@verge

All these corprite services are just going to keep doing it. STOP USING THEM.

We dont need them, #TakeTheInternetBack

[woozle@toot.cat]

@PandaCab Yes, ideally.

(Not sure what you mean about using search engines to "look for them" -- to which "them" are you referrring?)

@feorag @netskaven @verge

[alextecplayz@techhub.social]

@gerenuk @verge The problem is that you can never, ever trust an online platform to keep your data safe.

And speaking specifically about Discord, back in October 2025 their third-party age verification provider was hacked and 70,000 users had their ID "potentially leaked" (https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c8jmzd972leo).

You can't really change the details on your ID, such as your social security number (US) / personal numeric code and other serialized information that is highly specific to YOU, which makes this info a lot more valuable to a hacker than a CC which can be cancelled and re-issued.

And that's just Discord.

AU10TIX, a platform used by X/Twitter, TikTok, Uber, LinkedIn, Fiverr, PayPal, based in Israel had been leaking drivers' licenses for over a year before it was discovered in 2024. The credentials were harvested in 2022 and posted to Telegram in 2023 (https://www.techdirt.com/2024/06/28/yet-another-id-verification-service-breached-exposing-private-info-collected-on-behalf-of-uber-tiktok-more/).

Sharing your ID should be the last thing you should ever do on the Internet.

[woozle@toot.cat]

@kinsale42 aka "the water this baby is in is totally dirty now, so time to toss the whole thing..." yeah.

@netskaven @verge

[pandacab@ni.hil.ist]

@woozle

By "them", I meant alternatives.

@feorag @netskaven @verge

[woozle@toot.cat]

@PandaCab

I have to disagree, then; I've been actively searching for alternatives for years now, and so far the only two remotely viable candidates have been the ones I mentioned (Revolt and Matrix), which both have obstacles to adoption.

(Not insurmountable; just not as easy as, say, switching from Slack to Discord was.)

@feorag @netskaven @verge

[alextecplayz@techhub.social]

@gerenuk @verge "only adult content will be locked behind a verification wall, which isn’t something bad I think"

A noble idea, but the execution is abysmal, because lawmakers are lobbied by right-wing, conservative groups like the EPP (EU) and bi-partisan bills such as KOSA to basically implement a blunt tool, a sledgehammer, where only a hammer is needed. Everyone is looking for a magical solution to this that is unhackable, unbreachable, safe, secure, etc.

But the solution just isn't sending your ID to third-party for-profit companies around the world, which then at the some point end up in the hands of advertisers and hackers.

EDRi has a great article on the pitfalls and actual solutions that we can implement instead of this digital age verification bullshit: https://edri.org/our-work/age-verification-gains-traction-eu-risks-failing-to-address-the-root-causes-of-online-harm/

[pandacab@ni.hil.ist]

@woozle

I found at least 4, with various degrees of similitudes with discord.

Also, I have to point out the very obvious: you won't be able to leave discord and get the same thing. I know it is silly to point out, but in my experience, it is hard to really internalise for many.

@feorag @netskaven @verge

[flamekebab@toot.wales]

@verge amazing. Hopefully this'll help kill the shitey thing off as people's go-to platform. Horrible place.

[woozle@toot.cat]

@PandaCab

Nobody's asking for identical; just similar-enough (...like Discord vs. Slack)

What are the 4(+) you found?

@feorag @netskaven @verge

[nullware@mastodon.social]

@verge I'll jump ship when the pop-up appears for this. We've already seen enough nonsense that shows how harmful this can be.

Unfortunately, moving on from these non-federated platforms is such a pain since you gotta either force people to move with you or forego that contact.

[pandacab@ni.hil.ist]

@woozle

I have to ask: what if there is nothing similar? This is what I mean by "not get the same thing".

I still have to try them but the alternatives I found (again, to be fair, I haven't tried yet) pumble, guilded, rocket.chat and mattermost.

@feorag @netskaven @verge

[woozle@toot.cat]

@PandaCab

Somewhere I typed up a list of my requirements (I can't speak for everyone); I'll have to dig that up..

Revolt does actually meet them all, afaict; the only obstacles are logistical/strategic.

I'm familiar(ish) with RocketChat and Mattermost, but was underwhelmed; I'll have to investigate the other two (thanks for the leads!).

@feorag @netskaven @verge

[kriom@framapiaf.org]

@verge Discord self-destructs

[intelgraphy@infosec.exchange]

@verge Wooow... I'd have to jump ship soon then.

[azninsect@kind.social]

@verge strange optics considering they got hacked and this data got leaked for their UK users

[hackillu@mas.to]

@verge What?! Why do they always want an ID? Why can't they tell people to go to the DMV for once? Can't they at least make the surveillance inconvenient?

[inchulk@mastodon.green]

@verge I rarely use Discord, and don't like it much, so no loss when I cancel my membership.

[darryl_ramm@hachyderm.io]

@verge

Discord can fuck off.