The Privacy Nightmare of Discord's Face Scanning: Are We Trading Convenience for Control?
Looking at the recent news about Discord implementing face scanning for age verification, I’m struck by a familiar sinking feeling. The same one I got when Facebook started pushing for real names, when Instagram began demanding phone numbers, and now as Discord joins the parade of platforms wanting to scan our faces.
The justification seems reasonable enough on the surface - protecting minors online is crucial. But there’s something deeply unsettling about a company that already has a questionable track record with privacy now wanting biometric data from its users. This is the same platform that has consistently refused to implement end-to-end encryption, claiming it would only benefit criminals.
Many online communities I’m part of, from my flight sim group to various tech discussion channels, rely heavily on Discord. The platform has become almost unavoidable for anyone involved in online communities. It’s fascinating how quickly it became the de facto standard for online communication, replacing everything from TeamSpeak to traditional forums. The convenience factor is undeniable - one app that does it all, and does it well enough that people don’t want to bother with alternatives.
But this convenience has come at a cost. We’ve willingly handed over our communications, our community structures, and our digital social lives to a private company that seems increasingly comfortable with surveillance-style practices. The fact that they’re rolling this out first in the UK and Australia isn’t surprising - our governments have shown an unfortunate eagerness to embrace digital surveillance measures.
Looking at my daughter’s generation, I worry about the precedent this sets. They’re growing up in a world where being asked to scan your face for basic online services is becoming normalized. The implications for privacy and digital rights are staggering, and the potential for abuse is real.
The proposed alternatives like Revolt, Mumble, or going back to IRC feel like swimming against the tide. While technically superior in many ways, they lack the network effect that makes Discord so powerful. It’s a classic privacy versus convenience dilemma, but with stakes that keep getting higher.
The development community needs to step up and create viable alternatives that respect user privacy while maintaining the ease of use that made Discord successful. Until then, we’re stuck making increasingly uncomfortable choices about our digital lives.
Maybe it’s time to start having serious conversations about digital rights and privacy in our communities. The technology industry’s gradual erosion of privacy isn’t going to slow down unless users demand better. For now, I’ll be backing up my Discord data and keeping a close eye on how this face scanning requirement rolls out. Some lines simply shouldn’t be crossed, even in the name of convenience.