Discord announced on Monday that it’s rolling out age verification on its platform globally starting next month, when it will automatically set all users’ accounts to a “teen-appropriate” experience unless they demonstrate that they’re adults.
Users who aren’t verified as adults will not be able to access age-restricted servers and channels, won’t be able to speak in Discord’s livestream-like “stage” channels, and will see content filters for any content Discord detects as graphic or sensitive. They will also get warning prompts for friend requests from potentially unfamiliar users, and DMs from unfamiliar users will be automatically filtered into a separate inbox.
Direct messages and servers that are not age-restricted will continue to function normally, but users won’t be able to send messages or view content in an age-restricted server until they complete the age check process, even if it’s a server they were part of before age verification rolled out. Savannah Badalich, Discord’s global head of product policy, said in an interview with The Verge that those servers will be “obfuscated” with a black screen until the user verifies they’re an adult. Users also won’t be able to join any new age-restricted servers without verifying their age.
Thats true but ID companies are not lobbying or making changes on a scale that matters. This change isnt going through because an id company lobbied the government. Its actually a popular position with the constituents of the democracy. Its supported by many different interest groups for various reasons good and bad. To simplify it down to “id companies lobbying the government to earn money” is in my opinion intentionally misleading.
I think you underestimate how much lobbying is happening by these firms. It’s a 10s of billions of dollars industry, and it’s up and coming hence why it’s suddenly starting to happen everywhere. It’s not happening because its suddenly a good idea all over the world.
Huge money involved.
source? I completely disagree that this is a result of extreme amounts of lobbying money being injected into politics. The issue is very very popular with the average parent and thats what politicians are reacting to.
Palantir
you mean the company that already has full access to government data?
Yes. It’s got immense influence in government policy.
Ok so why do they need discord when they already have this information. Do you see what im getting at here?
This statement is what I’m disagreeing with. It just wrong.
These changes are going through because Palantir lobbied the government, or more specifically Peter Thiel. They have 34ish contracts with the government right now across MoD and NHS. One of the ID verification companies (Persona) is also his. This information drives the technologies he sells to the MoD for tracking individuals. Technology currently being used by ICE and in Gaza.
You’re right, it’s not about discord. It’s about making databases of all living people on earth and how they interact with each other.
There’s a number of MPs that have grave concerns about this relationship as well. https://youtu.be/cvDF7Z18Anc