And claims that selfies and IDs won't be stored.
Discord age verification has started to roll out in Australia, with users already voicing concerns about their privacy and security.
As part of the process — which just happens to coincide with changes to Australia’s Online Safety Act coming into place in December — users are being asked to take a “video selfie” or provide photo ID in the form of “a driver’s license, passport, or other ID” alongside a photo selfie.
Discord also pointed out, as part of the process, that “the information you provide is only used to confirm your age group, then it’s deleted.”
Users on Reddit don’t appear to trust the process, with a majority voicing concerns over the retention of personal data.
“As we’ve seen in the past, if they do retain data they shouldn’t and it does get hacked, the consequences are just … nothing. They can just do that,” wrote one redditor.
“Yeah sure, and our data is also safe with these companies. Except when they get hacked. Whoops sorry Optus customers, hope you enjoy changing your driver’s license,” wrote another.
Others still criticised the process, saying the video selfie functionality didn’t work.
“The ‘video selfie’ doesn’t even work. It’s some stupid AI thing,” reported one redditor. “Told me to open my mouth, so I did, and then … nothing happened. I tried moving around, opening it to different degrees, getting closer and further from the camera, everything. Eventually I gave up because it’s too stupid (or intentionally broken) to detect when someone’s mouth is open, and I was basically forced to scan my driver’s license.”
Others pointed out that the feature “can be fooled by Garry’s Mod,” citing similar functionality implemented in the UK, adding, “it is not the brightest age verification out there.”
Changes to Australia’s Online Safety Act will need to comply with minimum age requirements, the eSafety Commissioner has released guidelines which state that “providers should avoid unreasonable practices that risk over-blocking access or infringing on the rights of Australians.”
Speaking with Mumbrella, the platform confirmed it was “running age assurance tests in a few countries, including Australia.”
“[We] will continue to scale these efforts as we invest in features that allow for positive, age-appropriate and privacy-forward experiences on our platform,” Discord told the outlet.
A representative from Discord also tells Stevivor, “[we] are in active discussions with eSafety to understand [our] obligations under the SMMA.”
Update: This story has been amended to state that Discord’s changes coincide with changes to Australian law. Discord maintains its changes are merely part of a larger test rolled out to several regions.
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