2026-02-09 Discord and the kids
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> However, some users may not have to go through either form of age
> verification. Discord is also rolling out an age inference model
> that analyzes metadata like the types of games a user plays, their
> activity on Discord, and behavioral signals like signs of working
> hours or the amount of time they spend on Discord. – Discord will
> require a face scan or ID for full access next month, by Stevie
> Bonifield, for The Verge

I don’t use Discord for sex-friendly talk, nor do I talk about sex,
identity and politics on Discord. But I don’t want to exclude people
who want to talk about LGBTQIA+ things – perhaps they talk about it
elsewhere on Discord? I don’t care. I want them all to be included
without them having to prove their adulthood. And some topics are
important for teenagers, too.

In any case. I don’t like this “prove you’re an adult to participate
in this conversation” move all over the place and I don’t like it in
Discord.

I’m trying to imagine the kind of people that might like this. Parents
of kids who think their kids should not see the disturbing porn and
images of violence available. And I agree with that! I avoid the
immediate news about disasters and violence because the images used
far exceed my limits. Then again, how does one learn about limits? How
does one learn what “normal” means? I somehow feel that this
techno-solution cannot replace the complicated dance of parenthood and
education. So effectively the parents’ task has not become easier but
now they live under the spell of solutionism where some people argue
the problem is solved when in fact nothing is solved.

The only really terrible thing I heard recently about kids in
Switzerland was sexual violence committed between kids, filmed, and
shared on chat groups. Would a techno-solution have fixed this? I have
my doubts.

So the question is, would my gay cousins and my trans neighbours and
all the closeted people I probably know – would they all have been
helped or hindered by laws blocking teenagers and requiring face id,
showing official id or behavioural analysis via normalised tracking?

So, as far as I can tell, practically no benefits and definite
drawbacks.

Anyway. Prepare. See how I prepare for the fall of Discord.

#Discord #Politics