Discord's ID data fears explode amid privacy storm

Discord's new age verification policy, mandating government ID collection, has triggered widespread user backlash. This controversy intensifies following a recent breach where 70,000 users' government IDs were exposed. Discord's proposed solutions, including AI-driven video selfies and potential future behavioral signals, have also raised privacy concerns.

The platform's plan to continue requesting IDs for age assessment appeals mirrors the circumstances of the prior breach. Discord stated that most ID data is deleted promptly, with some UK users' data temporarily stored for up to 7 days during an experiment with vendor Persona. However, this experiment has concluded, and Persona is no longer a partner.

Further scrutiny arose when hackers exposed a Persona frontend on a US government-authorized server, revealing extensive surveillance software. This incident amplified fears about data ties to investors like Peter Thiel's Founders Fund and potential government access, despite Persona denying direct government contracts and affirming their data is handled responsibly.

Persona, facing ongoing trust issues, is navigating this controversy as age verification laws gain global traction. While its background in financial services and fraud protection appears appealing for regulatory compliance, its data retention policies and the exposed surveillance software raise significant privacy red flags for users already wary of data breaches.