Discord introduces updated age verification that allegedly can guess with 90% accuracy how old you are

After taking heavy flak for reintroducing global age verification to Discord, the team behind the popular communication platform is listening to community feedback and is adopting a new age verification system that users don't have to touch. According to a blog post by Discord, the app now has an automated age estimation model that reportedly has a 90% success rate of guessing what your age is.

Discord's new age estimation model does this by checking how long a Discord user's account has existed, what types of servers a user has joined, what games they play, activity levels, and more, while not looking at messages or calls to preserve the user's privacy. The model Discord is using specifically is the XGBoost architecture, a tree-based ensemble method that learns from previous mistakes. Discord claims that the signals its verification model uses deliver accuracy on par with biometrics. Additionally, Discord has also implemented more ways for manual age verification, including methods that don't require an ID or a selfie, when the estimation model does get someone's age wrong.

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Frequently Asked Questions

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Question #1

Can Discord users opt out of automated age estimation or choose manual verification instead?

No opt-out from automated age estimation is mentioned. Discord offers manual age verification, including methods that do not require an ID or selfie, when the automated model gets someone's age wrong, but it does not say users can choose manual verification instead from the outset.

Question #2

How does Discord's claimed 90% age-estimation accuracy compare with biometric verification?

Discord claims its automated age-estimation model guesses a user's age correctly about 90% of the time and that its accuracy is on par with biometrics. No separate biometric accuracy figure or side-by-side test is given, so the claim cannot be compared more precisely.

Question #3

What privacy protections apply to the account signals Discord uses for age estimation?

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Question #4

Can Discord users appeal an age estimate that limits access to adult-only servers or channels?

Yes. If Discord's automated age estimate is wrong, users can use manual age verification methods, including options that do not require an ID or a selfie. Teen restrictions include no access to adult-only servers or channels.

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Discord claims this model is part of its plan to get ahead of future policies that might force Discord to implement identification systems that are less focused on privacy. The Discord team initially revealed its plan to reintroduce age verification a few weeks ago, codenamed 'Tiny Bronco,' where it also laid out plans to introduce teen restrictions, including no access to adult-only servers/channels, blurring sensitive media, including in DMs, a speaking ban in stage channels, and requiring message requests for teenagers.