Technology and Scienceupdated 37m ago2 min read
Discord Publishes Web Pages For 63,000 Discoverable Servers, Indexes Messages Mid-December
“Starting November 16, all Discoverable Servers will also have a public Server Web Page.”
“From November 16, every Discoverable Server gets a Server Web Page by default.”
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Public messages from 63,000 Discoverable Servers will be indexed by Google starting mid-December. Server Web Pages will launch November 16 for Discoverable Servers, with opt-out privacy options.
Searchable Discord, Two Phases
Discord will publish web pages for more than 63,000 Discoverable Servers beginning Nov. 16 and will start letting search engines index messages from participating public channels in mid-December.
Discord said the rollout comes in two stages, with Server Web Pages going live on Nov. 16 and with individual messages posted in participating channels appearing word-for-word on those pages from mid-December.
Discord framed the change as a way to recover information that has become hard to find through web search, writing, "This has led to valuable information being locked in Discord conversations, inaccessible to the wider internet. We want to fix this."
Discord said only messages sent after the feature goes live will be eligible for indexing, and it said usernames and avatars will not be displayed alongside messages that appear on the web.
Opt Out Controls
Discord said users can opt out through User Settings > Data & Privacy by switching off "Show my message content from Discoverable channels on web pages." Discord warned that users who want an eligible message removed must delete it from Discord, and it said search engines may retain cached copies for some time.
Discord said the setting covers every Discoverable Server a user belongs to, and it said the feature will be disabled by default for users in Australia, the EU, the European Economic Area, the UK, Canada, Brazil, and South Korea. Discord said teen users will be excluded, and it said users can disable the feature after launch but it only protects messages sent after the opt-out.
What Gets Indexed, What Doesn’t
Discord said the change applies only to Discoverable Servers, which require at least 1,000 members and at least eight weeks old, and it said private servers, direct messages and group direct messages are excluded. Discord said server admins can choose which channels take part through Server Settings > Web Presence, and it said admins can also remove a specific AI-generated summary without excluding the whole channel.
“To qualify, a server must have at least 1,000 members and be at least eight weeks old.”
Discord said participating channels will carry an icon and a notice near the header so members know before they post that their words may appear on the web. Discord said the plan is to unlock community knowledge that has become hard to find through web search, while the company acknowledged the move has drawn privacy criticism.