Users hate it, but age-check tech is coming. Here’s how it works.

Last month, Discord announced a global rollout of an age-verification system, but quickly backtracked after a widespread user backlash.

“Last month, Discord quickly backpedaled after it announced that an age-verification system would roll out globally”

Ars Technica

That backlash also intensified scrutiny of the platform's age-check partners and the broader 'age-assurance' ecosystem.

Ars Technica

The episode shone a harsh spotlight on ongoing problems with age-verification technology and on efforts to make the process both secure and private.

Discord users had reason for suspicion after a data breach last fall in which a former age-check partner leaked the government IDs of 70,000 users.

Discord claimed that in the future most users could verify their age without any data leaving their devices, but trust had eroded.

Ars Technica

Discord's initial announcement left questions unanswered about which companies would handle the process; users learned the tech was built by Privately SA, which isn't listed as a partner on Discord's site but works with a Discord partner named k-ID.

Users had previously criticized Discord for removing a disclaimer about an undisclosed age-check vendor called Persona, which Discord quickly announced it had dropped amid backlash following a brief test in the United Kingdom.

But the bigger concern was that IDs would still be collected whenever facial age estimation—an approach that can be unreliable—failed.

“Last month, Discord quickly backpedaled after it announced that an age-verification system would roll out globally”

Ars Technica

Most IDs would be deleted immediately, Discord claimed, but skeptical users had heard that line before.

Many worried that collecting more IDs could make the company’s partners a more attractive target for hackers.

As some users debated the likelihood of another breach, others began hacking away at some of the technology Discord was using, including attempts to breach systems built by Persona and Privately.

Their attacks, which the companies told Ars were intense and spanned days, were largely unsuccessful, but they put Discord's age-check partners on high alert.

Ars Technica