Fury over Discord's age checks explodes after shady Persona test in UK (arstechnica.com)

Discord's recent announcement about implementing age checks for all users has sparked significant backlash, particularly in the UK, where it revealed plans to collect government IDs as part of its age verification process. This decision came shortly after a data breach involving a previous age check partner, compromising the IDs of 70,000 users, intensifying concerns about user privacy and data security. To alleviate fears, Discord proposed using AI-driven video selfies for age estimation, though skeptics worry about the implications of AI in safeguarding sensitive data. The controversy deepened when Discord appeared to contradict its policies by deleting a disclaimer regarding an age-assurance experiment powered by the vendor Persona, which mentioned that submitted data would be temporarily stored for up to seven days. Critics argue that this lack of transparency not only obscures how user information is handled but also highlights potential risks associated with third-party data processing. As Discord aims to refine its age verification methods, the incident raises crucial questions about privacy, data protection, and the ethical use of AI technologies in real-world applications.