benjojo

Ha! The Discord GDPR/Data Export thing reveals that it's running models to figure out what gender you are. If you go to /activity/analytics/events-*.json and grep for predicted_gender you get something like:

{ "user_id": "282657081457115136", "predicted_gender": "male", "probability": 0.8413839340209961, "prob_male": 0.8413839340209961, "prob_female": 0.11650349199771881, "prob_non_binary_gender_expansive": 0.04211260750889778, "model_version": "2024-05-08T00:00:00.000000Z", "day_pt": "2024-05-15 00:00:00 UTC" }

Anyway, they seem to have this datapoint _over time_! Meaning you can make a graph of how male/female/NB you are according to discord, here is mine:

May 17, 2024 at 9:34amWeb
Show threadbenjojoMay 17, 2024

It also seems that the same archive has a guess at how old you are too, Discord has gotten this entirely wrong, except one time.

{ "user_id": "282657081457115136", "predicted_age": "35+", "probability": 0.7547529339790344, "prob_13_17": 0.0005852651665918529, "prob_18_24": 0.014580278657376766, "prob_25_34": 0.23008151352405548, "prob_35_over": 0.7547529339790344, "model_version": "2024-03-20T00:00:00.000000Z", "day_pt": "2024-03-27 00:00:00 UTC" }

Show threadArikMay 17, 2024

@benjojo following your toot I requested the data dump, it doesn't have the "/activity/analytics" folder.

The readme file states that "you will not have Analytics or Modeling folders in your data package if you've opted out of those activities" so thank you to past me, for opting me out of this at some point though I forgot about it.

I did notice a LOT of information about logins going back to 2018, and I wonder why Discord needs to store all of it. IP addresses and kernel versions included.

Show threadmikiMay 17, 2024
@benjojo hmm, this feels like very dangerous territory to step on. This might either open them up to inquiries like "how dare you show NSFW content to users you predict as being 13-17", or cause many misclassified adult users to be unable to see such content.
Show threadAlanMay 17, 2024
@miki @benjojo Instagram had to answer this exact question about content it flagged as potentially CSAM.
Show threadSeventeenth MagpieMay 17, 2024
@benjojo i have all the personalisation and excess data collection turned off so i wonder if it still does this to me. have downloaded, will see!
Show threadAlexisMay 18, 2024

@benjojo I find it oddly soothing to have my *years-old at this point* sketchy feeling about Discord's data collection strategies vindicated.

This sort of shit is why I never used Discord after I saw you couldn't disable the collection of data related to the games you play, only if they told your friends list about it.

Show threadJames BakerMay 19, 2024
@benjojo Interesting I shall have to try it. Also I can test “If you manually delete a message - it is no longer stored in Discord and therefore may not be included in your Data Package.” Which at least is something. In future in U.K. they will likely have to age verify people so won’t have to guess age anymore
Show threadJames BakerMay 19, 2024
@benjojo I am very torn over whether @openrightsgroup should be on Discord. On one hand it is not privacy friendly but then on the other we also have a Facebook and Tik Tok presence on the basis of needing to reach new audiences to create awareness of this kind of data and privacy issue
Show thread⊥ᵒᵚ Cᵸᵎᶺᵋᶫ∸ᵒᵘ ☑️May 19, 2024
@JamesBaker @benjojo @openrightsgroup should be here. Less bad than Facebook etc., more likely to find engaged users.
Show threadJames BakerMay 19, 2024
@falken @benjojo @openrightsgroup That was my thinking that it might also reach some new people especially with a few issues around gaming privacy issues. I did ask on a members survey but got quite a few people complain about Discord and privacy issues
Show thread⊥ᵒᵚ Cᵸᵎᶺᵋᶫ∸ᵒᵘ ☑️May 19, 2024
@JamesBaker @benjojo @openrightsgroup oh for sure stay clear of Discord or Slack for teams comms. They will sell you out to advertisers or for AI snake oil money.
And a very high barrier to entry makes them not suitable for non-team members
Show threadTiffMay 30, 2024

@benjojo I requested my data export as soon as I saw this thread and just got it. Took a peek, curiously enough I have no hits for "predicted_" at all.

I guess my privacy settings prevented it. I have personalization and "use data to improve Discord setting" turned off.

Show threadแอท-ทริดMay 17, 2024
@benjojo omg i love this, it's ridiculous
Show threadOomfie SnoofiesMay 17, 2024
@benjojo the discord gender chart
Show threadCato, registered LynxⓁMay 17, 2024
@benjojo that's a bit creepy, but undeniably kinda cool. :D
Show threadalyx (dual-stack)May 17, 2024
@benjojo I tried requesting my data a couple days ago and when I got it back today, it unfortunately did not have my Assigned Gender At Discord :(
Show threadguentherMay 17, 2024
@benjojo so, what happened in your life the second half of march 2023? :D
Show threadMia Rose 🖋️ Slowly Writing That Second Draft | 🎓 B.Sc. (useless)May 17, 2024

@benjojo pretty sure that will violate GDPR

there is no reason to collect this data

Show threadbenjojoMay 17, 2024
@MiaWinter I suspect(?) there is some argument that so as long as they are calculating the data out of things like chat logs or whatever, rather than directly collecting that data, then it's fine.
Mia Rose Winter :v_greyace:​ (@[email protected])

36.7K Posts, 195 Following, 1.06K Followers · Woman, Catgirl, building Software to survive and sometimes for fun, aspiring project manager and full time stressed out with uni and work. I'm here for the people, the tech and the gay. This does, however, not mean you can be gay towards me, please mind my personal space and my labels. Meow meow Runs The Wave Alpha blog at https://blog.winter-software.com/ Creator of https://fedi-chronicles.org/ And lots more, just look at my website if you're interested Very clumsy, physically as socially, please tell me when I do or did something wrong. Retrospring: https://retrospring.net/@MiaWinter

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Show threadMia Rose 🖋️ Slowly Writing That Second Draft | 🎓 B.Sc. (useless)May 17, 2024

@benjojo It certainly is them trying to get around it

but one would have to challenge this shit (other social medias do it as well and idk if there is a ruling on that yet)

Show threadKaitlyn~Ethylia  May 17, 2024

@MiaWinter @benjojo whether legal or not, I’d rather not have AIs constantly being fed my conversations, especially when it’s trying to infer more information about me that I didn’t choose to disclose.

Unfortunately until a reasonable discord alternative exists, I have no choice, and it’s not only discord, so it’s just inescapable

Show threadMia Rose 🖋️ Slowly Writing That Second Draft | 🎓 B.Sc. (useless)May 17, 2024

@KaitlynEthylia @benjojo tbh I just stopped using discord for anything but video calls...

Don't really have a use for much else these days

Show threadgreeeen :nb_verified::verifiedbi::verifiedlesbian:May 17, 2024
@MiaWinter @[email protected] maybe they only do it for US users? i have an old discord export from 2023, and it doesn't have this file or even the analitics
Show threadMia Rose 🖋️ Slowly Writing That Second Draft | 🎓 B.Sc. (useless)May 17, 2024

@green @benjojo that would make sense

I have just requested my own data, let's see if it contains it

Show threadRoseMay 17, 2024
@MiaWinter @benjojo
Discord violating GDPR?
They would never /s
Show threadari May 17, 2024
@benjojo excited to observe a sharp transition in my own dataset ​​
Show threadLuck Goddess 🌒🌕🌘 (They/She)May 17, 2024
@benjojo oooh I would love to do something like that. just requested my data, do you have something like a oneliner to generate that graph? :D
Show threadmayu May 17, 2024
@benjojo tracking usage of :3
Show threadMaddie (MIGRATING SOON)May 17, 2024
@benjojo requested it myself

if we're living in a dystopia where shit like this is normal, might as well have some fun with it
Show threadThe1goit May 17, 2024
@benjojo how do you do that
Show threadMagicLike 🏳️‍🌈May 17, 2024
@benjojo this is fine :thisisfine:
Show threadhalcy​ May 17, 2024

@benjojo gender over time graph

gender over time graph

Show threadAedius Filmania ⚙️🎮🖊️May 17, 2024

@benjojo

So many people will discover that according to AI, they are trans

Show threadSparkyMay 17, 2024
@benjojo GAAD (Gender Assigned At Discord)
Show threadn-gonsMay 17, 2024
@benjojo good find! Quite silly to store these values at all, they could just compute them as needed. Of course, why on earth are they needed?
Show threadStian Soiland-ReyesMay 20, 2024
@ngons @benjojo presumably for advert market segmentation, or selling such data to connected streaming platforms etc.
Show threadn-gonsMay 20, 2024
@soilandreyes @benjojo sounds true. And if it’s from message history, on the flu might be expensive.
Show threadDee in Osaka 🇯🇵⛩️May 17, 2024
@benjojo most femme at #fosdem ?
Show threadPurple May 17, 2024
@benjojo My export doesn't have it, maybe because I have "Use data to improve Discord" and "Use data to personalise my Discord experience" off?
Show threadbenjojoMay 17, 2024
@Purple Yeah probably, I've kept everything on defaults
Purple :verified: (@[email protected])

2.87K Posts, 529 Following, 1.03K Followers · If you’re on bsky, please follow @ap.brid.gy for me to be able to see your responses! ≫ 26 • She/They/It 🌸 • 🏳️‍⚧️🏳️‍🌈 • Purple / Isa • θ∆ ≪ Engineering, Cameras, PCB Design, Servers, SysOp, Dog. 🐕:collar: I operate woof.tech with love! :blobcathearts: (Follow @woof for instance updates!) 我会说一点儿中文, 还在学 :)

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Show threadMarcelMay 17, 2024
@benjojo That bar between March 1st and the 15th 👀 It really seemed to be suspicious of your message contents
Show threadbenjojoMay 17, 2024
@wrmsr I'd love to know what did it, but I can't see anything in particular
Marcel Menzel (@[email protected])

112 Posts, 260 Following, 163 Followers · Network plumber at DE-CIX. I do projects with IP(v4 & v6), Linux and video streaming. Arch Linux user btw. Probably spends too much time on his computer.

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Show threadfriz64May 17, 2024
@benjojo Is the script to generate this visualization available somewhere? I would appreciate it
Show threadqugalet   May 17, 2024
@benjojo they want to detect pedophiles or fakers?
Show threadChris 🏃 🐧May 17, 2024
@benjojo Truly gender fluid
Show threadBill, organizer of stuffMay 17, 2024
@benjojo
What could possibly go wrong?
Show threadsaphMay 17, 2024
@benjojo I have to say it is the most lib thing to use ai to predict a persons gender without their consent.. and then just slap a non-binary option at the bottom.
Show threadDieuMay 17, 2024
@benjojo is this some sort of gender wave function?
Show threadbeefMay 17, 2024
@benjojo If you have "use data to improve discord" & co disabled, you don't get the analytics folder when you request your data. So Discord probably only does this for people who have those settings enabled.
Show threadSamofheartsMay 17, 2024
@benjojo thanks I hate it.
Show threadgudenauMay 17, 2024
@benjojo I guess I should try mine.
Show threadRenalia - #1 pizza downloaderMay 17, 2024
@benjojo "Assigned Male at Discord" is not something I ever thought I'd imagine or even see myself typing but here we fuckin are.
Show threadHeathen 🐈May 17, 2024
@benjojo
AFAD: assigned female at discord?
Show threadYuki "neige d'aout" Hazuki 葉月膤 ❄️ 🏳️‍⚧️May 17, 2024
@[email protected] I definitely wonder how my graph looks like, I requested the data
Show threadliv May 17, 2024
@benjojo someone should let discord decide if they should take hrt /sarc
Show threadEfi (nap pet) 🦊💤May 17, 2024
@benjojo this is very scary
Show threadninaMay 17, 2024
@benjojo i tried this and it's got no data on me (the analytics folder is not there)
Show threadJulian HMay 17, 2024
@benjojo Weird, I have a report from march and don't have any analytics folder there, just reporting and tns. Both have events files but with no mention of gender... Maybe it's because I have all the data settings off?
Show threadWeirdAlex03May 17, 2024
@benjojo I have a nightmare that we will one day rely on a platform where we will not be judged by the content of our character but by the characteristics of our content... Oh.