The VergeDiscord will require a face scan or ID for full access next month https://www.theverge.com/tech/875309/discord-age-verification-global-roll-out
netskaven
Woozle Hypertwin@netskaven The immediate* problem is all the people who will be like "well, that's annoying, but I guess we have to do it" and won't make any effort to move their communities.
(...and it's easier to say "well then, you don't need that community if they're going to be like that" than it is to actually do it, in many cases.)
*edit; there are additional layers to this.
FeΓ²rag@woozle @netskaven @verge because people who tell others to move their communities offer no suggestions as to suitable alternatives?
@feorag Yes, and the dearth of easy choices for alternatives is also a problem.
There's Revolt, which is pretty darn close (but do you want to tie your community to yet another 3rd party server or else figure out how to self-host, which does not appear easy), and there's Matrix (which is not exactly a drop-in replacement but can give a similar experience if appropriately configured, and that's not easy either)...
Max Lee@woozle @feorag @netskaven @verge
Another issue is that it's not "Revolt" anymore, apparently the name was to revolting and they renamed to "Stoat".
But it's still not end-to-end encrypted and still cannot federate so Matrix is pretty much the only valid alternative which can actually solve the shortcomings that cause the current Discord situation.
Paw-1|426Even if they're now spoiled rotten by llms, search engines still work well enough to look for them. If your community is to move, it has to be a collective decision and they should do some work too.
@PandaCab Yes, ideally.
(Not sure what you mean about using search engines to "look for them" -- to which "them" are you referrring?)
I have to disagree, then; I've been actively searching for alternatives for years now, and so far the only two remotely viable candidates have been the ones I mentioned (Revolt and Matrix), which both have obstacles to adoption.
(Not insurmountable; just not as easy as, say, switching from Slack to Discord was.)
I found at least 4, with various degrees of similitudes with discord.
Also, I have to point out the very obvious: you won't be able to leave discord and get the same thing. I know it is silly to point out, but in my experience, it is hard to really internalise for many.
Nobody's asking for identical; just similar-enough (...like Discord vs. Slack)
What are the 4(+) you found?
I have to ask: what if there is nothing similar? This is what I mean by "not get the same thing".
I still have to try them but the alternatives I found (again, to be fair, I haven't tried yet) pumble, guilded, rocket.chat and mattermost.
Somewhere I typed up a list of my requirements (I can't speak for everyone); I'll have to dig that up..
Revolt does actually meet them all, afaict; the only obstacles are logistical/strategic.
I'm familiar(ish) with RocketChat and Mattermost, but was underwhelmed; I'll have to investigate the other two (thanks for the leads!).
@PandaCab @feorag @netskaven @verge
Pumble looks to be proprietary, which is an immediate disqualifier.
@PandaCab @feorag @netskaven @verge
...and Guilded is no longer available (which shows one compelling reason why proprietary software is not an option).
Knightmare
Ertain
FreediverX
su_liam
Ursa@verge RIP discord.
Hadokowa
Graeme π΄σ §σ ’σ ³σ £σ ΄σ Ώ@verge They have done it some time ago, in the UK, so it's not exactly news. Just choose your bypass of choice....
π₯ Mireille Sillander π₯@verge waiting for the second coming of online messaging boards
AlexTECPlayz@verge Please leave Discord, you should have left it years ago. I stopped using Discord 2+ years ago, never returned.
Also, don't keep documentation on Matrix, Discord, etc. Put it on a wiki or docs website, FFS.
AdventureTense@verge Just another step towards chipping people living in US, and tracking and monitoring them with Starlink using xAI. Keep capitulating, and this WILL be our future. No doubt.
2xfo
Billy SmithTime ti be somewhere else then :D
Wade McGillis@verge how do you do, fellow kids .gif
stuxβ‘οΈ
Wiredfire@wiredfire @verge Same indeed π I have a feeling a lot of ppl refuse this
Elias MΓ₯rtenson@verge 'let's use discord for documentation'. What could possibly go wrong?
Grey the earthling@verge Agh! Couldn't they have waited until Matrix and/or Delta Chat was ready as a Good replacement?
George Liquor, American@verge Glad I never became dependent on this shitty IRC knockoff
kwayk42
Eckes 
Mei Lin 
CathyBikesBook@verge I'm sure there are alternatives out there.
LittlePolarBear@verge wow... Looks like I'll be leaving yet another platform...
RIP my 10 year #clashofclans server lmao
π±π΄βπ
°οΈπ³οΈββ§οΈπ§π§π Ambiyelp
TΓ’i SiΓ‘u-kΓ‘u ε°ηη γγγ π³π« ε°η£ε@verge
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Korbs
Spitfire
sqrt(-1)
Micdan πΎ@verge
> there's a lot of pedos in there
> instead of banning them they implement age verification
STOP ATTACKING THE SYMPTOM AND GET STRAGHT TO THE SOURCE OF THE PROBLEM... This shit is goddamn SICKENING...
Carlos SolΓsWelp. Being a friendless technoluddite saves me from yet another privacy nightmare. Hopefully all the communities still hosting their content solely on a chatroom figure out they should've moved elsewhere already.
Dumbo Octopus@verge what exactly is the problem with this feature? How I understand, discord ist still accessible without any ID check, only adult content will be locked behind a verification wall, which isnβt something bad I think. Other platforms like reddit should do so as well, just asking for age isnβt really a working strategy
@gerenuk @verge The problem is that you can never, ever trust an online platform to keep your data safe.
And speaking specifically about Discord, back in October 2025 their third-party age verification provider was hacked and 70,000 users had their ID "potentially leaked" (https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c8jmzd972leo).
You can't really change the details on your ID, such as your social security number (US) / personal numeric code and other serialized information that is highly specific to YOU, which makes this info a lot more valuable to a hacker than a CC which can be cancelled and re-issued.
And that's just Discord.
AU10TIX, a platform used by X/Twitter, TikTok, Uber, LinkedIn, Fiverr, PayPal, based in Israel had been leaking drivers' licenses for over a year before it was discovered in 2024. The credentials were harvested in 2022 and posted to Telegram in 2023 (https://www.techdirt.com/2024/06/28/yet-another-id-verification-service-breached-exposing-private-info-collected-on-behalf-of-uber-tiktok-more/).
Sharing your ID should be the last thing you should ever do on the Internet.
@gerenuk @verge "only adult content will be locked behind a verification wall, which isnβt something bad I think"
A noble idea, but the execution is abysmal, because lawmakers are lobbied by right-wing, conservative groups like the EPP (EU) and bi-partisan bills such as KOSA to basically implement a blunt tool, a sledgehammer, where only a hammer is needed. Everyone is looking for a magical solution to this that is unhackable, unbreachable, safe, secure, etc.
But the solution just isn't sending your ID to third-party for-profit companies around the world, which then at the some point end up in the hands of advertisers and hackers.
EDRi has a great article on the pitfalls and actual solutions that we can implement instead of this digital age verification bullshit: https://edri.org/our-work/age-verification-gains-traction-eu-risks-failing-to-address-the-root-causes-of-online-harm/
Age verification gains traction: the EU risks failing to address the root causes of online harm - European Digital Rights (EDRi)
Narratives around age verification and restriction of access for minors are gaining traction in the EU. This blog analyses different EU policy files and warns that relying on age-gating risks undermining more effective solutions to online harm.
Tobu@gerenuk @verge
Hacks aside, DHS/ICE/other arms of a fascist state will be able to tie community membership to identities more easily, over time this can lead to China style control over dissenting speech.
But even before that happens, Project 2025 just wants to treat LGBTQ communities/topics as adult only. Without decentralised, easily self hosted, numerous alternatives to discord, these vulnerable groups get the double whammy of being doxxed and of rejecting younglings that need them.
Hacks aside, DHS/ICE/other arms of a fascist state will be able to tie community membership to identities more easily, over time this can lead to China style control over dissenting speech.
But even before that happens, Project 2025 just wants to treat LGBTQ communities/topics as adult only. Without decentralised, easily self hosted, numerous alternatives to discord, these vulnerable groups get the double whammy of being doxxed and of rejecting younglings that need them.
always tired
Ludwig Vielfrass@verge I'm not going to quit yet, but I for sure just canceled my Nitro which I've had for quite a while. If they think I'm not an adult, then I'm not going to pay them like I am.
StoneBear 