Discord has delayed its planned global rollout for age verification to access adult content, following a backlash from the messaging platform’s users based around privacy.
The platform, which allows porn and other legal adult content to be posted on servers and in communities if it’s flagged as for adults only, has been introducing age verification via ID submission or facial scans. Many users said they were concerned about linking their real identities with their online identities, after around 70,000 Discord users recently had their IDs potentially exposed due to an alleged cyberattack.
Now Stanislav Vishnevskiy, Discord’s chief technology officer (CTO), has said that the global age verification rollout has been pushed back from March 2026 until some time in the second half of 2026.
Writing in a blog announcing the delay, Vishnevskiy said that Discord chiefs had “made mistakes” but would be shoring up security standards ahead of the age verification changes.
“These changes carry different weight for different communities”Stanislav Vishnevskiy, Discord CTO
Part of Discord’s appeal for many users is its anonymity, and submitting ID or face scans to access adult content fundamentally undermines that.
No way out for UK and Aus users
Vishnevskiy confirmed that all users in the UK and Australia will have to complete ID or face scan age verification to access adult content spaces reserved for those aged 18 or above. With more countries bringing in tougher age verification rules soon, such as Brazil, this is likely to be the case for more users in the future.
For users outside these regions, Vishnevskiy said that 90 percent of users will not have to use face scan or ID age verification. This is because verification will be done through Discord’s age estimation technology, based on factors such as how long a user has had an account, and their account activity.
Vishnevskiy said: “We also know these changes carry different weight for different communities, and that for some, questions of privacy and identity aren’t just preferences but safety concerns shaped by real experience. That’s not lost on us, and it directly informs the choices we’re making.”
Discord disgruntlement
User trust in Discord has been eroded by multiple privacy concerns. Beyond the potential cyberattack-related data breach in 2025, a contradiction in Discord’s privacy standards was recently revealed by Ars Technica.
The outlet uncovered archived web pages that said that Persona, a third-party age verification tool, could store user-submitted age verification information for up to one week. Discord has said that user data such as this would only be stored for short periods.
Discord said that a small number of UK and Australia-based users used Persona for age verification, as the platform made early tests on the process in 2025. Vishnevskiy said Discord was no longer using Persona, adding that it doesn’t meet Discord’s new standard of data from age-estimation face scans entirely on devices.
Discord is also no longer working with 5CA, the third-part customer support tool that was allegedly hacked, causing the potential user data exposure. 5CA wasn’t involved in age verification.
More than a comms problem
Vishnevskiy suggested that much of the backlash was based on users not understanding that many of them will not have to submit ID or do face scans for age verification, as it will be done by Discord’s age estimation instead.
However, as more countries tighten their age verification rules, that 90% figure is likely to shrink fast. Many users are still going to have to make a choice: do they really trust Discord with their personal information, considering its recent form?
Vishnevskiy said: “We’ve made mistakes. I won’t pretend we haven’t. And I know that being a bigger company now means our mistakes have bigger consequences and erode trust faster. I don’t expect one blog post to fix that.”
He added: “Trust is earned through actions over time: shipping the things we promised, owning it when we miss the mark, and giving you real control over your own experience.”
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