Users in the UK (subject to the 2025 Online Safety Act) reported being prompted to verify age via Persona, an age-verification vendor.
Discord’s support page now notes that some UK users are part of an experiment with Persona.
Data submitted to Persona will be stored temporarily for up to 7 days—a departure from Discord’s earlier claim that facial scans would be processed and stored only locally.
Persona’s lead investor is Founders Fund, co-founded and directed by Peter Thiel.
Thiel is a co-founder of Palantir, a data-surveillance firm that works with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and harvests private data from U.S. citizens.
Thiel’s writings and public statements (e.g., “I no longer believe that freedom and democracy are compatible”) have drawn criticism.
Thiel’s name appeared over 2,200 times in the latest Epstein files, showing extensive coordination with the convicted sex trafficker.
Some users speculate Discord is testing Persona because its primary partner, k-ID, may have vulnerabilities or workarounds.
Discord has not publicly explained why Persona is being used for some verifications.
Summary:
Users in the UK (subject to the 2025 Online Safety Act) reported being prompted to verify age via Persona, an age-verification vendor.
Discord’s support page now notes that some UK users are part of an experiment with Persona.
Data submitted to Persona will be stored temporarily for up to 7 days—a departure from Discord’s earlier claim that facial scans would be processed and stored only locally.
Persona’s lead investor is Founders Fund, co-founded and directed by Peter Thiel.
Thiel is a co-founder of Palantir, a data-surveillance firm that works with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and harvests private data from U.S. citizens.
Thiel’s writings and public statements (e.g., “I no longer believe that freedom and democracy are compatible”) have drawn criticism.
Thiel’s name appeared over 2,200 times in the latest Epstein files, showing extensive coordination with the convicted sex trafficker.
Some users speculate Discord is testing Persona because its primary partner, k-ID, may have vulnerabilities or workarounds.
Discord has not publicly explained why Persona is being used for some verifications.