February 13, 2026
Scan your face for memes?
Oh, good: Discord's age verification rollout has ties to Palantir co-founder
Fans rage over face scans; Thiel link lights the fuse
TLDR: Discord plans global age checks using face or ID scans, and some UK users are being routed to Persona, whose backers include Peter Thiel—sparking privacy panic. Comments split between “this is surveillance creep,” “just leave Discord,” and “try alternatives like Matrix/Element,” with jokes and suspicion flying.
Discord just told users worldwide they’ll soon need to prove they’re adults—by scanning a face or a government ID—or see certain chats and servers blurred. Then came the plot twist: UK users say they’re in an “experiment” with Persona, an ID-check company backed by funds tied to Peter Thiel, co‑founder of surveillance giant Palantir. Cue the meltdown. Critics say this feels like a privacy booby trap, especially after Discord previously said facial checks would stay local, while Persona’s notice says data may be kept up to 7 days. The Electronic Frontier Foundation weighed in, and users piled on with jokes about a “child detection matrix” and Palantir being named after an evil spying orb.
The drama split fast. One camp calls it a surveillance slippery slope, with one commenter grumbling that Big Tech lobbied for these laws. Another camp shrugs: don’t like it, don’t use it, pointing to rivals like Matrix/Element and old‑school IRC. Others think Discord’s just shopping vendors because its primary partner, k‑ID, can be gamed. Gamergate got dragged in, too, as folks argue over whether outrage is justified or just déjà vu. Either way, the vibe is clear: scan your face to send memes? The community’s not LOL’ing, and trust is on thin ice.
Key Points
- •Discord will roll out global age verification in March, restricting content for users who do not verify via face scan or government ID or aren’t classified as adults by its algorithms.
- •Discord clarified that only some users will be required to complete age verification.
- •In the UK, some users are part of an experiment where age verification is processed by the vendor Persona.
- •Discord previously said facial age verification would be processed locally, but Persona’s notice states data may be stored up to seven days before deletion.
- •Persona’s recent funding rounds were led by Founders Fund, co-founded by Peter Thiel; critics such as EFF’s Rindala Alajaji have raised privacy concerns.