Discord

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Basic Information
Founded	2015
Company Type	Private
Industry	Software
Official Website	https://discord.com

Discord is a proprietary VoIP and instant-messaging platform developed by Discord Inc. (formerly Hammer & Chisel, Inc.) co-founded by Jason Citron and Stanislav Vishnevskiy. Launched in 2015, the service has grown to over 150 million monthly active users as of 2025. While primarily marketed toward gamers, Discord has expanded to serve various communities and use cases.

Consumer impact

Privacy

• Collects extensive user data including messages, voice communications, and server participation.
  
• Claims broad rights to user-generated content through terms of service.
  
• May store deleted messages for undefined periods.
  
• Retains personal information until deemed "no longer needed" with unclear retention periods.
  
• Processes user content for safety features and platform improvement.
  
• Shares data with related companies, vendors, and third-party service providers.
  
• Uses behavioral tracking across platform features for personalization.
  
• Maintains logs of IP addresses and device information.
  

Freedom

• Mandatory binding arbitration with class-action waiver for U.S. users (Started 15 May 2024).
  
• Users grant perpetual, transferable license to their content.
  
• Users must accept broad terms of service that allow unilateral changes.
  
• Can terminate accounts without prior notice at Discord's discretion.
  
• No option to opt out of core data collection while using the service.
  
• Content may be retained by Discord even after deletion.
  
• Server owners have limited recourse if their servers are banned.
  
• Forced to use Discord's payment processing for all monetary transactions.
  

Transparency

• Unclear processes for handling law enforcement requests.
  
• Vague about specific data retention time frames.
  
• Privacy policy written in relatively clear language compared to industry standards.
  
• Provides clear community guidelines with defined enforcement procedures.
  
• Limited transparency regarding content moderation decisions.
• Server ban appeals process lacks transparency.
  
• Limited disclosure of recommendation algorithm factors.
  
• No clear disclosure of how content is used for platform improvement.
  

Consumer-protection incidents

FTC data collection investigation (Sep. 2024)

In September 2024, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) released a comprehensive report examining Discord's data-collection practices as part of a broader investigation into social-media platforms.

The investigation revealed Discord collects extensive user data, including:

• Message content and metadata
• Voice-chat participation
• Server membership and activity
• Device and location information

Particular concern was raised about:

• Collection of data from users under 13
• Handling of minor user information
• Inadequate age-verification systems

The FTC identified multiple areas where Discord's practices put users at risk:

• Identity-theft exposure
• Potential stalking risks
• Discrimination concerns
• Mental health and emotional impact

The FTC concluded that Discord's data practices created unacceptable risks for users, particularly minors, and called for significant reforms to the platform's privacy protection measures.

Introduction of forced arbitration (Mar. 2024)

In March 2024, Discord users were notified via email that forced arbitration would be added to the terms of service effective 15 April 2024. Users could opt out by sending an 'opt-out notice' to [email protected] within the thirty days preceding 15 April 2024, or registration of their first account.

Child safety concerns (Jun. 2023)

An NBC News investigation in June 2023 uncovered widespread child-safety issues on Discord, revealing systemic problems with the platform's user protection measures.

Investigators identified 35 separate cases where adults were criminally charged with "kidnapping, grooming, or sexual assault" involving contacts initiated through Discord. Additionally, 165 criminal prosecutions involving the sharing of child sexual exploitation material on the platform were documented.