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Discord: Difference between revisions

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{{Cleanup|reason=References need to be properly formatted. See [[Template:Cite web]].}}
{{CompanyCargo
{{CompanyCargo
|Description=American technology company that runs a platform for messaging and calling targeted towards gamers.
|Founded=2015
|Founded=2015
|Industry=VoIP communications, instant messaging, videoconferences, content delivery, and social media
|Industry=VoIP communications, instant messaging, videoconferences, content delivery, and social media
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|Website=https://discord.com
|Website=https://discord.com
|CompanyAlias=Discord Inc.
|CompanyAlias=Discord Inc.
|Description=American technology company that runs a platform for messaging and calling targeted towards gamers.
}}
}}
'''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.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Gonzalez |first=Guadalupe |date=3 May 2018 |title=There Are 2.6 Billion Online Gamers in the World. This Startup Just May Connect Them All |url=https://www.inc.com/guadalupe-gonzalez/30-under-30-2018-discord.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180503131556/https://www.inc.com/guadalupe-gonzalez/30-under-30-2018-discord.html |archive-date=3 May 2018 |access-date=13 Jul 2025 |website=Inc.}}</ref> Launched in 2015, the service has grown to over 150 million monthly active users as of 2025. While initially marketed towards PC gamers, Discord has expanded to multiple platforms, serving various communities and use cases, including education.<ref name="about-company">{{Cite web |date=15 Apr 2024 |title=About Discord <nowiki>|</nowiki> Our Mission and Values |url=https://discord.com/company/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250608013037/https://discord.com/company |archive-date=8 Jun 2025 |access-date=13 Jul 2025 |website=Discord}}</ref>
'''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.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Gonzalez |first=Guadalupe |date=3 May 2018 |title=There Are 2.6 Billion Online Gamers in the World. This Startup Just May Connect Them All |url=https://www.inc.com/guadalupe-gonzalez/30-under-30-2018-discord.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180503131556/https://www.inc.com/guadalupe-gonzalez/30-under-30-2018-discord.html |archive-date=3 May 2018 |access-date=13 Jul 2025 |website=Inc.}}</ref> Launched in 2015, the service has grown to over 150 million monthly active users as of 2025. While initially marketed towards PC gamers, Discord has expanded to multiple platforms, serving various communities and use cases, including education.<ref name="about-company">{{Cite web |date=15 Apr 2024 |title=About Discord <nowiki>|</nowiki> Our Mission and Values |url=https://discord.com/company/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250608013037/https://discord.com/company |archive-date=8 Jun 2025 |access-date=13 Jul 2025 |website=Discord}}</ref>


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===Freedom===
===Freedom===
In order to use Discord, users must agree to the '''Discord ToS<ref name="terms-of-service3" />''' and '''Privacy Policy''', which includes agreeing to:<ref name="privacy-policy3" />
In order to use Discord, users must agree to the '''Discord ToS<ref name="terms-of-service3" />''' and '''Privacy Policy''', which includes agreeing to:<ref name="privacy-policy3" />
*Mandatory [[Forced arbitration|binding arbitration]] with [[class action|class-action]] waiver for U.S. users (From 19 October 2018)
*Granting a perpetual, transferable license to user content
*Granting a perpetual, transferable license to user content
*Broad terms of service, which allow for unilateral changes
*Broad terms of service, which allow for unilateral changes
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*Discord possibly retaining content even after deletion by the user
*Discord possibly retaining content even after deletion by the user
Additionally, server owners have limited recourse if their servers are banned, and users are required to use Discord's payment processing for all monetary transactions.<!-- "Limited recourse" is quite vague. It would be helpful to outline what recourse is possible and why this is insufficient.  -->
Additionally, server owners have limited recourse if their servers are banned, and users are required to use Discord's payment processing for all monetary transactions.<!-- "Limited recourse" is quite vague. It would be helpful to outline what recourse is possible and why this is insufficient.  -->
===Forced arbitration===
Since release<ref>{{Cite web |date=12 Sep 2015 |title=Discord - Terms of Service |url=https://discordapp.com |url-status=unfit |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170521173532/https://discordapp.com/terms#:~:text=ARBITRATION |archive-date=21 May 2017 |access-date= |website=Discord}}</ref>, Discord's [[Terms of Service|terms of service]] have mandated [[Forced arbitration|binding arbitration]] with {{Wplink|class action}} waiver for U.S. users. Users can opt out by sending an 'opt-out notice' to [email protected] within 90 days of registering their first account.'''<ref name="terms-of-service3" />'''


===Transparency===
===Transparency===
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==Incidents==
==Incidents==
===Introduction of forced arbitration (''2018'')===
In October 2018, [[forced arbitration]] was added to the [[Terms of Service|terms of service]]. Users could opt out by sending an 'opt-out notice' to [email protected] within 90 days of the ToS going in effect or registering their first account.'''<ref name="terms-of-service3" />'''
===Child safety concerns (''2023'')===
===Child safety concerns (''2023'')===
An [[wikipedia:NBC News|NBC News]] investigation in June 2023 uncovered widespread child safety issues on Discord, revealing systemic problems with the platform's user protection measures.
An [[wikipedia:NBC News|NBC News]] investigation in June 2023 uncovered widespread child safety issues on Discord, revealing systemic problems with the platform's user protection measures.
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==Consumer friendly alternatives==
==Consumer friendly alternatives==
*[https://fluxer.app/ Fluxer] [https://github.com/fluxerapp/fluxer Fluxer's GitHub]
*[https://osmium.chat/ Osmium.chat] [https://github.com/osmiumchat Osmium's GitHub]


*[https://stoat.chat/ Stoat] [https://github.com/stoatchat Stoat's GitHub]
*[https://stoat.chat/ Stoat] [https://github.com/stoatchat Stoat's GitHub]
*[https://www.rootapp.com/ Root]
*[https://zulip.com/ Zulip][https://github.com/zulip/zulip/ Zulip's GitHub]


[[File:Discord Vague Infringement example.png|thumb|An example of how Discord handles its moderation from a user's perspective.]]
[[File:Discord Vague Infringement example.png|thumb|An example of how Discord handles its moderation from a user's perspective.]]
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{{Reflist}}
{{Reflist}}


[[Category:Discord]]
[[Category:{{PAGENAME}}]]
[[Category:Forced arbitration]]
[[Category:Social media companies]]
[[Category:Companies using forced arbitration clauses]]
Retrieved from "https://consumerrights.wiki/w/Discord"