Discord Dumps Persona Age Verification After UK Backlash

Discord is backing away from Persona, the identity verification service it briefly used to check user ages in the UK. The messaging platform confirmed it "ran a limited test of Persona in the UK" and that the experiment is now over.

The move comes after significant backlash from users uncomfortable with handing over sensitive identity documents to a third-party service just to prove their age on a chat platform.

Discord's careful language — emphasizing the test was "limited" and has "concluded" — signals a deliberate effort to put distance between itself and the controversial verification provider.

What replaces Persona remains unclear. Age verification is an increasingly thorny problem for platforms operating in the UK, where regulators are tightening the screws on online safety. But apparently, this particular approach wasn't the answer.