A £14.5 million fine against Reddit and user backlash against Discord reveal mounting pressure on social platforms to implement controversial age verification systems under new UK regulations.
Reddit faces a £14.47 million penalty from the UK's Information Commissioner's Office for unlawfully processing children's personal information, according to BBC News. The regulator found the platform failed to properly check users' ages, exposing children to inappropriate content online.
The company used third-party service Persona, which verifies ages through uploaded selfies or government ID photos. Reddit said it chose this approach because it "didn't want to have first-hand knowledge of its users' identities." However, UK authorities determined these checks were inadequate, with many children incorrectly classified as adults.
Discord experienced similar problems with Persona but faced immediate user anger instead of regulatory action. Users accused Discord of "lying" about how it handles face scans and ID uploads after discovering Persona's privacy policy allows access to "third party databases, government records, and other publicly available sources," The Verge reports.
The messaging platform has since removed references to Persona from its support pages and confirmed a limited test in the UK has concluded. Discord's head of product policy Savannah Badalich told The Verge the company "ran a limited test of Persona in the UK where age assurance had previously launched and that test has since concluded."
Both platforms are responding to requirements under the UK's Online Safety Act, which mandates age verification systems to prevent children from accessing harmful content. The regulatory pressure comes as Discord prepares for a global age verification rollout starting next month.
Beginning in March, Discord will automatically set all user accounts to a "teen-appropriate" experience unless they demonstrate they're adults through facial age estimation or ID submission, according to another Verge report. Users who don't verify their age will be blocked from age-restricted servers and channels while seeing content filters for graphic material.
Discord says most users won't need to verify because its machine learning model can estimate ages based on account information, device data, and activity patterns. The facial estimation technology runs locally on devices without uploading video selfies, though ID documents are verified by third-party vendors who delete images after confirmation.
The controversies highlight broader industry challenges with balancing regulatory compliance against privacy concerns. There are growing calls for Apple and Google app stores to handle age verification centrally rather than requiring individual platforms to implement their own systems.
"We didn't require users to share information about their identities, regardless of age, because we are deeply committed to their privacy and safety."
Reddit defended its approach in a statement responding to the fine. UK Information Commissioner John Edwards countered that "it's concerning that a company the size of Reddit failed in its legal duty."
Persona CEO Rick Song told Ars Technica his company deleted information collected during Discord's test immediately after verification and doesn't have government contracts despite exposed code appearing at a US government authorized endpoint.
