Discord, the gamer-focused chat application that has become more popular among marginal online communities, has tightened its restrictions on adult NSFW content. Discord now requires old gates for entire servers, rather than limiting them to individual channels. And because of an Apple policy already in place, iOS users of the app can no longer access NSFW servers.
Apple Instructions for iOS developers allows “incidental” NSFW content if it is hidden by default and is only displayed when an option is checked on an external website. Rather than prepare for this ability to follow Apple’s rules, Discord decided to completely block access to those NSFW communities for anyone using the iOS app. IPhone and iPad users can still access NSFW Discord communities via Safari Mobile and other browsers, but it’s hardly a replacement for the full mobile app.
Discord will automatically apply the NSFW tag to any servers trying to outline a new policy. Discord servers are considered NSFW if they carry adult content, including avatars, server banners, and invitation splashes. Individual channels on a server can still be designated as NSFW without applying the label to the entire server, but only if the rest of the server is not centered around NSFW themes.
As expected, there are a lot of pushes from those who rely on Discord to generate revenue. A brief look at social media shows a variety of self-described artists worried about their future in the chat app. Even of Discord Reddit users he scratches his head at the new policy changes, wondering if this is just a lazy effort by Discord to focus on Apple’s regressive content policies. Some have even hinted that Microsoft’s rumored acquisition fuels this move.
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They want, sip, to be forced to switch to Android? May be. This new policy could make it more difficult for creatives with sexual and pornographic content to communicate with their followers if these fans are primarily iOS users. But for Discord, it keeps the app available in the App Store, despite what some call prudent restrictions.
When he arrived at the statement, a Discord spokesman said:
We are committed to providing a safer experience for all Discord users. We always work hard to create robust controls to ensure that minors are not exposed to inappropriate content. Our community rules require adult content to be placed behind a gate over the age of 18. As part of this, we now require that servers organized around NSFW content or content that is predominantly over 18 years of age be classified as NSFW at the community level.
If you’re experiencing roadblocks on iOS, you’ll see an alert showing that NSFW servers are blocked on the iOS platform. However, it is not clear how strict the policy is yet. Gizmodo colleague and willing guinea pig Joanna Nelius tried to access about five NSFW public servers using an iPhone 12 updated to iOS 14.4.2. She entered each server each time, with only a few of the Discord communities requesting age verification and no verification process after that. Discord said it is launching the new changes over the next few days and will work with server owners to make sure they are aware and understand the new requirements.
Older millennials might remember when Apple has banned the Tumblr app and forced the platform to remove all pornographic images before allowing them back into the App Store. Discord will probably not suffer the same fate because of this solution. But the server crash is worrying, given the number of creatives who have come to rely on Discord to connect with their communities.
This one’It also refers to the fact that Apple is the company that imposes this type of content restrictions on application developers who want to be authorized in the App Store, without any other way to upload applications to an iOS device. There was applause when the company banned Talking from the App Store after that platform played a role in the US Chapter uprising earlier this year. But as we see from recent push against Apple, giving so much power to a technology company, is worth questioning.