Before it was updated last month, Discord’s privacy policy specifically promised to notify users “in advance” if the company began storing content from video calls, voice calls or channels. That’s why some users were alarmed when the latest updates, which go into effect on March 27, appeared to drop that promise. A Discord user asked Ars to investigate, asking, “Does Discord plan to keep call recordings?”
According to a Discord spokesperson, the answer is no.
“There has been no change in Discord’s position on how we store or record the content of video or voice channels,” a Discord spokesperson told Ars. “We recognize that when we recently published adjusted language in our privacy policy, we inadvertently caused confusion among our users. To be clear, nothing has changed and we have reinserted the language into our privacy policy, along with some additional information to clarify.”
Before users started complaining, the policy would be updated to say that Discord would collect information about “any content you upload to the service. For example, you may write messages or posts (including drafts), send voice messages, create custom emojis, create short recordings of GoLive activity, or upload and share files through the Services. This also includes your profile information and information you provide when you create servers.”
When users voiced their concerns on Reddit, Discord employees seemed quick to allay fears, saying, “We understand that the wording of the new privacy policy is broad and open to misinterpretation,” and promising, “We will fix this.”
Discord has since added back the missing language, word for word: “We generally do not store the content of video or voice calls or channels. If we were to change this in the future ( for example, to facilitate content moderation), we would notify you in advance.” A Reddit user identifying himself as a Discord staff member told Redditors that Discord will not “regularly” collect this type of content.
In the United States and the European Union, call recordings of anyone not participating in the call are illegal and generally require consent. It’s likely that Discord updated the privacy policy not only to appease users, but also to cover their tracks legally, but that doesn’t mean it never happens. In response to user outrage, the new, updated policy language now also specifies that Discord may collect some of this type of content in the future.
“We may create features that help users interact with voice and video content, such as creating or sending short recordings,” Discord’s new policy states.
Discord doesn’t have a perfect record when it comes to user privacy. Last year, Discord was fined €800,000 for privacy violations in the EU, including failing to close voice rooms when Windows users clicked the “X” icon. Instead of logging these users out, the EU found that users had unwittingly logged into voice rooms, which continued to run in the background and could be transmitting private conversations that users didn’t know were being shared. they could hear