Discord makes public communities searchable, users immediately look for a way to opt out
“Make sure to turn that garbage off.”
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- Discord will create web pages for Discoverable Servers.
- Discoverable Servers may have summaries and content visible in web search.
- Users outside certain regions must opt out if they do not want eligible messages indexed.
- Private servers, direct messages, and group direct messages will not be affected by the change.
Key Takeaways by nexos.ai, reviewed by Cybernews staff.
Discord is changing how its public communities are found online by allowing conversations from certain servers to appear in web search results.
The change would affect Discoverable Servers that are considered “the most public spaces on Discord” and have at least 1,000 members.
The change would make it easier for users to find information shared on Discord without having to join a server. It will take effect starting November 16th, when Discord plans to automatically create Server Web Pages for all Discoverable Servers.
These pages will include information about the communities and summaries of conversations about what’s being discussed there.
According to the platform, there are more than 63,000 Discoverable Servers on Discord.
“Only discoverable server content may appear on the web”
Discord noted that admins and members will be able to control whether and how their content is shared on the web.
If a community doesn’t have a Server Web Page, one can be set up now or wait until November 16th, when the page will be created by default and can be edited later by moderators.
The platform also noted that those who don’t want to follow this change can switch to being a Community Server.
In the EU, the UK, Canada, Brazil, Australia, and South Korea, Channel Messages are off by default due to legal restrictions, so users' messages won’t appear unless they opt in.
In other parts of the world, the feature is on until a user decides to turn it off.
Users who don’t want their messages shown can also opt out by changing their privacy settings. They’re advised to do it before the rollout in mid-December to ensure that the messages aren’t shown.
Discord noted that usernames and avatars won’t be shown next to messages on Server Web Pages.
The change won’t affect private servers, direct messages, or group direct messages.
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Users rushing to change their settings
While Discord is introducing the change under the pretext of making it easier for users to find answers to certain questions using what has already been discussed on the platform, many users on X didn’t see it that way.
“What the actual hell. Make sure to turn that garbage off,” wrote one user.
“You don’t hate Discord enough. [...] Discord doesn’t really care about you anymore. You are the product,” added another netizen.
The discussion also included a number of users sharing how to change their settings so their messages wouldn't be indexed.
“Reminder that turning all of this off is the bare minimum you should do on Discord,” shared one user.
