Discord had promised that before its privacy policy is updated it would notify users “in advance” if the company stores video call content, voice calls or channels. This is why some users were concerned when the latest updates – which will take effect on March 27 – seemed to silently abandon this promise. A Discord user asked Ars to investigate, asking: «Does Discord intend to retain call recordings;»
According to a Discord spokesperson, the answer is no.
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«There was no change in Discord's position regarding the way video or voice channel content is stored or recorded» said the Discord spokesperson «We acknowledge that our recent post about the privacy policy caused unintended confusion among our users. To be clear, nothing has changed and we have even added clarifying information to it for users who want to refer back.»
Before users started complaining, the policy was about to 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 emoji, create short recordings of your GoLive activity, or upload and share files through the services. This also includes your profile information and information you provide when you create servers.”
As users expressed concerns on Reddit, Discord staff seemed to rush to allay fears, saying, "We understand that the wording of the new privacy policy is broad and can be misunderstood," promising, "We will fix it."
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Since then, Discord added word for word: «Generally we do not store the content of video calls or voice calls or channels. If we were to change this in the future (for example, to facilitate content supervision), we would inform you in advance.»
In the United States and the European Union, call recordings by anyone who is not part of the call are illegal and generally consent is required. It is likely that Discord updated its privacy policy not only to appease users but also to cover its tracks legally, but that does not mean it will never happen. In response to users' outrage, the newly updated policy now also specifies that Discord may collect part 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», the new policy states.
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Discord doesn’t have a perfect record when it comes to user privacy. Last year, Discord was fined €800,000 in the EU for privacy violations, including failing to close voice rooms when Windows clicked the “X” icon. Instead of users leaving, the EU found that users were unwittingly staying logged into voice rooms, which continued to run in the background and could broadcast private conversations that users didn’t know could be overheard.
source of information:arstechnica.com
