What is the social network Discord and why it can be a place for information leaks

Discord - A discussion forum for video game enthusiasts and music fans doesn't seem like the right place to share official government secrets.

What is Discord social network image 1 — Soldier Jack Teixeira, the Discord logo and an aerial photo of the Pentagon. Photo illustration: FT

But this week, a Pentagon investigation into a trove of leaked documents emerged from Discord, an emerging chat platform popular with gamers and cryptocurrency investors that is known for its relatively ‘lax’ approach to content moderation.

On Friday, 21-year-old Air Force Reserve member Jack Teixeira was charged with illegally sharing top-secret defense information. This comes after an FBI investigation into the leak of more than 100 documents containing details about the Russia-Ukraine conflict and other sensitive communications.

The documents were first posted earlier this year on a since-deleted private Discord channel called Thug Shaker Central, according to research by open-source intelligence firm Bellingcat. Bellingcat said the channel included about 20 users who discussed gaming and music, took “conservative stances on a number of issues,” and shared racist and homophobic slurs.

The files were then circulated on several other Discord channels – including one about the game 'Minecraft' and another for fans of a Filipino YouTube celebrity – before spreading to online forums 4Chan, Telegram and Twitter and reaching the media.

“We are aware that law enforcement officials have arrested an individual accused of illegally posting classified material on our platform. We have cooperated with the officials and remain committed to doing so as this investigation continues,” Discord said.

Founded in 2015 by video game developer Jason Citron, Discord has grown to have 150 million users worldwide . One of its biggest draws is the ability to create invite-only “servers” — similar to chat rooms — based on specific interests.

Amid the COVID pandemic, Discord aims to appeal to a more mainstream audience than just gamers, becoming a mainstay for teens who use the platform to connect with friends primarily through calls and instant messaging, similar to the former MSN messenger.

The platform also saw a surge in users after the far-right platform Parler was temporarily banned from app stores, according to Adam Levin, founder of Cyberscout. Monthly active users increased 203% in the first quarter of 2023 compared to the same period in 2020, according to data from analysts Sensor Tower.

Discord's popularity among American youth interested in war, especially military- themed video games, has made it a platform of choice for young soldiers on military bases.

Unlike social media giants like Facebook, Discord has opted for a subscription-based revenue model based on advertising. While it’s free for basic use, its paid Nitro service costs between $2.99 and $9.99 a month. The company has seen a 30% increase in paid subscribers from 2021 to 2022.

As Discord's popularity has exploded, it has also attracted a slew of potential suitors, including a $12 billion acquisition bid from Microsoft in 2021 and interest from Twitter, Amazon, and Epic Games. The company was valued at $15 billion in 2021.

But Discord has also received criticism that its platform is an unmoderated wild west, with an all-night gaming culture that creates an environment ripe for sharing harmful content.

Discord says 15% of its more than 900 employees work on the platform’s safety. The company uses machine learning to automatically flag content that violates its rules, in addition to user reports, and relies on individual server moderators to monitor their communities.

Researchers have found that former IS members have posed as gamers and attempted to recruit young people through shooting games like Call of Duty and on social media platforms.

It’s also increasingly becoming an alternative place to buy, sell, and share stolen data and hacking tools, according to cyber intelligence group CyberInt, which ranked Discord as the third-most likely place for cybercriminals to operate, after Telegram and the dark web.

Mai Anh (according to FT, AP)

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