Discord's age checks push users toward IRC

Discord announced that very soon, users who want to be treated like they're not still in their junior year of high school may have to submit to a facial scan, or provide approved ID, to prove they're an adult. Some folks aren't keen on the idea, and if you're looking for alternatives one option that has been around for decades is Internet Relay Chat, or IRC.

IRC's chief strength compared to platforms like Discord is that it's very open and decentralized. It's not private or secure unless you put serious effort into masking your movements, but each server sets its own policies, and there's no overarching authority enforcing rules across the network.

To use IRC you will need to learn a handful of commands—/SERVER to connect, /JOIN to enter a channel, /NICK to change your handle, /MSG NICKSERV ID if you're registered, /PART to leave a channel, /PING to test your connection, and /WHOIS to get details on other users.

discord, age checks, facial scan, id verification, irc, decentralized, open network, privacy, nickserv, commands