Discord exec calls the Pentagon leaks a ‘complex challenge’
Following the arrest of a National Guard Airman in the recent Pentagon leaks case, Discord issued a response about the platform’s involvement and actions taken after the fact. Clint Smith, Discord’s chief legal officer, called the situation a “complex challenge” for online platforms in general and Discord in particular. Only the U.S. government can declare if a document is classified or even authentic, Smith said, and there’s no official channel of communication for officials to issue directives to Discord at present.
As the investigation continued, Discord identified the server where 21-year-old Jack Teixeira shared documents pertaining to the Russian invasion of Ukraine, closed it down, terminated the accounts of all involved, and began searching for other servers members who had shared images of the documents.
“Discord is not alone in our pursuit of making the internet a better, safer, more inclusive environment,” Smith said in the statement. “We, as well as other internet platforms that bring joy, entertainment, knowledge, and connectivity to the world, are at an important juncture. From individual safety to national security, we are addressing vital issues that affect society at large.”
Smith then outlined Discord’s process of dealing with harmful content or people who violate terms of service, which include only one or two tools or methods to identify problematic content until a while after it appears on the platform. Smith said Discord blocks potentially harmful images, can identify patterns of server and member behavior to help spot the spread of hateful behavior, and partners with organizations to help promote online safety.
Detection and removal of problematic content usually falls to community moderators, though if, as in Teixeira’s case, the community is fine with the content being posted, Discord probably won’t learn about its existence until it’s too late. That was also the case when a Discord user leaked the entire Tears of the Kingdom art book on the platform, prompting Nintendo to issue takedown notices and subpoenas once the images started spreading.
