Hackers Save Discord From Being Used As Part of Thiel’s Open Surveillance Machine Written on February 22, 2026 by ΞVΞ🦋
Categories: Tech
Tags: corruption, discord, fascism, kyc, persona, surveillance, thiel
Thiel tried to pull a Zuckerberg-Analytica on Discord and failed. Miserably. Security researchers uncovered over 2,400 files that showed Thiel’s Persona software actually collects a great deal of data about anyone who runs its verification flow. It isn’t just a simple “are you over 13?” age-check to use Discord fully.
The software combines biometric facial‑recognition (to confirm a live human face) with financial‑risk checks (e.g., linking a person’s identity to banking records, watch‑lists, politically‑exposed‑person databases, etc.). This creates a detailed profile that can be used for both identity proofing and financial surveillance.
In addition to the commercial version, the researchers found a separate build of the same code that is FedRAMP‑authorized (a U.S. government security standard) and looks intended for use by federal authorities. In other words, the same technology could be repurposed for government‑level monitoring.
After the exposure, Discord announced it would stop using Persona for its age‑verification / identity‑check flow. The company likely wants to avoid being associated with a tool that gathers so much personal data and could be handed over to governments and data brokers.
