Discord hasn’t been as active in fighting pandemic misinformation as social networks, but it appears ready to change its tune. According to Protocol, Discord is updating its community policies to ban any misinformation that poses a “significant risk” of physical or social harm, including claims that threaten “public health.” A chat server could face action if it spreads falsehoods about COVID-19 vaccines, to put it another way.
The community rules also bar spam, manipulative bots, fake accounts, bad-faith account reporting and “malicious” impersonation of others. The guidelines also forbid hate linked to age, caste, gender identity and serious illnesses. Discord will also consider “off-platform” activity when making decisions on bans and other policy decisions. Someone who belongs to a hate group or commits real-world crimes could face repercussions online.
These updates come…
