I’m in the process of deleting my entire messages, both from channels and threads. I’m not brave enough to use XMPP, so I’m moving over to Matrix. I’ve tried removing the phone number multiple time from my Discord app, but it keeps asking for verification, after which, it asks for another phone number. So basically, there’s no way out.
And design-wise, I think it’s pretty shit. By chance, if I were to reuse a phone number that’s been used by another person before, who also happens to have abandoned their Discord account, then there’s no way to sign in.
If you were to try accessing the abandoned account, how does that go? Try logging in with your phone number, request for password and then what? It will still send link to the email for account recovery. What if your Discord your email was stolen/abandoned or/and your account was stolen? You’re going to be stuck with a phone number that cannot be used, and the malicious actors gets a free pass to do anything.
Now I just want to know if Discord will comply with the GDPR laws, even if I’m not from Europe? Because as of now, I do not want to stay a minute longer over there.
They may retain the phone number as an exemption to GDPR as a reason to fight spam and abuse of their system.
EDIT: look for the “legitimate interests” clause in GDPR.
How? According to GDRP phone numbers is considered personal information, they dont have any right to use it to combat spam if the person asked for erasure.
Spammers would have a great time if the one thing stopping them from creating validated accounts en masse can be lifted by a GDPR email.
I bet they’ll do it if threatened with actual legal action, but I don’t think anyone is going to take them to court over this.
You can always try to file a complaint with your local DPA but most of them have got bigger fish to fry.
Combatting spam and other attacks on their systems where the protection of said systems outweighs individual users’ rights is PII processing that you explicitly do not need consent for under the GDPR.
This is called “legitimate interest”.
Tell them, you know what will likely happen? The damn Clyde Bot will respond in the most unhelpful way. They do not give a single shit, they demonstrate that every time you try to get touch about anything that isn’t one of the three things they let you contact them about.
then they have a huge huge problem at hand. And a big fine to pay as well.
That could be covered under the “legitimate interests” clause, which covers “Fraud prevention” among other things. They do need to justify it if there is an audit.