Discord Is Not an Acceptable Choice for Free Software Projects (2020)

3 months ago

Discord lacks end-to-end encryption, logging all messages including DMs, which can be accessed by third parties without user consent.
Discord requires personally identifiable information like phone numbers and IP addresses, making anonymous participation difficult or impossible.
Using Discord excludes individuals who require privacy for safety or personal reasons, such as those avoiding harassment or stalking.
Discord's Terms of Service include mandatory binding arbitration, waiving users' rights to sue or participate in class action lawsuits.
Discord is proprietary software, conflicting with free software principles, and its use by free software projects is inconsistent with their ideals.
Alternatives to Discord include self-hosted solutions like Mattermost for chat, Discourse for forums, and Mumble for voice chat, which respect privacy and freedom.
Email lists are recommended for essential communication, ensuring independence from any single service provider.
Discord's automated censorship was demonstrated when an account was deleted for sharing a link to this article within DMs.

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