It’s
all
fun
and
games
until
someone
gets
hacked
–
here’s
what
to
know
about,
and
how
to
avoid,
threats
lurking
on
the
social
media
juggernaut
There
are
several
tools
or
software
applications
that
enable
us
to
stay
connected
with
our
fellow
teammates
even
during
gameplay,
with
the
best
of
them
having
a
low
impact
on
our
network
connection
while
allowing
important
elements
like
tap-to-talk
or
messaging
capabilities.
Discord
is
one
of
the
online
services
that
combine
a
traditional
online
forum
(remember
those?)
with
voice
chat
and
social
media-like
resources,
so
even
after
a
heated
gaming
session,
you
can
stay
in
contact
with
the
same
people.
The
difference
is
that
Discord
has
a
server-based
core,
where
you
can
connect
or
join
servers
established
for
specific
topics,
rather
than
having
a
focus
strictly
on
gaming
or
movies.
This
way
a
person
can
cover
most
of
their
interests
and
interact
with
hundreds
of
people
daily.
However,
since
Discord
is
also
a
bit
more
immediate
and
interactive
than
your
regular
forum
or
chat
service,
it
comes
with
its
own
issues,
and
scamming
is
one
of
them.
Since
this
week
is
Privacy
Awareness
Week,
we’ll
look
at
what
you
should
know
about
Discord
and
how
you
or
your
children
can
steer
clear
of
threats
lurking
on
the
platform.
Imagine
a
place…where
your
privacy
is
at
risk
Perhaps
the
most
immediate
thought
that
comes
to
mind
when
thinking
of
free
instant
messaging
combined
with
forums
is
the
aspect
of
privacy,
and
the
way
your
data
can
be
used
for
the
company’s
purposes.
After
all,
when
it
comes
to
free
services,
you
are
the
product,
since
you
provide
data
that
can
be
sold
to
marketers.
We
have
gotten
used
to
all
the
tracking
that
happens
to
us
daily,
as
your
email
service
might
use
data
within
your
messages
to
create
personalized
ads,
or
your
phone
can
track
your
app
interaction
to
do
the
same.
Privacy
concerns
have
become
increasingly
relevant
today,
and
in
a
survey
conducted
in
the
US
in
2019,
79%
of
the
respondents
were
concerned
over
the
use
of
their
data,
with
81%
feeling
they
lack
control
over
their
data.
Since
Discord
is
a
free
service,
you
might
ask
how
it
finances
its
operations.
Servers
are
not
cheap
and
the
company
staff
does
not
work
for
free,
and
while
their
Nitro
subscription
might
account
for
some
revenue,
there
is
still
a
question
of
how
the
data
on
Discord’s
servers
is
being
handled.
All
your
messages
are
passing
their
servers,
unless
you
use
Discord
through
a
web
browser,
which
can
partially
block
some
trackers.
Discord’s
Privacy
&
Safety
Policy
states
that
you
can
agree
with
the
use
of
your
collected
data
but
not
whether
it’s
being
collected.
And
therein
lies
the
problem,
as
Discord
collects
your
data
in
case
you
would
allow
its
usage
in
the
future.
However,
since
the
data
is
already
in
their
hands,
how
can
you
be
sure
they
are
not
using
it?
What’s
more,
what
if
a
data
breach
happens?
Discord
conversations
include
a
lot
of
useful
info
about
you,
so
that
is
another
thing
to
consider.
Be
careful
what
you
say
or
send,
or
how
people
get
doxed
Doxing
is
not
a
new
term;
it
means
that
a
certain
person
might
unwittingly
send
or
reveal
some
information
about
themselves
that
can
give
away
their
location,
looks,
address,
or
any
other
sort
of
personally
identifiable
information
(PII)
to
an
unintended
audience,
or
get
exposed
because
of
that
information
by
someone
else.
This
sort
of
connects
to
the
privacy
aspect,
as
in
a
way,
through
server-side
discussions,
you
slowly
reveal
more
and
more
about
your
interests
as
you
get
to
know
the
other
users.
And
on
public
servers
this
can
be
dangerous,
since
they
can
host
malicious
lurkers
(a
user
of
an
internet
message
board
or
chat
room
who
does
not
participate),
who
could
sometimes
easily
track
you.
A
user
of
a
server
they
frequent
often
can
dox
themselves
by
revealing
their
desktop
on
a
gaming
stream
or
by
having
a
file
with
their
name
or
picture
on
it.
Likewise,
when
a
user
regularly
posts
pictures
of
their
route
to
and
from
work,
they
could
theoretically
enable
a
stalker
to
locate
them
during
specific
times
of
day.
Some
users
might
find
face
reveals
interesting,
but
uploading
pictures
of
yourself
to
a
public
server
could
mean
that
a
malicious
actor
might
access
and
use
your
face
image
for
nefarious
purposes,
like
phishing,
or
in
worst
cases
even
blackmail,
depending
on
the
content
of
the
picture.
Moreover,
a
profile
picture
inexplicably
links
you
to
your
anonymous
account
name,
and
it
might
not
take
long
for
someone
to
find
you
online
just
by
using
your
picture
and
combing
through
some
of
your
messages.
Smooth
criminal(s)
Honestly,
online
gaming,
or
online
communities
in
general,
have
never
been
100%
safe.
Apart
from
data
privacy
concerns,
there
is
also
the
shadow
of
cyberbullying,
exemplified
by
all
of
the
news
reports
on
kids
being
bullied
by
their
peers
online
on
social
media.
And
again,
Discord
kind
of
fits
into
that
box.
If
a
bully
knows
someone’s
username
on
Discord,
for
example,
they
can
make
their
life
miserable
on
the
servers
they
visit
or
harass
them
via
direct
message.
However,
bullying
is
only
one
aspect.
Just
to
recall
a
previous
point,
Discord
can
be
frequented
by
malicious
actors
who,
just
like
bullies,
can
coerce
you
into
doing
something,
either
through
blackmail
(using
your
picture,
location,
personal
data)
or
by
phishing,
taking
on
the
appearance
of
a
Discord
admin
or
a
user
whom
they
know
you
frequently
message
with.
Add
to
this
the
fact
that
Discord
allows
file
sharing,
meaning
that
anyone
can
easily
share
a
picture,
video,
link,
or
anything
of
that
caliber
on
a
server
or
through
a
private
message.
This
makes
it
easy
for
someone
to
share
an
IP
Grabber,
which
can
be
used
to
track
users’
IP
addresses
for
a
variety
of
reasons,
such
as
targeted
advertising
or
identifying
the
location
of
a
user.
A
malicious
actor
can,
in
some
cases,
also
crash
a
whole
router
for
a
period
of
time.
The
worst-case
scenario
is
that
they
send
data
packets
to
one’s
router
and
if
said
router
lets
them
through,
they
could
see
all
devices
connected
to
its
Wi-Fi
and
even
install
spyware
onto
them.
All
in
all,
from
a
cybersecurity
perspective,
Discord
shares
many
vulnerabilities
with
email
services
or
social
media,
with
a
focus
on
user
(human)
error
to
compromise
one’s
devices.
And
even
though
Discord’s
terms
of
service
specify
that
users
below
the
age
of
13
are
not
allowed
to
use
it,
they
often
do,
due
to
the
gaming
nature
of
the
service
and
how
it
attracts
younger
crowds
in
general.
Improvise,
adapt,
overcome
Firstly,
the
best
advice
that
anyone
could
get
when
it
comes
to
Discord
is
to
alter
their
online
behavior.
Consider
changing
how
many
data
points
you
share
about
yourself.
Do
not
share
your
location,
hometown,
workplace,
or
travel-related
information,
as
that
can
be
used
to
track
you.
Secondly,
consider
a
more
anonymous
approach.
Do
not
use
your
actual
face
as
a
profile
picture,
do
not
link
Discord
to
other
services
(like
music
streaming)
established
under
your
own
name,
and
above
all,
try
not
to
have
your
actual
given
name
as
your
username.
Lastly,
for
a
piece
of
more
technical
advice,
do
not
click
on
any
suspicious
links
or
files.
In
addition,
use
robust
security
software
like
ESET
Smart
Security
Premium
or
ESET
Mobile
Security
to
erect
a
strong
firewall
against
internet-borne
threats.
With
all
of
this
in
mind,
Discord
is
still
a
very
useful
tool
for
connecting
with
like-minded
people
and
communities.
Don’t
let
bad
apples
like
cybercriminals
or
malicious
users
sow
the
seeds
of
discord,
but
be
ready
to
harvest
the
fruits
of
interesting
conversations
with
your
security
in
mind.
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