Discord to make public server messages searchable from mid-December

Key points

• Discoverable Servers have at least 1,000 members, are listed in Discord's public directory and need no invitation to join
• Server web pages launch on 16 Nov, with individual messages becoming searchable from mid-December
• Users opt out via User Settings, Data & Privacy, by switching off the setting for showing message content on web pages

Discord is changing its policy so that conversations in its largest public servers can be found through search engines including Google, Cointelegraph reports. The change covers Discoverable Servers, which have at least 1,000 members, appear in Discord's public directory and do not require an invitation to join.

From 16 Nov, each Discoverable Server will get a web page that may carry summaries of public channel discussions. From mid-December, individual messages in eligible channels may show up in web search, Discord said on 27 October. Messages posted before the rollout are excluded, and usernames and avatars will not be published.

Discord said useful answers had become trapped inside its servers as communities moved away from message boards, adding that it wants to fix this. Some users criticised the plan over privacy, while others welcomed it as a way to make discussions easier to find.

Users have until the message-sharing rollout in mid-December to opt out. Opting out later only protects messages sent afterwards, and removing an eligible message means deleting it, though search engines may keep cached copies for a time. Server administrators can block channels or whole servers through Server Settings.

What to watch: Users have until the message-sharing rollout in mid-December to switch off the setting before their posts become eligible to appear online.

Read the full story on Cointelegraph →