App Spotlight: Discord

Nov 14 / Admin
In the second quarter of 2023, Discord reported 36,481 accounts to NCMEC. 36,323 of those reports were media (images or videos), of which many were flagged through PhotoDNA – a tool that uses a shared industry hash database of known CSAM. Additionally, 158 high-harm grooming or endangerment reports were delivered to NCMEC.


Discord disabled 155,873 accounts and removed 22,245 servers for Child Safety during the second quarter of 2023. This was an increase of 184% and 76% respectively when compared to the previous quarter.

What is Discord

How is it accessed?

Key Features

Discord is a popular communication platform designed for creating communities, hosting discussions, and enabling real-time voice and text communication. It was originally created for gamers to communicate while playing video games, but it has since expanded its user base to include a wide range of communities, including hobbyist groups, professional organizations, study groups, and more.
Discord offers apps for various platforms, including Windows, macOS, iOS, and Android, making it accessible on a wide range of devices.

Discord now supports use inside of a standard web browser meaning users can access it from almost any device such as smart televisions, gaming devices, and of course tablets and cell phones.
1. Servers: Users can create and manage their own servers, which are essentially dedicated spaces for a community or group. Servers can be customized with various text and voice channels.

2. Channels: Within a server, you can create different channels for specific topics or types of communication. For example, you can have separate channels for general chat, announcements, voice chat, and more.

3. Voice Chat: Discord offers high-quality voice communication, making it easy for users to talk to each other while playing games, working on projects, or just socializing.

4. Text Chat: Text chat is also a significant part of Discord, with support for rich text, images, videos, and file sharing. Users can engage in both public and private text conversations.
To get started on Discord you first must create an account. While compiling the most up to date info for this overview I created one with just a username and fake Yahoo! email address that I just made up. Now Discord will send a verification email to that address, but I discovered that you can still access Discord and create your own servers without needing to verify that email address. Just something to keep in mind. 


Discord Search Warrants

Discord can provide the following as a result of legal process
  • Direct Messages and Server Posts
  • List of Servers Subscribed to
  • Media Attachments
  • Assignments
  • Account Email, Phone Number, and Session IP addresses
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Takeaways

Discord has seen a rise on its platform in recent years
Always write search warrants to Discord even if they are the reporting party to NCMEC.
Understand how Discord can be accessed and know how to search through the servers to find your evidence.
Should you find CSAM or contraband on discord you may want to consider multiple ways to preserve the evidence. 

Get in touch

  • admin@inv-network.org

About Us

Inv-Network was created to support those who are tasked with the difficult job of protecting children from online child exploitation. Our goal is to provide community, resources, and training to Law Enforcement, District Attorney's, and Parole & Probation Officers.
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