Discord to make large public server chats searchable on Google from mid-December
In brief
- Discord will make messages from its largest public servers discoverable in search engines, including Google.
- Server web pages with discussion summaries are set to start Nov. 16; individual messages follow from mid-December.
- Usernames, avatars and messages posted before the rollout won't be published, Discord said.
- Users can opt out under User Settings > Data & Privacy before the mid-December rollout.
What's changing and when
Starting Nov. 16, every Discoverable Server is set to get a web page that may include summaries of public channel discussions. The bigger step comes later. From mid-December, Discord said, individual messages posted in eligible channels may show up in web search.
There are limits. Messages posted before the rollout won't be included, and usernames and avatars will be left out of published messages, according to Discord's announcement as reported by Cointelegraph. The feature will be off by default for users in Australia, the EU, the European Economic Area, the UK, Canada, Brazil and South Korea. Teen users are excluded too.
Discord's argument is about search. The company said that as online communities moved from message boards to its servers, useful answers got harder to find.
“This has led to valuable information being locked in Discord conversations, inaccessible to the wider internet. We want to fix this,” the company said.
Why crypto communities are watching
Cointelegraph reported the change could also affect cryptocurrency communities that use Discord for technical discussions, support and project announcements. Its own search of Discord's public directory turned up nearly 800 servers tagged "cryptocurrency", around 1,400 tagged "trading" and more than 700 tagged "finance." Discord said there are more than 63,000 discoverable servers on the platform in total.
Comments in Discord's announcement thread, cited by Cointelegraph, were split. Some users raised concerns that their conversations would reach people outside their intended community (even though these servers are already public). Others said it could make useful answers easier to find.
How to opt out
Users can go to User Settings > Data & Privacy and switch off "Show my message content from Discoverable channels on web pages." According to Discord's guidance, that one setting covers every Discoverable Server a user belongs to.
Timing matters here.
The feature can be turned off after launch, but that only protects messages sent after the opt-out. Anyone who wants an eligible message removed has to delete it from Discord, and the company warned that search engines may keep cached copies for some time.
Server admins get their own controls. Through Server Settings > Web Presence, they can stop messages from individual channels or entire servers from appearing on public web pages and in search results, and they can separately turn off the discussion summaries scheduled to roll out in November.
Frequently asked questions
How do I stop my Discord messages from appearing on Google?
Go to User Settings > Data & Privacy and switch off "Show my message content from Discoverable channels on web pages." According to Discord's guidance, the setting covers every Discoverable Server you belong to. Users have until the message rollout begins in mid-December to opt out before their posts become eligible.
Which Discord servers are affected by the search change?
The change applies to Discoverable Servers, which are communities with at least 1,000 members listed in Discord's public directory that don't require an invitation to join. Discord said there are more than 63,000 discoverable servers on the platform.
What happens if I opt out after the feature launches?
You can turn the feature off after launch, but it only protects messages sent after the opt-out. To remove an eligible message, you have to delete it from Discord, and Discord warned that search engines may keep cached copies for some time.
Can Discord server admins block their server from search results?
Yes. Through Server Settings > Web Presence, administrators can stop messages from individual channels or entire servers from appearing on public web pages and in search results. They can also separately turn off discussion summaries, which were scheduled to start rolling out in November.
