Discord, the gaming-focused social networking app which lets users create public or private servers to chat via text, image, voice, and video livestreaming, announced this week that “all users on the iOS platform (including those aged 18+) will be blocked from joining and accessing NSFW servers. iOS users aged 18+ will still be able to join and access NSFW communities on the desktop and web versions of Discord.”
Discord didn’t specify why iOS users are being treated differently from those on other platforms, but Apple’s iOS Developer Guidelines say that apps with user-generated content “that end up being used primarily for pornographic content… do not belong on the App Store.” The guidelines allow for “incidental” NSFW content generated by users on web-based services if “the content is hidden by default and only displayed when the user turns it on via your website,” a caveat that apparently isn’t sufficient for Discord’s comfort.
Discord is reportedly in the late stages of acquisition talks — which could value the service at $10 billion — with Microsoft and other parties. The service has over 140 million monthly users and 300 million registered accounts.
MacDailyNews Take: Seems like a bit of extra caution on the part of Discord in the midst of acquisition talks.
We do believe we have a moral responsibility to keep porn off the iPhone. Folks who want porn can buy an Android phone. – Steve Jobs, April, 2010