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Discord to Make Conversations in Public Servers Searchable on Google and Other Engines, Raising Privacy Concerns

Software2 min read

Discord will let search engines like Google find some conversations from its public community servers. The change has raised privacy worries.

What happened

On October 27, 2026 (US time), Discord said that chats in some public communities can be found through search engines such as Google. From November 16, AI-made summaries of chats will be published. From mid-December, the text of posts themselves can also be found in search. Users will get a setting to keep their own posts out of this.

Key numbers and facts

  • Only servers with 1,000 or more members and set to "Discoverable" (anyone can join without an invite) are included. There are more than 63,000 of them.
  • Invite-only servers, direct messages (DMs), and group DMs are not included.
  • Post text published in search only covers messages sent after mid-December. Usernames and avatars are not shown.
  • Users in the EU, UK, Canada, Brazil, Australia, and South Korea start with publishing turned off. Users elsewhere, including Japan, start with it turned on. Messages from teen users are not included.

Some background

Discord is a chat app used widely for games and hobbies. People join a community called a "server." Inside it, they chat in topic spaces called "channels." Discord says the goal is to make useful tips, such as game strategies and fixes for tech problems, easier to find on the regular web.

Why it matters

Some people use anonymous online communities to talk about personal problems or to stay safe. If their words can be searched, they could be found, even without a username, because the content or context may reveal who they are. Some users also worry that public chats could be collected to train AI models. Discord says it does not sell user messages to AI companies. But that does not fully guarantee outside AI companies will not collect public content.

What to watch

  • Users who want to opt out should turn off the "show messages from discoverable channels on web pages" setting under Data & Privacy in User Settings.
  • This setting does not remove posts that were already public. Those posts must be deleted on Discord, and search engine copies may take longer to disappear.
  • Server admins can turn off "Channel Summaries" and "Channel Messages" under Web Presence in Server Settings. The setting for summaries is separate from the personal setting.

Glossary

Discord
A chat app where people talk in online communities about games, hobbies, and other topics.

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