Discord has become an online community for gamers and non-gamers with voice and video calling features. Their app can be downloaded on Android and iOS, as well as on Mac, Windows, and Linux. For many, discord is the place to hang out, watch, and stream anything together, from movies, shows, and sports, to playing games. Discord lets you create multiple servers to include you and your friends. You can also join any server to play games or watch content online.

However, with all the benefits Discord distributes, is Discord safe to use? This article discusses whether Discord can protect your privacy by checking if Discord is encrypted.

Also read: How to find someone on Discord?

Is Discord safe to use?

Discord’s popularity is heavy, and you may feel with great fame comes at least some responsibility, yet Discord is not completely safe to use. The main reason is it does not have end-to-end encryption, unlike other social media apps like WhatsApp, Signal, or Telegram.

They offer encryption when your data is in transit by using Transport Layer Security. It is a crypto-concealed binary pathway for your messages on any Discord server. This means that your messages are secure when in transit, which raises security concerns for many leading to them looking for alternative platforms.

With millions of users around the world and multi-purpose servers, Discord is not completely safe to use. Its users have complained about the criminal use of its servers, including malware-ridden, predatorial, and abusive harassment for many users.

Discord’s security

Discord demands a two-factor authentication and a strong password to log into your account. They do not collect additional information about you besides your email or phone number. Discord may not be the place to share private and sensitive information; however, if you want to stream and play games with your friends, it is safe enough. Hence, it depends on your reason for using Discord.

Discord’s privacy policy covers in detail the information they collect; a gist of that includes:

• Discord retains the thumbnail cover image of your stream for a short period of time.
• Their payment processors may receive and store certain billing information, including the last four digits of the credit card number associated with the transaction.
• They gather information regarding your activities, like adding new friends or joining a new community.
• They may take information from third-party apps linked with your Discord account to display it on your profile.
• To sync your contacts, Discord will ask for access permission.
• They monitor the device you use to log in and store information about how and when you use their services.

How does Discord use your data?

Discord does not sell your data to third-party companies; they use it for subscriptions and paid products. You can access the rest of your information and protect yourself better by heading to Discord’s Privacy & Safety option on their desktop on the mobile app.

• They use your information to help you use Discord’s services by processing images and audio, storing messages, and facilitating purchases.
• Any information that you give against any user or any post that violates Discord’s community guidelines.
• They can contact you for two-factor authentication or in case of any product or policy change.
• Discord uses your information to help them understand how users interact with their services and the features, products, and server structures to improve their services.

Also read: Does Discord have read receipts?