Discord merges with anti-harassment AI software company Sentropy

Cal Jeffrey

Cal Jeffrey

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In a nutshell: Sometimes online communication platforms can get toxic, especially if you have a room full of 13-year-olds on a gaming-focused channel. Discord just purchased a company specializing in AI that detects abusive chat and offers filters and blocking functions. The acquisition should provide moderators with helpful tools and increase the company's value for a potential IPO.

Discord may soon be getting new tools to help moderators monitor and curb online harassment. The communications platform has merged with Sentropy Technologies, a company specializing in making AI that detects abusive messages.

Sentropy already has natural language processing software called Sentropy Protect that uses machine learning to detect hateful messages. TechCrunch notes the company deployed the consumer product on Twitter in February, with plans to branch out to other social media sites. It also has two enterprise products—Sentropy Detect and Sentropy Defend—which provide detection APIs and a browser interface.

The company announced it would be "winding down" its consumer and enterprise operations to focus on working with Discord to "expand and evolve its Trust and Safety capabilities." Sentropy officially shuttered its consumer-based Protect product on July 1. Enterprise customers can expect to have Detect and Defend services running through the end of September. The company promised to provide support to its customers during its transition.

Discord (download here) has over 19 million communities with more than 150 million monthly active users. Pairing with a company that can provide easy-to-use moderation tools will significantly help the platform's moderators, which primarily consist of community volunteers and a hand full of Discord staffers.

The acquisition comes as a bit of a surprise considering Microsoft was in talks to take over Discord. However, negotiations fizzled, and Discord pulled out of the potential deal. It reportedly had other offers on the table, but nothing has surfaced indicating it is considering any of them.

Some reports suggested that Discord is considering an initial public offering (IPO). That would explain why buyout talks failed, as well as its Sentropy acquisition. The services and software it provides should increase Discord's valuation in an eventual IPO.

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https://www.techspot.com/news/90424-discord-merges-anti-harassment-ai-software-company-sentropy.html

 
Oh god, this better be an optional feature. Discord always used to keep users' communications private and I hope this doesn't change that. Even if it does, I really despise the idea of some AI analyzing everything I say to figure out if it thinks I'm hateful... It feels exactly like something Twitter or China would do, both of which I do not want to reside in.
 
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The net when in beta mode was so much better. Before all the a$$h4t$ came along with their rules and laws trying to clean it up.
And yet letting Facebook get away with pretty much anything cause money.
I mean hell the world has gotten worse and the net just reflects it, and its like people somewhere are not liking their own reflection.
You're humans, you're *****s. But luckily for the rest of the universe you screwed your planet up before you got to spread your diseased minds to the any other intelligent life out there.
Or maybe intelligent life put you in the
a$$ end of the universe to just die out.
And I get I'll have this post deleted probably but.... Lol.
 
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3volv3d said:
The net when in beta mode was so much better. Before all the a$$h4t$ came along with their rules and laws trying to clean it up.
And yet letting Facebook get away with pretty much anything cause money.
I mean hell the world has gotten worse and the net just reflects it, and its like people somewhere are not liking their own reflection.
You're humans, you're *****s. But luckily for the rest of the universe you screwed your planet up before you got to spread your diseased minds to the any other intelligent life out there.
Or maybe intelligent life put you in the
a$$ end of the universe to just die out.
And I get I'll have this post deleted probably but.... Lol.
Click to expand...

I sooo want to disagree with this. I really do. But..
 
Have a look at the old quake forums for a reality check that it wasn’t all rosey in the olden days. Vitriol was rampant. Just forums weren’t mainstream yet.
 
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psycros said:
I sooo want to disagree with this. I really do. But..
Click to expand...
I so don't want to be this negative creep all the time, I'm all doom and gloom. And in my head I say this stuff jokingly, but this is also my point about AI. Does it get context.
When two people who have a humor, and they type or say something like, I'll kill you, you d***head. Or maybe they call each other something rude, racist, homophobic but between them it's humor. To AI... Hell I can't use the term id ee urts here.
How sensitive are the people working at or using techspot.
 
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eforce said:
Probably Telegram groups for time being.
Click to expand...

Telegram is fake. It's more invasive than WhatsApp. Its entire success is based on the hype of "security" while in fact it requires for more access to my phone than any other comm software.

It reminds me of those web pages that pretend to worry about your security by saying:
"There's a virus on your computer. Download the antivirus here."

When you download and install their "antivirus" THEN you really have a virus.
 
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