In brief: Age verification scanners usually require three-dimensional movement to confirm that users aren't attempting to bypass them with photos. However, animated virtual characters can still fool age gates, and a new tool that supports any web browser makes the circumvention process easier than ever.
After Discord announced plans to require age verification for all users, a free, HTML-based tool emerged that aims to bypass facial scans on the platform and potentially other services. Responses from facial scan developers could launch a cat-and-mouse game between age verification services and users.
The new tool, simply called Discord ID Bypass Tool, clearly identifies its intended target. It requires no installation, is not hosted on a website, and, according to developer PromptPirate, supports "any potato computer."
To use it, just download the file labeled "index.html" from the tool's GitHub page, open it in a web browser, and load a rigged model. It supports models from 3D avatar platforms such as VRoid Hub, VRoid Studio, Mixamo, Ready Player Me, and Sketchfab. A sample model depicting a bearded man wearing a silver coat is also included. Users can control models with a keyboard or game controller to manipulate the head, neck, jaw, and camera angle when age gate scanners tell them to turn their heads or open their mouths.
When the United Kingdom began requiring age verification for adult websites last year, some residents circumvented facial scanners with a similar method involving the photo mode in the game Death Stranding. Free tools like the one from PromptPirate likely support a broader range of hardware.
Age verification scanners and ID checks are unpopular due to concerns about privacy. Last October, Discord suffered a data breach when hackers claimed to have stolen 2.1 million ID photos, impacting roughly 70,000 users.
The service k-ID, which operates Discord's facial scanner, stated that the chat app will not implement ID checks and will only try to estimate each user's age through a process that runs locally on their device. Discord claims that it will estimate most users' ages without facial scans. However, the effectiveness of age estimation systems remains questionable. A recent study suggests that scans have a significant margin of error for subjects aged between 13 and 18.
A k-ID spokesperson also confirmed that the company is monitoring attempts to circumvent its systems. PromptPirate might update the Discord Bypass Tool to allow blinking in response to reports that Discord added a blink test to its facial scanner. However, the developer recommends that users abandon the chat app and says they developed the tool to help people discuss where to migrate.
Age checks and ID verification requirements have already pushed many users to seek out potentially risky alternative websites and platforms that don't follow the rules, while searches for Discord alternatives have recently skyrocketed.