Discord Will Require A Face Scan Or Id For Full Access Next Month The Verge

Discord Will Require A Face Scan Or ID For Full Access Next Month: What It Means for Self-Hosted Infrastructure

Introduction

When Discord announced mandatory face scans or government IDs for full platform access starting next month, it sent shockwaves through technical communities. This verification requirement (reported by The Verge) raises critical questions about privacy, data sovereignty, and platform dependency that resonate deeply with DevOps professionals and system administrators.

For those managing self-hosted infrastructure, this development serves as a stark reminder of the risks inherent in relying on third-party platforms for critical communications. As Discord implements age verification that:

• Restricts unverified users to “teen-appropriate” experiences
• Blocks access to age-restricted servers
• Limits participation in livestreams

The DevOps community faces a pivotal question: How do we maintain secure, private communication channels while preserving full control over our infrastructure?

This guide explores the technical implications of platform-mandated verification systems and provides actionable solutions for implementing enterprise-grade communication platforms within self-hosted environments. We’ll examine:

1. Modern self-hosted chat alternatives (Matrix, Mattermost, IRCd)
2. Identity management systems with privacy-preserving verification
3. Infrastructure patterns for fault-tolerant communication systems
4. Regulatory-compliant authentication workflows

For DevOps engineers managing critical infrastructure, this represents more than just a privacy concern - it’s an infrastructure control challenge requiring immediate attention.

Understanding the Infrastructure Implications

Why Platform-Enforced Verification Matters

Discord’s new verification system creates three fundamental challenges for technical users:

1. Data Sovereignty Concerns: Biometric data processing occurs on third-party infrastructure
2. Access Control Limitations: Platform-defined restrictions override organizational policies
3. Dependency Risks: Critical communications rely on external platform decisions

From an infrastructure perspective, this highlights the importance of:

• Self-hosted Communication Systems: Maintain control over authentication requirements
• Decentralized Identity Management: Implement organization-specific verification workflows
• Private Federation Models: Securely connect communities without platform intermediaries

Comparison of Communication Protocols

Feature	Discord	Matrix	IRC	Mattermost
Hosting Model	Cloud-only	Self-hostable	Self-hostable	Self-hostable
Authentication	Centralized	Decentralized	Server-specific	Self-managed
Encryption	TLS + Optional E2EE	E2EE Supported	None (typically)	TLS + Optional
Federation	Limited	Open Federation	Network-based	Private
Compliance Controls	Platform-defined	Self-configurable	Minimal	Self-configurable
Scalability	Auto-scaled	Requires cluster	Single-server	Cluster capable

Real-World Impact Scenarios

1. Incident Response Limitations: DevOps teams restricted from accessing critical channels during outages due to verification delays
2. Compliance Violations: Storing government IDs in platform-controlled databases conflicting with organizational policies
3. Service Degradation: Performance impacts from global verification systems affecting real-time operations

The Matrix Protocol Whitepaper highlights how decentralized communication systems address these concerns through open standards and self-hostable infrastructure.

Prerequisites for Self-Hosted Solutions

Hardware Requirements

Minimum specifications for a production-ready communication server:

Component	Matrix (Synapse)	Mattermost	IRCd
CPU	4 cores	2 cores	1 core
RAM	8GB	4GB	512MB
Storage	50GB SSD	30GB SSD	5GB HDD
Network	100Mbps	100Mbps	10Mbps

Software Dependencies

Core dependencies across solutions:

# Common base packages
sudo apt update && sudo apt install -y \
  build-essential \
  libssl-dev \
  curl \
  gnupg \
  python3-venv \
  postgresql \
  nginx \
  certbot

Specific version requirements:

1. PostgreSQL: 13+ with pgvector extension for search
2. Redis: 6.2+ for caching and real-time updates
3. Python: 3.10+ for Matrix Synapse
4. Node.js: 16.x for Mattermost

Security Pre-Configuration

Before installation:

1. Configure firewall rules:

   sudo ufw allow 80,443,8448,3478/tcp
   sudo ufw allow 3478,5349/udp
   sudo ufw enable
   

2. Create dedicated system users:

   sudo useradd -r -s /bin/false matrix-synapse
   sudo useradd -r -s /bin/false mattermost
   

3. Set filesystem quotas:

   sudo setquota -u matrix-synapse 50G 60G 0 0 -a /
   

Installation & Configuration

Matrix Synapse Deployment

Step 1: Install Synapse

# Add repository
echo "deb https://packages.matrix.org/debian/ $(lsb_release -cs) main" | \
  sudo tee /etc/apt/sources.list.d/matrix.list

# Install package
sudo apt update && sudo apt install -y matrix-synapse-py3

Step 2: Configure Homeserver

/etc/matrix-synapse/homeserver.yaml:

server_name: "yourdomain.com"
listeners:
  - port: 8008
    tls: false
    bind_addresses: ['::1', '127.0.0.1']
database:
  name: psycopg2
  args:
    user: "matrix"
    password: "secure_password"
    database: "synapse"
    host: "localhost"
    cp_min: 5
    cp_max: 10
enable_registration: false
trusted_key_servers:
  - server_name: "matrix.org"

Step 3: Reverse Proxy Setup

Nginx configuration (/etc/nginx/sites-available/matrix):

server {
    listen 443 ssl;
    listen [::]:443 ssl;

    server_name chat.yourdomain.com;

    ssl_certificate /etc/letsencrypt/live/chat.yourdomain.com/fullchain.pem;
    ssl_certificate_key /etc/letsencrypt/live/chat.yourdomain.com/privkey.pem;

    location / {
        proxy_pass http://localhost:8008;
        proxy_set_header X-Forwarded-For $remote_addr;
        proxy_set_header X-Forwarded-Proto $scheme;
        proxy_set_header Host $host;

        client_max_body_size 50M;
    }
}

Identity Verification System

Implement privacy-preserving age verification using Keycloak:

version: '3'

services:
  keycloak:
    image: quay.io/keycloak/keycloak:21.1.2
    command: start --auto-build
    environment:
      KEYCLOAK_ADMIN: admin
      KEYCLOAK_ADMIN_PASSWORD: secure_password
      KC_PROXY: edge
    ports:
      - "8080:8080"
    volumes:
      - keycloak_data:/opt/keycloak/data

Verification workflow configuration:

1. Create “Age Verification” identity provider
2. Configure OpenID Connect with government ID provider
3. Implement step-up authentication for sensitive channels
4. Store verification status in JWT claims without PII

Configuration & Optimization

Performance Tuning Matrix

PostgreSQL optimization (postgresql.conf):

shared_buffers = 4GB
work_mem = 32MB
maintenance_work_mem = 1GB
effective_cache_size = 12GB
random_page_cost = 1.1
max_connections = 100

Security Hardening

1. Enable end-to-end encryption in Element client:

   {
     "features": {
       "feature_e2ee_forced_for_all_rooms": true
     }
   }
   

2. Implement certificate-based client authentication:

   ssl_client_certificate /etc/nginx/client-certs/ca.crt;
   ssl_verify_client optional;
   
   location /_matrix {
     if ($ssl_client_verify != SUCCESS) {
       return 403;
     }
   }
   

3. Configure mandatory MFA via WebAuthn:

   # Synapse config.yaml
   password_config:
     enabled: false
   

Federation Architecture

For private federation:

# Federation whitelist
federation_domain_whitelist:
  - "trusted-domain.com"
  - "*.partner.org"

# Disable public discovery
allow_public_rooms_over_federation: false

Usage & Operations

Daily Management Tasks

1. Check server status:

   systemctl status matrix-synapse
   journalctl -u matrix-synapse -f
   

2. Manage users via CLI:

   register_new_matrix_user -c /etc/matrix-synapse/homeserver.yaml https://localhost:8008
   

3. Monitor room statistics:

   SELECT room_id, COUNT(*) AS users 
   FROM room_stats_current 
   GROUP BY room_id 
   ORDER BY users DESC 
   LIMIT 10;
   

Backup Strategy

1. Database dump schedule:

   pg_dump -Fc synapse > /backups/synapse-$(date +%s).dump
   

2. Media repository backup:

   rsync -avz /var/lib/matrix-synapse/media_store backup-server:/matrix-backups
   

3. Key backup verification:

   openssl dgst -sha256 -verify public.pem -signature backup.sig backup.tar
   

Troubleshooting

Common Issues and Solutions

Problem: Federation failures
Diagnosis:

dig +short _matrix._tcp.yourdomain.com SRV
telnet remote-server 8448

Solution: Verify SRV records and firewall rules

Problem: High PostgreSQL load
Diagnosis:

SELECT query, calls, total_exec_time 
FROM pg_stat_statements 
ORDER BY total_exec_time DESC 
LIMIT 10;

Solution: Optimize slow queries, add indexes

Problem: Client encryption errors
Diagnosis:

curl -v https://yourdomain.com/_matrix/key/v2/server

Solution: Renew TLS certificates, verify Nginx headers

Conclusion

Discord’s move toward mandatory biometric verification underscores the critical importance of maintaining control over communication infrastructure. For DevOps teams, implementing self-hosted alternatives like Matrix or Mattermost provides:

1. Complete authentication policy control
2. Private identity verification workflows
3. Regulatory-compliant data handling
4. Platform-independent federation

While the initial setup requires careful planning, the long-term benefits of owning your communication infrastructure far outweigh the implementation effort. Key considerations moving forward:

• Adopt zero-trust principles for internal communications
• Implement step-up authentication for sensitive channels
• Explore decentralized identity solutions like Solid Project

The era of relying on third-party platforms for critical communications is ending. By implementing the patterns discussed here, DevOps teams can build secure, private communication systems that withstand evolving regulatory and technical challenges.

Further Resources:

• Matrix Documentation
• Mattermost Deployment Guide
• NIST Digital Identity Guidelines