What is Discord, the chatting app tied to classified leaks?
The chatting app Discord, which is one of the most popular ways gamers communicate online, finds itself at the center of an investigation into the leak of classified documents about the war in Ukraine.
The investigation is unfolding as Discord makes an ambitious push to recruit more users and expand the way they use the versatile app.
Discord said it is cooperating with law enforcement in the investigation of the leak, which is believed to have started on the site. A Massachusetts Air National Guard member reportedly posted on Discord for years about guns, games, favorite memes and, according to some who chatted with him, closely guarded U.S. secrets.
WHAT IS DISCORD?
Discord started in 2015 as a nerdy online hangout for gamers and had some hiccups in its quest for mainstream success. Its growth accelerated during the COVID-19 pandemic as a forum for its mostly younger users to gossip or even help each other with homework.
“Every month, more than 150 million people come to Discord to hang out with family, friends and communities,” its co-founder and CEO, Jason Citron, said last month at a press event. “It's become a place where they have fun and get things done together.”
Discord users skew young — about 38% of its web users and nearly half of its Android app users are between the ages of 18 and 24, according to the digital intelligence platform Similarweb. They are roughly 75% male, the research group says.
Recently, the app has also pitched itself as a gateway to artificial intelligence tools such as Midjourney, which conjures up new imagery based on commands it's given in a Discord chat.
Discord announced in January that it was buying another teen-focused social app called Gas, which enables people to share online polls and
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