Discord to Allow Search Engines to Index Public Messages

Starting in December, Discord will allow Google to index public chats on large servers with the feature enabled by default, a move that has already drawn backlash from users.

Until now, Discord has remained a relatively closed platform with limited external access. Public discussions on servers with more than 1,000 participants and Server Discovery enabled will now be able to appear in search engines.

The changes take effect in mid-December and will affect only new messages. Discord explained:

Channel messages: Messages from your public channels may appear in web search results, in the exact wording used by server members. Users will be able to click on them and instantly join the discussion on Discord.

Server owners will be able to disable indexing, and users can hide their own messages from search engines.

“You are the product”: Discord to allow search engines to read public chats — Image source: Grummz’s X account

Industry insider Grummz urged users to turn off the feature:

It is impossible to hate Discord enough. Discord is allowing search engines to index your public conversations. Turn this feature off, as it is enabled by default. They kept quiet about this too. Discord doesn’t care about you. You are the product.

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