Hi all,

I haven’t used Discord in a while, but it became so that now I have to use it for communication with certain people getting support for some services that I use. What I’m doing currently is:

  • using a separate randomised e-mail address only for the Discord account
  • using a randomly generated username
  • no profile picture
  • tweaking the settings as best I can for privacy

Other than these points, I’m also being wary of talking about anything personal on Discord. Would you add anything so I can be even safer when using Discord?

  • tmpodM
    9•6 months ago

    Depends a lot on your threat model, of course, but here’s what I do:

    • use a temporary (but recoverable) email
    • use smspool or similar to verify my phone for less than a dollar
    • run Discord in a hardened Firefox profile (hardened browser settings + uBlock)
    • turn everything relevant off in Discord settings just in case
    • don’t share PII in conversation
    • use a VPN (or Tor)

    Using a hardened browser and not giving them your real phone are likely the most effective steps, everything else is either less relevant or overkill. As I said, depends a lot on your threat model and on your requirements (some things may be unachievable if you’re forced to use Discord by your employer, for example).

    • @[email protected]
      1•5 months ago

      I’ve found that being consistent with what you choose to share is the most difficult thing. Conversations can get personal, and as you get closer to those random nicknames there’s the constant urge to share mundane stuff about your daily lives like weather, holidays, and such that will all add up.

      • tmpodM
        2•5 months ago

        Yeah I feel you. It’s often hard to be fully alert of what you’re sharing all the time. I have slip ups but it’s usually fine, I’m only mega careful regarding things that could give away the city/town/village I live in, and where I work. If I ever really want to talk about it, I will use a different (often temporary) alias.