Discord has announced that it will be making some pretty sweeping changes to its username system over the "coming weeks", in an effort to try and make connecting with friends easier. To do this, Discord has explained that it will be removing everyone's discriminators - which are the four digit numbers that are displayed next to usernames - and will be replacing them unique usernames and display names.

Unfortunately, this means that pretty much everyone on the platform will soon be invited to change their username to one without a discriminator, eventually becoming a requirement if you want to continue using Discord. For many people, this will be as easy as simply entering your existing username and you're all good to go, but there's currently a large number of people upset about the change. For starters, many are worried this change could lead to impersonation on a mass scale, as there's the possibility people could change their usernames to existing ones (thanks IGN).

This won't be helped by the fact that this change isn't being rolled out all at once. Instead of giving everyone the ability to change their username at the same time, Discord is rolling out the change gradually, allowing people with older accounts to change their usernames before those who set up their accounts more recently. Again, not much of an issue for most people, but influential figures on Discord are increasingly concerned that they could have their usernames pinched before they even get the option to reclaim them.

stupid imo. the reason they're doing this is allegedly bc ppl keep typing numbers wrong or whatever but man

like my discord is private for a reason! it's my personal chat space! so now i either take my username and ppl can Find Me or i run the risk of someone impersonating me https://t.co/3mMz6xJvTB

— Aura (@aurahack) May 3, 2023

There's also the issue of privacy, as many online figures have private Discords in which they hang out and talk to friends. Getting rid of discriminators and replacing it with a unique username system means creators are now faced with either having to use their online presence as a username and have their private spaces easily viewed, or risk being impersonated.

It's a pretty baffling and fairly unecessary change, and one that hasn't gone down well with the majority of Discord users. If there's enough negative backlash then it's possible that Discord could reverse its decision since it hasn't actually implemented any changes just yet, but consider this your warning that you'll be required to change your username soon if Discord goes through with its plans.

Posted: May 06, 2023 8:02 pm
Related Forum: Social Media

Source: https://www.thegamer.com/discord-forcing-users-change-usernames/