Discord Acquires Sentropy to Enhance AI-Powered Harassment Prevention

Discord Acquires AI-Powered Harassment Detection Company Sentropy

The popular online communication platform, Discord, has announced the acquisition of Sentropy, a firm specializing in artificial intelligence solutions for identifying and eliminating online harassment and hateful content.

Currently, Discord employs a multi-layered moderation strategy. This involves both internal human moderators and volunteer administrators who establish and enforce rules within individual servers.

Strengthening Content Moderation

Discord intends to integrate Sentropy’s technologies into its current moderation infrastructure. Furthermore, the leadership team from Sentropy will be joining Discord as part of the acquisition.

While the financial details of the deal remain undisclosed, this move signals a growing recognition that addressing toxic online behavior is not only ethically responsible but also strategically beneficial.

Sentropy’s CEO, John Redgrave, emphasized the importance of safety in a recent blog post. He stated that robust technology and processes for trust and safety should be universally accessible, and moderators require improved tools to perform their challenging roles effectively.

Addressing Past Concerns

Discord has faced scrutiny in the past regarding its handling of harmful content. Previously, extremist groups with connections to real-world violence were able to operate on the platform.

Following the tragic events at the Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville, Discord implemented stricter measures against hate speech and extremism. This led to the removal of white supremacist and neo-Nazi groups by February 2018.

This cleanup was a key step in Discord’s evolution from a gaming-focused platform to a broader social network. Today, Discord serves 150 million monthly active users and aims to be a welcoming space for diverse communities, while still catering to its core gaming audience.

Sentropy’s Technology and Funding

Sentropy’s AI system is designed to detect, monitor, and remove online harassment and abuse. The company launched last summer after securing $13 million in funding.

Notable investors included Alexis Ohanian, co-founder of Reddit, through his venture capital firm Initialized Capital, alongside King River Capital, Horizons Ventures, and Playground Global.

Service Transition and Future Plans

Sentropy will continue to provide service to its existing enterprise customers using the Detect and Defend products until the end of September. However, the free consumer dashboard, Sentropy Protect, has been discontinued earlier this month.

Sentropy’s tools were developed to be compatible with various social networks, not just a single platform. The team intends to continue sharing best practices and insights for building safer online environments even after joining Discord.

Redgrave expressed enthusiasm about collaborating with Discord to disseminate knowledge and tools for online safety to the wider internet community.

Discord’s Independent Path

Discord’s prospects appear promising. The company recently declined a potential acquisition offer from Microsoft, which reportedly valued it at approximately $10 billion.

Discord currently prefers to remain independent and may be considering an initial public offering (IPO) in the future.