Discord CEO responds to backlash after teasing app NFT feature

Discord CEO Jason Citron shared an image for crypto features in the app, particularly with Ehtereum, which sparked community backlash and concerns about its potential for NFTs.

Responding to a Discord analysis by Not Boring and The Generalist, Citron shared an early look for a built-in crypto wallet integration with MetaMask and WalletConnect. The pre-release image shows Discord’s management tools for Ethereum, a popular blockchain-based currency.

Blockchain technology is also the basis for NFTs (non-fungible tokens) which have come under fire for their vulnerability to propagate scams and lingering questions on their environmental impact.

People adamantly opposed to the technology don’t want to see Discord moving in that direction and are speaking out on the decision.

Discord crypto wallet draws backlash from users

“Say goodbye to artists ever sharing their artwork online, let alone in Discord,” one Twitter user said. “Reposters were bad enough but this is next level.”

“If people can just right click and sell your artwork for ‘ownership’ when you’re the one who spent dozens of hours creating it, what’s the point.”

Protests from Discord users are ranging in vocal disdain on Twitter to those saying they’re canceling their Nitro subscription, a $10/month service that unlocks premium file-sharing features and personalization options.

Gaming communities, and by extension its impressionable members, artists, hobbyists, etc., have widely accepted Discord as their primary hub of communication over other similar platforms.

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There are concerns about privacy and security that the app already faces. Discord’s jump into crypto raised more questions from users

“Need a lot more updates and security before you do this. If you care at all that is,” one person said.

“Spam and security are a top priority for us in this space,” Citron responded. “We have recently spun up a team working on it specifically. More to come soon.”

Update November 11, 2021 –Discord CEO Jason Citron has published a tweet thanking users for their feedback. He also stated that Discord has no current plans to integrate NFT’s into the app.

His full tweet reads: “Thanks for all the perspectives everyone. We have no current plans to ship this internal concept. For now, we’re focused on protecting users from spam, scams, and fraud. Web3 has lots of good but also lots of problems we need to work through at our scale. More soon.”

Discord’s crypto communities

People who built their communities on the platform are torn about the proposed crypto integration and what it could mean about its future with NFTs.

Large groups of crypto users also use Discord but have expressed their frustration with the platform. The company previously issued a survey for crypto-minded users on how the app could improve its products.

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There was strong backlash to the survey itself. Discord told The Verge that the survey was meant to get feedback from crypto-centric community members,

“We’re always exploring and hacking away at things we think will improve Discord for all the communities we serve,” Discord told The Verge. “This includes research that helps us learn about what people want.”