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Community calendar – Feb. 25

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Staff Reports
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Events listed for Wednesday, Feb. 25

Reading with Friends — 9:30 to 10:30 a.m., Bartholomew County Public Library, 536 Fifth St., Columbus. This book group is designed for readers and non-readers. Participants can enjoy stories and be guided through discussion and activities related to the reading.

TOPS (Take Pounds Off Sensibly) No. 1444 — 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m., Mill Race Center, 900 Lindsey St., Columbus. Weigh-in at 11:30 a.m., meeting from noon to 1 p.m. Must be a member of Mill Race Center. For more information, call Karen Burbrink at 812-371-9616.

Teen Film Series: Black History Month — 3:30 to 5 p.m., Bartholomew County Public Library, 536 Fifth St., Columbus. Watch “Queen of Katwe” in the Teen Room. Register on the library website.

Design Conversations featuring Jessica Kartes — 5:30 to 7 p.m., Bartholomew County Public Library, 536 Fifth St., Columbus. Design Conversations is a lecture and networking series hosted by the Columbus Design Collective. The first event will feature Jessica Kartes, principal and founder of Storyboard, in her talk, “Design, Civic Engagement, and Why Everyone Should Get an Art Degree.” All design disciplines are encouraged to join. Information and registration: comeseecolumbus.com/events/design-conversations-featuring-jessica-kartes.

Inner Shelf Book Club — 6:30 to 7:30 p.m., Bartholomew County Public Library, 536 Fifth St., Columbus. Monthly themes on wellness and growth. Adults and young adults can join library staff for authentic conversations. This month, read “Your Heart, Your Scars” by Adina Talve-Goodman.

Jacqueline Chambers

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Staff Reports
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COLUMBUS

Jacqueline Chambers passed away on February 9, 2026 at age 89. Jacque was born on November 26, 1936 to Paul and Frances “Pat” Smith in Bedford, Indiana and later moved to Columbus, Indiana. After graduating from Purdue University in 1959, Jacque returned to Columbus.

One day William Chambers was eating lunch at Columbus Bar with a colleague, saw Jacque for the first time, and his colleague offered to introduce them. The rest, as they say, was history. Bill and Jacque were married on June 6, 1965. The happy couple lived in Nashville, Indiana for a year while Jacque completed her Masters in Education and Bill completed law school.

After their graduations from Indiana University in 1966, they built a beautiful life in rural Columbus surrounded by nature. Following Jacque’s time teaching at Kent School, she continued to dedicate her life to caring for others, not only as a loving wife and devoted mother to their two children, Chris Chambers and Sylvia Chambers, but also to the numerous furkids that joined the family over the years.

Jacque cared deeply for her community. As one of the founders of Mudlarks Garden Club, she inspired generations to take interest in gardening and in the environment. She passionately supported the arts, culture, and progressive causes in Columbus and beyond.

Jacque treated all the lives she touched, whether human, animal, or plant, with the same love and respect as she did with the family she built and nurtured with Bill.

Jacque is survived by her husband, William Chambers; her daughter, Sylvia “Sibby” Chambers; her nephews and nieces, Kip (Aleta) Kiel, Pat (Becky) Kiel, Jenny (Scott) Hollinger, Jeanna (Mike) Pernak, Joni (Brian) Archer, Julie Woods; her many great nieces and nephews; her furkids, Maizie, Tom, and Jerry; and her many friends. Jacque is predeceased by her parents; her son, Chris Chambers; her sister, Sylvia Kiel; her brother, Dave Smith; her nephew, Blair Kiel; and many furkids.

A gathering of family and friends will be held from 2:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m. Sunday, March 1st at Barkes, Weaver &Glick Funeral Home on Washington St.

In lieu of flowers memorial contributions may be given to the Heritage Fund.

Arrangements by Barkes, Weaver &Glick Funeral Home.

Online condolences and special memories may be shared with the Chambers family and a video tribute may be viewed at barkesweaverglick.com.

Lois Irene Aldred Brooks

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Staff Reports
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COLUMBUS

Mrs. Lois Irene “Tiny” (VanTyle) Aldred-Brooks, 87, of Columbus, born October 30, 1938 in Rising Sun, IN. Lois was a 1956 graduate of the Rising Sun High School. Lois was united in marriage on June 29, 1957 to James Edward Aldred. Lois was later united in marriage to James E. “Jim” Brooks on March 6, 1977 in Vevay. Lois was employed for the US Shoe Factory, from 1959-1961. Lois resided in the Mt. Sterling community before relocating to Grammer. She was a devoted homemaker who lovingly raised her children, treasured every moment spent with her family, and worked faithfully on the farm throughout her life, raising livestock and tending to fields of hay and grain with her husband. Lois was a member of the Bear Creek Baptist Church in Westport. She enjoyed sewing, bowling, horseback riding, and working puzzles, word search puzzles, as well as, watching NASCAR. Lois died on February 23, 2026, at Silver Oaks Health Campus. The family would like to express their sincere gratitude to the wonderful staff and nurses at Silver Oaks Health Campus for their excellent care, especially, Cody and Scott.

Survivors: daughters and son, Marla Sue (Loren, Sr.) Lamson of Vevay, Anita Jill (Dennis Catterton) Sanders of North Vernon, Dennis (Debbie) Brooks of Elizabethtown, and Leta Brooks of North Vernon; son-in-law, Bob Hayes of Mt. Sterling; grandchildren, Marlena Townsend (Donovan), Angel Parr (James Michael), Loren Lamson, Jr. (Tiffany), Dorothy Weaver (Scott), Benjamin Lamson (Chalae), James Lamson, Douglas Sanders, Dustin Sanders, Alicia Lack (Shawn), Ashley Sanders, Jason Brooks (Emy), Jennifer Sahagun, and Kayla Brooks; several great-grandchildren; 3-great-great-grandchildren; sister, Doris Ann Shadday of Madison; brother, Lawrence Leslie (Shirley) VanTyle of Cleves, OH; sisters-in-law, Joann Baxter of Aurora, Kay Neal of Fernandina Beach, FL, and Mary Ann Haskell of Columbus; brother-in-law, Mason Uhlmansiek of Rising Sun; and several nieces, nephews, and cousins.

Preceded in death by parents, Lawrence Earl and Mary Eliza (Sherman) VanTyle; husbands; daughter, Jama Lois (Aldred) Hayes; grandson, James Daniel Hayes; great-grandsons, Landon Michael and Lucas Scott Weaver; infant sister; brother, Elmer Nelson VanTyle; sisters, Lutha Mae Nieman, Mavis Carole Uhlmansiek and Florence Marie Peters.

Visitation: 11:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m., February 27, 2026, Haskell &Morrison Funeral Home, 208 Ferry St., Vevay, IN. 47043 with Funeral to follow at 1:00 p.m.

Interment: Vevay Cemetery.

Memorials: American Heart Association or Silver Oaks Health Campus Activities Fund. www.haskellandmorrison.com

Raymond G. Keller

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Staff Reports
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COLUMBUS

Raymond George Keller, 90, of Columbus, passed away on February 23, 2026.

Born on February 10, 1936, in Evansville, IN, Ray was the son of George and Pauline (Redicker) Keller. He graduated from Purdue University in 1957 with a degree in electrical engineering. While at Purdue, he met the love of his life, Gwen List. They were married in 1959 and began a devoted partnership that spanned more than six decades.

Following college, Ray moved to California, where he worked in the aerospace industry for nine years. In 1966, he and his family relocated to Columbus, Indiana, where he joined Cummins Inc. at the Technical Center. During his 15 years there, he furthered his education by earning his MBA from Indiana University.

In 1981, Ray became President of AVL North America, serving in that role until 1991. He later joined the start-up Cybermetrix as a part owner. After retiring in 2001, he continued to serve on the company’s board of directors until its sale, providing steady leadership and thoughtful counsel.

Ray was deeply committed to his community. He served with the Columbus Area Chamber of Commerce and the Columbus Human Rights Commission, contributing his time and leadership to initiatives that strengthened the city he loved.

A man of strong faith, Ray was active in Lutheran churches in both California and Indiana. He was a member of Faith Lutheran Church and later of First Lutheran Church. He and Gwen were devoted participants in the Walk to Emmaus movement.

Ray greatly enjoyed time spent with his family, especially on family trips. He cherished his role as “Pop Pop” to his grandchildren. He was an avid reader and could often be found working on crossword puzzles or carefully assembling jigsaw puzzles. He learned to fly through the Cummins Flight Club and maintained a lifelong interest in aviation. He was also a lover of music, finding joy and inspiration in it through listening and singing in church choirs.

Ray is survived by his beloved wife, Gwen Keller; his sons, Daniel (Kathi) Keller of Indianapolis and Brian (MaryBeth) Keller of Annandale, VA; and his daughter, Jeannie (Mark) Newell of Columbus. He is also survived by his grandchildren: Morgan, Corey, and Lily; Joshua (Olivia), Thomas (Brenna), and Grace; and Allie (Mac), Sydney (Nhiet), Sam, and Eli; and by his great-grandson, Jack. He is further survived by his sister, Clara Kloeden of Virginia.

He was preceded in death by his parents; his sisters, Grace, Alice, and Betty; and his brothers, George, Paul, and Alvin Keller.

Ray will be remembered for his integrity, leadership, faith, devotion to family, and his steady, thoughtful presence. His generous spirit and commitment to serving others leave a lasting legacy in the lives of those who knew and loved him.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to Our Hospice of South Central Indiana or First Lutheran Church.

The funeral service will be held at 12:00 p.m. Monday, March 2, 2026 at First Lutheran Church with the Rev. Amy Bartleson Balcam officiating.

Family and friends may gather for a time of visitation from 10:00 a.m. to time of service Monday at the church.

Mr. Keller will be laid to rest at the Garland Brook Cemetery.

Arrangements by Barkes, Weaver &Glick Funeral Home.

Condolences and special memories may be shared with the Keller family and a video tribute may be viewed at barkesweaverglick.com

Joyce A. Meier

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Staff Reports
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SCIPIO

Joyce Ann Wade Meier. 81 went to her heavenly home the morning of February 21st. 2026 She was born July 12, 1944, to Robert and Eva Loy Wade in Ogilville, Indiana. During her lifetime, she played many roles, among them Daughter, Sister, Wife, Mother &Grandma.

She was the oldest of five siblings. Instead of having dolls, she had her youngest twin sister &brother to love &care for.

She was an excellent student. After contracting encephalitis when she was 10, she was upset that her report card was not as good as she was used to – even though she missed school.

She graduated toward the top of her class in high school. Instead of going on to college. she decided to marry Charles Albert Meier. They married on June 10th, 1962 in Mooresville, Indiana. This began her role as a wife, specifically a farm wife. This would mean periodically helping to move machinery from field to field, cooking for farmhands, and becoming a bookkeeper.

The role of mother would soon follow as the first of three children were born over the next 11 years: Jo Linda Meier, Shane Charles Meier, Matthew Henry Meier. This added teacher, chauffeur and sometimes referee to her existing repertoire.

If that wasn’t enough, Joyce a decided to pursue a nursing career. She graduated from nursing school in 1966 as a licensed practical nurse. She would go onto to work on the OB floor of Bartholomew County Hospital (as it was then called) for many years.

Music played a huge part in Joyce’s life while she could play the piano by ear, her mother insisted she take piano lessons, too. She played piano for St. Peter’s Pre-School Sunday School for many years, as well as being Sunday School Superintendent part of that time. She also played piano for the ecumenical VBS program in Rock Creek Township. And lastly, she was the last permanent pianist for Grammer Presbyterian Church until the church dissolved several years ago.

Another church position that she filled for many years was the head of Christian Service Guild at St. Peter’s which provided &served bereavement meals.

In school she was interested in journalism which she put to use by writing a column for The Republic while she was in high school. Later on she would go on to be the editor of a local Farmers Marking Association newsletter. She would put her talents to use on behalf of the Extension Homemakers.

She was a long-time member of Club 24 Extension Homemakers, servicing as many local &county officers.

Joyce’s interests were seldom stymied. She loved trying new things likes crafts &cooking classes. She became a sales consultant with Longaberger Baskets and really enjoyed the new friendships it provided.

As the children aged, grandchildren followed. She was so proud of all their achievements: musical, dancing, figure skating, football, baseball, basketball, swimming, diving, gymnastics, cheerleading, soccer, track, cross country, wrestling and scholastic. Unfortunately, her failing health as years went by meant she could only enjoy the regaling of the activities over the phone

Joyce is survived by her devoted husband of 62+ years, Charles her children Jo Linda, Shane &wife Trish, Henry &wife Melissa; son-in-law James Lutz; her grandchildren Meredith Lutz &husband Aaron Johnson, Nolan Meier &fiance Tommi Stowers, Mickey Meier, Gabbie Meier, Brady Meier &Izzy Meier; her siblings Donna Jackson, Connie Wade &husband Rick Bunn, John Wade &wife Bobbi; brother-in-law Don Meier &wife Diane, as well as nieces, nephews, cousins &their respective families.

She was preceded in death by her parents and a brother Larry Wade.

In the various condolences that have been received in the past few days, many of the words that have been repeated have been: kind, giving and thoughtful. While we will all miss these qualities, her family is so happy to know that she is at peace and is now embraced in Jesus’ loving arms.

Funeral services will be held at 9:30 a.m. Friday, February 27, 2026 at Jewell-Rittman Funeral Service and Crematory with Pastor Adam Rodriguez officiating. Calling hours will be from 4 p.m. – 8 p.m. Thursday, February 26, 2026 at the funeral home and 9 a.m. until service time on Friday. Burial will be held at Flat Rock Baptist Cemetery.

Memorials can be made to The American Macular Degeneration Foundation, St Peter’s Lutheran Church Music Department or the Donor’s Choice of Charity.

Trump honors National Guard members shot in Washington

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The Associated Press
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WASHINGTON (AP) — Air Force Staff Sgt. Andrew Wolfe, who survived a gunshot wound to the head while patrolling with the National Guard in Washington last year, was presented the Purple Heart medal during Trump’s State of the Union address on Tuesday.

Trump honored Wolfe and his colleague, U.S. Army Spc. Sarah Beckstrom during his speech, before pausing so Gen. James Seward, head of the West Virginia National Guard, could pin the medal on Wolfe’s civilian suit.

“With God’s help, Andrew has battled back from the edge of death—and we’re talking about the edge—on his way to a miraculous recovery,” Trump said.

“Nice to see you,” he added, looking up at Wolfe in the gallery.

Trump recalled his mother’s determination that he would recover, even as others doubted it would be possible to survive his severe injuries. She buried her head in her son’s chest as the president spoke.

Wolfe and Beckstrom, members of the West Virginia National Guard, were shot in an ambush on Nov. 26 while deployed to Washington as part of Trump’s executive order to battle what he said was rampant crime. Beckstrom died on Thanksgiving Day.

Trump also spoke directly to Beckstrom’s parents in the gallery.

“Your daughter was a true American patriot and she will be greatly missed,” Trump told Evalea and Gary Beckstrom.

The tributes prompted several minutes of bipartisan applause.

Rahmanullah Lakanwal, who was wounded in the attack, has been charged in connection with the shooting. He has pleaded not guilty and remains in custody. Authorities say he drove across the country from his home in Washington state to execute the attack.

Lakanwal, 29, entered the United States in 2021 through Operation Allies Welcome, officials said. The Biden administration program evacuated and resettled tens of thousands of Afghans after the U.S. withdrawal from the country.

Trump, who halted asylum decisions in response to the shooting, said during his speech that the gunman “shouldn’t have been in our country.”

Asian stocks gain after optimism about AI sends Wall Street higher

By
The Associated Press
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TOKYO (AP) — Asian shares mostly rose in Wednesday morning trading, with Japan’s benchmark hitting a record high, as investors were cheered by an overnight Wall Street rally that seemed to reflect optimism about the artificial-intelligence boom.

Japan’s benchmark surged 1.3% to 58,081.62. That came despite China’s move the previous day to restrict exports to 40 Japanese companies and organizations it says are contributing to Japan’s “remilitarization.”

The reaction was varied with the prices of some listed companies rising, like Subaru Corp. and Mitsubishi Materials Corp., while others slipped, including Eneos Corp. and Sumitomo Heavy Industries.

Analysts said the declining yen worked to boost export shares, such as Honda Motor Co. and Panasonic Corp. The U.S. dollar slipped to 155.78 Japanese yen from 155.83 yen. The dollar traded close to 160 yen levels several months ago. The euro cost $1.1784, up from $1.1779.

Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 jumped 1.1% to 9,122.50. South Korea’s Kospi surged 1.7% to 6,069.36. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng rose 0.3% to 26,668.83, while the Shanghai Composite added 0.7% to 4,147.68.

Investors are also closely watching President Donald Trump’s State of the Union address that’s being delivered dayside for Asia. Trump hopes to convince increasingly wary Americans that the U.S. economy remains strong and his policies support the domestic job market and manufacturing.

On Wall Street, the S&P 500 climbed 0.8% Tuesday and recovered nearly three-quarters of its sharp drop from the day before. The Dow Jones Industrial Average added 370 points, or 0.8%, and the Nasdaq composite gained 1%.

Advanced Micro Devices helped lead the market and rallied 8.8% after announcing a multiyear deal where it will supply chips to Meta Platforms to help power its AI ambitions. Under the agreement, Meta also got the right to buy up to 160 million shares of AMD stock for 1 cent each, depending in part on how many chips Meta ultimately buys.

It’s a reminder of the excitement that built in recent years about the billions of dollars pouring into AI, producing a sharp turnaround from the prior day, when worries about the potential downsides of AI shook Wall Street. IBM rose 2.7% to recover some of its 13.1% drop from Monday, which was its worst since 2000.

On Tuesday, Anthropic unveiled new tools for businesses to use with its Claude AI assistant. They covered everything from human-resources work to engineering to investment banking.

The event suggested that fears about AI supplanting existing software, rather than merely making it easier to use, may be overblown, according to Dan Ives, an analyst at Wedbush.

“While these use cases are impressive, the reality is that these new AI tools will not rip and replace existing software ecosystems and data environments with these AI tools only as useful as the data it can reach,” he said.

Big U.S. companies continued to report mostly better profits for the end of 2025 than analysts expected. Keysight Technologies rallied 23.1% for the biggest gain in the S&P 500, while Home Depot rose 2% after likewise delivering stronger profit and revenue than analysts expected.

All told, the S&P 500 rose 52.32 points to 6,890.07. The Dow Jones Industrial Average added 370.44 to 49,174.50, and the Nasdaq composite climbed 236.41 to 22,863.68.

In the bond market, Treasury yields held relatively steady after a report said that confidence among U.S. consumers improved by more than economists expected. The yield on the 10-year Treasury held at 4.03%, where it was late Monday.

In energy trading, benchmark U.S. crude added 45 cents to $66.08 a barrel. Brent crude, the international standard, rose 47 cents to $71.24 a barrel.

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AP Business Writer Stan Choe contributed.

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Yuri Kageyama is on Threads: https://www.threads.com/@yurikageyama

Trial begins for group accused of antifa links in shooting at Texas immigration detention center

By
The Associated Press
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DALLAS (AP) — Federal prosecutors told jurors Tuesday that a shooting outside a Texas immigration detention center last year was carried out by members of antifa, opening a closely watched trial that lawyers for the accused say seeks to wrongly punish a group of political demonstrators.

Nine people have pleaded not guilty over their alleged involvement in what prosecutors called an attack on the Prairieland Detention Center near Dallas last July, when a police officer was shot in the neck and wounded.

Eight of the nine face a charge of providing material support to terrorists, which follows President Donald Trump’s order to designate the decentralized movement known as antifa as a domestic terrorist organization. Most of the defendants also face multiple charges, including attempted murder of a law officer.

Lawyers for the defendants say the accused were not members of antifa and were instead taking part in a “noise demonstration” that included fireworks on July 4, 2025, to show support for immigrants inside the center.

“Make no mistake, there’s nothing peaceful about what happened on July Fourth,” prosecutor Shawn Smith told jurors.

The trial is expected to last upward of three weeks. Several defendants face up to live in prison if convicted.

According to the indictment, a group of people clad in black and wearing masks, some carrying firearms and wearing body armor, shot fireworks toward the center and vandalized vehicles and a guard shed. Then, as local officers responded, one person yelled, “get to the rifles” and opened fire, striking the officer, the indictment said.

Smith said that while it was defendant Benjamin Song who opened fire, several other defendants are also charged with attempted murder of a law officer and discharging a firearm because it was foreseeable from the group’s planning that that could happen. Song’s attorney did not give an opening statement Tuesday.

The officer who was shot, Alvarado police Lt. Thomas Gross, was the first witness to testify Tuesday. He said he was responding at about 11 p.m. to a call from the detention center when he saw that there was graffiti on a guard shed and a stop sign and noticed a guard chasing a person clad in black with their face covered.

Gross said he got out of his vehicle and saw another person, also clad in black with their face covered and carrying a rifle.

“At this point the scene is becoming extremely chaotic,” he said.

He told jurors he was shot with a round that went into his shoulder and out of his neck.

Defense attorneys told jurors that their clients could only be judged for their own individual actions. “It’s a trial within a trial,” said attorney Chris Tolbert, who is representing Savanna Batten.

He said his client didn’t bring a firearm, spray paint or fireworks to the center. He said that while the government claims that her book club — named for the anarchist Emma Goldman — is a recruiting ground for antifa, it’s just a book club.

“She’s not a member of antifa, she’s not providing material support to terrorists,” Tolbert said.

Short for “anti-fascists,” antifa is not a single organization but rather an umbrella term for far-left-leaning militant groups that confront or resist neo-Nazis and white supremacists at demonstrations. FBI Director Kash Patel has said the charges in Texas are the first time a material support to terrorism charge has targeted people he said were antifa members.

James Luster, the attorney for defendant Autumn Hill, said Hill has a deep conviction for people she feels are marginalized, including immigrants. Luster said that after watching fireworks being shot into the sky, Hill left before the police arrived.

“It was never supposed to come to this,” Luster said.

Several people have already pleaded guilty to providing material support to terrorists after being accused of supporting antifa related to the July 4 shooting. They face up to 15 years in prison at sentencing.

Legal advocates seek to halt CBP policy pressuring unaccompanied children to self-deport

By
The Associated Press
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McALLEN, Texas (AP) — Legal advocates filed a motion Tuesday seeking to stop U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents from urging immigrant children entering the country without their parents to voluntarily deport themselves under a federal policy introduced last year.

Border agents who arrest unaccompanied immigrant children who enter the country illegally are required by the Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act of 2008 to send them to a federal shelter under a different agency, the Office of Refugee Resettlement. At the shelters, children have access to attorneys and an immigration judge, and they can talk to their parents over the phone before they agree to self-deport or seek other options.

The new policy introduces the self-deportation option before children enter the shelter, a practice that started in September 2025, according to testimony from CBP officials filed in the lawsuit.

If children decline to voluntarily return, the policy threatens to detain them for long periods of time, arrest and prosecute their adult sponsors living in the U.S., and bar them from applying for a visa in the future, legal advocates said in Tuesday’s motion.

The attorneys, representing Guatemalan children following the government’s unsuccessful attempt to deport dozens of them in a haphazard overnight flight in August, say the policy violates a current injunction in place. The injunction prohibits the government from deporting any Guatemalan unaccompanied minors unless they have gone through some immigration court proceeding.

The attorneys are also asking the judge to expand the injunction to cover children from other countries, excluding Mexico and Canada.

CBP did not immediately respond to an email seeking comment.

Some children told attorneys that agents threatened, yelled and coerced them into signing documents they did not fully understand, sometimes due to language barriers.

One girl said an agent forcefully convinced her to sign the papers after she had hurt her leg in a car crash and denied medical treatment.

“I thought I had to sign, but I didn’t know why or what for,” she said in a written declaration filed with the court.

Mishan Wroe, an attorney with the National Center for Youth law, said these minors are not afforded the opportunities granted to them under federal law.

“It’s plainly coercive to threaten children with prolonged detention while they are scared and not given the opportunity to speak to counsel or their family before they make a decision that has grave implications for their future,” Wroe said Tuesday.

Michael Julien, a CBP official, wrote in his declaration filed with the court Tuesday that agents only present the self-deport option to some unaccompanied children crossing illegally, and that it is an option presented orally, not in writing.

Attorneys found 13 cases in South Texas where children were subjected to the new policy, but they believe there are more.

“We believe that this is happening to many, many more children and that the 13 that are mentioned in our motion are just those that kind of slipped through the cracks,” Kate Talmor, senior counsel at the Institute for Constitutional Advocacy and Protection.

She said attorneys were only able to find out and intervene on behalf of the 13 children because even though they signed documents to return to their country under CBP custody, a flight was not found in time and they were sent to a shelter.

The federal government will have two weeks to file their opposition and then the judge can determine to intervene and stop the policy from being enforced on Guatemalan children and whether to expand the protection to children from other countries.

Discord pushes back global age verification rollout amid criticism, promises transparency

By
The Associated Press
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Discord, the popular platform for gamers to communicate online, is postponing its controversial age verification policy after receiving swift backlash from users with concerns about their privacy.

The global rollout of the system is now delayed to the second half of 2026, Discord’s Chief Technology Officer and co-founder Stanislav Vishnevskiy wrote in a Tuesday blog post acknowledging that the company “missed the mark.”

“Many of you are worried that this is just another big tech company finding new ways to collect your personal data. That we’re creating a problem to justify invasive solutions,” Vishnevskiy wrote. “I get that skepticism. It’s earned, not just toward us, but toward the entire tech industry. But that’s not what we’re doing.”

Discord, which says it has more than 200 million active users, will continue to meet specific legal obligations it has for age verification of users, the company said, but the global expansion of age verification will only come after it makes changes to the initial policy it laid out in early February.

The company announced earlier this month that it would roll out an age verification policy in March that would include face scanning or requests for an ID upload for users it could not determine were adults. This drew swift ire from users. Many pointed to a recent security breach of a third-party provider Discord worked with that exposed government ID photos of up to 70,000 Discord users.

Vishnevskiy referenced the security breach in the blog post, writing that he understood that incident added to users’ skepticism, but he emphasized the company no longer works with that vendor and has rigorous standards for its partners.

“Every vendor we work with goes through a security and privacy review before integration,” he wrote. “That includes contractual limits on data use, and strict retention and deletion requirements. Information submitted for age verification is stored only for the minimum time necessary, which in most cases means it’s deleted immediately. If a vendor doesn’t pass, we don’t work with them.”

One of the vendors that didn’t meet the mark was Persona, an identity verification service. Vishnevskiy said Discord ran a limited test with Persona in the United Kingdom only in January. The company was not able to meet Discord’s standard for facial age estimation, Vishnevskiy wrote, which stipulates that the estimation “must be performed entirely on-device, meaning your biometric data never leaves your phone.”

The company distanced itself from Persona after that relationship also became the subject of online criticism. Persona is backed by the venture capital firm Founders Fund, which is run by by Palantir Technologies co-founder Peter Thiel. Thiel and Palantir are often criticized for of the company’s partnerships with the government for surveillance purposes, with Palantir recently inking an agreement with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement to streamline the process of identifying and deporting people the agency is targeting.

The backlash to the original policy and even the revised version came even though Vishnevskiy wrote that for “90%+ of users, nothing changes.”

Discord is able to proactively determine the ages of the vast majority of users by looking at account-level signals. Those include how long the account has existed, whether there is a payment method on file, the types of servers a user is in and general patterns of account activity, Vishnevskiy wrote. He emphasized the company does not read messages, analyze conversations or look at account content to estimate users ages.

For the minority of users whose ages Discord cannot determine, the company is now working to offer more options beyond face scanning and requesting an ID, including credit card verification. The company is going to “complete and expand” alternative options before rolling out the new system.

Users who choose not to verify their age will get to keep their account, servers, friends list, direct messages and voice chat, but will not be able to access age-restricted content or change certain default safety settings designed to protect teens, Vishnevskiy wrote.

Discord promised users it will publish a detailed post explaining how its automatic age determination systems work and will document every verification vendor and their practices on its website.

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