discord Bringing DAVE to All Discord Platforms (opens in new tab)
Discord is expanding its DAVE protocol to provide end-to-end encryption (E2EE) across all supported platforms, including web browsers, game consoles, and the Social SDK. This transition marks the move from an experimental rollout to a mandatory security standard for all voice and video communications on the platform. By March 1, 2026, Discord will officially deprecate non-E2EE calls, requiring all clients to support the protocol to maintain connectivity. ### Transitioning to a Global E2EE Standard * Discord currently facilitates tens of millions of E2EE calls daily via the DAVE protocol since its initial launch. * The update brings support to previously excluded environments, ensuring a unified privacy model across desktop, mobile, console, and web interfaces. * Support for the Social SDK ensures that third-party developers can integrate the same security standards into their own Discord-based applications. ### Technical Hurdles in Web Integration * Bringing DAVE to the browser required leveraging WebAssembly (Wasm) to handle the performance-intensive cryptographic operations necessary for real-time encryption. * Engineers utilized a Web Worker-based architecture to offload encryption and decryption tasks from the main execution thread, preventing UI latency and ensuring smooth audio/video playback. * The implementation involved navigating the specific security trade-offs and sandboxing limitations inherent to modern web browser environments. ### Deprecation Timeline and Compatibility * Starting March 1, 2026, any client or application that does not support the DAVE protocol will be blocked from participating in Discord calls. * Users and developers are encouraged to update their software and SDK integrations well ahead of the deadline to avoid service interruptions. * This move signifies the final step in Discord's strategy to make E2EE the default state for all voice and video channel interactions.