Discord Bots: Data Access Will Soon Be Public
Discord is working on a new information tab for Discord bot profiles. You will soon be able to see the data your Discord bots are able to access.
Discord is working on turning the Applications game of Discord completely upside down. Discord Bots will soon have to transition to /slash commands to keep functioning.
We've already explained the reason for that in another article, but it's mainly Discord is does not like the fact that Discord bots have to 'read' and scan through the messages to work, as seen in prefix commands. Which is almost never a huge security issue, there hasn't been any cases of the such. But of course, at the end of the day it's the smart choice to make a better system for Discord bots to operate.
Anyways, a new feature is being tested by the Discord development team where a Bot's data access information will be publicly visible. What does this mean and how does it affect you as a user or a bot developer? Let's take a closer look.
Data Access: New Bot Profile Tab
According to this tweet by Discord Previews, a new Data Access tab for Discord Bot profiles seems to be under development. This new tab will feature all the types of data the bot has access to.
In the screenshot is featured the Fish bot which is a Discord Bot that detects and auto moderates phishing links sent by hacked accounts in a Discord server.
The first Data Access point mentioned there is "Read Messages" which makes perfect sense for a bot with a premise where it would be required. In our case, Fish does need to read the messages in order for it to scan for phishing or malware links. Only then it can take its actions forward.
It's a Discord bot and not a built in Discord function that is why it cannot just detect something like this before it is sent. Unlike the built-in AutoMod feature.
A Step Towards Safety
Many scammers and hackers have gotten access to Discord bots unethically, and further initiate scams with malicious intents. Discord bots getting hacked is a very common case on Discord. Especially with custom-bots.
And many Discord bots often request more permissions than they actually require to 'be safe with the bot setup'. Just so the server using it does not face any issues while using the bot. I think doing that is lazy of the developers. Safety should be the topmost priority of not only any Discord bot but also every digital product.
As of right now there is no way to grasp what type of Data a Discord bot has access to in your server. But with this, you will finally be able to see under the hood.
An Upgrade To Discord Bot Profiles?
Can we expect a Discord Bot profiles update? Discord bot profiles are a lot like user profiles and it shouldn't be. It says "User Profile" under a bot's profile. I think some minor differences could really enhance the experience.
Not very long ago, it was possible to send bots friend requests. It was removed recently for obvious reasons.
Anyways, that's all for today, hope you enjoyed today's article! Make sure to join our official Discord server to discuss further on this topic or suggest new articles!
