DAVE is Discord’s audio and video encryption protocol for protected calls across its client ecosystem. It helps encrypt media on the user’s device before it is sent and decrypt it again on receipt, so relays and service infrastructure can forward packets without reading the call content. In practice, this is how Discord can keep real-time voice and video working while shifting confidentiality back to the endpoints.
For cyber security, DAVE matters because it reduces what an attacker can learn by intercepting network traffic or compromising a relay path. It also fits the needs of group calls, where key management must stay synchronized as participants join or leave. Defenders still have to protect the endpoint: a compromised device can capture audio or video before encryption or after decryption. DAVE therefore improves transport privacy, but it does not replace device security, client updates, or session validation.