Brazil orders Discord to suspend livestreaming feature citing child safety failures

Brazil's National Data Protection Authority (ANPD) on 12 August ordered the messaging platform Discord to suspend its livestreaming feature within three business days, citing evidence that the company failed to adopt adequate safeguards to protect children and teenagers from content promoting violence, self-harm and suicide. The action followed the death of a 13-year-old girl who investigators say was encouraged during a livestream to harm herself and take her own life.

Police say the girl was encouraged over the course of an approximately 45-minute livestream in July to carry out escalating violent acts, including harming an animal, before being challenged to broadcast her own suicide on the platform, according to Deutsche Welle. Authorities described the group involved as having deliberately targeted emotionally vulnerable children and teenagers.

Five teenagers were detained or arrested in connection with the case, according to both sources. Deutsche Welle additionally reported that one adult was also detained, and that a second girl allegedly preparing to take her own life during a livestream was rescued during the investigation.

The ANPD stated that Discord's 'Go Live' feature would remain suspended until the company could demonstrate that effective technical, security and governance safeguards for minors were in place. The regulator said Discord lacked real-time access to livestream content, which limited its ability to automatically detect violations and left it dependent on user reports and other systems the regulator considers inadequate.

Discord could face fines of up to 50 million reais — equivalent to approximately $9.7 million or €8.4 million, according to Deutsche Welle — per violation if irregularities are confirmed, and has 10 business days to appeal the decision.

Brazil's Justice Ministry and police have criticised Discord's moderation and age-control systems. Deutsche Welle reported that one official noted a person involved in the case had been able to register an age of 148 using the platform's self-declaration system.

Brazilian first lady Rosangela 'Janja' da Silva called for Discord to be completely blocked in the country following the teenager's death. The Straits Times reported she also urged the judiciary to remove the platform from the internet. Discord representatives met Brazilian authorities on the Friday before the order was issued and submitted a plan aimed at strengthening protections for users under 18, according to Deutsche Welle.

In a statement sent to AFP on 11 August, prior to the ANPD decision, Discord said it was 'cooperating with authorities in the investigation into this serious case,' according to The Straits Times.

The Straits Times noted that in 2024, the platform X was blocked for 40 days in Brazil until it complied with Supreme Court orders to remove accounts spreading disinformation. Discord claims more than 90 million active daily users worldwide, according to The Straits Times.

Where sources differ

• On detentions: Deutsche Welle reports that five teenagers and one adult were detained, while The Straits Times reports only that five teenagers were arrested, making no mention of an adult.

• The identity and full circumstances of the 13-year-old girl have not been established in the sources.
• The specific content of Discord's submitted plan for strengthening protections for minors is not detailed in either source.
• It is not established whether Discord has formally responded to the ANPD suspension order itself, as distinct from earlier cooperation statements.
• The current legal status of those detained — whether charges have been filed or proceedings initiated — is not addressed by either source.
• The outcome of Discord's appeal period, if exercised, is not known at the time of these reports.

1. Deutsche Welle — original — by Richard Connor
2. The Straits Times — by The Straits Times

Read the original at Deutsche Welle

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