Discord ordered to suspend livestreams in Brazil
Discord told the BBC it was "thoughtfully reviewing" the order by Brazil's data protection agency and it was "committed to user safety"
Brazil's data protection authority, the ANPD, has mandated Discord to halt its livestreaming functionality following allegations that a teenage girl was incited to commit suicide during a broadcast on the platform.
Discord, a messaging service, enables users to form and join interest-based groups, facilitating real-time voice or video calls via its "Go Live" feature.
The ANPD initiated its inquiry on August 7, subsequent to the death of a 13-year-old girl who was reportedly pressured to end her life by other members within her Discord server, or group.
In response, Discord informed the BBC that it is "thoughtfully reviewing" the ANPD's directive and is "committed to user safety." A spokesperson stated, "Groups or individuals who promote or encourage violence have no place on Discord." They added, "We swiftly investigated and shut down the private, invite-only server involved shortly after its creation and continue to cooperate with law enforcement in its investigation."
According to Reuters, the ANPD indicated that Discord lacks real-time access to livestream content, which hinders automated detection of violations.
The platform, accessible via desktop or mobile app, boasts over 200 million monthly active users and is particularly popular among gamers.
Discord's spokesperson revealed that their investigation uncovered evidence that the criminal activity "was coordinated on other platforms before the Discord server was created" and persisted "after the individuals involved were banned from Discord."
Reportedly, five teenagers have been arrested in connection with the teenage girl's death.
Discord has a three-day window to comply with the suspension and can appeal the decision within 10 business days. The platform faces potential fines of up to 50 million reais ($9.67 million) per violation.
The ANPD stated that the suspension will remain in effect until Discord demonstrates the implementation of "adequate protective measures for minors," which may include age verification checks.
In August 2024, the social media platform X was banned in Brazil for failing to pay existing fines and to meet a Supreme Court judge's deadline to name a new legal representative in the country. It was unbanned by the Supreme Court in October 2024 after complying with court orders by paying fines totaling 28 million reais ($5.1 million; £3.8 million) and agreeing to appoint a local representative, as required by Brazilian law.