Brazil’s data protection regulator has demanded new safeguards for children before the platform can restore its “Go Live” feature, with multimillion-dollar fines possible for non-compliance.
Discord has been ordered to suspend its livestreaming service in Brazil after the death of a 13-year-old girl who was allegedly encouraged by other users to take her own life while using the platform.
Brazil’s National Data Protection Authority, known as the ANPD, opened an investigation on 7 August following reports surrounding the girl’s death and has now ordered the messaging platform to disable its “Go Live” function in the country.
Discord has three business days to comply and could face fines of up to 50m reais – about $9.7 million – for each violation of the order.
Discord told the BBC it was “thoughtfully reviewing” the ANPD’s order and said it remained “committed to user safety”.
A Discord spokesperson said: “Groups or individuals who promote or encourage violence have no place on Discord.
“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.”
The company added its investigation into the case had found evidence the alleged criminal activity “was coordinated on other platforms before the Discord server was created” and continued “after the individuals involved were banned from Discord”.
The ANPD’s investigation followed reports a girl had harmed herself and that another girl, aged 13, died after allegedly being induced to take her own life by other people participating in an online group on Discord.
The regulator said the circumstances raised the possibility of a serious violation of Brazil’s Digital Statute of Children and Adolescents.
Five teenagers have reportedly been arrested in connection with the 13-year-old girl’s death.
Discord, which is available through desktop computers and mobile devices, allows users to establish private and public communities known as servers.
Its “Go Live” function enables users to broadcast their screen or video to other people in real time.
The service grew particularly rapidly among gamers but has expanded beyond gaming communities and says it has more than 200 million monthly active users.
The ANPD reportedly found Discord does not have real-time access to the content of livestreams on its platform, limiting its ability to use automated systems to identify potential violations while broadcasts are taking place.
The Brazilian regulator said the suspension should remain in force until Discord can demonstrate it has introduced “adequate protective measures for minors”.
Those measures could include systems for verifying the ages of users.
Discord has 10 business days in which to appeal against the decision.
It’s been reported the company could make a further appeal to the ANPD’s board if an initial challenge is unsuccessful.
The intervention comes amid heightened scrutiny in Brazil over the protection of children and teenagers online.
Earlier this month, the country enacted new legislation aimed at combating sexual violence against children and adolescents, including offences committed in digital environments and involving artificial intelligence.
Brazil has also previously taken action against some of the world’s largest social media platforms when they have failed to comply with domestic legal requirements.
X was blocked across Brazil in August 2024 after the company failed to comply with a deadline imposed by a Supreme Court judge to appoint a legal representative in the country and did not pay outstanding fines.
The platform remained unavailable for more than a month before Brazil’s Supreme Court authorised its return in October 2024.
X had complied with the court’s requirements, including paying fines totalling 28 million reais and agreeing to appoint a local representative.
The latest action against Discord is focused specifically on the platform’s livestreaming function rather than imposing a blanket ban on the service.
The ANPD’s official technical assessment said the investigation concerned possible failures in the protection of children and adolescents using Discord and examined the company’s obligations under Brazil’s recently established digital protections for young people.
Discord ordered to halt livestreaming after death of 13-year-old girl in Brazil
