Discord sued by Brazil for $97m over child safety

Brazil's government has sued Discord, seeking to force the messaging platform to strengthen child safety measures and pay R$500 million, or $97 million, in compensation for collective moral damages.

The government said Wednesday that the lawsuit was filed Tuesday in Brasilia after negotiations with Discord failed. It said the company's proposals were not enough to remove identified risks and that the case seeks protection for children, adolescents and women online.

Brazil's National Data Protection Agency, known as ANPD, ordered Discord earlier this month to suspend livestreams after a 13-year-old girl died during a livestream in July. Authorities say other users encouraged her to kill herself.

Discord, which has more than 90 million active daily users, agreed to suspend livestreaming in Brazil on August 17 and said it was working to make the platform safer for teenagers.

The government said Discord still had flaws in age verification and user protection mechanisms, exposing users to serious risks. It is demanding stricter parental controls, closer cooperation with authorities and systems able to detect and prevent situations that put minors at risk.

Five teenagers and an adult have been arrested in connection with the girl's death in a small town in central-western Brazil. An official with the Justice Ministry's Ciberlab intelligence unit said teenagers allegedly encouraged the girl to kill an animal and, when she failed, encouraged her to kill herself. One of the teenagers arrested was 14.

Discord expressed regret over the legal action and said it had consistently and in good faith maintained dialogue with the authorities. The company said it believed there was a better way and remained committed to working with authorities on a solution that strengthens safety while allowing Brazilians to keep using Discord.

Brazil has been tightening rules for social media platforms, including requiring users under 16 to link their accounts to those of their parents. On Tuesday, ANPD fined TikTok nearly $30 million for failing to implement child safety measures.

ANPD director Lorena Giuberti Coutinho said the agency had also opened proceedings to check whether 22 social media networks and platforms comply with a child online protection law passed this year.