Brazil Sues Discord for $97M Over Child Safety
Brazil Sues Discord for $97M Over Child Safety
The News
Brazil's government sued Discord in federal court Wednesday, seeking 500 million reais — about $97.1 million — over what it says is the chat platform's failure to protect children online.
The Solicitor-General's office, which represents President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva's government, said the damages are for collective psychological harm the company allowed. Its 25-page filing, obtained by The Associated Press, alleges severe gaps in Discord's age-verification systems and user safety protections.
The suit follows the July suicide of a 13-year-old girl during a Discord livestream, and what the government describes as failed negotiations with the company.
Timeline
A 13-year-old girl in the western state of Mato Grosso do Sul kills herself while on a livestream after other teenagers goad her to do so. According to Brazil's justice ministry, the group first pressured her to kill an animal; when she did not, they pushed her to take her own life. Five people have been arrested in connection with the death.
Brazil's first lady, Rosangela Lula da Silva, known as Janja, says the platform should be taken offline over the case.
Brazil's National Data Protection Agency orders Discord to suspend its livestream service. The company says it will halt streaming and take steps "to make Discord safer for teens."
The same agency fines TikTok $30 million over child data privacy violations.
The Solicitor-General's office files the damages suit in federal court.
Reactions
The government said in a statement that the case "seeks to compel the Discord platform to adopt effective measures to protect children, adolescents, and women in the digital environment," and asks for compensation for "collective moral damages." It says the company has committed "direct violations to a number of obligations and protective norms of Brazilian law, regarding the special protections and safety of vulnerable groups, including children and teenagers," and that Discord "continues to exhibit flaws in its age verification and user protection mechanisms."
Discord's Brazil arm called the action "disproportionate," saying it "does not accurately reflect Discord's approach to safety and compliance with Brazilian law."
What's Next
Beyond money, the Solicitor-General's office is asking the court to order Discord to immediately strengthen parental controls, expand cooperation with local law enforcement, and deploy automated tools to detect and remove dangerous content.
Lula, who is seeking reelection in October, and Brazil's Supreme Court have both pushed to regulate minors' use of the internet, with mixed results so far.
More
The filing notes that Discord faces similar legal pressure elsewhere, including active lawsuits brought by U.S. states — Texas, Nevada and New Jersey among them. Australia, Canada and Indonesia are pursuing their own restrictions on minors' social media use.
Discord has more than 90 million active daily users worldwide, according to the company's website.
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