Brazil orders Discord to suspend livestreaming over child safety concerns

BRASILIA (Web Desk) - Brazil’s data protection authority ANPD has ordered chat platform Discord to suspend its livestreaming feature over concerns that the platform failed to adequately protect children and teenagers from content promoting violence, self-harm and suicide.

The ANPD said Discord must demonstrate compliance with adequate measures to protect minors within three business days. The platform could face fines of up to 50 million reais ($9.67 million) for each violation.

Discord can appeal the decision within 10 business days, with a further appeal possible before the ANPD board.

The regulator said the order, issued on Wednesday, specifically suspends Discord’s “Go Live” livestreaming feature until the company implements sufficient safeguards for minors.

According to the ANPD, Discord does not have real-time access to livestreamed content, limiting its ability to automatically detect violations. The agency said the platform instead relies on systems it considers inadequate and reports submitted by users.

The authority also said Discord made changes to its “Go Live” feature in early March, after Brazil’s child digital protection law came into effect, that resulted in weaker protections for minors.

The ANPD launched its investigation last Friday following an incident involving a 13-year-old girl who investigators said was persuaded by people in an online group to take her own life.

Discord described the regulator’s decision as “premature” and said it continued to work to identify individuals responsible for the incident under investigation.