Brazil's ANPD (National Data Protection Authority) ordered Discord on Wednesday (12) to suspend livestreaming on its platform following the death of a 13-year-old girl who was allegedly encouraged by other teenagers to self-harm and commit suicide in scenes broadcast on the app. The company will have three business days to comply with the decision, and livestreams must remain suspended until it demonstrates that it has taken effective measures to protect children and teenagers.Discord called the measure "premature," saying it received the case file on Friday and was still within the deadline to respond. The company said it was "disappointed" and disputed the characterization made by the ANPD, saying it "does not reflect the platform we have built or the investments we have made in user safety." The company says it identified and disabled, before the girl's death, a private server where members allegedly encouraged her to self-harm, and says it found evidence that the criminal activity had been coordinated on other platforms.
The case, which occurred on July 22 in Mato Grosso do Sul, prompted first lady Janja Lula da Silva to call for the platform to be shut down. The ANPD is also investigating possible failures in age verification and in reporting cases to authorities, and could impose fines of up to 50 million reais per violation.
