Brazil Regulator Suspends Discord Livestreams After Teen Suicide
Brazil's data protection authority has ordered Discord to suspend its livestreaming features nationwide. The move follows the suicide of a teenager during a livestream where she was allegedly encouraged to harm herself.
Brazil's National Data Protection Authority (ANPD) has ordered Discord to suspend its "Go Live" screen-sharing and video streaming features nationwide. The measure was issued after a 13-year-old girl died by suicide during a livestream where investigators allege she was encouraged by online group members to harm herself.
The ANPD has given Discord three business days to demonstrate compliance, with potential fines of up to 50 million reais (approximately $9.67 million) per violation for failure to comply. The suspension applies to livestreaming functions for users under 18, while other Discord features will remain accessible.
The investigation was launched last Friday following the incident. The ANPD stated it found "robust evidence" that Discord did not take reasonable steps to prevent minors from encountering content promoting violence, self-harm, and suicide. A key concern for the regulator is Discord's inability to monitor livestream content in real time, relying instead on post-stream user reports.
Discord called the agency's decision "premature." This action is part of a broader trend of Brazilian authorities taking strong measures against foreign tech platforms for compliance failures, following similar suspensions of X and Telegram.