Brazil sues Discord for $97 million over child safety failures

Brazil's federal government has filed a lawsuit against messaging platform Discord, seeking 500 million Brazilian reais (approximately $97 million) in collective damages and demanding improvements to child safety measures. The suit alleges that Discord has failed to adequately protect minors on its platform.

The Attorney General’s Office (AGU) filed the public civil action on August 25, with support from the Ministry of Justice and Public Security and the Federal Police. The government is demanding that Discord implement stronger age verification, parental supervision, and content moderation. Failure to comply with court-ordered measures within 15 days could result in a daily fine of 500,000 Brazilian reais.

The core of the lawsuit centers on the claim that Discord’s age verification and safety systems do not meet Brazilian legal requirements, including the Digital Child and Adolescent Statute. The government argues that platforms must build protections into their services by default, rather than relying on user reports of harmful content or behavior.

Among other demands, the lawsuit calls for Discord to verify users' ages beyond self-declared birth dates, link accounts of users under 16 to legal guardians, and implement default restrictions on unsolicited contact with minors. It also seeks real-time detection and prevention of livestreams involving suicide, self-harm, or extreme violence.

The legal action follows increased scrutiny of Discord after the July death of a 13-year-old girl, which Brazilian authorities linked to interactions on the platform. Prior to the lawsuit, the Justice Ministry had notified Discord of alleged violations of Brazil's child online-safety law, and the National Data Protection Authority (ANPD) ordered Discord to suspend its "Go Live" livestreaming feature until adequate safeguards for minors are demonstrated.