Brazil orders Discord to suspend livestreams after teen’s suicide

On August 13, Brazil's data protection agency, the ANPD, ordered the messaging platform Discord to suspend livestreams following the suicide of a 13-year-old girl allegedly incited during a July broadcast. The incident, described as a "real-life horror show" by a police officer, saw a group of five teenagers arrested in connection with the girl's death. Another girl was saved from attempting suicide during the livestream.

The ANPD accused Discord of failing to protect children and adolescents from harmful content, citing "robust evidence" that the company did not take reasonable measures to prevent such incidents. The agency gave Discord three days to comply with the suspension. In response, Discord expressed disappointment but stated it was analyzing the ANPD directive and rejected the agency's characterization of the platform. Discord claimed it had removed the involved group and continued to cooperate with law enforcement.

Brazilian officials have been increasingly concerned about online safety for children. Last year, the country introduced measures obligating platforms to link accounts of users under 16 to their parents' accounts and verify user age. Ciberlab coordinator Alessandro Barreto criticized Discord's "terrible failure in moderation," noting the "outrageous acts" broadcast online.

The arrested 14-year-old boy was reportedly nonchalant about the situation, while his parents were shocked. President Lula da Silva's wife called for the shutdown of Discord, and Brazilian users expressed frustration with the measure, questioning corporate responsibility.