Brazil’s National Data Protection Agency (ANPD) had earlier ordered Discord to suspend livestreaming in the country after a 13-year-old girl was allegedly encouraged to take her own life during a livestream.
According to the government, the lawsuit was filed on Tuesday in Brasilia after negotiations with Discord failed, with the company’s proposed measures considered insufficient to address the risks identified by authorities.
“The lawsuit seeks to compel the Discord platform to adopt effective measures to protect children, adolescents, and women in the digital environment,” the government said in a statement.
It is also seeking R$500 million, approximately $97 million, in compensation for collective moral damages.
Discord, which has more than 90 million daily active users, agreed to suspend livestreaming in Brazil on August 17 and said it was working “to make Discord safer for teens.”
However, Brazilian authorities said the platform still had weaknesses in its age-verification and user-protection systems, leaving minors exposed to serious risks.
The case followed the death of a 13-year-old girl in July. Five teenagers and an adult have reportedly been arrested in connection with the incident.
According to an official with the Justice Ministry’s Ciberlab intelligence unit, the teenagers allegedly spent more than 45 minutes encouraging the girl to harm an animal before eventually urging her to take her own life. One of those arrested is reportedly 14 years old.
Brazil is demanding that Discord introduce stricter parental controls, strengthen cooperation with authorities and develop systems capable of detecting and preventing situations that could place minors at risk.
In a statement to AFP, Discord expressed regret over the lawsuit and said it had engaged with Brazilian authorities “consistently and in good faith.”
The company said it believed there was a better way to address the concerns and remained committed to working with the authorities to improve safety on the platform while allowing Brazilians to continue using the service.
The lawsuit comes as Brazil intensifies its regulation of social media platforms, particularly over child safety and harmful online content.
On Tuesday, the ANPD fined TikTok nearly $30 million for allegedly failing to implement adequate child-protection measures. The agency also said it had begun checking the compliance of 22 social media networks and platforms with a new law designed to protect children and teenagers online.
Brazilian authorities have warned that stronger enforcement against social media companies could follow in the coming months.
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