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Brazil Orders Suspension of Discord Livestreams After Teen's Suicide

ANPD says the halt is meant to force fixes to gaps in real-time moderation before livestreaming can resume.

Overview

  • Brazil’s National Data Protection Authority issued the order on Wednesday giving Discord three business days to suspend its “Go Live” livestream feature unless it proves new safeguards for minors.
  • The regulator said it found robust evidence that Discord lacks real-time access to livestream content, which prevents automatic detection of self-harm and violent content and leaves the platform reliant on post-hoc reports.
  • Investigators say a 13-year-old girl was pressured to self-harm during a 45-minute July livestream; police have arrested five teenagers in the case and intervened to stop another girl from attempting suicide live online.
  • Discord says it cooperated with authorities, removed the private server linked to the case before the death, described the ANPD action as premature, and may use the agency’s 10-business-day appeals process.
  • The order invokes fines up to 50 million reais per violation and comes against a background of Brazil’s 2026 child protection rules requiring age verification and parental linkage, raising the prospect of tougher enforcement or further legal action.