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Brazil Sues Discord for R$500 Million Over Failures to Protect Children

The federal lawsuit asks a court to force stronger age checks, parental controls and real‑time safeguards with heavy fines as a test of Brazil’s new child‑protection rules.

Overview

  • Brazil’s Office of the Attorney General filed the federal civil suit on Wednesday seeking R$500 million in collective moral damages and asking for a R$500,000 daily fine if Discord does not meet court‑ordered measures within a set period.
  • The complaint lists ten alleged violations of Brazil’s digital child‑protection law and asks the court to require stronger age verification than self-declared birthdates, mandatory links between accounts of users under 16 and their legal guardians, and default limits on unsolicited contact with minors.
  • Regulators previously ordered a preventive suspension of Discord’s Go Live livestreaming feature on August 12 and the company disabled livestreaming in Brazil on August 17 while the ANPD’s suspension remains in force.
  • Discord called the suit disproportionate and said it offered technical fixes and a financial investment to improve safety in Brazil, while government officials say negotiations over a conduct agreement failed and that proposed measures were insufficient.
  • The case draws on inputs from the AGU, the Justice Ministry and federal police after a July 22 livestream‑linked suicide that led to arrests, and it follows broader enforcement moves including an ANPD audit of 22 platforms and a near R$150 million fine against TikTok, signaling possible wider changes to how platforms operate in Brazil.