Discord suspended all livestreams in Brazil on Monday after the country's national data protection agency ordered the action last week. The move follows the death of an underage girl who was allegedly coerced into harming herself during a livestream on the platform.
In July, a 13-year-old girl in the state of Mato Grosso do Sul died after other users on Discord allegedly pressured her into committing suicide while broadcasting live. Five teenagers were arrested in connection with the death, according to an August 4 statement from Brazil's justice ministry.
Brazil's first lady Rosângela Lula da Silva, known as Janja, publicly called for the platform to be taken offline on August 6. "I can't accept seeing a 13-year-old girl self-harming live on the internet, on Discord, hanging herself and dying," she said at a ceremony in the capital, Brasilia, where President Lula signed a law increasing punishments for sexual violence against children and adolescents.
Brazil's data protection agency said in a statement that "livestreams have been repeatedly used to facilitate violence, harassment and the incitement of self-harm and suicide." The agency cited evidence that Discord had not sufficiently prevented risks of exposure to content representing "serious violations of the rights of children and adolescents within its service, especially inducement, incitement, instigation, or assistance to violence, self-harm, and suicide."
Discord, which has more than 90 million active daily users worldwide, said it is in conversations with Brazilian authorities "to seek a solution that allows us to reestablish those resources for our users in Brazil." The company also said it "remain[s] committed to working with public policymakers in Brazil to help create an online experience that is safer for all, on Discord and across the internet."
In a statement to the Associated Press, Discord denied that the July case was shown live and said groups or individuals who promote or encourage violence have no place on the platform. The company said it has dedicated teams working to disrupt violent groups, remove violative content, and take action against bad actors.
Brazil's government under President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and the country's Supreme Court have been working to regulate internet use by minors, with mixed results. Similar efforts are underway in Australia, Canada, and Indonesia.
