Brazil's data protection regulator (ANPD) has ordered Discord to suspend its "Go Live" livestreaming feature after a 13-year-old girl was reportedly pressured to take her own life during a broadcast. The ANPD said Discord lacks real-time access to livestream content, hampering automated detection of harmful behavior. Five teenagers have been arrested; Discord has three days to comply and may appeal within 10 business days. The suspension will remain until Discord proves it has adequate protections for minors, which could include age checks.
Brazil Orders Discord To Suspend 'Go Live' Feature After Teenager's Death
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Brazil's data protection regulator, the Autoridade Nacional de Proteção de Dados (ANPD), has ordered Discord to suspend its livestreaming "Go Live" function following an investigation into the death of a 13-year-old girl who was reportedly pressured to take her own life during a broadcast on the platform.
What Happened
The ANPD's probe began on 7 August after authorities say the girl was encouraged by others in a private, invite-only Discord server to end her life. Discord says it swiftly shut down the server and has been cooperating with law enforcement.
"Groups or individuals who promote or encourage violence have no place on Discord," a company spokesperson told the BBC, adding the company is "thoughtfully reviewing" the ANPD order and remains committed to user safety.
Regulator's Findings and Orders
The ANPD found that Discord does not have real-time access to livestream content, which it says limits the platform's ability to automatically detect and remove violations as they occur. The regulator has given Discord three days to suspend the livestream feature and 10 business days to appeal the decision.
Authorities reported five teenagers have been arrested in connection with the girl's death. The ANPD warned that failure to comply could expose Discord to fines of up to 50 million reais (about $9.7m) per violation.
Conditions For Reinstatement
The suspension will remain in place until Discord demonstrates it has implemented "adequate protective measures for minors," which the ANPD said could include stronger age-verification checks and other safeguards to enable faster detection and intervention during livestreams.
Broader Context
Discord has more than 200 million monthly active users and is particularly popular with gaming communities. Brazilian regulators have recently taken decisive action against other platforms: in August 2024 the social platform X was temporarily banned in Brazil for failing to meet court requirements, though it was restored in October after paying fines and naming a local representative.
This decision highlights growing scrutiny of realtime content moderation and platform accountability in Brazil and beyond as regulators push for better protections for minors online.
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