What is Discord and why it has come under government scrutiny

What is Discord and why has it come under the government's radar - After an investigation into crimes involving minors in private groups, the ANPD ordered the suspension of live streams and video sharing until the platform adopts protection measures. With about 200 million monthly active users and more than 690 million registered accounts worldwide, Discord has come under greater scrutiny from Brazilian authorities after the case of a teenager who took her own life during a live stream on the platform came to light.

The case, which occurred on July 22, motivated Operation Livia, conducted by the Civil Police of Mato Grosso do Sul in conjunction with the Ministry of Justice and Public Security. The investigation is looking into the activities of an alleged criminal organization accused of attracting children and adolescents to virtual communities, where they would be subjected to psychological coercion and encouraged to commit acts of extreme violence against animals, mainly cats, as well as self-harm and even suicide challenges. Five adolescents and an 18-year-old man were detained.

As a preventive measure, the National Data Protection Authority (ANPD) determined this Wednesday (08/12) that Discord must suspend live streaming and video sharing functionalities in Brazil, the platform's second-largest market in the world.

According to the ANPD, the measure aims to contain episodes of violence and coercion involving minors under 18. It is suspected that crimes of this type occur in several private groups on the platform and are not restricted to a single criminal organization.

The company will have three days to comply with the determination, which will remain in effect until effective measures to protect children and adolescents are proven. Discord may appeal the decision within ten business days.

What is Discord

Created in 2015 by Jason Citron and Stanislav Vishnevskiy, Discord emerged as a tool aimed at communication between video game players, but it has become widely used by communities linked to study, work, programming, and other interests.

The platform allows for communication via text, voice, and video. Its users organize themselves into thematic servers, which can be public or private. There are more than 32 million active users worldwide.

"Discord servers offer the perfect place to bring people together around common interests and activities," the company states.

Each server is composed of text and voice channels. According to Discord, members can see who is connected to a voice channel, join conversations, and share their screen with other participants. It is not an open platform, like Instagram or TikTok.

The screen sharing feature has become especially popular among teenagers as an alternative to traditional video calls and streaming services. Unlike platforms such as Twitch and YouTube, which are aimed at open, large-reach broadcasts, Discord allows for the creation of more closed environments, where content creators can gather followers, promote exclusive events, and keep communities active even after the live stream ends.

The possibility of creating private channels and controlling access has also contributed to the platform's popularity among users looking for more personalized spaces.

Architecture hinders monitoring, says ANPD

It is precisely these functionalities that have become the target of ANPD oversight. The authority launched an investigation after the teenager's case, with the goal of investigating possible failures in user protection related to the Go Live feature, which allows for live streaming and screen sharing.

In addition to ordering the preventive suspension of live streams, the ANPD stated it had identified "failures in the implementation of structural measures and procedures to prevent and combat serious violations."

"The precautionary measure to suspend the live streaming functionality was determined by the Oversight Superintendence (SFI-ANPD) due to robust evidence that the company did not adopt reasonable measures to prevent and mitigate risks of access, exposure, recommendation, or facilitation of contact with content or practices that represent serious violations of the rights of children and adolescents within the scope of its service, especially the inducement, incitement, instigation, or assistance to violence, self-harm, and suicide," the agency reported.

The agency emphasized that the platform will not be completely blocked, but pointed out a gap in oversight in private servers. "What the preventive measure suspends is the 'Go Live' functionality, used for live streams in closed servers," it said.

According to the authority, the feature has been used repeatedly for the practice of serious crimes that put the physical and mental integrity of minors at risk.

The ANPD also argues that the technical architecture adopted by Discord prevents the company from accessing the content of streams in real-time, which would make internal audiovisual monitoring mechanisms during streams unfeasible.

"The platform relies on flawed automated systems and reports from the participants themselves in these environments geared toward the practice of these violations," the agency stated.

The precautionary measure does not prevent the adoption of other sanctions throughout the oversight process. If irregularities are found, the authority may determine corrective measures and apply the penalties provided for in the legislation, including fines of up to R$ 50 million per infraction.

The problem is not exclusive to Brazil. In 2025, the US state of New Jersey sued Discord for exposing children to violent content.

"We saw child exploitation, child sexual abuse material, grooming, kidnapping, all sorts of horrible things that happened on this platform, and the company simply didn't do enough," Attorney General Matthew J. Platkin said in an interview at the time.

Discord says it is cooperating with investigations

In a press release, the company reaffirmed its commitment to user safety. "Discord maintains an ongoing dialogue with Brazilian authorities, including the Ministry of Justice, and has acted proactively by reporting individuals to Brazilian police authorities, contributing to operations that resulted in arrests," the company stated.

The platform reiterated that it does not tolerate groups or individuals that promote or encourage violence. "We have teams dedicated to dismantling these groups, removing content that violates policies, and taking action against those responsible for such conduct," it informed.

According to the company, a private server allegedly used by people involved in criminal activities was identified and deactivated before the young woman's death.

"Access to the private server depended on an invitation and could not be found by other users," the platform stated, adding that its reports to authorities contributed to the identification and arrest of people it classified as "violent extremists."

gq/cn (Agência Brasil, OTS)

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