Brazil sues Discord for $97 million over alleged failures to protect children

The Brazilian government said on Wednesday it has sued chat platform Discord, seeking 500 million reais ($97 million) through a civil collective moral damages lawsuit as it accuses the firm of failing to comply with laws protecting children and teens.

The lawsuit requests Discord to bring safety mechanisms, age-verification systems, parental supervision tools, content moderation practices and communication features into compliance, subject to a daily fine of 500,000 reais ($97,099).

The lawsuit before a federal court comes after the country's data protection authority ANPD suspended Discord's livestreaming features earlier this month over child and teens safety concerns.

In a statement, Discord said the lawsuit is disproportionate and does not accurately reflect the company's stance regarding safety and compliance with Brazilian law.

Discord added it has presented the office of Brazil's solicitor general with a proposal to improve the safety of its operations in the country through technical adjustments and a financial investment.

The government's Solicitor General Jorge Messias told reporters that Discord did not move forward with an agreement with authorities, which would have required the platform to formally commit to bringing its operations into compliance with the law, he added.