Brazil sues Discord for $97m over child safety failures

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 the 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.

-Reuters