Brazil sues Discord over child protection and online safety failures
Brazil has sued Discord over alleged child protection and online safety failures, seeking stronger age verification, safer default settings and other safeguards for minors. The case also seeks R$500 million in collective damages.
Brazil’s Federal Government has filed a public civil action against Discord, seeking stronger protections for children and adolescents on the platform and R$500 million in collective damages. The Attorney General’s Office (AGU) filed the case in the Federal Court of the Federal District on 25 August 2026, with technical support from the Ministry of Justice and Public Security and the Federal Police.
The government alleges that Discord continues to have weaknesses in its age verification and user protection systems. The case relies in part on Brazil’s Digital Child and Adolescent Statute (ECA Digital), which requires online services to build child safety into their design and default settings rather than responding only after harm has occurred.
Among the measures requested, the government wants Discord to introduce stronger age verification, link accounts of users aged 16 and under to a legal guardian, use the safest settings by default for minors, and detect and interrupt livestreams involving self-harm, suicide or extreme violence. It also wants stronger sextortion reporting mechanisms, Portuguese-speaking Trust and Safety teams, and measures to prevent banned servers and channels from being recreated.
The government is also seeking a daily fine of R$500,000 if Discord fails to comply with any urgent measures ordered by the court within 15 days.
The lawsuit follows earlier action against the platform. On 4 August, the government launched Operation Lívia and notified Discord about alleged breaches of the ECA Digital. On 12 August, the National Data Protection Authority ordered the suspension of livestreaming features that did not provide adequate safeguards. The government then spent about two weeks negotiating a possible Conduct Adjustment Agreement with Discord before deciding that the company’s proposals were insufficient and taking the matter to court.
Why does it matter?
The case reflects a wider shift in child online safety enforcement. Governments are no longer relying only on voluntary safeguards or regulatory guidance, but are increasingly willing to use litigation, financial penalties and binding design obligations to push platforms to do more. Brazil’s case is also significant beyond Discord, because it could offer other countries a practical example of how child protection duties can be enforced against major online platforms through the courts.