Brazil’s National Data Protection Authority (ANPD) has rejected Discord’s request to reconsider the nationwide suspension of livestreams and equivalent video-sharing features. The dispute now goes to the agency’s board, but the restrictions will remain in force while that review is pending.

The regulator’s position is that Discord has shown users can no longer access the affected tools, but has not demonstrated how the block operates within its systems. ANPD said the material submitted did not establish, in a “technical and verifiable” way, that the suspension had been fully implemented.¹ It has sought technical records, system configurations, tests or architecture documents before deciding whether the company has met the order.²

The agency says allowing the functions back online before that assessment could create further risks. The original preventive measure followed the death of a 13-year-old girl in Mato Grosso do Sul in July, a case being investigated by state police. Authorities have alleged that the girl was targeted by people connected through a private Discord server; the investigation has led to the detention of adolescents and the arrest of an 18-year-old.¹

Discord does not challenge the seriousness of the case. Its co-founder and chief technology officer, Stanislav Vishnevskiy, called it “a devastating case” arising from “a coordinated campaign of extreme violence conducted across multiple platforms.”² But the company has contested elements of the evidence cited in the case and says an individual incident does not by itself prove a broader weakness in its safety systems.

The company says it complied with the suspension and considers video experiences important to its Brazilian users. It has proposed either a compliance plan with deadlines or a gradual restoration as commitments are met, saying it remains committed to working with Brazilian policymakers “to help create a safer online experience for everyone.”²

For ANPD, however, that commitment must be matched by demonstrable safeguards. The authority has also raised concerns that Discord’s end-to-end encryption limits direct access to audio and video communications, which it says can make protections for minors less effective.¹