Discord Accused of Operational Omission in Response to Emergency Content Removal Requests
2 sources · Brazil
Who reported this
- UOL
- Folha de S.Paulo
What the colours mean
- Left
- Centre-left
- Centre
- Centre-right
- Right
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Every source for this story reports from Brazil.
A report by the Civil Police of São Paulo states that Discord took up to 17 days to respond to emergency requests for the removal of content involving self harm, rape, and school attacks. The document, authored by the Nucleus of Digital Observation and Analysis (Noad), describes a consistent pattern of operational omission by the platform. This report has been forwarded to the Public Ministry of São Paulo, the National Data Protection Authority (ANPD), and the Attorney General of the Union.
Investigators analyzed 63 emergency communications sent between May 2025 and January 2026. These alerts included live streams of suicide incitement, animal torture, the leaking of intimate photos of minors for blackmail, school attack plans, and plots to set fire to homeless people. While the average response time was 17 hours, some cases took significantly longer. One request to remove a room regarding the killing of cats took 16 days and 18 hours, ending in a refusal by the platform. Another emergency alert regarding live animal abuse sent on August 4 received no response.
Police also highlighted issues with user identification. Discord has reportedly provided IPv4 addresses but omitted the source logical port. According to the report, this omission hinders the identification of suspects because multiple users can share a single IP address. The police assert there is no technical impediment for Discord to provide this specific information.
Furthermore, the investigation describes groups on Discord that operated like criminal organizations with defined tasks and funding. One target is a Brazilian teenager living in France who was placed on an Interpol Blue Notice. He is alleged to have created one of the largest archives of child pornography on the platform through extortion and funded a Brazilian cell by paying bails and purchasing weapons. Separate operations known as NIX, NIX II, and NIX III led to the apprehension of teenagers involved in public data breaches, Nazi apology, threats to authorities, and terrorism planning.
Discord did not respond to email requests for comment on the report. In previous statements, the platform has said it does not tolerate illicit or abusive content and utilizes artificial intelligence, user reports, and cooperation with authorities to maintain security.
How each side framed it
- Centre-left
- The report presented the police findings as a matter of record without adding additional ideological framing.
- Centre
- The report focused on the factual findings of the police investigation regarding response times and technical data gaps.
Sources
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