Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier’s lawsuit is his latest against some of the most popular social media platforms and applications.TAMPA (CN) — Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier took aim at the online chat platform Discord on Thursday in a lawsuit, accusing it of failing to protect children from sexual predators.In the 65-page complaint, Uthmeier outlined insufficient age verification controls while also allowing adults to contact minors. The attorney general also criticized the company for not implementing its own safety policies, such as scanning private chats for violations of its rules.“From account initiation and platform use to content moderation and enforcement, Discord has built a flawed application centered on minimal safety settings, hands-off moderation, and lax rule enforcement,” Uthmeier wrote in the complaint filed in conservative Glades County. “As a result, child predators and other bad actors have found a haven in Discord.”The Republican attorney general claims violations of the Florida Deceptive and Unfair Trade Practices Act and Florida’s Online Protection Law. He also brings claims for negligence, negligent misrepresentation and creating a public nuisance.Uthmeier seeks court orders for stricter child safety controls and restitution that could reach millions of dollars.The lawsuit follows a March investigation of Discord that included several subpoenas seeking information on how children use the platform and how the company handles suspected criminal activity.In the complaint, Uthmeier details several instances of sexual predators using Discord to groom children, luring them into sending explicit images and videos, sometimes leading to sexual assault and kidnapping.“We’ve arrested more than 2,100 child predators in this state since I took office,” Uthmeier said at the press conference announcing the lawsuit in Tampa. “Again and again, their trail to our kids leads back to Discord. Discord told parents that safety is at the core of everything they do. That was false. It’s time for this app to get serious about protecting our children or face serious consequences.”Uthmeier was joined by deputies from the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office, a school board member and a doctor from the state’s health department.Launched in 2015, Discord is an online communication platform that allows users to chat via text, voice and video, primarily while playing video games. The company claims more than 90 million active users daily, the majority of whom are adults.The platform proactively scans and removes instances of child sexual abuse material, according to Discord’s website, and investigates accounts and chat rooms to identify harmful activity.“The lawsuit’s characterization of Discord does not reflect the platform we have built or the investments we have made in user safety,” a Discord spokesperson said in a statement, adding that the platform lacks the algorithmic feeds, infinite scroll or public likes that push content to mass audiences.“Discord recently introduced a platform-wide age-appropriate experience that provides added protections around experiences intended for adults while allowing teens to participate in communities that aren’t age-restricted,” the spokesperson said. “We have consistently engaged and collaborated with law enforcement in Florida and look forward to working together toward a safer online experience for all users on Discord.”During Thursday’s press conference, the attorney general acknowledged Discord implemented some new teen safety settings last month, but pushed the company to do more.“We’ve tried to work with them, and they have made some changes, some positive changes, but not enough,” Uthmeier said.Florida’s lawsuit follows others filed by attorneys general in a handful of states, including Texas and Nevada, alleging the company failed to take adequate measures to protect children from sexual predators.Uthmeier has focused heavily on tech companies’ effects on children since taking office, including defending a 2024 state law banning social media accounts for children under 14 and requiring parental permission for those 14 to 15 years old. In April, Uthmeier filed a lawsuit against Snapchat for violating that law. He also sued TikTok and Meta. Last year, the attorney general went after Roblox with accusations of lax safety controls for minors.
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