SARASOTA, Fla. (WINK) — Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier has launched a civil investigation into the social media application “Discord”, citing that the platform is the preferred method for online predators to attract children.
Uthmeier, along with Sarasota Sheriff Kurt Hoffman, held a news conference on Wednesday at the Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office to announce the investigation in tandem with his investigations into TikTok and Roblox.
Credit: WINK News
Discord is an instant messaging and multimedia social platform that initially gained popularity among the video gaming community.
Uthmeier says the app is marketed to children and does not follow proper protocols to ensure the safety of child users. He added that predators use Discord as a medium to elevate communications with children, saying that a digital trail is harder to track.
The Florida AG announced the delivery of several subpoenas to the social media platform to understand how safe the application is for children.
Uthmeier then highlighted an example of an online predator utilizing Discord for child grooming purposes.
According to the attorney general, 29-year-old Wessley Heard, from Tennessee, was arrested in Marion County, after allegedly creating an online chat room titled “The Kitty Chat,” which targeted young girls.
Uthmeier further added that Heard would send them “Hello Kitty” themed box cutters, where he would encourage them to carve his username into their skin.
According to the attorney general, Heard would refer to himself as a pedophile in the Discord chat and ask for sexually explicit images from those within the Kitty Chat.
He then said Heard traveled from Tennessee to Florida to meet and abduct one of his chat room users. Florida law enforcement intervened, leading to his arrest.
Credit: WINK News
The subpoenas will request the marketing and promotional strategies Discord uses to promote safe online use, as well as the procedures for content moderation.
Watch the entire conference above.
Nicholas Karsen is a Digital Specialist and has been with WINK News since May 2023.
