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Platform created for gamers returned to the debate after São Paulo Civil Police operation against suspicion of selling violent videos
An investigation by the São Paulo Civil Police placed Discord at the center of a case involving suspicion of animal abuse, video sales, and the use of private digital communities.
Daiana Schuinsekel de Almeida was arrested on Thursday, May 28, during a police operation. Hours later, the businesswoman was released.
According to the investigations, the suspect recorded assaults on animals and sold the videos through the platform to people in European countries.
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According to information from TV Globo, the suspect’s cell phones could not be accessed. Therefore, there was no arrest in the act.
Now, Daiana is expected to respond in freedom for the crimes of animal abuse and obscene acts, while the case remains under investigation.
Investigation exposes use of Discord in video sales
The investigation by the São Paulo Civil Police indicates that Discord was used to commercialize the videos.
In the images cited by the investigation, the suspect appears assaulting animals with her feet and hands.
The case gained attention because the platform is known for allowing text, voice, and video conversations.
The app also allows live broadcasts, closed groups, and communities with different levels of privacy.
This set of tools helps explain why Discord returned to the debate on digital security and content moderation.
What is Discord and how the platform works
Discord is a digital communication platform created for messaging, voice calls, and video conversations.
According to Discord’s official website, entrepreneurs Jason Citron and Stanislav Vishnevskiy launched the app in 2015.
Initially, the proposal was to offer a more reliable way to chat during online games.
Therefore, Discord became especially popular among teenagers and players who wanted to play and chat at the same time.
In Brazil, the network claims to allow access only for teenagers aged 13 and up.
Social network grew beyond the gamer audience
Discord was born in the gamer universe but has also come to be used for work, courses, and interest communities.
According to the American magazine Wired, the platform functions as a multimedia experience.
On it, users can stream videos, play remotely, listen to music in groups, and spend time together.
During the pandemic, according to Wired, the app gained even more users outside the gamer audience.
In 2025, according to Discord itself, the platform had 200 million monthly users worldwide.
Of this total, still according to the company, 93% played online.
Free version and paid plans
The basic version of Discord is free.
The platform offers paid plans called Nitro, which unlock extra features for users.
Among the benefits are the creation of custom emojis and the sending of larger files.
Thus, the app combines free access with paid tools for those seeking more features.
Previous cases have already raised alerts about digital crimes
Discord has already appeared in reports about crimes committed against minors.
In May 2023, Fantástico showed cases of criminals using live streams to blackmail victims.
On that occasion, prosecutor Maria Fernanda Balsalobra stated that these were not challenges practiced by teenagers.
According to her, criminals, mostly adults, used platform vulnerabilities against children and teenagers.
The agency DW also pointed out that Discord has become a meeting point for counterculture groups, hackers, and cryptocurrency investors.
Private groups and decentralized moderation make control difficult
Technology director Thiago Ayub, from Sage Networks, states that Discord brings together factors that favor risky situations.
First, the platform became very popular among young people due to its origins in the gaming community.
Then, it allows for the easy creation of private groups, unlike social networks based on public content.
Finally, moderation is decentralized, as the community creators control much of the internal rules.
As a result, monitoring messages and users can become more difficult within each community.
Family Center aims to enhance monitoring
In September 2023, Discord launched the Family Center, also known as Family Center.
The tool allows guardians to monitor part of the activity of teenagers on the platform.
With this feature, parents can know which users their child is talking to and which communities they are part of.
However, the content of the conversations is not available to the guardians.
To activate the tool, the Discord app must be installed on the phone.
Then, the guardian should access User Settings, enter Family Center and activate the feature.
Next, the teenager needs to generate a QR Code in the Connect with Parent option.
After scanning and the young person’s approval, both gain access to the Family Center.
The case investigated in São Paulo reignites an urgent question: can digital platforms balance privacy, closed communities, and security against online crimes?
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