Popular Chat Site With Pedophile Epidemic Drowning In State Lawsuits

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Another state sued chat platform Discord on Friday over alleged failure to safeguard against child sexual abuse.

The popular gaming site systematically allows strangers to contact minors, relies heavily on unpaid volunteers to moderate the platform for exploitative conduct and does not enforce violations of rules rigorously, among other missteps, Republican Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton’s office claimed in its lawsuit. Discord faces three other lawsuits from Republican states over similar claims as its reputation suffers from reports of users’ encounters with online pedophiles and abductors, including abusive cult-inspired networks investigated by the Daily Caller News Foundation.

Discord has not made meaningful changes “despite escalating notice from federal prosecutors, the United States Senate, the Federal Trade Commission and the attorneys general of multiple states, including Texas,” the lawsuit says. Texas asked a court to find Discord liable for unlawful business practices and require it to upgrade its age verification system, default all account safety settings to maximum protection, surrender money earned from the unlawful conduct and other demands.

“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 told the DCNF. “Discord is a communications platform built to connect people around playing games. Users join Discord communities intentionally, based on their interests, and unlike social media, the platform has no algorithmic feed, infinite scroll, or public ‘likes’ pushing content to mass audiences.”

“Our safety systems combine advanced technology and human-led investigations, alongside user reports to help identify accounts or spaces engaged in harmful activity, including sharing exploitative and child sexual abuse materials,” the spokesperson said. “We provide teen users and their parents and guardians with important privacy and safety tools, including Teen Safety Assist and our Family Center. We look forward to collaborating with policymakers in working toward a safer online experience for all users on Discord and across the internet.” (Read more from “Popular Chat Site With Pedophile Epidemic Drowning In State Lawsuits” HERE)