Mercer Times

Attorney General Matthew J. Platkin and the New Jersey Division of Consumer Affairs have filed a lawsuit against Discord, Inc., alleging that the messaging application provider engaged in deceptive practices. The lawsuit, unveiled in a New Jersey Superior Court, claims that Discord misled parents regarding the effectiveness of its safety features and failed to adequately protect children from predators and inappropriate content.

Attorney General Platkin explained, "Discord markets itself as a safe space for children, despite being fully aware that the application’s misleading safety settings and lax oversight have made it a prime hunting ground for online predators seeking easy access to children."

Founded in San Francisco in 2015, Discord is an application that facilitates text, audio, and video communication. While it caters to a diverse user base, children comprise a significant portion of its users. The company’s safety claims, such as its age restriction policies and its "Safe Direct Messaging" feature, which purportedly scans for explicit media content, have come under scrutiny.

According to the lawsuit, Discord's "Safe Direct Messaging" settings were ineffective, and many inappropriate messages were reportedly not caught by the platform’s filters. Reports have surfaced of individuals using Discord to exploit children, despite its child safety claims.

Cari Fais, Director of the Division of Consumer Affairs, said, "Discord claims that safety is at the core of everything it does, but the truth is, the application is not safe for children."

The complaint asserts that Discord designed its app to engage children with features such as custom emojis and sound effects, while its default settings inadvertently facilitated connections between children and potential predators through friend requests and community servers. Discord’s age verification process has also been criticized for its simplicity, requiring only the entry of a date of birth without further verification.

The lawsuit seeks various remedies for these alleged violations, including an injunction, civil penalties, and the return of profits earned from these practices in New Jersey.

This legal action follows previous lawsuits by the New Jersey Attorney General's office against major social media platforms like TikTok and Meta Platforms, as part of ongoing efforts to protect children online. Several cases have seen individuals prosecuted for using platforms including Discord for predatory activities.

The state's representation in this matter includes Deputy Attorneys General Mandy Wang, Ethan Rubin, and Kathleen Riley, among others. Investigator Aziza Salikhova conducted the investigation for the Division of Consumer Affairs.