The subpoena suggests Discord has potentially violated Florida's Deceptive and Unfair Trade Practices Act, according to the announcement from the AG's office.
"Many of our criminal investigations into internet child predators lead to one place: Discord," Uthmeier said. He added that "[g]roomers and predators seem to believe that they can get away with targeting children on Discord—and we are going to find out why."
Uthmeier said Discord "owes us an explanation on the overwhelming use of its platform among predators, and what they are doing to protect children."
The AG's office said "concerning reports" indicate that predators often first contact minors on other platforms, including the video games Roblox and Fortnite, and then encourage them to move communications to Discord, which the release said "may be due to insufficient protections for children."
Sarasota County Sheriff Kurt A. Hoffman echoed those concerns. "Investigations show that offenders are using platforms like Roblox and Discord as an access point to reach children. Parents should know we are taking this seriously," Hoffman said. "My message is clear, we are committed to protecting our kids, and predators have no safe place in our community."
The subpoena demands marketing and promotional materials representing the platform's "safety, suitability, and appropriateness for children," documents on direct marketing to children, content and communication moderation procedures, complaint records alleging exploitation, age-verification and parental control documentation, records of criminal cases involving children, and data on how many children use the platform.
The office described the action as part of Uthmeier's broader effort to "investigate and bring accountability for the exploitative environment that has been created for children on social media websites and gaming platforms."