PARIS: France will sue Australian streaming platform Kick for negligence following a user’s death during a livestream event.
Digital Affairs Minister Clara Chappaz announced the legal action on Tuesday after a 46-year-old Frenchman died during a 12-day streaming marathon on his channel.
The channel specialised in the user enduring abuse or humiliation from other participants during broadcasts.
“Kick did not do everything possible to stop the broadcast of dangerous content,“ Chappaz stated while accusing the platform of violating a 2004 online content law.
A post-mortem examination confirmed that Raphael Graven, known online as “Jean Pormanove” or “JP”, did not die from trauma or another person’s actions.
French prosecutors separately announced they had opened an investigation into the streaming platform on Tuesday.
Paris prosecutor Laure Beccuau said the probe would examine whether Kick knowingly broadcast videos of deliberate attacks on personal integrity.
Investigators will also assess the platform’s compliance with the European Union’s Digital Services Act regarding content moderation.
Offenders found guilty under the investigation face up to 10 years in prison and a one million euro fine. – AFP
