Texas investigation examines Discord after Charlie Kirk shooting

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Discord logo displayed on a phone screen and Discord website displayed on a screen in the background are seen in this illustration photo taken in Krakow, Poland on November 5, 2022. (Photo by Jakub Porzycki/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

TEXAS - A Texas investigation has expanded to include Discord's potential use ahead of the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk last month. 

Attorney General Ken Paxton announced the investigation Thursday, accusing the popular chat platform of exposing minors to extremism. 

Paxton investigates Discord

The Securing Children Online Through Parental Empowerment (SCOPE) Act investigation has been expanded into Discord due to the reports that Tyler Robinson, the accused shooter in Kirk's killing, used the platform to plan the crime. 

Paxton's Thursday release also mentions reports that the platform is addictive and has exposed minors to sexual exploitation and extremist content. 

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Paxton issued a Civil Investigative Demand to Discord focused on "extremist content, sexual exploitation of minors by grooming gangs, the rise of shooters carrying out acts of nihilistic extremist violence, and the addictiveness of the platform for minors."

‘Growing wave of nihilistic violence’

What they're saying:

"I’m standing shoulder to shoulder with the Trump Administration to root out and defeat nihilistic violent extremism in all its forms," said Paxton. "Discord has chosen to allow extremist content, sexual exploitation, and addiction to flourish on its platform. It has a legal obligation to prevent minors from being exposed to these evils, but instead its actions have contributed to the growing wave of nihilistic violence all across our nation."

Tyler Robinson and Discord

The backstory:

Robinson, 22, is believed to have confessed to the murder of Kirk, 31, over Discord in the days before the fatal shooting, FOX Business reported last month. 

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A spokesperson for Discord confirmed to FOX Business that the reporting from the Post detailing Discord messages where suspected shooter Tyler Robinson appears to take responsibility for Charlie Kirk’s killing is accurate. 

What is Discord?

Dig deeper:

Discord began as a messaging platform in the video game community, and has since spread into a wide variety of communities. FOX News recently reported that Discord has more than 200 million monthly users. 

The platform uses servers, or chat groups, of varying sizes. These groups are often private, requiring invitations, passcodes and authentication to enter and use. 

Servers are made up of administrators, who control functions like allowing people into or expelling them from the group; moderators, who control smaller functions like general chat upkeep; and average users who simply participate in voice or text chats. 

Users on Discord servers can also private message other members of the group whether or not they know each other personally. These messages cannot be monitored by admins. 

The platform has come under fire of late, including the late 2024 SCOPE investigation launched by Paxton, for its practices regarding minor users.