France suing Kick over streamer’s loss of life with potential jail sentences & large fines

[ad_1] French authorities are taking authorized motion in opposition to Kick after the loss of life of streamer Jean Pormanove, with prosecutors warning that the Australian platform might face jail sentences and hundreds of thousands in fines.

On August 18, Jean Pormanove, actual identify Raphaël Graven, died whereas streaming on Kick at 46 years previous. His loss of life got here after what has been described as “ten days of torture” whereas broadcasting with fellow streamers Naruto and Safine. Studies allege Pormanove endured beatings, sleep deprivation, and compelled ingestion of poisonous substances within the days and even months main as much as his loss of life.

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The case has sparked worldwide outrage, with a lot of the deal with Kick’s failure to close down broadcasts. Disturbing compilation threads displaying the streamer being abused and mistreated have gone viral.

Whereas the Stake-backed service has since banned the accounts of those involved , it has additionally come underneath fireplace for beforehand selling Pormanove’s picture in advertising posts, prompting the platform to chop ties with its French social media company.

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Now, France is in search of main penalties for executives on the streaming platform.

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France to sue Kick and jail time isn’t off the desk

France’s minister for digital affairs, Clara Chappaz, accused Kick of violating a 2004 regulation regulating on-line content material, saying Pormanove had been “humiliated and mistreated for months dwell on Kick.”

The minister, who stated she was making this “her fight” and would “not surrender,” careworn that Kick ought to have pulled the plug on the streams.

“Kick didn't do every part potential to cease the published of harmful content material,” she stated, additional calling for the platform to face critical authorized penalties.

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On August 26, Paris prosecutor Laure Beccuau confirmed that authorities had opened an investigation into whether or not Kick knowingly broadcast “movies of deliberate assaults on private integrity.”

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Prosecutors are additionally inspecting whether or not Kick complies with the EU’s new Digital Companies Act on content material moderation. Based on The Guardian , violations might carry penalties of as much as 10 years in jail and €1 million in fines. It’s unclear if France will request the extradition of the positioning’s Australian-based executives.

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Kick can also be uncovered to potential punishment in its dwelling jurisdiction. Australia’s eSafety Commissioner famous that platforms are legally required to guard customers from dangerous or felony materials. Failure to implement its personal phrases of service may end up in fines of up to AUD $49.5 million .

French police, nonetheless, could maintain some blame, too. In January 2025, Naruto and Safine have been taken into custody on suspicion of manufacturing dwell movies of the humiliation of weak individuals and the dissemination of photographs that violate the integrity of individuals, however have been launched on the identical day as their arrest.

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For now, Kick says it's cooperating totally with French investigators. However with lawsuits looming on either side of the world, the platform faces a authorized battle that might reshape how livestreaming providers are held accountable for person security.