CW: Distressing themes
Australia’s online safety regulator has threatened to penalise Kick, a streaming platform co-founded by Australia’s youngest billionaire, after the live-streamed death of a French man.
The eSafety Commissioner has accused Kick of failing to uphold online content standards, warning that some streamers on the site appear to be “seeking to create more extreme content that generates more engagement”.
eSafety said it is prepared to issue fines of up to $49.5 million if it finds cases of legal non-compliance.
What is Kick?
Kick, an online platform launched in late 2022, allows users to watch, broadcast, and comment on live streams. Viewers can purchase paid subscriptions to channels on the platform.
Its content guidelines are less stringent than those of its competitors, such as Twitch.
Kick was founded by Australian billionaire Edward Craven and his business partner Bijan Tehran.
The pair also co-founded the crypto gambling platform Stake.com, which is banned in Australia. The business is unrelated to the Australian share trading platform of the same name.
Live-streamed death
In August, a man named Raphaël Graven died in his sleep at the end of a 300-hour (12-day) livestream in Nice, France.
Graven had been repeatedly assaulted and taunted by two other men on the livestream during the preceding days, and on livestreams broadcast over the previous two years.
French prosecutors said an autopsy showed no signs of fatal traumatic injuries, and that the cause of death appears to be medical.
The group
An investigation by French outlet Mediapart in December revealed details about the streaming collective behind the channel where Graven died.
Your contribution ensures The Daily Aus can continue doing the work you love.
I want to give $10 monthly to help TDA keep doing the news.
Your details:
The group operated an account named JeanPormanove. Their livestreams typically involved two or more men physically assaulting and humiliating Graven and another man.
All four are understood to have financially benefited from the channel to some degree.
The group’s videos were often titled with slurs directed at people with disability. According to Mediapart, one of the main victims of the violence is disabled and under legal guardianship.
It further alleged that, because of the guardianship arrangement, one of the men may not have always received the money he was owed.
French media has reported Graven had a pre-existing heart condition.
His pleas to seek medical attention during the final stream were ignored.
Reactions
French Technology Minister Clara Chappaz has estimated as many as 20,000 people watched the livestream in which Graven died.
She has called for inquiries into the platform and said she is prepared to impose sanctions for breaches of online content standards.
Kick said it will cooperate with authorities, has launched a review of its French content, and has banned the other streamers from the JeanPormanove channel.
Australia's response
Australia’s eSafety Commissioner has accused Kick of failing to ensure content posted complies with its rules.
In a statement to TDA, a spokesperson said the platform’s “opaque algorithms and pervasive and persuasive design features” allow streamers creating “extreme content” to thrive.
Australia has online content guidelines requiring platforms to protect Australian users from seeing “material that depicts crime or violence without justification”. eSafety said it could apply fines of up to $49.5 million for breaches.
