PARIS — French Digital Minister Clara Chappaz has responded to criticism regarding her office’s handling of a controversial 12-day livestream that culminated in the tragic death of influencer Raphaël Graven, also known by his streaming alias Jean Pormanove. During an interview with FranceInfo, Chappaz emphasized the limitations of her authority, stating, “As a minister, you cannot decide to shut down a site. There’s no red button.”
Intense scrutiny following Graven’s death
The digital ministry, along with the French regulatory body Arcom and the streaming platform Kick, has found itself under significant scrutiny since Graven’s death, which occurred sometime between Sunday night and Monday morning. Chappaz described a particularly “extremely tense” conversation with Kick, accusing the platform of failing to grasp the gravity of the situation. “We are dealing with people on the other side of the world, via videoconference, in T-shirts, slouched over, who do not realize the seriousness of what’s happening,” she pointed out.
While the exact cause of Graven’s death is still being investigated, reports indicate that he was subjected to repeated belittlement and physical abuse during the marathon livestream and in prior videos on Kick. French authorities had been alerted to the mistreatment of Graven, an army veteran, as early as December, following a report from the investigative outlet Mediapart. Despite reaching out to Arcom and Chappaz’s office, Mediapart did not receive a prompt response.
Calls for digital regulation and platform accountability
In response to the allegations, Arcom indicated uncertainty regarding whether Kick had legal representation within the European Union. This situation escalated in January when authorities arrested two suspects related to the case in Nice, only for the investigation to falter as both alleged victims and perpetrators denied any wrongdoing.
Following further complaints regarding Graven’s treatment, the French Human Rights League alerted Arcom in February, but the organization reported receiving no response. The league’s president stated that it typically takes around six months for Arcom to address such complaints.
“It is urgent that we escape this digital Wild West,” Chappaz remarked, acknowledging the challenges in regulating the online space.
Kick, an Australian-based livestream platform known for its lenient moderation policies, expressed its condolences to Graven’s family and pledged to cooperate with authorities. By Friday, Graven’s Kick channel had been restored, although some videos were removed. Kick stated that the reactivation was intended to facilitate access for investigators, but Arcom criticized this action, asserting that making recordings available to the authorities does not justify lifting the public access ban.
Despite having under 45 million users in the European Union, which exempts Kick from direct supervision by the European Commission, the platform is still obliged to comply with the European Digital Services Act. Chappaz noted that it seemed Kick delayed appointing a legal representative until after Graven’s death. French authorities are currently verifying this claim.
The European Commission confirmed that Kick had notified them of a legal representative in Malta, delegating responsibility to the Maltese regulator to ensure compliance with the DSA. However, the Malta Communications Authority stated that as of Wednesday, Kick had not officially notified them of any legal representative.
Kick’s terms and conditions stipulate that while the site was created in Australia, it operates under English jurisdiction, without explicitly mentioning an EU representative. As of Friday, Kick had not publicly addressed Chappaz’s allegations.
In previous communications, Kick refrained from confirming whether Graven’s channel had violated its terms of service, which prohibit content depicting or inciting severe violence, including significant harm or death.