Anonymous teen sues Discord and Meta over alleged child abuse by online extortion rings

An anonymous woman is suing Discord and Meta, alleging that as a teenager she was targeted by online child abuse rings on both platforms, blackmailed into sending nude and self-harm images, and left with lasting mental and physical scars. Her lawyers hope the case will serve as a "watershed moment" for holding social media companies accountable, as the FBI warns parents about a growing network of online extortion groups targeting children.

The lawsuit, filed in San Francisco Superior Court in April, names three groups—CVLT, 764, and Greggy's Cult—which the FBI says groom children online and blackmail them. Multiple members of each group have been arrested by law enforcement.

Legal Context and Company Responses

The case could test whether social media companies can be held liable for criminal activity on their platforms, and whether Section 230—the federal law that shields social media companies from liability for user behavior—applies in such cases.

Discord declined to comment on the specific case but stated that disrupting the 764 network is a top priority. The company says it has been cracking down on the group since 2021, works closely with law enforcement, has removed thousands of servers, and banned hundreds of thousands of users associated with 764 and its affiliates.

Meta also declined to comment on the case. A spokesperson said CVLT is banned from its platforms and that Meta has strict policies to prevent child exploitation, suicide, and self-harm. Meta says it has specialized teams—including former law enforcement and prosecutors—working with the FBI, plus a 24/7 incident response team for imminent cases.

Plaintiff's Allegations: A 'Cycle of Fear'

According to the complaint, the plaintiff's ordeal began at age 15, when a member of Greggy's Cult contacted her through a public Discord server. The New Mexico man, Zachary Dosch, allegedly persuaded her to send a video of herself masturbating and livestreamed it to other group members.

• Dosch pleaded guilty to federal charges of distributing child sexual abuse material in 2023.
• He and four other Greggy's Cult members were charged again in 2025 on allegations of extorting children; he pleaded not guilty. A lawyer for Dosch did not respond to a request for comment.

At age 17, after the plaintiff began posting on Instagram about her mental health struggles, another man contacted her on the platform, the suit alleges. The lawsuit says he was Collin John Thomas Walker, a member of CVLT—a child exploitation group described as "Neo-Nazi" by the FBI. The lawsuit claims Walker spent months "love bombing" her before obtaining her home address and threatening her.

• Walker allegedly coerced the plaintiff into providing sexually explicit photos, which he then shared on CVLT's Discord server.
• He also allegedly coerced her to carve his username into her body, burn herself with candle wax, and starve herself to stay attractive—all while his Instagram account remained active.
• Walker was later arrested and pleaded guilty to child exploitation charges in October 2025. A lawyer for Walker did not respond to a request for comment.

The plaintiff's parents confiscated her phone and returned it when she turned 18—at which point another online child abuse group, 764, recruited her on Discord, the suit said. She escaped by faking her own death, and by the end of May 2022, she "escaped the online hell she had been living in," the lawsuit states.

Law Enforcement and Ongoing Case

U.S. law enforcement has arrested and charged multiple 764 members. The FBI said in a warning letter to parents in February that it is investigating more than 350 people tied to 764 and its affiliates.

The lawsuit alleges that Discord and Meta's "permissive environments provided these predators with unfettered access, anonymity, and the ability to disseminate images and messages that deepened Plaintiff's trauma," resulting in a "cycle of fear, shame, and emotional despair."

The plaintiff suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder, permanent scars, and poor grades, according to her complaint.

Legal Filings and Next Steps

The bulk of the plaintiff's claims are against Discord, "due to the stronger causal link between Discord's conduct and her injuries," her lawyers wrote in a filing. She also sued Meta because, she alleges, a CVLT member first contacted and groomed her on Instagram.

• Meta has moved to have the case bundled with social media addiction cases.
• Discord wants the case dismissed entirely, arguing that federal law shields it from liability for content posted by its users.

The case is ongoing.