Ofcom fines US suicide forum £950k and prepares to block it in UK as Google defends search links
Ofcom fined the US-based forum's operators £950,000 after the site remained accessible in the UK despite laws against encouraging suicide. A link to the forum appeared as the second search result below the Samaritans on Google. The Molly Rose Foundation raised the issue, citing the site's association with 164 UK deaths.
The GuardianOfcom has fined the operators of a US-based suicide forum £950,000 after determining the site, which presents a material risk of significant harm, can still be accessed in the UK. The forum is associated with 164 deaths in the UK. Ofcom has been urging the site to obey British laws criminalising intentionally encouraging or assisting suicide since last spring.
Google has denied breaching the Online Safety Act by promoting the forum. A link to the site appears in Google’s search results, listed by Google as the second entry beneath a link to the Samaritans. Google’s promotion of the site was raised by the Molly Rose Foundation.
The Molly Rose Foundation was set up in the memory of Molly Russell, a 14-year-old who took her own life after viewing negative online content including about suicide. ” The forum’s operators say access has been voluntarily restricted to users in the United Kingdom due to legal risks associated with the UK Online Safety Act 2023.
The forum page includes the website’s address which can be used to access the full site using VPN software.
When set to simulate internet access from the US, Germany and France, the full forum was easily accessible. The Online Safety Act allows Ofcom to seek a court order requiring internet service providers to block UK access to the site. Ofcom is preparing an application to have the site’s connections effectively cut if its concerns relating to the breach are not addressed.
Adele Zeynep Walton said: “Families like mine have been agonisingly waiting for action against the website that took our loved ones and at least 164 UK lives.
Adele Zeynep Walton’s sister Aimee Walton took her own life after accessing the site. The Guardian reported that Google denied it has breached the law, stating that Ofcom regulations allow search engines to respond to navigational queries. It said its results prioritise user safety by including a prominent help box with support resources such as the Samaritans alongside contextual news coverage.
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