US-based internet suicide forum implicated in 160 UK deaths fined 950,000

"Ofcom said the US-based website remains accessible in the UK despite over a year of warnings. Online safety campaigners have accused the regulator of taking an interminable amount of time to act. The Samaritans, mental health campaigners and the Molly Rose Foundation, have repeatedly raised concerns about the site which promoted a particular poison which has remained accessible despite it being cited in multiple coroners' reports regarding the deaths of UK citizens."

"Ofcom has been trying to get the site to obey British laws criminalising intentionally encouraging or assisting suicide since last spring. It had some success with the site being blocked last July and then a mirror site being taken down in November. But it is now taking action because the site can be used by people in the UK, including without a VPN, and presents a material risk of significant harm."

"The fine is being levied under the Online Safety Act which also allows Ofcom to seek a court for an order requiring internet service providers to block UK access to the site. It is preparing an application to have its connections effectively cut if our concerns are not fully addressed and there continues to be an ongoing breach. It accused the provider of serious and deliberate contraventions and said the fine reflected the the risk of fatal harm to people in the UK posed by the content present on the service."

"Its chief executive, Andy Burrows, welcomed the fine and a separate move that could block UK internet access to the site, but said it was appalling that it has been left to bereaved families and campaign groups to press Ofcom into action. Molly Rose was set up in the memory of Molly Russell, a 14-year-old who took her own life after descending into a vortex of negative online content, including about suicide."

A US-based nihilistic internet suicide forum linked to more than 160 UK deaths was fined £950,000 by Ofcom. The site remained accessible in the UK despite warnings, and Ofcom said it presented a material risk of significant harm. Ofcom has sought compliance with British laws criminalising intentionally encouraging or assisting suicide, including earlier blocks and takedowns of mirror sites. The fine was issued under the Online Safety Act, which also allows Ofcom to seek court orders requiring internet service providers to block UK access. Ofcom said it is preparing an application to cut connections if concerns are not fully addressed and breaches continue. Mental health groups and bereaved families criticised the delay in enforcement.

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