Google has denied breaching the Online Safety Act by promoting a suicide forum linked to 164 deaths in the UK. The US-based site, whose operators were fined £950,000 by Ofcom, remains accessible in the UK despite laws criminalising encouragement of suicide.
Google's Search Results Under Fire
The Molly Rose Foundation, an online safety campaign, raised concerns that a link to the forum appears in Google's search results. Andy Burrows, the foundation's chief executive, told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: "If you search for it by name it will still come up in search results – a clear-cut breach of the act, but on that matter Ofcom has so far declined to take action."
The site listed by Google was the second entry beneath a link to the Samaritans. The URL directs to a page where operators claim access has been "voluntarily restricted to users in the United Kingdom due to legal risks associated with the UK Online Safety Act 2023." However, the page includes the forum's address, which can be used with VPN software to bypass the block.
Accessibility and Risks
When simulating internet access from the US, Germany, or France, the full forum was easily accessible, including detailed advice on suicide methods. The Molly Rose Foundation, established after Molly Russell's death, cited the Online Safety Act requiring search services to mitigate harm risks.
Google denied breaching 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. Google added it aims to balance safety protections with information access and would implement formal court orders to restrict specific sites.
Campaigners Demand Action
The foundation and the campaign group Families and Survivors to Prevent Online Suicide Harms warned that coroners had alerted the UK government about risks of further deaths from the forum and a substance it promotes. Adele Zeynep Walton, whose sister Aimee died after accessing the site, said: "Families like mine have been agonisingly waiting for action against the website that took our loved ones and at least 164 UK lives."
Ofcom has urged the site to comply with British laws since last spring. The regulator is preparing a court application to cut the site's connections if concerns are not addressed.
