A nihilistic internet suicide forum based in the United States, implicated in over 160 deaths in the United Kingdom, has been fined £950,000 by the online regulator Ofcom in its latest effort to shut it down. The fine is being levied under the Online Safety Act, which also allows Ofcom to seek a court order requiring internet service providers to block UK access to the site.
Regulator's Actions and Criticisms
Ofcom stated that the US-based website remained accessible in the UK despite more than a year of warnings. Online safety campaigners have criticized the regulator for 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 has been cited in multiple coroners’ reports on the deaths of UK citizens.
The Molly Rose Foundation was established in memory of Molly Russell, a 14-year-old who died by suicide after being exposed to negative online content, including material about suicide. Its chief executive, Andy Burrows, welcomed the fine and a separate move that could block UK internet access to the site but described it as “appalling that it has been left to bereaved families and campaign groups to press Ofcom into action”.
Previous Enforcement Efforts
Ofcom has been attempting to compel the site to comply with British laws criminalizing the intentional encouragement or assistance of suicide since last spring. The regulator had some success when the site was blocked last July and a mirror site was taken down in November. However, it is now taking further 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 reflects what Ofcom described as “serious and deliberate contraventions” and the “risk of fatal harm to people in the UK posed by the content present on the service”. On Wednesday, the forum was unavailable, but its operator posted a page advocating for “the right to access lawful information without government overreach” and quoting Mark Twain: “Censorship is telling a man he can’t have a steak just because a baby can’t chew it.”
Campaigners' Concerns and Coroners' Warnings
The Molly Rose Foundation and Together with Families and Survivors to Prevent Online Suicide Harms noted that coroners had warned the UK government 65 times about the risks of further deaths from the forum “and a substance it promotes, glorifies and instructs for use as a suicide method”. Adele Zeynep Walton, the sister of Aimee Walton who died by suicide after accessing suicide forums, expressed frustration with the slow response. “While we’ve waited further lives have been lost and we’ve had to fight every step,” she said, speaking on behalf of Families and Survivors to Prevent Online Suicide Harms. “We feel let down by the process and Ofcom’s slow response to this threat to life.”
Andy Burrows added: “Molly Rose Foundation submitted detailed evidence which showed scores of vulnerable young people remained at risk while Ofcom’s investigation dragged on … There are real questions about why it has taken so long for the regulator to act against a forum linked to at least 164 UK deaths.”
Ofcom's Response and Future Actions
Ofcom stated that it had “engaged extensively” with the forum provider and that last summer the forum had geoblocked mirror sites in the UK and later removed information on a landing page promoting ways to circumvent the block. A spokesperson said: “We share the urgency about the extreme harms that sites such as this can cause, and understand the anger felt towards them by those who have been so personally affected. It is vital that we ensure our enforcement action is thorough, and this can take time, as is the case for any enforcement agency.”
Campaign groups highlighted the human cost in a report last year, listing victims including Lucas, aged 16; Vlad, 17; Aimee, 21; Grace, Hannah, and Tom, 22; Immy, 25; Adam, 28; and Claire, 41. They stated: “They were drawn into a dark world that was allowed to exist online and continues to exist through the use of a VPN. We believe our loved ones suffered coercion, grooming, instruction on how to end their lives. Most accessed a poison that was allowed to cross borders or was readily available domestically.”
Suzanne Cater, the director of enforcement at Ofcom, said the forum had “caused unimaginable pain and suffering … and no punishment can undo that harm”. She added: “The provider of this forum knows it’s used to share illegal content encouraging and assisting suicide on their site. While they’ve responded to our enforcement action by making some changes to the accessibility of their service in the UK, this is not good enough and the changes they’ve made were not consistently applied or effective to reduce the risk of harm. Given the ongoing risk of harm, we are using all powers available to us to protect the public.”
In the UK and Ireland, Samaritans can be contacted on freephone 116 123, or email jo@samaritans.org or jo@samaritans.ie. In the US, you can call or text the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline at 988 or chat at 988lifeline.org. In Australia, the crisis support service Lifeline is 13 11 14. Other international helplines can be found at befrienders.org.
