Apr 10, 2025 21:00:00

Investigation launched into suicide advocacy forum with over 10,000 members as first target for online safety law; already linked to over 50 deaths

The UK Parliament enacted

the Online Safety Act , a law to regulate online content, in December 2024. The UK Broadcasting Authority (Ofcom), which regulates and oversees communications and laws in the UK, has launched its first investigation under the Online Safety Act into online suicide forums believed to be linked to more than 50 deaths.

Ofcom investigates online suicide forum - Ofcom
https://www.ofcom.org.uk/online-safety/illegal-and-harmful-content/ofcom-investigates-online-suicide-forum/

Online suicide forum investigated under new UK digital safety laws | Internet safety | The Guardian
https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2025/apr/09/online-suicide-forum-ofcom-investigation-uk-digital-safety-laws

The UK's Online Safety Act, passed in October 2023, imposes new safety obligations on social media companies, search engines, messaging, gaming apps, dating apps, pornography sites and file sharing sites. The Online Safety Act will become law in December 2024, giving providers a deadline of March 16, 2025 to assess the potential harm of their services.

UK's online safety law comes into force, criticised for effectively shutting out small site operators from the internet - GIGAZINE

The Online Safety Act has three legal obligations:

- Reduce the risk that their job will be used to commit or facilitate a crime
- Prevent individuals from encountering illegal content as a priority
If you notice any illegal content, remove it immediately.

The Online Safety Act also includes measures against illegal content such as encouraging suicide, and violating providers and sites may be fined up to 18 million pounds (about 3.4 billion yen) or 10% of their global turnover. In the most serious cases, they may request advertisers to withdraw their services or seek court orders to request providers to block access.

Ofcom has announced that it has launched an investigation into online suicide forums, its first since the Online Safety Act came into force. Ofcom has not named the forums, but the BBC reports that at least 50 deaths have been linked to them as of 2023.

Ofcom explained that the investigation would focus on whether the site took appropriate steps to protect UK users, whether it completed an assessment of the harm the site might cause as required by law, and whether it responded appropriately to requests for information.

Andy Burrows, chief executive of internet safety charity the Molly Rose Foundation (MRF), said: 'This terrifying site exists solely to help vulnerable people take their own lives. While this site remains online many more vulnerable people will be put at risk. We welcome Ofcom taking this first step to crack down on this site.'