Ofcom hits suicide forum with £950k fine

The US-based provider of a forum promoting illegal suicide content has been fined by Ofcom for presenting “a material risk of significant harm” to people in the UK.

According to Ofcom, the forum — which the regulator decided not to name — is reportedly linked to more than 130 suicides in the UK and “has been cited in multiple coroners’ reports” regarding the deaths of British citizens.

Using powers granted under the Online Safety Act, Ofcom fined the provider £950,000. It has ten working days to “come into compliance”, after which it risks being blocked from operating in the UK by internet providers.

Suicide Act 1961

In a news update, Ofcom said: “It is a criminal offence in the UK to intentionally encourage or assist suicide.”

“Content posted with the intent to assist suicide that contains specific, practical or instructional information on suicide methods – such as details on the most effective way of taking one’s own life – is likely to constitute assistance.

“Encouragement with intent could involve someone posting about taking their own life and another user responding with words to the effect of ‘you should do it’ or that they hope the person ‘succeeds’ in taking their own life.”

The regulator concluded: “Based on the evidence, we have found that illegal suicide content is present on the forum and has been consistently during our investigation.”

Normalising suicide

In March, a 25-year-old woman in Spain was euthanised following injuries caused by a failed suicide attempt.

An appeal by the woman’s father to prevent her seeking help from medics to die was rejected by Spain’s Constitutional Court. The father argued that his daughter was unable to make a free and informed decision due to her psychiatric illness; the young woman had attempted suicide on multiple occasions.

Writing on social media, political commentator Adam Pollock said: “This is horrific. A suicidal woman in Spain became paraplegic after jumping from a building in a failed suicide attempt. That paraplegia made her eligible for euthanasia, so she can be killed anyway. What happened to suicide prevention?”

Dr John Maher, a prominent psychiatrist and medical ethicist, recently warned legislators in Canada that state-sponsored suicide for mental health conditions risked normalising suicide and unleashing a social contagion of death.