UK Broadcasting Regulator Investigates Online Suicide Forum Linked to 50 Deaths

Britain’s broadcasting regulator, Ofcom, announced on Wednesday that it was investigating an online suicide forum that local media say has been linked to at least 50 deaths in the country. The investigation follows concerns about the site’s service provider potentially failing to put appropriate safety measures in place to protect its UK users from illegal content and activity.

Ofcom stated that the investigation is the first opened under Britain’s Online Safety Act of 2023, which aims to protect both adult and child internet users. The act requires service providers to take down any illegal content once they become aware of it, and providers had until the middle of last month to comply.

“We have made several attempts to engage with this service provider in respect of its duties under the act and issued a legally binding request to submit the record of its illegal harms risk assessment to us,” Ofcom said in a statement. “Having received a limited response to our request, and unsatisfactory information about the steps being taken to protect UK users from illegal content, we have today launched an investigation.”

Ofcom did not name the service provider or the website due to the sensitive nature of the content involved. The BBC reported that the forum is hosted in the United States and has tens of thousands of members, including children. Users reportedly discuss suicide methods, including sharing instructions on how to buy and use a potentially deadly toxic chemical.

Some 50 suicides in Britain have been connected to the forum, according to the BBC. Ofcom could ultimately seek a court order to force the service provider to remove the harmful content if it fails to comply with its legal obligations.

The regulator could also fine the service provider up to £18 million ($23 million) or an amount equivalent to 10 percent of its global revenue if it is found to be in violation of the Online Safety Act.