Ofcom has admitted it can take no further legal action against a pro-suicide forum that campaigners link to more than 130 UK deaths, sparking accusations of “moral cowardice” after the announcement was made on the day Britain’s new prime minister took office.
The regulator said the site had blocked access for the “vast majority” of UK users, leaving it with “no further legal routes available” under the Online Safety Act. But it accepted people would still be able to reach the forum by using a VPN, which hides their location online.
“Ofcom says it cannot take further legal action against a pro-suicide forum linked to over 130 UK deaths.”
Andy Burrows, chief executive of the Molly Rose Foundation, said the decision would “result in more lost lives” and that timing it to coincide with the naming of a new prime minister showed “an utter lack of moral courage”.
An Ofcom spokesperson said the decision had been made “a matter of days ago” after “months of work to exhaust all possible legal routes”. Bereaved families were informed of the decision this morning, having been contacted last week. “In that context, we do not consider it appropriate to delay the announcement further to accommodate today’s political developments,” they said.
Ofcom enforcement director Suzanne Cater said the regulator had used its powers “to the fullest extent possible” and would “continue to monitor the forum closely to check the geoblock remains in place”.
The forum, which the BBC has chosen not to name due to its nature, was the first service investigated under the UK’s online safety laws. BBC News investigations found young people had been encouraged and given instructions on how to take their own lives. The site has been cited in multiple coroners’ reports regarding UK deaths.
In May, Ofcom issued a £950,000 fine, saying the site did not comply with the law “to protect people in the UK from illegal content”, and warned it was preparing to seek a court order to block access. The firm had until 12 June to pay the fine. Ofcom said it has not paid, and can still try to recover the debt through UK-based assets.
Ofcom is now working with the government to explore whether its enforcement powers should be strengthened – in particular, its ability to get a website blocking order through the courts, which would legally mandate internet service providers to block the site. The regulator says it has reached the limit of what it can legally do because the forum has implemented the geoblock.
The BBC has approached the government for comment.