Following concerns raised by the suicide prevention charity, Ofcom has announced a fine of almost £1 million to the dangerous site, and business interruption measures if it continues to violate the Online Safety Act.
“We’re glad Ofcom took strong action in response to our concerns about this life-threatening online space, demonstrating that sites putting lives at risk will face serious consequences. When one site is restricted; however, harmful content will simply be pushed elsewhere online, so tackling individual sites alone will not be enough to keep people safe. Ofcom must remain vigilant, respond quickly and impose meaningful penalties to platforms that wilfully ignore the Online Safety Act, to prevent more deaths by suicide.”
Sarah Ruane, Assistant Director of Influencing at Samaritans