Ofcom fines unnamed suicide forum £950,000, investigates two adult websites

UK Communications regulator, Ofcom, has fined the provider of an online suicide forum £950,000 for failing to comply with the Online Safety Act 2023 (OSA). The online forum, which has been linked to over 130 deaths in the UK, is the first service to face formal action under the OSA. Despite being based outside the UK, the provider is legally required to mitigate the risk of users encountering illegal content, including material that intentionally encourages or assists suicide.

The investigation found that the site consistently hosted instructional guides and threads on suicide methods, some of which were pinned or reposted by the provider. Ofcom concluded that the failures were serious and deliberate, posing a fatal risk to the public. The provider has ten working days to comply with safety duties. If the breaches continue, the regulator will seek a court order to require internet service providers to block UK access to the site.

Separately, Ofcom has launched investigations into two pornography sites, pimpbunny.com and kemono.cr, to determine if they comply with  OSA mandatory age-check rules. In addition, Ofcom issued a provisional breach decision against fapello.com and has expanded an existing investigation into xgroovy. 

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