Google has denied breaching the UK's Online Safety Act by promoting a suicide forum associated with 164 deaths in the United Kingdom. The internet regulator Ofcom fined the forum's US operator £950,000 for presenting a material risk of significant harm, yet a link to the site still appears in Google's search results, allowing users with VPN software to bypass the block and access suicide methods.
The Molly Rose Foundation, an online safety campaign, raised the issue. CEO Andy Burrows told BBC Radio 4: "If you search for it by name it will still come up in search results - a clear-cut breach of the act." The foundation, named after 14-year-old Molly Russell who took her own life after viewing harmful content, cited a section of the Online Safety Act requiring search services to mitigate risks of harm to individuals.
Google argued its results prioritize user safety with a help box linking to Samaritans and said it balances safety protections with information access. It stated it would implement formal court orders if required.
Adele Zeynep Walton, whose sister Aimee died after accessing the site, said: "Families like mine have been agonisingly waiting for action." Ofcom is preparing a court order to block UK access to the forum if its concerns are not addressed.