Google Rejects Online Safety Act Breach Claim Over Suicide Forum Links

The Molly Rose Foundation, a campaign created after a 14‑year‑old’s suicide, alerted regulators that a UK‑based search for the forum’s name still returns a direct link. The foundation’s chief, Andy Burrows, told BBC Radio 4 that the result sits just below a Samaritans help box, constituting “a clear‑cut breach of the act.”

The forum’s operator, based in the United States, was fined £950,000 by Ofcom, the UK communications regulator, for providing content that presents a material risk of significant harm. The fine follows a series of warnings that the site encourages and instructs on suicide methods, contributing to 164 recorded deaths in the United Kingdom.

Google’s response emphasizes that the search result itself does not host illegal content. Under the Online Safety Act, search engines must mitigate risk but are not required to block links that merely point to a site where the content is geoblocked for UK users. Google says it adds a prominent help box with Samaritans contact details and will obey any court order to remove specific URLs.

Despite the geoblock notice on the forum’s landing page, the URL remains visible. Users can bypass the block with a VPN that masks their location, accessing the full site from the US, Germany or France. The Molly Rose Foundation argues that this easy work‑around defeats the purpose of the Act’s risk‑mitigation clause, which demands “proportionate measures” to protect individuals.

Families of victims, including Adele Zeynep Walton, whose sister died after visiting the site, have pressed for stronger action. They note that coroners have warned the government about ongoing fatalities linked to the forum’s instructions. Ofcom is preparing an application to force internet service providers to cut the site’s connections to the UK if the operator does not comply.

Google’s stance rests on the distinction between illegal content and a site that merely restricts access to UK users. The regulator’s upcoming court application will test how far the law can compel search engines to remove links that facilitate circumvention of geoblocks.

What to watch next: Whether Ofcom secures a court order forcing Google to delist the forum and how the decision shapes future enforcement of the Online Safety Act.