United Kingdom: Office of Communications issued a provisional notice of contravention under Online Safety Act to online suicide discussion forum

On 6 January 2026, the Office of Communications (Ofcom) informed a suicide forum provider of its intent to issue a provisional notice of contravention regarding alleged breaches of the Online Safety Act (OSA). The notification follows a review of available evidence and constitutes an initial stage of the investigation process under OSA. Ofcom intends to issue the provisional decision during the first quarter of 2026, providing the platform an opportunity to respond to the findings. Failure to address the identified concerns may result in financial penalties of up to GBP 18'000'000 or 10.00% of qualifying worldwide revenue. For cases of continued non-compliance that risk harm to users in the United Kingdom, Ofcom may apply for court-ordered business disruption measures, which could include requiring third parties to block access to the service. The investigation concerns potential non-compliance with duties applicable to regulated user-to-user services, including failure to respond to an information request, failure to complete and retain a suitable and sufficient illegal content risk assessment. It also addresses failure to meet obligations related to protecting users from illegal content, providing reporting mechanisms, and handling complaints. The OSA requires providers to assess and mitigate the risk of users encountering illegal content, including content encouraging or assisting suicide. It imposes obligations to implement proportionate systems for preventing and swiftly removing such content, providing clear and consistently applied terms of service, and enabling users to report harmful material and make complaints.