United Kingdom: Office of Communications provisionally found suicide forum in breach of Online Safety Act

On 27 February 2026, the Office of Communications (Ofcom) issued a provisional decision that the provider of an online suicide forum may have breached the UK’s Online Safety Act. Ofcom has reasonable grounds to believe the provider failed to carry out an adequate illegal content risk assessment, prevent users in the UK from encountering priority illegal content, limit how long such content remains online, remove illegal material promptly, clearly explain user protections in its terms of service, and operate effective reporting and complaints procedures. Encouraging or assisting suicide is a criminal offence in the UK, and the Act applies to services accessible in the UK regardless of where they are based. Although the forum introduced a geoblock to restrict access from UK IP addresses, Ofcom considers it may have been ineffective or inconsistently applied. The provider has 10 working days to respond before a final decision is made. If Ofcom confirms a breach, it may impose a fine or require compliance measures. In serious cases of ongoing non-compliance, it may seek a court order to block access to the site in the UK. The Act also allows for criminal liability in limited cases, but Ofcom must choose between financial or business disruption measures and criminal proceedings where applicable.