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Regulator going after suicide site that even Epik banned

Kevin Murphy, April 9, 2025, Domain Policy

UK communications regulator Ofcom has opened its first public investigation under the new Online Safety Act, targeting a notorious forum that has been linked to dozens of suicides globally.

The probe demands that the site in question provide evidence that it protects its UK users from illegal or harmful content — in this case “encouraging or assisting suicide”.

Failure to do so could lead to Ofcom fining the site’s owners millions, or seeking court orders to have other companies, such as advertisers or internet service providers, disrupt its business, Ofcom said.

The law is often talked about in the context of large social media companies such as Facebook and TikTok, which are often accused of algorithmically instilling suicide ideation in children, but it applies to any service that allows user-to-user content.

This apparently extends to web forums. Some non-controversial sites have already closed down rather than bear the expense of complying.

The Act doesn’t specifically mention domain registrars and registries as being covered by its provisions, but GoDaddy, for example, certainly seems to think it does. It even reckons its domain search feature might be covered.

Ofcom isn’t naming the suicide site, so I won’t either, but it’s not hard to identify by connecting a few dots.

It uses a domain in Verisign’s .net, currently registered with Cloudflare’s registrar. Both registry and registrar are US companies.

The site in question lost its original .com name in 2021 when Epik — yes, even the controversial, free-speech-loving old Epik under Rob Monster — reportedly thought it was too hot to handle.

The site’s administrators have today called the probe “blatant overreach” and accused Ofcom of a “censorship agenda”. They’re currently begging users for cryptocurrency donations.

Media investigations have linked the site to more than 50 suicide deaths. In some cases, the site’s users reportedly goaded their victims, including some children, to take their own lives.

The admins, knowing the site is a target, have previously said they have back-up domains that they could switch to within minutes if they get shut down.