Are suicide websites illegal?
Suicide is not an offence in the UK but the Suicide Act 1961 makes it a crime to aid, abet, counsel or procure another person to kill themselves or attempt to. Giving information through a website that would enable somebody to commit suicide may not amount to this. There is no central body to regulate what appears on the internet. Each country applies its own laws to internet activity within their jurisdiction, which causes confusion on the question of legality on the web which is not confined to national boundaries. What may be illegal in the UK, for example, may be legal in the United States. The UK’s Internet Service Providers Association operates a “notice and take down” policy to remove illegal material if it is made aware of it, but insists its voluntary members should not be the judge of what is legal or appropriate. Can access to such sites be blocked? Filters can prevent access to such sites and block specific pages if the internet address is known. Limited filtering is usuall
