Lawmakers Urge Tech Companies to ‘Mitigate Harm’ of Suicide Website
The New York Times
A House committee is seeking briefings from search engines and web-hosting companies whose services might have been leveraged by the site, which has been linked to numerous deaths.
Lawmakers in Washington are prodding technology companies to take steps to limit the visibility and reduce the risks of a website that provides detailed instructions about suicide and has been linked to a trail of deaths.
Responding to a New York Times investigation of the site published this month, the House Committee on Energy and Commerce on Monday released a bipartisan statement requesting briefings from search engines, web-hosting companies and other tech companies whose services might have been leveraged by the suicide site.
“It is imperative that companies take the threat of such sites seriously and take appropriate steps to mitigate harm,” said the statement from the panel, led by Representative Frank J. Pallone Jr., Democrat of New Jersey.
