Amazon and Google are facing a difficult predicament after a woman in Britain, along with two others, committed suicide after ingesting poison purchased online. The woman, Chloe McDermott, 43, died in 2021 after buying a toxic substance from Amazon in the United States. She had struggled with her mental health for several years before seeking ways to end her life on an online forum.
Two days before her death, she "formed a group" with two others with whom she planned the suicide, according to a report from the British newspaper, The Guardian. The next day, while her husband was away, she contacted them, and they agreed to carry out the suicide that night. She ingested the substance around midnight and died from its effects the following morning.
In his report, the coroner included a note directed at Google and Amazon regarding the suicide in order to prevent similar incidents in the future, indicating that both companies have the capacity to act against it and avert another tragedy. He expressed concern that the forum utilized by the victim and others like her "encourages suicide, providing information about methods and thereby facilitating the commission of a criminal act."
He added that the forum allows for the exchange of materials and viewing in open chat rooms, where suicide is encouraged and assisted, offering advice and enabling purchases through the sharing of information and methods. Additionally, he noted that the availability of poison online and the ability for Britons to receive it from the United States without specific limits or controls was also a troubling issue.
