In a move that reminded me somewhat of Brandon Vedas, a Florida man broadcast his suicidal overdose.
Police in Florida are investigating the role of Web site moderators and discussion board members in a live streaming video of a teen's suicide last week.
Nineteen-year-old Abraham Biggs Jr. wrote that he intended to kill himself with a combination of prescription drugs, offered a link to his Web cam, and invited people to watch. Members of a discussion board commented on the event as it unfolded.
Some expressed shock, while others laughed or encouraged Biggs to die. Some members uncovered Biggs' identity, phone number, and address, and at least one online community member called police. Twelve hours after Biggs posted the note and a link to Justin.tv through a discussion board on bodybuilding.com, police found his lifeless body while the suicide video continued to stream online.
Vedas' overdose was also met with a large deal of skepticism and a few who tried in vain to reach his parents, poison control, or to at least found out where he was. The thing that most people don't seem to realize is that it isn't exactly all that simple to rectify a situation like this. Sure, you can get their IP address, but that's only going to give you a very vague idea of their location, showing where the users subscriber servers are located.
Some of the disturbing comments occurred after Biggs had lost consciousness or died. Justin.tv, the forum where Biggs streamed the incident, deleted the video and the related string of comments, so it is unclear whether taunts were made before Biggs lost consciousness or took the pills.
Biggs' father told The Associated Press that he believes his son's post was a cry for help and that he is appalled that no one responded before it was too late. The Pembroke Pines Police Department confirmed in an interview over the weekend that they are looking into what role, if any, Web site moderators and online community members played in the situation.
I'm shocked that the father seems to levy this so heavily on random people on the internet. Biggs had made such threats or given indications of severe depression and/or suicidal thoughts before. Why was this not acted upon by his friends and family? You know, the people that actually see him in the real world all the fucking time. But surely their inactivity wasn't the problem. The problem was the random people who had no idea of the veracity of Biggs' suicidal urges. If it wasn't that site that Biggs broadcasted his suicide on, it would have been another site. If he didn't have a webcam, it easily could have been a regular camcorder. Biggs was going to commit suicide whether some random fucktards urged him on or not. I seriously doubt the website was what pushed him over the edge.
People who claimed to have witnessed the event said in online postings that they tried to get help from Web site moderators who did not take the situation seriously and respond until members made several pleas for help. Several people also said it was difficult to determine whether the footage was real and whether Bigg's threat was serious because they claim he had made similar threats before.
The Web sites' operators have not commented on the investigation, but Justin.tv CEO Michael Seibel issued a statement.
"We regret that this has occurred and want to respect the privacy of the broadcaster and his family during this time," he said.
Other people have streamed their suicides and plotted suicide with others online. Suicide is illegal in many places and those who attempt it but fail can face prosecution.
Posting video of a suicide is not generally a criminal offense, although it violates terms of use on sites like Justin.tv, which ban inappropriate and violent content. However, that site, and others like it, rely on users to report inappropriate content, making it impossible in some cases to prevent live footage.
In New York State, anyone who advises someone to commit suicide can be charged with manslaughter.
- Source
Was it mean-spirited to mock and encourage his suicide? Yeah, sure it was. People saying mean shit on the internet? Never heard of it before. Irregardless, I wonder how likely Biggs suicide would have been prevented if no posts had been made to encourage him. My bet, if he didn't kill himself then, he would have later. And if his family and friends didn't notice or proactively seek help for his behaviour already, it makes me wonder if they would have had Biggs been talked down. This idea that someone has to be at fault, someone other than the individual who committed the act, is complete bullshit.
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