YUANA DWI LESTARI

185150601111013

PTI-A

GOOGLE SHOULD INFORM THE AUTHORITIES ABOUT SUICIDAL

SEARCHES

The debate that I took this time was that Google should inform the authorities about
suicide searches. My opinion regarding this discussion is disagree. Why? Because the main
opinion is that anyone who commits suicide should not be allowed to die. however, I disagree
with the opinion that the authorities must be notified. There are a few more opinions which
state that I disagree with this discussion :

1. Not all countries are connected to the internet, which means not all countries have
access to Google. Most countries that are not connected to the internet are
countries in East Asia, South Africa, and countries in war.
2. Illegal suicides in several East Asian and Southeast Asian countries, where these
countries have their own Google domains. This can make life more difficult for
people in these places, as for instance, in India attempted suicide can incur fines
and up to a year in jail; In Malaysia and Singapore, you can see jailtime of up to a
year; in Russia, you could even be put into a psychiatric hospital if they believe
you're in imminent danger.
3. If everyone knows that "Google reports suicide searches" then it could
disincentivize suicidal people from seeking out help, since when people feel like
they're being watched, it makes them intrinsically feel powerless. Monitoring
searches like this will only make people feel uncomfortable. Not to mention, what
exactly "is" a suicide search? is it anything with the word 'suicide'? Because, as I
was researching this topic, I googled the word suicide, would the police be alerted
to me, or not? Or, would it be anything that could be construed as suicidal? Would
we even include searches done while in "private browsing"? To me, the very
means by which we decide what a "suicide search" means, that either we condemn
those who can't spell or misuse a potentially suicidally-inclined word, or we
 ignore the suicidal people who know how to avoid those particular keywords.
"How to tie a noose"; "Most vulnerable gunshot wounds"; "poisons found in the
home" & "euthanasia methods" are all terms I can see both a suicidal person or a
moderately curious person typing into their google window.

The point is that suicide is a big problem being discussed at the moment and I am not
suggesting that we do nothing to help those who have suicidal ideation. When you type in
suicide, it gives a phone number for your local suicide prevention hotline, and links to mental
health sites. Whilst I can't guarantee it's in place for all person's Google searches, I think that
this is the best solution for this issue. I hope that I have shown in this debate that information
puts people with suicidal ideation at risk of criminal penalty, prison time, isolation &
increased suicide risk, which is why I firmly assert that Google should not inform the
authorities about suicide searches.