British support charity Samaritans introduced a new feature on Facebook in March 2011, giving users a way to anonymously flag posts from friends that signal possible suicidal thinking.
Reports submitted through Facebook's help center are forwarded to Samaritans, which then contacts the person by email to offer emotional support and counseling.
The rollout came shortly after a case that drew public attention to the problem. Simone Beck, a 42-year-old charity worker, posted what read as a farewell message on Facebook to more than 1,000 contacts. No one intervened; some responded with ridicule. She died within 24 hours, and her family publicly questioned why none of her online contacts had acted.
Samaritans had already partnered with Google so that searches in Britain for suicide-related terms automatically trigger a display of the charity's phone number.
Historical summary. TurkishPress restated this wire report, first published in March 2011, in its own words.