How does R;pple monitor searches?
It’s carried out via key words. So if someone searches online for something relating to self-harm or suicide, Ripple will be presented to them – providing a message of hope and a selection of mental health resources to choose from.
R;pple cannot report on data within your organisation. The purpose of the R;pple tool is to provide crisis intervention and immediate signposting to mental health support. This is where and when the person seeing these details, decides whether to follow that redirection, a personal choice.
We have thought long and hard about the possibility of collecting data analysis within organisations who have deployed R;pple. After careful consideration, we have come to the decision not to develop versions of R;pple which could report analysis for a specific company or organisation. The reasons for this decision include the following:
- Sensitivity - self-harm and suicidal ideation is a very sensitive subject. Reporting back on someone’s search history may have an adverse effect on the individual who is experiencing mental health crisis.
- Data Protection – feedback from our users, lived experience panels and clinicians has shown a strong preference for data protection, meaning we should not gain any access to information that could identify a person or their intentions.
- Personal Choice – R;pple provides an interception when an individual is conducting harmful online searches. Is it down to the individual as to whether they choose to utilise the support offered by R;pple or continue their search. We are not able to block people from accessing content outright, but we can provide support to individuals at their most vulnerable point in the hope they choose to utilise it.