Protect healthcare professionals from harmful online searches

Ripple cannot report on data within your organisation. The purpose of the Ripple 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 Ripple. After careful consideration, we have come to the decision not to develop versions of Ripple 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 – Ripple 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 Ripple 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.

Customer data is something we actively seek to avoid, at every turn. Our mission is to get Ripple onto as many machines as possible and to provide a vital safety net of support if somebody is researching a way to end their own life.

1. Please let us know how many machines you will be deploying Ripple onto
2. Please let us know what browser you will be deploying Ripple onto
3. Please let us know what email address to invoice to Please liaise with your IT department to deploy the extension en masse.

There are three primary ways to get the extension onto managed machines:  

• GPO (Group Policy Object)- You can force install a browser extension on Chrome and on edge using this method  
• Force installs through browser management. Both Google workspace and Microsoft 365 have methods for this  
• Using a third-party management tool (of which there are many – if your organisation does not use one, this is not an option to consider)  

Have a look on our website under ‘The Communications’ to think about how, when and if you’d like to publicise our partnership and the positive step you’re taking to protect your colleagues wellbeing and mental health.

Ripple is not able to determine any organisational or individual identifiable data from the metrics that are collected. However, we can provide very high-level organisational information in the sense that we could tell you how many times Ripple has been ‘activated’ within your region.

Ripple for the browser is very lightweight and causes no measurable resource  utilisation

If our IT systems already block harmful content, how does Ripple interact with this?

Browser Extension - Ripple for the browser compliments network level content filtering. Because it is  installed on the end point it can detect harmful web searches one step before network level equipment  can. There is no reason why the browser extensions cannot be used with a network filtering service at  the same time.

Yes. We have a snooze functionality within the Ripple tool that enables the tool to be 'switched off' for certain users if they are required to conduct online searches relating to self-harm and suicide for legitimate reasons. This functionality is available on a case by case basis and can be requested by emailing info@ripplesuicideprevention.com.

This is at the discretion of the organisation. Each organisation can choose to inform their colleagues about the deployment of Ripple or be discreet about the installation and ensure the tool sits in the  background.

Incorrect – someone who is experiencing a mental health crisis will not be thinking about what device they are searching on, as to them, they won’t be here to experience the consequences. Our data and analytics demonstrate that, sadly, harmful searches of this nature are conducted at home, at work and on the move.

Plus, Ripple also protects vulnerable individuals facing a broad range of mental health challenges and life struggles, including:

• Autism  
• Bereavement
• Divorce and separation
• Domestic abuse
• Eating disorders
• Financial struggles
• Gambling addiction
• Grooming
• LGBTIQA+ struggles
• Military to civilian transition
• Substance misuse
• Suicide and self-harm

This approach is grounded in evidence showing the close links between these challenges and suicide risk.