[2] According to its FAQ, its purpose is neither to encourage nor discourage suicide and strongly maintains a pro-choice view on the matter.
The high degree of anonymity is another advantage of newsgroups like a.s.h, allowing people to openly talk about their feelings without fear of consequences.
UK Byron Review for 2008,[5] analyzing the effects of websites on children, says that "research looking at pro-suicide sites has had mixed results.
In 2003, a.s.h was the topic of a series of Wired articles under the pretext of examining the group's role in the deaths of several depressed individuals.
The accuracy and integrity of the articles was widely disputed by ashers and internet media critics, e.g., Ken Hagler's Radio Weblog: No One Asked Why He Wanted to Die.