New Bill which proposes timely relief and redress for online harm victims introduced

A new Bill was tabled in Parliament on Wednesday (Oct 15) which will give the Government powers to order social media platforms and app providers to take down harmful content.

The Online Safety (Relief and Accountability) Bill will also establish an Online Safety Commission (OSC) for victims of 13 online harms — including stalking and online harassment — to seek timely relief and obtain redress starting from the end of the first half of 2026.

The Ministry of Digital Development and Information (MDDI) and the Ministry of Law (MinLaw) said in a statement that victims will be required to first report the harm they have experienced to the online platform before submitting a report to the OSC.

Victims of online harms that "warrant urgent relief", such as when their intimate photos are leaked without their consent, can approach the OSC directly.

The proposed government agency will be empowered to include directions to take down the harmful content, restrict the perpetrator's online account, or to allow the victim to post a reply.

"Non-compliance with directions is a criminal offence," said MDDI and MinLaw. "In such cases, the OSC may also take additional measures such as issuing an access blocking order or app removal order to put a stop to online harm."

The Bill also gives victims of online harms legal basis —  to seek action against online communicators, administrators and platforms.

"The court will be able to grant remedies such as compensatory damages and injunctions," the ministries said.

They said that the OSC can require online platforms to provide the identity of perpetrators, but acknowledged that such "bad actors" may deliberately withhold their identity, frustrating efforts to trace them.

"To remedy this, certain platforms, such as those with greater reach, can also be asked to take further reasonable steps to collect additional identity information from communicators of online harms," said MDDI and MinLaw.

Individuals may be fined up to $20,000 and jailed for up to 12 months, while entities may be fined up to $500,000, for flouting the spelt-out obligations and directions of the OSC.

The proposed establishment of OSC was first announced by Prime Minister Lawrence Wong in October last year, who said that the new government agency will help victims seek redress instead of relying on the courts.  

A survey by MDDI, conducted between November 2024 and February 2025, found that more than four in five Singapore residents encountered harmful content online.

Sexual and violent content were among frequently encountered, followed by cyberbullying and content causing racial and religious tension.

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chingshijie@asiaone.com