Victims of online harassment, doxxing can get help from new government body from Jun 29

Victims of online harassment, doxxing can get help from new government body from Jun 29 Victims will need to provide information about the online harm they experienced. This may include screenshots, images and videos. SINGAPORE: Victims of online harms in Singapore can seek help from a new government body, the Online Safety Commission (OSC), from Monday (Jun 29). The commission will help victims of five types of online harm: online harassment (including sexual harassment), doxxing, online stalking, intimate image abuse and image-based child abuse. Its scope will gradually expand to cover all 13 categories of online harms under the law, including online impersonation, inauthentic material abuse and statements that harm a person's reputation, said the OSC, Ministry of Digital Development and Information and Ministry of Law in a joint statement. The OSC was set up under the Online Safety (Relief and Accountability) Act 2025, marking a significant step in Singapore's efforts to better protect people online. New provisions under the law will also take effect on Monday, strengthening protections for victims of online harms. With the OSC's establishment, Singapore becomes one of the few countries with a government agency dedicated to helping victims of online harms. Mr Francis Ng, Commissioner (Designate) of the Online Safety Commission, said the prevalence of the internet has driven a rise in online harms. "All of us know someone who has been personally affected by an online harm. The Online Safety Commission is going to attempt to change that. "We will, at our core, have the interests of victims at heart. Our processes have been designed to assist victims, to empower them to find hope, to deal with these online harms." Mr Ng added that the commission is particularly concerned about image abuse, image-based child abuse and doxxing. "We will act quickly to engage platforms at other media sites on which these harms appear, with a view to having these harms removed quickly and expeditiously." REPORTING PROCESS Victims filing a report must be Singapore citizens, permanent residents or have a prescribed connection to Singapore. Reports can be submitted through the OSC website, which guides users through the process. Filing a report is free. Victims will need to provide information about the online harm experienced. This may include a description of what happened, along with supporting material such as URLs, screenshots, images and videos. The perpetrator's account name should also be provided, if available. Parents or guardians are encouraged to make reports on behalf of victims under 18 years old. Someone with the victim's written authorisation may also file a report. For online harassment and stalking cases, victims must first report the content to the platform hosting it. If the platform fails to respond promptly or provides an inadequate response within 24 hours, victims may then file a report with the OSC. The OSC also operates a "no-wrong-door policy" – regardless of which government agency victims first approach, they will be guided to the appropriate help. After receiving a report, the OSC will assess it. If there is reason to suspect that online harm has occurred, the commissioner may issue directions to stop or limit the harm. “These directions may be issued to the person who posted the harmful content, the administrator of the online group or page where the harmful content appears or the platform hosting content,” OSC and the ministries said. For example, the commissioner may direct that access to the harmful content be disabled or that the perpetrator’s account be restricted. Non-compliance with a direction is a criminal offence. Six online service providers will have additional obligations under the new Act, given their significant reach or impact in Singapore. They are: Meta Platforms, for Facebook and Instagram; Google, for YouTube; X Corp, for X; TikTok; and SPH Media, for HardwareZone forums. Beyond content removal, the OSC encouraged victims and their families to seek support from its community partners: Fei Yue Community Services, Samaritans of Singapore, SHE-SG Her Empowerment, Singapore Children's Society and TOUCH Community Services. “These community partners can guide victims on how to make a report to the OSC and provide other forms of assistance such as counselling,” it said. RECONSIDERATION AND APPEAL Eligible individuals who disagree with the commissioner's decision may apply for reconsideration within 14 days, with no fees charged. The commissioner may affirm, revoke, vary or substitute the initial decision. Those who remain dissatisfied after reconsideration may appeal to an independently appointed Online Safety Appeal Panel within 14 days. A S$200 (US$154) application fee applies. A six-member appeal panel, comprising individuals from various fields such as law, clinical psychology and academia, has been appointed for a three-year term by the Minister for Digital Development and Information. The panel will be chaired by Professor Leslie Chew SC, dean of Singapore University of Social Sciences' law school. Dr Natalie Pang, associate professor of the National University of Singapore's (NUS) communications and new media department, will act as vice-chairperson. Other members are Singapore Management University's Professor Lee Pey Woan, NUS Associate Professor Carol Soon, Institute of Mental Health's Dr Lim Choon Guan and The Psychology Practice's Ms June Tang. Victims who do not know who harmed them online may apply to the OSC for help identifying the person responsible if they are considering civil proceedings. Applications must be made within 12 months from when the online harm occurred or when the victim first became aware of it, whichever is later. LEGAL SUPPORT UNDER THE NEW ACT Under the new law, victims of online harms may also bring civil claims in court through new statutory torts, covering the same five online harms in the first phase. The torts set out duties for three groups: communicators, who must not post harmful material or engage in harmful online conduct; administrators of online groups, pages or forums, who must not facilitate online harm and must take reasonable steps to address it when notified; and platforms, which must take reasonable steps to address harm when notified and do so within a reasonable time. Victims can trigger an administrator or platform's duty to respond by submitting an Online Harm Notice in the prescribed form, accessible on the law ministry's online safety website. Administrators and platforms are required to respond once a victim submits an online harm notice. Victims can access the form on the law ministry's online safety website. Certain platforms with wider reach and greater resources must respond within specified timeframes. For the most serious cases – intimate image abuse or child abuse material depicting a victim's exposed genital or anal regions, or breasts if the victim is female – platforms must respond within six hours. They have 24 hours for other intimate image abuse or child abuse material, and 48 hours for all other harms. “If a prescribed platform fails to address such harm within the required timeframe, victims may take legal action against the platform,” the agencies said. Where losses are difficult to prove, the Online Safety (Relief and Accountability) Act provides minimum damages for the most serious image-based harms. For intimate image abuse and image-based child abuse, the court will award at least S$5,000 (US$3,850) for each image or recording if the claim succeeds. Victims of online harassment, doxxing and stalking can continue to seek help under the Protection from Harassment Act, including protection orders. Minister for Digital Development and Information Josephine Teo said the new law and the commission reflect a broader ambition for Singapore's digital society. "They recognise the fact that bad behaviours online not only cause harm to individuals, they can become normalised over time and harm society. "Instead, we hope the Online Safety (Relief and Accountability) Act and OSC will help strengthen norms for positive and responsible online behaviour, so that all Singaporeans can participate safely and confidently in our digital society."