Proposed New Law to Empower Victims of Online Harms to Seek Timely Relief and Obtain Redress
15 October 2025 Posted in Press releases
1. The Ministry of Digital Development and Information (MDDI) and Ministry of Law (MinLaw) introduced the Online Safety (Relief and Accountability) (“OSRA”) Bill (the “Bill”) for First Reading in Parliament today.
2. The Bill introduces new measures to strengthen online safety and protect Singaporeans from online harms, by empowering victims to seek timely relief and obtain redress. These measures complement existing regulatory and criminal law frameworks, and are part of the Government’s continued efforts to strengthen our defences against online harms.
Impetus for Reforms
3. Digital access has become an integral part of our daily lives, but it has also given rise to serious concerns. For example, bad actors have misused the internet to harass or bully individuals and distributed harmful content like intimate image abuse, with deleterious consequences for victims and society.
4. Singaporeans are also reporting exposure to online harms. MDDI’s recent Perceptions of Digitalisation Survey found that more than four in five (84%) respondents in Singapore encountered harmful online content, and one third (33%) experienced harmful online behaviour in the past year. Sexual and violent content were among the most frequent types of harmful online content encountered. This was followed by cyberbullying and content causing racial or religious tension.
5. This growing exposure to online harms also translates into deeper psychological impacts, as highlighted by SG Her Empowerment’s (SHE) latest study “404 Help Not Found: Lived Experiences of Online Harms Survivors”, which revealed how victims’ sense of helplessness was compounded by limited options for recourse; online anonymity of perpetrators; and the tendency for self-blame or victim-blaming by downplaying their experiences.
6. Online harms have also distorted online participation and discourse. A study conducted by SHE in 2023 found that three in four respondents were uncomfortable expressing their personal views on potentially controversial topics online, as they feared that they or those around them will be targeted and harmed. Furthermore, the majority of respondents also reported resorting to self-censorship or disengagement from online activities, to protect themselves from online harms.
7. These findings underscore the urgent need for stronger protections for victims. The measures introduced by the Bill come on top of measures available under existing laws1 and broaden the spectrum of online harms they cover. OSRA will contribute to a safer and more conducive online public square, where Singaporeans can actively participate in civic discourse without causing undue harm to others.
Key Provisions of the Bill
8. The OSRA Bill will:
a) Establish the new Online Safety Commission (OSC), a dedicated agency to administer a statutory reporting mechanism that will enable victims to seek timely remedies from specified online harms;
b) Introduce statutory torts to provide a clear legal basis for victims of online harms to hold those responsible for such harms accountable; and
c) Enhance accountability of perpetrators through improved user identity information disclosure.
A. Establishment of a new Online Safety Commission
9. The Bill will establish a new agency called the OSC, which will provide remedies to victims who come forward to report the harm they have experienced. The OSC, which will be set up by the end of the first half of 2026, will be headed by a Commissioner appointed by the Minister for Digital Development and Information.
10. Victims will be required, in most cases, to first report the harm they have experienced to the online service provider before submitting a report to the OSC. For specified categories of online harms that warrant urgent relief, such as intimate image abuse and child abuse material, victims may seek remedies from the OSC immediately. It will be an offence for a complainant to submit false information to the OSC.
11. The OSC will be empowered, upon receiving a report from a victim, to issue directions to address the online harm. These include directions to take down the harmful content, to restrict the perpetrator’s online account, or to allow the victim to post a reply. These directions may be issued to communicators of the harmful content, administrators of online locations, or platforms where the harmful content is hosted.
12. Non-compliance with directions is a criminal offence. In such cases, the OSC may also take additional measures such as issuing an access blocking order or app removal order2, to put a stop to the online harm.
13. Affected parties may seek a reconsideration of the OSC’s decision, and thereafter make an appeal to an independent appeal panel appointed by the Minister for Digital Development and Information. The appeal panel will comprise representatives from across various sectors with relevant domain knowledge.
14. The 13 categories of online harms that will be addressed by the OSC and the directions that may be issued can be found in Annex. These categories will be implemented in phases, starting with harms that are most serious and prevalent.
B. Statutory Torts
15. The Bill will introduce statutory torts to clarify the duties and liabilities of three key stakeholders in the online ecosystem:
a) Communicators: A person must not communicate, publish and/or engage in any conduct relating to any specified online harm in Singapore.
b) Administrators: An administrator must not create, set up or administer an online location in a manner that facilitates or permits the conduct of any online harm, intending or knowing that harm would occur. An administrator must also take reasonable measures to address specified online harms at their online location upon receiving notice of such harm.
c) Platforms A platform must take reasonable measures to address specified online harms upon receiving notice of such harm. Certain platforms, such as those with greater reach, will be subject to additional requirements, for example, on the time taken to respond to user reports.
16. Overall, the statutory torts will provide victims with a clear cause of action against the above-mentioned parties, and allow victims to seek redress from the Court. The Court will be able to grant remedies such as compensatory damages and injunctions.
17. The nine categories of online harms that will be covered under the statutory torts can be found in Annex.
C. Enhancing accountability of communicators of online harms
18. The Bill will introduce measures to ensure that communicators of online harms, who are often emboldened by online anonymity to commit harms with impunity, can be better identified and held accountable.
19. The OSC can require platforms to provide identity information of end-users suspected of causing online harm, where such information is already in the platforms’ possession. However, bad actors may deliberately withhold their identity information from platforms, 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.
20. A victim who has submitted a report to the OSC may apply for the disclosure of a perpetrator’s identity information for specified purposes, such as bringing a claim under the statutory tort. Where such information is disclosed, conditions will be imposed to ensure that the victim does not misuse it.
Creating a Safer Online Space for All
21. The development of the Bill was guided by a Steering Committee comprising members from relevant government agencies, the non-profit sector and academia.
22. The Bill also benefited from a series of closed-door engagement sessions with more than 100 stakeholders, including industry partners, academics, community groups, and other experts. A public consultation on the proposed legislation and measures, conducted from 22 November to 22 December 2024, received broad public support3.
23. The feedback gathered from the engagement sessions with stakeholders and the public consultation was also taken into consideration in finalising the Bill. We thank all who contributed their views and suggestions.
Second Reading of the Bill
24. The Bill will be tabled for a Second Reading at the next available Parliament sitting.
MINISTRY OF DIGITAL DEVELOPMENT AND INFORMATION
MINISTRY OF LAW
15 OCTOBER 2025
1. Existing laws include the Broadcasting Act, Elections (Integrity of Online Advertising) (Amendment) Act, Online Criminal Harms Act, and Protection from Harassment Act.↩
2. Access blocking orders can only be issued to an Internet Access Service Provider. App removal orders can only be issued to an app distribution service.↩
3. For the full summary of responses to the public consultation, please refer to https://www.reach.gov.sg/latest-happenings/public-consultation-pages/2024/public-consultation-on-enhancing-online-safety#1eed26825d3eb4b5ab0bc550fe83c999.↩
Last updated on 15 October 2025