New govt agency will allow victims of 'online harms' to obtain perpetrators' info for legal action

The Singapore government is moving to establish a new agency to support victims of specified online harms in a bid to promote responsible behaviour online.

This initiative was announced during the Ministry of Digital Development and Information's Committee of Supply debate on Mar. 7, 2025, by Minister for Digital Development and Information Josephine Teo.

A proposed law, the Online Safety (Relief & Accountability) Bill, will be introduced later this year, Teo said.

The law will establish a new agency called the Online Safety Commission (OSC). Teo said the agency will be set up by the first half of 2026.

OSC will set up a new complaints mechanism, and allow victims of certain online harms to request perpetrators’ information for legal proceedings, including nonconsensual sharing of intimate images.

The agency also seeks to provide victims with the means to take down offending content and pursue legal action.

Public consultation

The Ministry of Law (MinLaw) and the Ministry of Digital Development and Information (MDDI) conducted a joint public consultation regarding the agency from Nov. 22 to Dec. 22, 2024.

This included closed-door engagement sessions with social media platforms, academics, and community groups.

MDDI and MinLaw received over 100 responses from stakeholders; according to MinLaw, the consulted groups were, on the whole, supportive of the government's proposed measures.

Over 90 per cent of respondents, MinLaw said, expressed strong support for establishing a dedicated agency to address online harms.

Over 95 per cent of respondents supported allowing victims to take legal action against those responsible for online harm.

What could the agency do?

During the consultation, MinLaw proposed an agency that would administer a new complaints mechanism for victims to seek timely help.

This agency would be empowered to issue directions to perpetrators, administrators, and online service providers, such as social media platforms.

The agency would generally first direct that access to the offending content be disabled or, in the case of false statements or statements affecting reputation, grant the complainant a Right of Reply.

More severe levers would be reserved for more serious cases, MinLaw said.

Recipients of the agency’s directions would need to comply within a specified period of time or face further action down the line.

Such action could include an order directing internet access service providers to disable access to the online location hosting the harmful content.

The app containing the harmful content could also be removed from the app store.

Disclosing information for legal proceedings

MinLaw also said that it is exploring a proposal to make the user information of perpetrators available to victims who have filed complaints with the agency.

A victim who has filed a complaint with the agency may apply to the agency for the disclosure of a perpetrator’s user information for certain specified purposes, such as legal proceedings.

The agency would be able to then direct the relevant platform to provide information about the perpetrator.

Teo said that such a law would also help victims "hold their perpetrators accountable".

New statutory tort

MinLaw also proposed introducing statutory torts for specified online harms, to be heard in the Singapore Courts.

A statutory tort is a tort that is defined under legislation rather than under common law.

Specified online harms covered by the proposed torts would include content like online harassment, intimate image abuse, child abuse material, and violence-inciting hate speech, amongst others.

The torts are not meant to exhaustively cover all kinds of online harm, as there are existing laws dealing with online harms such as false statements and statements affecting reputation.

Teo said:

"Given the complexity and vastness of the digital space, rules and regulations alone are insufficient.

Everyone has a part to play."

Top photo from MDDI Singapore/YouTube & Canva