The Singapore Parliament has passed an online safety bill which introduces stricter rules for platforms and stronger protection for victims of harm.
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Singapore’s parliament on 5 September passed a new law granting individuals new channels to seek timely redress and imposing stricter responsibilities for platforms to protect user safety. But experts warn that provisions which require platforms to identify those suspected of online harm could raise privacy risks.
Introduced for its first reading in parliament on 15 October, the Online Safety (Relief and Accountability) Bill (OSRA) builds on Singapore’s 2023 Code of Practice for Online Safety and a 2022 amendment to The Broadcasting Act. It also establishes a new Online Safety Commission with powers to take down harmful content, enforce against non-compliance, and issue directions to platforms.
“The impact of this new law will be meaningful,” Hogan Lovells partner Charmian Aw told Lexology PRO. “In general, it is expected that the digital content environment in Singapore could become a safer place for minors and more vulnerable people.”
The commission is expected to be operational by the end of June 2026 and will deal with 13 types of online harms, initially focusing on online harassment, doxxing, stalking, intimate-image abuse, and image-based child sexual abuse. It will also set up a statutory reporting system for victims.
Aw said platforms will need to “speed up” to meet the new obligations, ensure compliance and avoid being penalised.
Entities that fail to comply with the online safety rules could be fined up to SGD $500,000 (€331,650). If non-compliance continues, the commission can order internet service providers to block access or app stores to remove apps.
The bill also introduces statutory torts, giving victims a basis to initiate legal proceedings against perpetrators of online harm and allowing them to bring claims for compensatory damages and injunctions. The statutory torts also impose duties on platforms, individuals, and administrators of online groups or pages to avoid publishing or engaging with harmful content.
Under the bill, victims can request the commission’s assistance to identify perpetrators in order to initiate legal proceedings, but CNP Law partner Wong Pei-Ling told Lexology PRO this presents privacy issues.
“A key tension lies in privacy versus accountability,” Pei-Ling said. “While the ability to compel identity disclosure enhances accountability and deters perpetrators, it also raises privacy and doxxing concerns.”
Pei-Ling added it “is anticipated” that guidelines will be released to clarify thresholds, procedural protections and evidentiary standards related to safeguarding and privacy.