Timely and practical relief for online harms
Digital participation in Singapore has become nearly universal, but it appears that harmful online interactions have also become increasingly widespread. Government surveys indicated that 84% of respondents encountered harmful online content and 33% experienced harmful online behavior within the past year. The OSRA Bill seeks to close the existing enforcement gaps and deliver timely remedies to victims while deterring harmful conduct online.
New OSC
Under the OSRA Bill, a dedicated OSC will be constituted to administer a statutory reporting and enforcement regime. The OSC will be conferred powers to issue various orders and directions to communicators, administrators, platforms, internet access service providers and app distribution service providers, requiring these entities to intervene in relation to harmful online content. Noncompliance with directions may constitute a criminal offense.
The OSC is expected to be fully operational by mid-2026 and will cover 13 categories of online harm. The first tranche of online harms to be addressed covers online harassment, doxxing, online stalking, intimate image abuse and image-based child abuse. It is expected to be operationalized by the first half of 2026. The remaining categories of online harms cover online impersonation, inauthentic material abuse, online instigation of disproportionate harm, incitement of violence, incitement of enmity, publication of false material, publication of a statement harmful to reputation and nonconsensual disclosure of private information. They are expected to be implemented progressively at a later juncture.
Statutory torts enabling private enforcement
The OSRA Bill introduces statutory civil causes of action against entities for online harassment, doxxing, online stalking, intimate image abuse, online impersonation, inauthentic material abuse, online instigation of disproportionate harm and incitement of violence. Victims will be able to seek injunctive relief and compensatory damages.
To address the misuse of online anonymity, the OSC will also permit victims to apply for identity disclosures of anonymous perpetrators for the purposes of civil enforcement. If these applications are granted, the OSC will obtain user information from the platforms and may disclose this information to applicants, subject to certain conditions.
Key takeaways
The OSRA Bill is a significant development, as it heightens compliance expectations for platforms and online service operators in responding to harmful online content. It strengthens legal remedies for victims and imposes substantial consequences for noncompliance, such as criminal liability, access-blocking and app removal orders. Affected organizations should prepare ahead of the OSC’s expected launch by mid-2026.
Issues worth monitoring include how the OSRA Bill interacts with the current enforcement mechanisms provided for under the existing online regimes, such as the Protection from Harassment Act, particularly in areas where victims may have overlapping civil or statutory recourse. Another issue worth monitoring is how the OSRA Bill will calibrate the balance between individual protection, platform accountability and procedural efficiency. Our team is closely monitoring the OSRA Bill’s progress and stands ready to assist organizations in strengthening their online safety compliance, governance and incident response.
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