The Online Safety Commission Begins Operations on 29 June 2026

Victims of online harms now have a dedicated channel to seek timely recourse

1. The Online Safety Commission (OSC) will begin operations on 29 June 2026, providing victims of online harms in Singapore a dedicated and easily accessible avenue to seek timely redress.

2. Established to support the office of the Commissioner of Online Safety created by the Online Safety (Relief and Accountability) Act 2025 (OSRAA), the OSC marks a significant milestone in Singapore's commitment to protecting individuals online. Specified provisions on the statutory torts under OSRAA also come into effect tomorrow, strengthening protections for victims across the online ecosystem.

More support for five online harms in first phase of operations

3. In its first phase of operations, the OSC will support victims affected by five of the most prevalent and severe online harms¹ faced by Singapore citizens and residents: (i) online harassment (including online sexual harassment), (ii) doxxing, (iii) online stalking, (iv) intimate image abuse, and (v) image-based child abuse. The remaining eight categories² of online harms under OSRAA will be progressively implemented.

4. Those who have experienced any of the aforesaid five online harms and wish to make a report to the OSC should take the following steps:

   1. Report to the platform: For cases involving online harassment and online stalking, victims should first report the harmful content to the platform on which it appears. If the platform fails to respond promptly or provides an inadequate response within 24 hours, victims may then file a report with the OSC.

   2. Approach the OSC directly for more severe harms: For cases involving intimate image abuse, image-based child abuse and doxxing, victims may report directly to the OSC through its website (www.osc.gov.sg ↗ (opens in new tab)).

Reporting to the OSC

5. When victims make reports via the OSC’s website, they will be guided through the reporting process. Victims will need to provide information³ of the online harm that had occurred to them.

6. Parents and guardians may file reports on behalf of victims who are under 18 years of age. A report may also be submitted by another individual on behalf of a victim, with the victim's written authorisation. There is no fee required to make a report to the OSC.

Actions that will be taken by the OSC

7. OSC will assess the report. 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 the content. 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.

8. Six online service providers will be prescribed to have additional obligations under the OSRAA, reflecting a higher level of responsibility to ensure a safe online space for Singapore users. These online service providers are assessed to have significant reach or impact in Singapore. Please see Annex B ↗ (opens in new tab) for the list of prescribed online service providers for purposes of the OSC.

9. The OSC operates a no-wrong-door policy. Regardless of which government agency victims first approach – whether the OSC, or another agency – they will be guided to the appropriate help.

Providing support beyond content removal

10. The OSC recognises that experiencing online harms can be deeply distressing, and that victims may need support beyond the removal of harmful content. Victims and their families are encouraged to seek help from the OSC’s current community partners⁴ – 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.

11. The OSC's website also provides victims and the public with resources on online harms, including information on the different types of online harms, what to do when you experience them, and how to keep yourself safe online.

Further review of the OSC’s decisions

12. OSRAA provides for a two-stage review mechanism for all reports filed to the OSC.

    1. Eligible persons may seek a reconsideration of the Commissioner’s decision if they disagree with it. Applications for reconsideration must be made no later than 14 days after the initial OSC decision has been issued. Where an application for reconsideration has been made, the Commissioner may affirm, revoke, vary, or substitute the initial decision. There is no fee for applying for a reconsideration. Please see Annex C ↗ (opens in new tab) for the definition of eligible persons.

    2. Parties who remain dissatisfied with the Commissioner’s decision after reconsideration may appeal to an Online Safety Appeal Panel. The appeal panel acts independently of the OSC and can affirm, revoke, vary, or substitute the Commissioner's decision. Appeals should be made no later than 14 days after the Commissioner’s reconsidered decision has been issued. A $200 application fee is payable upon submission of an appeal.

13. A six-member appeal panel, comprising experienced individuals with expertise in various fields, including law, clinical psychology, and academia, has been appointed by the Minister for Digital Development and Information for a three-year term. The panel will be chaired by Professor Leslie Chew SC, Dean, School of Law, Singapore University of Social Sciences. Dr Natalie Pang, Associate Professor, Department of Communications and New Media, National University of Singapore, will act as vice chairperson. The profiles of the appeal panel members are available in Annex D ↗ (opens in new tab).

14. More information on applications for reconsideration and appeals can be found on the OSC’s website.

Applications for End-User Identity (EUI) information

15. Victims who do not know who harmed them online may apply to the OSC for help identifying the person responsible, if they are thinking of commencing, or intend to commence, civil proceedings against such person. If the application is successful, information disclosed must only be used for its stated purposes and disclosure will be subject to conditions. 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.

New legal remedies under OSRAA

16. Victims of online harms will also have additional rights under OSRAA to bring civil claims in Court. These rights are provided through new statutory torts, which will cover the five types of online harms outlined earlier during the first phase of operationalisation.

17. The statutory torts operate by setting out duties for different actors in the online ecosystem. Where these duties are breached, victims may bring civil claims in Court against those responsible. These duties apply to three groups of online actors:

    1. Communicators: A person must not communicate or publish harmful material, or engage in harmful online conduct.

    2. Administrators: This includes persons who administer online groups, pages, forums or other online spaces. They must not set up or run these spaces in a way that facilitates online harm. They must also take reasonable steps to address such harm when properly notified.

    3. Platforms: Platforms must take reasonable steps to address online harm when properly notified, and do so within a reasonable time.

18. The duty of an administrator or platform to respond reasonably when notified of harm is triggered upon the victim sending an Online Harm Notice to them in the prescribed form and manner. Victims may access this form on MinLaw’s Online Safety website. The form may also be hosted on a platform’s online service as a webform. For such platforms, MinLaw’s Online Safety website will provide the link to the webform.

19. Whether an administrator or platform has responded reasonably to such a notice will depend on the facts of each case. Platforms that are prescribed for purposes of the statutory torts must take steps to address the harm within specified time periods, unless they show to the Court that it was not reasonable to do so within that time. Please see Annex E ↗ (opens in new tab) for the list of platforms prescribed for purposes of the statutory torts.

20. The statutory torts are designed with the realities of online harm in mind. For example, where losses may be difficult to prove, OSRAA provides for minimum damages for the most serious image-based harms. For intimate image abuse and image-based child abuse, the Court will award at least $5,000 for each image or recording if the claim is made out.

21. OSRAA’s court-based remedies complement existing remedies under the Protection from Harassment Act (“POHA”). Victims of online harassment, doxxing or stalking may continue to seek remedies against communicators under POHA, including Protection Orders. OSRAA provides additional remedies for other specified online harms, such as intimate image abuse and image-based child abuse, and for victims who wish to hold administrators or platforms accountable for failing to act reasonably after receiving an Online Harm Notice. For more information, please visit MinLaw’s Online Safety website.

Continuing efforts to build a safer online space in Singapore

22. With the establishment of the OSC, Singapore becomes one of only a few countries worldwide to have a government agency dedicated to providing timely relief to victims of online harms.

23. The operationalisation of OSRAA is part of the continuing efforts by the Singapore Government to ensure Singaporeans are safe online. In the past two years, IMDA has issued the Code of Practice for Online Safety - App Distribution Services and published the Online Safety Assessment Reports on Designated Social Media Services to hold online platforms accountable for the services they provide, while keeping Singaporeans informed so that they can in turn protect their families and loved ones.

¹The descriptions of the five online harms can be found in the Annex ↗ (opens in new tab).

²See Annex ↗ (opens in new tab) for the full list of online harms.

³These may include, but not limited to, a description of what happened and supporting information such as URLs, screenshots, images and videos.

⁴The contact information of the OSC’s current partner organisations can be found on OSC’s website at www.osc.gov.sg ↗ (opens in new tab).