The Online Safety (Relief and Accountability) Bill (“Bill“) was introduced for First Reading in Parliament on 15 October 2025. It had its Second Reading and was passed in Parliament on 5 November 2025.
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 are part of the Government’s continued efforts to strengthen Singapore’s defences against online harms.
The Bill will:
- establish the new Online Safety Commission (“OSC“);
- introduce statutory torts to set out the duties of various actors;
- enhance accountability of perpetrators through improved user identity information disclosure; and
- define various online harmful activities.
Establishment of the OSC
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 will be set up by the end of the first half of 2026.
Upon receiving a report from a victim, the OSC will be empowered to issue directions to address the online harm. These directions may be issued to communicators of the harmful content, administrators of online locations, or platforms where the harmful content is hosted.
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 order) to put a stop to the online harm.
Statutory Torts
The Bill will introduce statutory torts to clarify the duties and liabilities of three key stakeholders in the online ecosystem:
- Communicators: A person must not communicate, publish and/or engage in any conduct relating to any specified online harm in Singapore.
- 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.
- 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.
Enhancing Accountability of Communicators of Online Harms
The Bill will introduce measures to ensure that communicators of online harms, who often hide behind anonymity, can be better identified and held accountable.
- 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. Certain platforms can also be asked to take further reasonable steps to collect additional identity information from communicators of online harms.
- The OSC is empowered to issue written orders requiring those who appear to be acquainted with the facts and circumstances of relevant matters to attend before the OSC and to examine such individuals orally.
- 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.
Click on the following links for more information:
- Ministry of Law (“MinLaw“) Press Release titled “Proposed New Law to Empower Victims of Online Harms to Seek Timely Relief and Obtain Redress” (available on the MinLaw website at mlaw.gov.sg)
- Online Safety (Relief and Accountability) Bill (available on the Parliament of Singapore website at parliament.gov.sg)
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