The Online Safety Commission (“OSC“) has begun operations on 29 June 2026, providing victims of online harms in Singapore a dedicated avenue to seek timely redress. Specified provisions on the statutory torts under the Online Safety (Relief and Accountability) Act 2025 (“OSRAA“) have also come into effect from 29 June 2026.
Online Safety Commission
In its first phase of operations, the OSC will support victims affected by five of the most prevalent and severe online harms: (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 categories of online harms under OSRAA will be progressively implemented.
Those who wish to make a report to the OSC should take the following steps:
- Report to the platform: 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.
- 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 (https://www.osc.gov.sg).
- Reporting to the OSC: Victims will need to provide information on the online harm that had occurred to them. 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.
- Applications for End-User Identity (“EUI”) information: Additionally, victims who do not know who harmed them online may apply to the OSC for help in obtaining EUI information to commence civil proceedings against such person. 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.
Once a report is received, the OSC will take the following steps:
- Assessment of report: OSC will assess the report. If there is reason to suspect that online harm has occurred, the Commissioner of Online Safety (“Commissioner“) may issue directions to stop or limit the harm.
- Appeal: The OSRAA provides for a two-stage review mechanism for all reports filed to the OSC: (i) eligible persons may seek a reconsideration of the Commissioner’s decision within 14 days; and (ii) parties who remain dissatisfied with the Commissioner’s decision after reconsideration may appeal to an Online Safety Appeal Panel within 14 days after the Commissioner’s reconsidered decision has been issued.
New Legal Remedies under OSRAA
Victims of online harms will also have additional rights under the OSRAA to bring civil claims. These rights are provided through new statutory torts, which will cover the five types of online harms outlined above during the first phase of operationalisation.
The statutory torts set out duties for the following groups of online actors:
- Communicators: A person must not communicate or publish harmful material, or engage in harmful online conduct.
- 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.
- Platforms: Platforms must take reasonable steps to address online harm when properly notified and do so within a reasonable time.
Further details have been provided on how these duties are engaged in practice:
- 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.
- 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.
- Six online service providers will be prescribed to have additional obligations under the OSRAA, having been assessed to have significant reach or impact in Singapore.
Click on the following links for more information:
- Press Release titled “The Online Safety Commission Begins Operations on 29 June 2026” (available on the MinLaw website at mlaw.gov.sg)
Rajah & Tann Singapore publications:
- May 2026 NewsBytes article titled “Online Safety Commission and Specified Statutory Torts on Online Harms to Come into Operation on 29 June 2026”
- October 2025 NewsBytes article titled “Online Safety (Relief and Accountability) Bill Passed in Parliament to Empower Victims of Online Harms to Seek Timely Relief and Obtain Redress”
If you have any queries on the above, please reach out to our team set out on this page.
For regional Technology, Media & Telecommunications matters, please see Rajah & Tann Asia’s Technology, Media & Telecommunications Practice for more information.
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