Abstract:
Singapore’s latest legislation to address online harms, the Online Safety (Relief and Accountability) Bill, was passed in Parliament in November 2025. The legislation, which takes a complainant-centric approach, provides the Commissioner of Online Safety a broad range of powers so that timely redress can be given for reports of online harms such as image abuse, sexual harassment, doxxing, and stalking. Various torts that impose duties on administrators and platforms have also been created. Legislation of this nature invariably raises issues about whether an appropriate balance between freedom and responsibility has been struck. This Legislative Comment analyses some of the more notable provisions of the new law and in so doing, draws comparisons with some of the legislative efforts elsewhere.