Singapore's newly established Online Safety Committee began operating on June 29, giving victims of cyber abuse a new channel to request content removal, access to support services and civil remedies.
In a joint statement on June 28, the Ministry of Digital Development and Information, the Ministry of Justice of Singapore and this committee said that the committee will initially handle 5 groups of harmful online behaviors, including sexual harassment, dissemination of personal information (doxxing), cyberstalking, abuse of private images and abuse of children based on images. Other groups of behaviors have been identified but will be implemented in later stages.
For online harassment and online monitoring, victims are instructed to report the content to the platform first, and then approach the committee if the platform does not respond promptly or satisfactorily. Cases related to doxxing, abuse of privacy and child abuse based on images can be reported directly to the committee.
The Committee may require users who post harmful content, administrators of groups or websites, or content storage platforms to act if there is a basis to believe that damage has occurred on the network. The Committee may request the removal of content, disable access, or restrict user accounts. Failure to comply is a criminal offense.
If administrators or platforms do not comply with committee orders, internet service providers may be directed to block access to locations on the network in Singapore, while application stores may be required to stop distributing applications of non-compliant platforms in this country.
People who do not know the identities of those who have harmed them online can also request the committee to assist in identifying them. The committee also coordinates with community organizations to provide counseling services and other support.
