Victims of online harms in Singapore to get faster recourse through one-stop government agency

Individuals affected by cyber bullying, deepfakes and non-consensual sharing of intimate images can seek faster recourse through a government agency that will be set up to help victims of online harm.

Announced by Prime Minister Lawrence Wong on Oct 1, the agency will be a one-stop centre for victims, acting on their behalf to deal with perpetrators and online service providers such as social media platforms and to enforce the swift removal of harmful content.

To do this, the agency will be empowered by a new law to improve protection for victims, expected to be introduced in 2025.

“All victims of online harms would want the damaging content to be removed quickly and permanently,” PM Wong said at the launch of Smart Nation 2.0, an update to the national digital initiative.

He added: “They must be able to turn to a trusted source of support, who can act on their behalf to direct perpetrators and service providers to put a stop to the harms.”

The event at the nearly completed Punggol Digital District showcased the Government’s overarching digitalisation plans for the coming years and marked a decade since the launch of the initiative in 2014.  

While the operational details of the new agency and legislation are still being worked out with the Ministry of Law, the agency is among the most significant initiatives under Smart Nation 2.0 to mitigate the risks of online spaces and build trust.

Victims of online harm will be able to submit an application to the agency to seek redress, said the Ministry of Digital Development and Information (MDDI) on Oct 1.

“The new agency will act on behalf of victims to direct perpetrators and online service providers such as social media services to put a stop to the online harm quickly,” the ministry said.

“We will focus on the most serious and prevalent online harms affecting victims in Singapore, such as cyber bullying and the non-consensual sharing of intimate images.”

Victims and social services have voiced frustration over the sluggish response from tech platforms, which can take days or even months, and they sometimes fail to act at all. In many cases, victims remain unaware of who is behind the attacks.

According to a 2024 MDDI survey, 80 per cent of respondents who had reported harmful online content on social media platforms experienced issues with the reporting process.

PM Wong said: “We want to support victims with more timely and effective relief.”

Court orders can take time, and not everyone knows how to seek help from online service providers, some of which can take a while to respond – or not at all, he added. MDDI said: “Time is of the essence, as online harms can easily go viral, amplifying the effects on victims.

“There is therefore a need to improve the timeliness and effectiveness of relief to victims. Perpetrators should also be held accountable for the harms.”

The new legislation will supplement laws such as the Online Criminal Harms Act (Ocha) and the Protection from Online Falsehoods and Manipulation Act that tackle online harms.

In 2022, the Broadcasting Act was amended to include the Online Safety Act, requiring major social media platforms to remove harmful content, though it does not specify a takedown timeframe.

Ocha, which was passed in 2023, similarly allows the authorities to demand the removal or blocking of content linked to scams and cybercrimes.

The authorities are also working on new standards for social media platforms to deal with deepfakes and artificial material, MDDI’s spokesman told the media at a briefing in September.

The upcoming online safety agency is modelled on Australia’s eSafety Commissioner, an independent regulator that was granted powers in 2022 to direct social media platforms to remove flagged harmful content within 24 hours or face penalties.

Need for strong signal

Citing eSafety as a reference for reining in online harms, experts and advocates in Singapore have called for new policies that will help victims seek redress swiftly.

The agency will send a strong signal that something can be done to support victims, which will encourage more to seek help, said Ms Kwek Poh Heok, executive board director for non-profit organisation SG Her Empowerment (SHE).

SHE runs the first specialised support centre for victims of online harm here – in collaboration with the Singapore Council of Women’s Organisations (SCWO) – called SheCares@SCWO.

Located in Waterloo Street, the centre offers free counselling services and referrals to pro bono lawyers, and can make requests for posts to be removed through a direct line with partnering platforms such as Meta and Google.

A 2023 SHE survey found that nearly two in five internet users experienced online harm, including sexual harassment or cyber bullying. Many victims chose not to lodge a report as they felt it would take too much effort, or it would be futile, said Ms Kwek.

For the new law to be effective, it has to be able to compel social media platforms to remove the flagged content swiftly, she added.

“That is the immediate priority,” Ms Kwek said.

SheCares@SCWO centre head Lorraine Lim said that although most online platforms promptly remove flagged posts, some can take months.

She cited a case of a woman who found explicit deepfake images in her likeness shared in a group chat in early 2024.

“People thought it was real,” said Ms Lim. “It left (our client) traumatised and embarrassed.” The posts were removed only around two months later, after the client’s application for a protection order was approved by the authorities.

The effects of online abuse should not be taken lightly, said Ms Lim, as it can cause victims anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder and severe reputational damage, and can even lead to suicidal thoughts.

Dr Carol Soon, principal research fellow at the Institute of Policy Studies and vice-chair of the Media Literacy Council, said the reporting of online harms needs to be made simpler and faster than pursuing legal action, which can take time.

The agency should be given the power to compel social media companies to take action, she said, adding that doing so will bring some assurance to victims.

Dr Soon added: “Victims of online harms often feel debilitated and helpless, aggravated by the complex labyrinth of legal and platform remedies… The agency will play an important role in giving people who encountered online harms a place to go and triage them.”

Source: Straits Times © SPH Media Limited. Permission required for reproduction.

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