Singapore on Monday launched its new Online Safety Commission, providing victims of online abuse with a dedicated channel to seek the removal of harmful content, access support services and pursue civil remedies.

According to a joint statement issued on Sunday by the Ministry of Digital Development and Information, the Ministry of Law and the commission, the new body will initially deal with five types of harmful online behaviour. These include sexual harassment, doxxing, cyberstalking, the non-consensual sharing of intimate images, and image-based child sexual abuse.

Authorities said more categories of online harm will be added in later stages.

Victims of online harassment and cyberstalking are expected to first report the harmful content to the online platform. If the platform does not respond quickly or fails to take appropriate action, they can then file a complaint with the commission.

However, cases involving doxxing, intimate image abuse and image-based child abuse can be reported directly to the commission without first contacting the platform.

The commission has the authority to order people who posted harmful content, administrators of online groups or pages, and digital platforms hosting such content to take corrective action if there is evidence that online harm has occurred. This may include removing content, blocking access to it or restricting user accounts. Failure to comply with these orders is considered a criminal offence.

If online platforms or administrators ignore the commission's directives, internet service providers may be instructed to block access to the offending websites or online services in Singapore. App stores may also be ordered to stop offering apps operated by non-compliant platforms.

The commission will also help victims identify anonymous individuals responsible for online abuse when their identities are unknown.

In addition, it will work with community organisations to provide counselling and other support services for victims of digital abuse.