Publication Type
Journal Article
Version
publishedVersion
Publication Date
4-2026
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.
Discipline
Internet Law | Science and Technology Law
Research Areas
Innovation, Technology and the Law
Publication
Singapore Academy of Law Journal
First Page
1
Last Page
22
ISSN
0218-2009
Publisher
Singapore Academy of Law
Citation
CHEN, Siyuan; WU, Zavier Yu; and LEE, Jie Ting.
Online safety (relief and accountability) bill: Further experiments in balancing rights and responsibilities. (2026). Singapore Academy of Law Journal. 1-22.
Available at: https://ink.library.smu.edu.sg/sol_research/4830
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 International License.
Additional URL
https://journalsonline.academypublishing.org.sg/e-First/Singapore-Academy-of-Law-Journal/ctl/efirstCurrentArticleList/mid/568/ArticleId/2603?Citation=Published+on+e-First+29+April+2026