Online Safety Commission received over 500 reports on online harm in first two months

The youngest victim was a seven-year-old who was subject to doxxing.

A man using a mobile phone. (File photo: iStock)

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SINGAPORE: The new Online Safety Commission (OSC) has received more 500 reports of online harms since it started operations on Jun 29 , Minister for Digital Development and Information Josephine Teo said on Tuesday (Sep 22).

Between Jun 29 and Aug 31, doxxing was the most prevalent, comprising 44 per cent of online harms reported based on eligible reports received, the commission said.

Online harassment followed, making up 38 per cent of online harms reported. About 8 per cent of online harms involved intimate image abuse, 7 per cent involved online stalking, and 3 per cent involved image-based child abuse where the victims were under the age of 16.

The commission said it resolved more than 90 per cent of eligible reports received. It did not say how many of the over 500 reports received were considered eligible.

CNA Games Guess Word Crack the word, one row at a time Buzzword Create words using the given letters Mini Sudoku Tiny puzzle, mighty brain teaser Mini Crossword Small grid, big challenge Word Search Spot as many words as you can Show More Show Less An eligible report is made by an eligible victim or on their behalf, and discloses online harmful activity within the scope of the Online Safety (Relief and Accountability) Act. A case is considered resolved when the harmful content is removed, an OSC spokesperson said. This is either through flags to online platforms, directions, communications with those responsible for the harmful content or by getting a perpetrator's account restricted. Cases where platforms, websites or communicators did not respond to the commissioner’s directions by the stated deadline are considered unresolved and will constitute a non-compliance case that the OSC will investigate, the OSC spokesperson added. “However, this does not mean that the victim is left hanging. OSC will consider other options in our toolkit, such as to issue an access blocking order to block a website that failed to comply with a direction issued by the commissioner.” The commission was set up under the Online Safety (Relief and Accountability) Act 2025 (OSRAA), which was passed in parliament in November last year, allowing victims to seek quicker recourse. Victims can file reports if platforms fail to remove harmful content within 24 hours. The Commissioner of Online Safety can then issue directions to take down content, restrict perpetrators’ online accounts or allow victims to post replies. The commission did not share a breakdown of how long it took to resolve cases.

An eligible report is made by an eligible victim or on their behalf, and discloses online harmful activity within the scope of the Online Safety (Relief and Accountability) Act.

A case is considered resolved when the harmful content is removed, an OSC spokesperson said.

This is either through flags to online platforms, directions, communications with those responsible for the harmful content or by getting a perpetrator's account restricted.

Cases where platforms, websites or communicators did not respond to the commissioner’s directions by the stated deadline are considered unresolved and will constitute a non-compliance case that the OSC will investigate, the OSC spokesperson added.

“However, this does not mean that the victim is left hanging. OSC will consider other options in our toolkit, such as to issue an access blocking order to block a website that failed to comply with a direction issued by the commissioner.”

The commission was set up under the Online Safety (Relief and Accountability) Act 2025 (OSRAA), which was passed in parliament in November last year, allowing victims to seek quicker recourse.

Victims can file reports if platforms fail to remove harmful content within 24 hours. The Commissioner of Online Safety can then issue directions to take down content, restrict perpetrators’ online accounts or allow victims to post replies.

The commission did not share a breakdown of how long it took to resolve cases.

Speaking on a gov.sg podcast Let’s Table It, which was posted on Tuesday, Mrs Teo said it was helpful to set the OSC in law to ensure that the commission has credibility and speaks with a voice of authority.

"That's why we passed the law, so they can refer back to the law and say that the law says that there are these categories of harms. This is how these categories of harms are defined," she said.

Commissioner of Online Safety Francis Ng likened online harms to something "dark and nasty" that "gets the keys to your head" and moves in "rent-free".

Before the commission was formed, victims had no direct means of being able to take down harmful content online, he said.

"I think the OSC decisively changed that game by creating a statutory reporting mechanism. This allows us to then reach out to the platforms, to the communicators, to get the harm taken off the internet," he added.

Ahead of the podcast, Mrs Teo also told reporters that the initial progress suggests that there is a need to provide better support to victims of online harms.

“Very often when we speak to these victims, their immediate need is clear and straightforward. They really want the harmful content to be removed as soon as possible,” she said.

“The platforms remain the first port of call. They have a responsibility to act on reports of harmful content. But when the victims need more support, today they have the Online Safety Commission to turn to.”

About 17 per cent – or nearly one in five – of eligible reports involved a victim under 18 years old, the commission said. The youngest victim was a seven-year-old in a case of doxxing.

For young victims, online harassment made up more than half of reported cases, at 51 per cent.

About 31 per cent of eligible cases reported involved doxxing, 11 per cent involved image-based child abuse, 3.5 per cent involved online stalking and 3.5 per cent involved intimate image abuse.

The commission said men and women were impacted at nearly equal rates. The oldest victim was a 68-year-old who was subjected to online harassment.

In one case, a victim was subjected to sustained online sexual harassment from 2022.

The harasser sent the victim unsolicited explicit content and created AI-generated deepfake nude images and videos of her. In total, over 1,000 posts were posted across multiple platforms.

The commission issued a direction and the harmful content was successfully removed.

In another case, a victim was subjected to sustained online harassment and stalking over a prolonged period,

His stalker had created multiple social media accounts targeting him and approached his friends directly.

The stalker also impersonated the victim and people in his network to gather information. The harmful conduct extended to death threats and involved a parallel police investigation.

The commission flagged the social media accounts, which were successfully removed for violating community guidelines, and the victim was referred to the support centre SHECARES for counselling and guidance.

In a case of doxxing, a victim was targeted in a forum thread soliciting her details and negative information about her.

The post contained negative allegations about her character and reputation, with multiple users leaving negative comments about her. One user identified the victim and her partner by name.

In response, the commission issued an Access Disabling Direction to the forum to disable the original post and the identified comment.

The commission currently helps victims of five types of online harm: online harassment (including sexual harassment), doxxing, online stalking, intimate image abuse and image-based child abuse.

Its scope will gradually expand to cover all 13 categories of online harms under the law, including online impersonation, inauthentic material abuse and statements that harm a person's reputation.

In response to CNA’s queries on what will happen in cases where the reported online harm does not fall within the five categories, the OSC spokesperson said it operates on a “no wrong door” policy.

“We will refer the cases to other agencies and third-party partners that we work with, who may be able to help victims find relief.”

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年龄最小的受害者是一名七岁儿童，他的个人信息遭到泄露。

一名男子正在使用手机。（图片来源：iStock）

这段音频由人工智能工具生成。

新加坡：数码发展及新闻部长杨莉明周二（9月22日）表示，新的网络安全委员会（OSC）自6月29日开始运作以来，已收到500多起网络危害报告。

委员会表示，在 6 月 29 日至 8 月 31 日期间，人肉搜索最为普遍，占根据收到的合格报告所报告的网络危害的 44%。

网络骚扰紧随其后，占已报告网络侵害事件的38%。约8%的网络侵害事件涉及私密照片滥用，7%涉及网络跟踪，3%涉及基于图像的儿童虐待，受害者年龄在16岁以下。

委员会表示，已处理了收到的符合条件的举报中的90%以上。但委员会并未透露收到的500多份举报中，有多少份被认定为符合条件。

CNA游戏 猜词游戏 逐行破解单词 流行词游戏 用给定的字母组成单词 迷你数独 小谜题，脑力挑战 迷你填字游戏 小方格，大挑战 单词搜索 尽可能多地找出单词 显示更多 显示更少 符合条件的报告由符合条件的受害者或其代表提交，并披露《网络安全（救济和问责）法》范围内的网络有害活动。安大略省证券委员会（OSC）发言人表示，当有害内容被删除时，案件即被视为已解决。删除方式包括向在线平台举报、发出指示、与有害内容的责任人沟通，或限制肇事者的帐户。OSC发言人补充说，如果平台、网站或传播者未在规定期限内回应专员的指示，则案件将被视为未解决，并将构成OSC将调查的违规案件。 “然而，这并不意味着受害者就束手无策。网络安全委员会（OSC）将考虑其他措施，例如发布访问封锁令，封锁未能遵守专员指令的网站。”该委员会是根据去年11月议会通过的《2025年网络安全（救济和问责）法案》（OSRAA）设立的，该法案允许受害者更快地寻求救济。如果平台未能在24小时内删除有害内容，受害者可以提交报告。网络安全专员随后可以发出指令，要求删除内容、限制肇事者的在线账户或允许受害者发表回复。该委员会没有公布案件处理所需时间的具体数据。

符合条件的报告是由符合条件的受害者或其代表提交的，并且披露了《网络安全（救济和问责）法》范围内的在线有害活动。

安大略省证券委员会发言人表示，当有害内容被删除时，案件即被视为已解决。

这可以通过向在线平台举报、提供指示、与有害内容的责任人沟通，或者限制肇事者的帐户来实现。

安大略省证券委员会发言人补充说，如果平台、网站或传播者未在规定的最后期限内回应专员的指示，则这些案件将被视为未决案件，并将构成安大略省证券委员会将进行调查的不合规案件。

“然而，这并不意味着受害者就束手无策。安大略省证券委员会（OSC）将考虑我们工具包中的其他选项，例如发出访问封锁令，以封锁未能遵守专员指令的网站。”

该委员会是根据 2025 年《网络安全（救济和问责）法案》（OSRAA）设立的，该法案于去年 11 月在议会获得通过，允许受害者寻求更快捷的救济途径。

如果平台在24小时内未能删除有害内容，受害者可以提交举报。网络安全专员随后可以发出指令，要求平台删除内容、限制肇事者的在线账户或允许受害者发表回复。

委员会没有公布案件解决所需时间的详细数据。

在周二发布的 gov.sg 播客节目“Let's Table It”中，张女士表示，将安大略省证券委员会（OSC）纳入法律有助于确保该委员会具有公信力，并能以权威的声音发声。

“这就是我们通过这项法律的原因，这样他们就可以援引法律，指出法律规定了这些危害类别。这些危害类别就是这样定义的，”她说。

网络安全专员吴伟雄将网络危害比作“黑暗而邪恶”的东西，它“控制了你的大脑”，并“免费”占据了你的生活。

他说，在委员会成立之前，受害者没有直接的手段来删除网上的有害内容。

“我认为安大略省证券委员会通过建立法定报告机制，彻底改变了这一局面。这使我们能够联系到平台和传播者，从而消除互联网上的危害，”他补充道。

在播客节目播出前，张女士还告诉记者，初步进展表明，有必要为网络伤害的受害者提供更好的支持。

“很多时候，当我们与这些受害者交谈时，他们最迫切的需求都很明确。他们真心希望有害内容能尽快被删除，”她说。

“平台仍然是首要求助对象。它们有责任对有害内容的举报采取行动。但当受害者需要更多支持时，如今他们可以向网络安全委员会寻求帮助。”

委员会表示，在符合条件的举报中，约有17%（接近五分之一）的受害者未满18岁。其中年龄最小的受害者是一名7岁儿童，她遭遇了人肉搜索。

对于年轻受害者而言，网络骚扰占报告案件的一半以上，达到 51%。

报告的符合条件的案件中，约有 31% 涉及人肉搜索，11% 涉及基于图像的儿童虐待，3.5% 涉及网络跟踪，3.5% 涉及私密图像虐待。

委员会表示，男性和女性受影响的比例几乎相同。年龄最大的受害者是一位68岁的老人，他遭受了网络骚扰。

其中一起案件中，一名受害者从 2022 年起遭受持续的网络性骚扰。

骚扰者向受害者发送未经请求的露骨内容，并制作了受害者的AI生成的深度伪造裸体图片和视频。总共在多个平台上发布了超过1000条内容。

委员会发布了指令，有害内容已被成功删除。

另一起案件中，受害者在很长一段时间内遭受持续的网络骚扰和跟踪。

他的跟踪者创建了多个社交媒体账号针对他，并直接联系了他的朋友。

这名跟踪者还冒充受害者及其社交圈内人士收集信息。其有害行为甚至包括死亡威胁，并引发了警方的平行调查。

委员会对这些社交媒体账户进行了标记，这些账户因违反社区准则而被成功删除，受害者被转介到支持中心 SHECARES 接受咨询和指导。

在人肉搜索案件中，受害者成为论坛帖子的目标，该帖子索取她的个人信息和负面信息。

帖子中包含对她品行和名誉的负面指控，多名用户发表了对她不利的评论。其中一名用户指名道姓地指出了受害者及其伴侣的姓名。

对此，委员会向该论坛发出了一份访问禁用指令，要求禁用原始帖子和已识别的评论。

该委员会目前帮助五种网络伤害的受害者：网络骚扰（包括性骚扰）、人肉搜索、网络跟踪、私密图像滥用和基于图像的儿童虐待。

其范围将逐步扩大，涵盖法律规定的所有 13 类网络危害，包括网络冒充、虚假材料滥用和损害他人名誉的言论。

针对 CNA 询问如果报告的网络危害不属于这五类情况将如何处理，安大略省证券委员会发言人表示，该委员会实行“无错误通道”政策。

“我们将把这些案件转介给我们合作的其他机构和第三方合作伙伴，他们或许能够帮助受害者获得救济。”

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