Singapore has been making concerted efforts towards enhancing the safety of digital spaces for Singapore users, particularly for children. The Ministry of Communications and Information (“MCI“) had, earlier in 2022, given an indication of what changes and enhancements may be expected in the digital regulatory and compliance framework, including the introduction of codes of practice for online platforms to protect Singaporeans against harmful online content.
- From 13 July 2022 to 10 August 2022, MCI conducted a Public Consultation on Proposed Measures to Enhance Online Safety for Users in Singapore (“Public Consultation“). On 29 September 2022, MCI released a summary of its responses to the feedback received from the Public Consultation, giving further indication of the direction that the proposed measures may take.
- On 3 October 2022, the Online Safety (Miscellaneous Amendments) Bill (“Bill“) was introduced in Parliament. If passed, the Bill will empower the Infocomm Media Development Authority to better regulate online communication services accessible by Singapore end-users and give effect to the proposed measures, including the authority to issue directions to block egregious content and to issue online Codes of Practice.
This Update highlights the key provisions in the Bill and provides a summary of the feedback to the Public Consultation.
For more information, click here to read the full Legal Update.
