For subscribers
Online Safety Commission: A watchdog with teeth to protect victims
The one-stop agency tilts the balance towards victims of sexual harassment, doxxing and other online harms with powers to penalise non-compliance.
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox
Some people may play down online harms as being merely in the realm of the virtual, but that view is both shortsighted and ill-informed, says the writer.
PHOTO: ST FILE
Follow topic:
Isabelle became the target of intense sexual harassment after her phone number and e-mail address were posted online in sexual service advertisements impersonating her and using her image. She was inundated with explicit messages daily across Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, and even regular SMS, with strangers offering money for sex.
Despite her desperate efforts to block contacts, report the posts and change her accounts’ privacy settings, it took two long weeks before the messages began to subside. The ordeal took a toll on her mental health, causing anxiety, sleeplessness, and difficulty concentrating at work.
