Dear forumers,
It has came to my attention that many fellow forumers are on tenterhooks because of the new law that criminalises doxxing and it does not help that some forumers are constantly reminding others about the potential legal risks. Therefore, I did some research on the doxxing law by looking at the parliamentary debates (which is the highest source of law in Singapore based on S9A of the Interpretation Act) and hope that this can help others in the freedom of expression. (https://sprs.parl.gov.sg/search/sprs...ortid=bill-363)
To be fair, the worry is not unwarranted because one can be criminally liable for the posts that he/she publishes on an online forum. For example, A publishes the personal information of B on an online forum, with the intention to cause distress to B. A may be guilty of an offence under the amended section 3 of the POHA if B’s family members or colleagues feel distressed. (https://singaporelegaladvice.com/law...pore-examples/)
However, in order to be guilty for the offence, one has to have the intention to cause distress to the person whom the personal information has been published. This has been confirmed by MP Edwin Tong in a parliamentary debate and this intention can be inferred by other actions such as the accompanying captions. If your intention was merely to highlight the existence of someone who is particularly good-looking (i.e. XXX is damn pretty!), it simply CANNOT constitute as an offence under the law. It is only an offence if you post a photograph of someone and instigate forumers to contact him/her for "services" or whatnot.
It has also been clarified by MP Edwin Tong that "posts which merely state opinions or which are meant to encourage social debate, for example, do not fall within the ambit of offences". In other words, one can continue posting photographs of other people to solicit opinions like "Do you think what he/she did is right?" and "Do you think he/she is handsome/pretty (or KYM in the forum lingo)".
tldr: don't be afraid of the doxxing as long as you don't have the intention to harass someone. Posting photographs that are publicly available (e.g. from Instagram, Twitter) cannot constitute an offence unless you instigate fellow forumers to contact him/her for "services".
It has came to my attention that many fellow forumers are on tenterhooks because of the new law that criminalises doxxing and it does not help that some forumers are constantly reminding others about the potential legal risks. Therefore, I did some research on the doxxing law by looking at the parliamentary debates (which is the highest source of law in Singapore based on S9A of the Interpretation Act) and hope that this can help others in the freedom of expression. (https://sprs.parl.gov.sg/search/sprs...ortid=bill-363)
To be fair, the worry is not unwarranted because one can be criminally liable for the posts that he/she publishes on an online forum. For example, A publishes the personal information of B on an online forum, with the intention to cause distress to B. A may be guilty of an offence under the amended section 3 of the POHA if B’s family members or colleagues feel distressed. (https://singaporelegaladvice.com/law...pore-examples/)
However, in order to be guilty for the offence, one has to have the intention to cause distress to the person whom the personal information has been published. This has been confirmed by MP Edwin Tong in a parliamentary debate and this intention can be inferred by other actions such as the accompanying captions. If your intention was merely to highlight the existence of someone who is particularly good-looking (i.e. XXX is damn pretty!), it simply CANNOT constitute as an offence under the law. It is only an offence if you post a photograph of someone and instigate forumers to contact him/her for "services" or whatnot.
It has also been clarified by MP Edwin Tong that "posts which merely state opinions or which are meant to encourage social debate, for example, do not fall within the ambit of offences". In other words, one can continue posting photographs of other people to solicit opinions like "Do you think what he/she did is right?" and "Do you think he/she is handsome/pretty (or KYM in the forum lingo)".
tldr: don't be afraid of the doxxing as long as you don't have the intention to harass someone. Posting photographs that are publicly available (e.g. from Instagram, Twitter) cannot constitute an offence unless you instigate fellow forumers to contact him/her for "services".