Doxxing removal in Singapore

What counts as doxxing in Singapore

Under POHA s 3(1)(c), doxxing is publishing a person’s identity information with intent to cause harassment, alarm, distress or humiliation; s 5(1A) covers publishing it to cause fear of violence or to make violence easier. The OSC uses the same idea and lists what counts as identity information: name, date of birth, NRIC or passport number, email, phone, address, workplace, school, signature, photos and videos, and details of your family members. News reports on crimes or court proceedings are not doxxing.

It is the most reported harm in Singapore: 44% of the 500+ reports the OSC received in its first two months, and 719 doxxing complaints in Protection from Harassment Court applications according to Ministry of Law figures from March 2025. Typical cases: an MRT quarrel goes viral and an EDMW thread names the person’s employer; a Carousell buyer posts a seller’s IC photo as a “scammer”; an ex-partner shares a profile in a Telegram channel.

First hours: safety and evidence

• If you feel physically unsafe, call the police on 999 (SMS 70999) before anything else.
• Save the evidence the OSC asks for: the URL of each post and screenshots showing the content, the username, and the date and time.
• Lock down your accounts: make profiles private and remove public phone numbers and emails.
• Do not reply in the thread. Replies push it up the forum and give users more to dig into.
• Get support: SHECARES@SCWO (helpline 8001 01 4616, weekdays 9am to 9pm) offers free counselling and legal clinics to victims of online harms.

Reporting doxxing to the Online Safety Commission

Doxxing can be reported directly at report.osc.gov.sg, without waiting for the platform. You need proof of identity (NRIC, long-term pass or Student’s Pass); citizens, PRs and valid pass holders, including Work Permit and Dependant’s Pass holders, are eligible, but anonymous reports are not. The Commissioner can direct the poster, a group administrator or the platform to disable access; in September 2026 a doxxing post was taken off a forum by an Access Disabling Direction. HardwareZone, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, X and YouTube must also act on online harm notices about doxxing within 48 hours.

Reconsideration is free within 14 days of a decision; an appeal after that costs S$200. File the report. Then look at what is left: copies on overseas sites (where the OSC can only have access blocked in Singapore), screenshots reposted elsewhere, and Google results still showing your name. That is our part.

What NetClearer does on a doxxing case

1. Free assessment. Send the links through the contact form, or on Messenger. Within 24 hours we list every page, the route for each and the fixed price.
2. Search for copies. Quotes, reposts and screenshots on forums, Telegram channels, Facebook groups and image results.
3. Takedown requests. Private-information reports to Reddit, Meta, X and TikTok; requests to HardwareZone moderators; reports on public Telegram channels to abuse@telegram.org with the t.me links; notices to hosts of sites that ignore their own rules.
4. Google removal. Requests under Google’s doxxing policy, which needs contact details shown together with a threat or a compilation of information, or under its contact-information policy when no threat is visible.
5. Monitoring. With the 20-link pack (S$501) or a monthly plan we keep checking for new copies and report them as they appear.

Court routes, briefly

POHA lets you claim damages (s 11) and apply for a protection order or an expedited protection order (ss 12 and 13) at the Protection from Harassment Court, online through CJTS for S$30; an expedited order is heard within two working days. Under the Online Safety (Relief and Accountability) Act 2025, an End-User Identity application can reveal who runs an anonymous account, within 12 months, if you intend to sue.

We are not lawyers and give no legal advice. If you want an order or damages, see a lawyer or the court’s resources; our removal work runs in parallel.

Why doxxing reports get rejected

• Private groups. Telegram states it does not process requests about private groups and chats. Only the OSC, through a direction to the administrator, can reach them; we focus on public, searchable copies.
• No identity information. A post that criticises you without exposing personal details is usually kept. We tell you before you pay.
• Wrong category or missing proof. A doxxing post filed as “spam”, or a report without URLs, is often closed unread. Each of our reports quotes the exact rule and the exact links.