Singapore: new laws against online sexual abuse and non-consensual AI

From Monday, texts will come into force in Singapore aimed at protecting citizens from online sexual abuse, in particular by prohibiting the use of artificial intelligence to create explicit images of people without their consent.

The new laws will also allow authorities to prosecute offenders suspected of gaining the trust of minors abroad in order to sexually abuse them, if either the perpetrator or the victim left the city-state before the crime was committed.

The texts introduce “a new offense which consists of producing intimate images, including content generated by AI, without the consent” of the victims, the Singaporean Ministry of the Interior said on Friday.

Perpetrators of the offenses face a sentence of up to two years in prison or a fine, or both. If the content features a minor under the age of 14, “the offense is punishable by a mandatory detention sentence of up to two years, and the author also faces a fine or caning,” added the ministry.

Those found guilty of manipulating minors abroad and committing sexual offenses against them now face tougher penalties, including imprisonment of up to seven years if the victim is under 14.

Singapore's Home Minister Sim Ann told Parliament last year that the new legislation aimed to "remove barriers to law enforcement and reduce the supply of such content, which fuels a vicious cycle of abuse."

Caning still exists in Singapore as a judicial punishment, including for certain sexual crimes such as rape and aggravated assault. However, new laws which come into force on Monday will remove the mandatory nature of corporal punishment for crimes such as piracy, attempted theft and illegal carrying of a weapon. The application of this penalty will be optional.