Oral Answer · 2026-05-06 · Parliament 15
Police Reports on the Circulation of AI-generated Fake Obscene Images of Real Persons
Workers' Party MP Sylvia Lim asked MHA how many police reports were received in 2025 over the circulation of AI-generated fake obscene images of real persons, what proportion involved perpetrators and victims who were fellow students, and what follow-up complainants can expect. Senior Minister of State Sim Ann (replying for the Coordinating Minister for National Security and Minister for Home Affairs) acknowledged that the Police do not separately track how many obscene-materials cases involve AI-generated images of real persons. On any obscene-material report, the Police investigate as usual — interviewing the accused and witnesses, examining digital forensic evidence; for young victims they may notify parents or guardians and offer victim care services for psychological support; and where the images circulate online, the Police may issue directions under the Online Criminal Harms Act (OCHA) to online service providers to disable Singapore users' access. Lim pressed three supplementaries: (1) whether it is the Police's default to advise victims to act under the Protection from Harassment Act (a non-arrestable offence); (2) whether assisting in image takedowns, as happened after MPs appealed, is routine; and (3) when the Police would classify cases under arrestable Penal Code offences (e.g. ss 377BD, 377BE) and investigate with a view to prosecution. Sim Ann replied that there is no default route — everything depends on the facts disclosed, and where the facts support Penal Code offences relating to the circulation of intimate images, the Police will act accordingly; images circulating online can be blocked via directions to service providers once known in the course of investigation.
Key Points
- • Police do not separately track AI-generated fake-image obscenity cases
- • OCHA directions can block Singapore access via service providers
- • POHA vs arrestable Penal Code charges depends on case facts
- • Young victims: parents notified, victim care services offered
Charge route follows case facts; OCHA takedowns and Penal Code prosecution run in parallel.
Questions a default steer to the non-arrestable POHA route; presses for arrestable-offence prosecution.
Enforcement against AI deepfake sexual imagery: no dedicated tracking, no fixed legal route — case-by-case discretion.
"If the AI-generated obscene images are circulating online, the Police may issue directions under the Online Criminal Harms Act to online service providers to disable Singapore users' access to them."
Participants (2)
Original Text (English)
SPRS Hansard · Fetched: 2026-06-02
1 Ms Sylvia Lim asked the Coordinating Minister for National Security and Minister for Home Affairs (a) how many police reports were received in 2025 concerning the circulation of AI-generated fake obscene images of real persons; (b) what proportion of these cases involved perpetrators and victims who were fellow students in educational institutions; and (c) what can victims or complainants expect in follow-up actions by the police.
The Senior Minister of State for Home Affairs (Ms Sim Ann) (for the Coordinating Minister for National Security and Minister for Home Affairs) : Sir, the Police do not track how many of the obscene materials cases it investigates involve AI-generated images of real persons.
Where there is a report relating to any obscene material, the Police will conduct investigations, including through interviewing the accused and other witnesses, and examining any digital forensic evidence that may be available. For cases involving young victims, the Police may notify the parents or guardians. The Police will also offer victim care services to victims who require psychological support.
If the AI-generated obscene images are circulating online, the Police may issue directions under the Online Criminal Harms Act to online service providers to disable Singapore users’ access to them.
Mr Speaker : Ms Lim.
Ms Sylvia Lim (Aljunied) : Thank you, Sir. I have three supplementary questions for the Senior Minister of State. The first is that in some cases that I have come across, I was told by the victims that they reported to Police that their images had been artificially created and put up on porn websites, and the Police had advised them to take action under the Protection from Harassment Act, as it is a non-arrestable offence. I would like the Senior Minister of State to clarify whether this is actually the default position of the Police in such reports.
Second, to be fair to the Police, in the cases that I know of, after we appealed for the victim, the Police actually assisted to have the images removed. So, that is very helpful and of most concern to the victims. I would like to ask whether that is something that the Police does ordinarily from most of these reports.
The third question is, I believe that under the Penal Code, there are actually some arrestable offences that would actually cover some of the conduct – for example, being in possession of intimate images and so on, under section 377BD and 377BE. So, I would like to ask when the Police would classify the case under these arrestable offences and investigate with the view to prosecution.
Ms Sim Ann : Sir, I believe that the first and the third supplementary questions from the Member are related. I would say that if the facts of the case are such that it warrants taking action under the Penal Code for offences relating to the circulation of intimate images, the Police will do so. So, it is not that there is a default position to go a certain route – everything depends on the facts of the case as disclosed.
In terms of what happens to the images that are, say, circulating online, as I have also shared in the main reply, where there are obscene images circulating online, and which, in the course of investigation, or due to the report, it is known, the Police may issue directions to the online service providers to block access of Singapore users to them.