As a statutory body, IDA’s various roles are defined under legislation such as the Info-communications Development Authority of Singapore Act (Cap. 137A), the Telecommunications Act (Cap. 323), and the Postal Services Act (Cap. 237A).

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Acts Relating to IDA

The Info-communications Development Authority of Singapore Act (Cap. 137A) covers matters such as:

• The establishment, incorporation and constitution of IDA;
• The functions, duties and powers of IDA; and
• The staff, finances and assets of IDA.

View the IDA Act at the Singapore Government Statutes Online.

There is currently no subsidiary legislation under the Info-communications Development Authority of Singapore Act.

The Telecommunications Act (Cap. 323) covers matters such as:

• Licensing of telecom systems and services and grant of spectrum rights;
• Erection, maintenance and repair of telecom installations;
• IDA's powers to issue codes of practice, standards of performance, directions and advisory guidelines relating to telecom systems and services;
• Telecom cable detection work;
• Ownership and management controls over designated telecom licensees;  and
• Offences and penalties relating to telecom systems and services.

View the Telecommunications Act at the Singapore Government Statutes Online website
View subsidiary legislation under the Telecommunications Act .

The Postal Services Act (Cap. 237A) covers matters such as:

• Licensing of postal services for the conveyance of letters;
• Postal services and systems;
• IDA's powers to issue codes of practice, standards of performance, directions and advisory guidelines relating to the post; and
• Offences and penalties relating to the post.

View the Postal Services Act at the Singapore Government Statutes Online website.
View subsidiary legislation under the Postal Services Act .

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Other Acts Relating to Infocomm

The Electronic Transactions Act (Cap. 88) covers matters such as:

• Electronic records, signatures and contracts;
• Secure electronic records and signatures;
• Regulation of specified security procedures (such as digital signatures) and their providers (such as Certification Authorities);
• Use of electronic records and signatures by public agencies; and
• Liability of network service providers.

View the Electronic Transactions Act at the Singapore Government Statutes Online website.
View subsidiary legislation under and more details on the Electronic Transactions Act .
View more details on the Controller of Certification Authorities .

The Spam Control Act (Cap. 311A) covers matters such as:

• Control of unsolicited commercial electronic messages sent in bulk (or spam);
• Prohibition of dictionary attack and address harvesting software.

View the Spam Control Act at the Singapore Government Statutes Online website.
There is currently no subsidiary legislation under the Spam Control Act.
View more details on the Spam Control Framework .

The Computer Misuse Act (Chapter 50A) covers matters such as:

• Unauthorised access to or modification of computer material;
• Unauthorised use or interception of computer service;
• Unauthorised obstruction of use of computer;
• Unauthorised disclosure of access code.

View the Computer Misuse Act at at the Singapore Government Statutes Online website.
View more details on the Computer Misuse Act .

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Other Infocomm Related Matters

Intellectual Property Rights

The lead agency for Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) protection in Singapore is the Intellectual Property Office of Singapore (IPOS). IDA provides support in the infocomm aspects. The full text of the Copyright Act (Cap 63) and other statutes concerning IPR can be found at the Singapore Statutes Online web site.

View more details on Intellectual Property Rights .

Domain Names

Under the IDA Act (Cap 137A), IDA has the power to authorise or regulate the registration, administration and management of domain names in Singapore. The Singapore Network Information Centre (SGNIC) was set up in October 1995 with the main purpose of administering the Internet domain name space in Singapore. It is the central registry delegated by the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) to administer third-level domain name registration under the ".sg" domain name. SGNIC cooperates with the international, regional and local Internet communities to ensure a stabilised and efficient operation of the ".sg" domain name space in support of applications provided over the Internet.

For more information on domain name policies, please refer to the SGNIC website.