(Victoria) The BC government is taking action to protect people whose intimate images have been shared online without their permission as police warn of a growing threat of ‘sextortion’.
Attorney General Niki Sharma told the legislature that the government’s proposed law would create new legal rights and remedies to stop the distribution of intimate images and seek compensation for those who have been harmed.
She detailed at a press conference that the law covers intimate images, near-nude photos, videos, live streams and digitally altered images, including videos that have been deep-faked, better known as name “deepfakes”.
Mme Sharma says the law will require the offender to remove or destroy the images or order social media platforms to take them down and remove them from search engines.
She says the Civil Resolution Tribunal is also working to expand its online portal to provide information about people’s rights, access to immediate self-help tools, and connect people with support services. of mental health.
If the bill is approved, Mr.me Sharma explained that the legislation will be retroactive or available to prosecutors from when she filed it on Monday.
“This means that people who distribute or threaten to distribute intimate images without consent are warned that they will face new legal consequences, even if the wrongful conduct occurs before the legislation takes effect,” a- she declared.
It comes as police across Canada have warned parents and young people of the rise in online sextortion of young people, where criminals threaten to post sexual images unless given permission. ‘money.
Many Canadians learned about the risks of sextortion from Amanda Todd, the teenager from Port Coquitlam, British Columbia, who died by suicide at the age of 15 in 2012, shortly after posting a video on the being tormented by an online predator.