Although revenge porn is already illegal in Canada, B.C. is asking for feedback on how provincial legislation could provide added tools for victims.
“Without consent, circulating or threatening to distribute an intimate image is a form of sexual violence with traumatic and lasting impacts,” said Grace Lore, Parliamentary Secretary for Gender Equity. “The non-consensual sharing of images can be a form of intimate partner violence or be used to extort victims for additional images, sex or money. We believe a comprehensive B.C. approach can make a real difference for people to achieve results faster and get better access to justice.”
Lore is leading the consultation on behalf of Attorney General David Eby. The province said new legislation could add a new option to help victims more easily take down and destroy images of themselves posted online, as well as create a new processes for compensation. The proposed legislation could also apply to deep fakes, where the images are not of the victim but have been digitally altered to look like them.
According to cypertip.ca, reports of revenge porn are up 58 per cent by the start of 2021, compared to the nine-month-period prior to April 2020. That includes a 94 per cent increase in youth reporting and a 44 per cent increase in adult reports.
Consultations with stakeholders are ongoing until June 2021 and the public can submit their views by emailing imageprivacy@gov.bc.ca.
