The British Columbia (BC) provincial government announced on March 18 that a legal amendment has significantly increased the maximum amount of damages that victims of the misuse of sexually explicit images can claim through the Civil Resolution Tribunal (CRT). The limit has increased from $5,000 to $75,000, a 14-fold increase. The amendment is already in effect.
The law that was amended is the Intimate Images Protection Act, which came into effect in 2024. This law provides a mechanism for people whose sexual images have been shared without their consent to be redressed without having to go through lengthy and expensive court cases.
Victims can use the CRT to file requests for “removal of images from the internet,” “cessation of further dissemination and threats of dissemination,” and “claims for damages against individuals, social media companies, and websites that shared or threatened to share the images.”
This also applies to manipulated images, such as AI-generated deepfake images. According to a BC provincial government news release, the CRT has resolved 389 out of 486 cases since the law came into effect. The remaining cases are still in progress.
British Columbia Attorney General Niki Sharma issued a statement saying, “Raising the damages cap to $75,000 sends a clear message that sharing non-consensual sexual images is never acceptable in BC and has serious consequences.” She emphasized that the law has produced tangible results for victims of sexual violence and that this amendment is a step towards ensuring victims receive fair redress.