People who had their intimate images shared without their consent will soon have access to higher compensation and better privacy protections.

The government is amending the Intimate Images Protection Act.

“The IIPA has already proven to be an effective platform to help victims of sexualized violence get the justice they deserve,” said Niki Sharma, Attorney General.

“To further strengthen the law, these amendments will allow cabinet to raise the ceiling on fines, and I intend to recommend it be set at $75,000, 14 times higher than the current limit. This will send a strong message to would-be offenders – sharing intimate images without consent is unacceptable in B.C. and will have serious consequences.”

The IIPA helps people who had their intimate images shared without their consent access without going through lengthy or costly court processes.

You can apply online to the Civil Resolution Tribunal (CRT) to get your intimate images off the internet, stop their distribution and seek monetary compensation from the person, social media company or website that shared the image.

The amendments will also make CRT orders more precise, flexible and enforceable, and will remove the requirement that the CRT publish damage decisions online to better protect the privacy of victims.

To learn more, visit Government of British Columbia.