At Salal, discussions about sexual violence means acknowledging the profound harms that result from not having complete autonomy of your body. Marginalized people are even more susceptible to their bodily autonomy being compromised when we live in a society built on misogyny, colonialism, white supremacy, transphobia and homophobia.

Over the past decade, there has been an increasing number of stories emerging about how individuals are vulnerable to losing their autonomy due to the practice of “Doxxing”. Doxxing is a term that refers to revealing someone else’s personal information online in order to inflict irreparable harm – which includes sharing intimate photos or videos without consent. With AI becoming more accessible to anyone with an internet connection, more and more reports of fabricated or altered intimate photos and videos of individuals (also known as Deepfakes) are becoming more prevalent. 

Perhaps you’re thinking, “Oh that sounds like ‘Revenge Porn’!” Well, not exactly…

While this has been a term that was used in the past, it’s important to recognize that this wording hurts professionals within the sex work sector, as it conflates pornography with violence, and victimization. We’re grateful that today we have a broader range of language available that precisely delineates what we are talking about which is the non-consensual sharing of intimate images.

In BC alone, we have been witness to the profound and tragic consequences that stem from unauthorized circulation of intimate images. Amanda Todd and Carson Cleland are just two examples of youth who died by suicide because of threats of their photos being shared publicly known as “sextortion” a crime in Canada. More recently, there have been reports of images of Taylor Swift that have been circulating on the internet with scenes of gang rapes and getting hundreds of thousands of views. We have walked alongside many survivors who also have been deeply affected by similarly harmful experiences. 

So what is being done about this? 

Well, some hopeful news emerged recently from the Government of British Columbia. On January 29th, 2024, they announced that they have expanded on The Intimate Images Protection Act through new support services for people who have been impacted by this type of violence. These supports include:

• Providing emotional support and resources
• Providing information on how to get your intimate image removed and the options available
• Supporting victims through the Civil Resolution Tribunal or other reporting processes

This means that there are actual concrete actions that can now be taken to stop the sharing of intimate images that are being shared or have been posted on the internet. 

In British Columbia, it’s against the law to share or threaten to share an intimate image of someone without their consent. If the sharing or threat happened on or after March 6, 2023, you could:

• Make a claim for an intimate image protection order. This type of “take-down” order is meant to make someone delete the image, or stop them from sharing or threatening to share it. It’s a legal order that they have to follow or else they’re breaking the law.
• Make a claim for “damages”. Damages are money you want a person or company to pay for the harm their sharing or threats caused you, or to punish them. This money is payable to you.
• Make a claim for a penalty if someone doesn’t comply with an intimate image protection order. This penalty is payable to the BC government, not to you or the CRT.

Sharing intimate images, whether authentic or fabricated, without the consent of the depicted individual, is an act that inflicts considerable harm and falls within the spectrum of sexual violence. Sexual violence revolves around power dynamics, not sex or sexuality. Each instance of sharing or viewing such images without consent can shatter a survivor’s sense of safety and autonomy over their own body. Let us be clear, individuals have the right to maintain autonomy over their own image or likeness, deciding who may have access to them. Blaming the victims when their autonomy is violated by someone else is unjustifiable.

We commend the Province of British Columbia for not only enacting this legislation but also establishing a robust support infrastructure to assist survivors. Salal’s Victim Services team can also support survivors by connecting them to the Intimate Images Protection Service as well as provide them with tools needed to navigate the trauma that comes with this act of violence.

Survivors can call our 24-Hour Crisis and Information toll-free at 1-877-392-7583, or text us at (604)-245-2425 through Salal Connect.