The Honourable Andrew Parsons, Minister of Justice and Public Safety and Attorney General, will introduce new legislation to protect victims whose intimate images are shared without consent.

An Act Respecting the Protection of Intimate Images provides an additional legal option for those who have had private and sensitive intimate images shared without their consent. Commonly referred to as revenge porn, the new law establishes a means for individuals to pursue the matter in civil court. A lawsuit may result in an order for the payment of damages, the payment of any profits made from the distribution, removal of the intimate image from the internet and other orders the court considers appropriate to stop further victimization.

Intimate images refer to images that depict nudity or sexual activity captured consensually and where the individual depicted has a reasonable expectation of privacy; for example where a person takes or allows intimate images to be taken of them and shares them for personal use by their partner or a limited number of people.

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“The impact of the non-consensual sharing of intimate images can last a lifetime and the damage to the victim can be immeasurable. This legislation will give power back to victims, hold people accountable for their actions and hopefully deter this negative behavior in others.”
Honourable Andrew Parsons
Minister of Justice and Public Safety and Attorney General

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Media contact
Lesley Clarke
Justice and Public Safety
709-729-6985, 699-2910
LesleyClarke@gov.nl.ca