Canada Amends Bill C-16 to Criminalize Nearly Nude Deepfakes

On May 11, 2026, a House of Commons committee in Canada amended Bill C-16 to criminalize sexual deepfakes, expanding its scope to include 'nearly nude' images. This amendment responds to concerns that the original bill would not cover many AI-generated images, particularly those produced by Elon Musk's Grok chatbot on the X platform. The committee's changes were influenced by expert testimonies and aimed to close loopholes that could allow perpetrators to evade justice. The bill now includes a specific reference to artificial intelligence software in its definition of 'intimate image.' Additionally, the committee voted to increase penalties for cases depicting sexual assault and to impose a 48-hour deadline for tech companies to remove such images. The amendments were supported by Conservative MP Andrew Lawton and Liberal MP Patricia Lattanzio, despite objections regarding the vague definition of 'nearly nude' from Bloc Québécois MP Rhéal Fortin. NDP MP Leah Gazan proposed further amendments targeting humiliating contexts but they were not adopted.

Key Points: • Bill C-16 now criminalizes 'nearly nude' images to address AI-generated deepfakes. • The amendments were influenced by expert testimonies and aim to protect victims more effectively. • A 48-hour removal deadline for non-consensual images has been introduced for tech companies.