Why Canada needs Online Regulators
The high rate of sexual deepfakes spreading very fast through the social media platform X (previously Twitter) has further fueled the pressure in Canada to create a more aggressive online regulation system in which women and children rights groups have warned that the current systems are not working to save the victims. The Canadian Centre on child protection and the Women legal education and action fund have been two prominent advocacy groups that have requested the federal government to immediately create an independent online regulatory body. They say that the system of online regulation, which was suggested by the Liberal government in 2024, should be enacted now since the volume and effects of AI-generated sexual material have increased.
The latest release of sexual deepfakes on X, which belongs to a billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk, was met with criticism across the globe. According to experts, hi-tech AI technologies, such as the chatbot Grok, created by Musk have reduced the threshold to generate manipulated content, enabling abuse to be faster, cheaper, and more prevalent.
According to the women rights activists, most of the deepfakes are designed using authentic photos and videos of women without their approval which in most cases show them in explicit situations. Victims complain that they experienced serious psychological distress, reputational damage, and the feeling of vulnerability and this poses a serious concern on the topic of digital safety and gender-based online violence. On Sunday, Canada Minister of Artificial Intelligence, Evan Solomon, said that the government is not actively contemplating closing X. Nonetheless, he admitted that there should be more powerful policies that can regulate online safety and responsible AI usage. His statement follows a discussion in the United Kingdom on the possible restrictions or a ban on the platform, with international criticism becoming increasingly apparent.
Elon Musk embraced the statement of Solomon and reposted it on X with heart and Canadian flags emojis. Opponents, however, believe that symbolic gestures simply cannot serve as sufficient means, and they have to be complemented with strong internal measures and proactive content regulation.
Even though the federal government attempted to introduce legislation last year, to criminalize the creation and distribution of non-consensual sexual deepfakes, advocacy groups believe enforcing the legislation and its independent regulation is essential. It is feared that there might not be serious measures taken to stop the uncontrolled proliferation of sexual deepfakes, which would turn into a significant human rights disaster in the era of actively developing artificial intelligence.
