British Columbia’s Attorney General expressed strong concern over a social media company, referred to as X, challenging a legal directive to remove a non-consensual intimate image from the internet. Niki Sharma highlighted her dismay, emphasizing that the company is contesting a clear mandate issued by B.C.’s Civil Resolution Tribunal under the Intimate Images Protection Act.
The tribunal instructed X Corp., previously known as Twitter, to take down the image following a complaint from a transgender individual in B.C. The complainant, whose identity remains undisclosed in court documents, sought protection earlier this year under the province’s legislation.
In response to the tribunal’s order, X Corp. claimed to have swiftly complied by implementing “geo-blocking,” restricting access to the image solely in Canada but not globally. Consequently, the tribunal imposed a $100,000 penalty on the company in September for failing to remove the image on a worldwide scale.
X’s petition to the B.C. Supreme Court argues against a global blocking order, contending that such measures could infringe on the sovereignty of other nations and pose a threat to free speech globally. The company raised concerns that enforcing global blocking orders could empower foreign countries to censor content based on their laws, potentially leading to a restrictive online environment dictated by the most censorious nation.
The company further warned that endorsing such orders could establish a dangerous precedent legitimizing practices of authoritarian regimes that undermine freedom of speech and access to information. In response, the complainant criticized X’s petition as an attempt to subvert the tribunal’s lawful directive.
Attorney General Sharma declared the province’s intention to intervene in the case to uphold the integrity of the intimate images law, emphasizing the crucial need to fully remove such images as mandated by B.C. regulations for the protection of survivors.
