Advocacy organizations supporting the rights of women and children emphasize that the prevalence of sexual deepfake content on the social media platform X underscores the urgent need for the Canadian government to establish an online regulatory body.
Lloyd Richardson, the director of technology at the Canadian Centre for Child Protection, stressed the necessity of regulatory measures within Canada to effectively address such issues as they arise. He highlighted the importance of taking action promptly to tackle these challenges.
Both Richardson and Rosel Kim, a senior staff lawyer at the Women’s Legal Education and Action Fund, advocate for the creation of a new regulatory entity similar to the one proposed by the Liberal government in 2024.
Kim emphasized the significance of having an expert regulator empowered with the necessary tools for addressing gender-based violence facilitated by technology, offering legal remedies, support services, research, and educational initiatives.
In recent times, the proliferation of sexualized deepfake content on Elon Musk’s platform X, generated through his chatbot Grok, has sparked a global outcry. These deepfakes have predominantly targeted women and, in some instances, minors.
Although the technology enabling the creation of sexual deepfakes is not new, X made it easily accessible by allowing users to utilize Grok for editing images directly on the platform. This feature has now been restricted to paid users.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen condemned the facilitation of deepfakes as “unacceptable behavior” and warned that if action is not taken by Silicon Valley, Europe will intervene, as reported by Politico on Monday.
Malaysia and Indonesia announced their decision to block access to Grok over the weekend, with the possibility of a similar ban in the U.K.
AI Minister Evan Solomon stated on Sunday that Canada is not currently considering a ban. Musk expressed approval of Solomon’s stance on X, sharing a post regarding the announcement along with a Canadian flag and a heart emoji.
Law professor Kristen Thomasen suggests that addressing the sharing of non-consensual deepfakes on X will likely require governmental legislation due to its