Bill C-13: Lawful Access And The Relationship Between Organizations

On December 9, 2014, Bill C-13, An Act to amend the Criminal Code, the Canada Evidence Act, the Competition Act and the Mutual Legal Assistance in Criminal Matters Act (Act) – also known as the Protecting Canadians from Online Crime Act –, received the royal assent. The Act will come into force on March 9, 2015.

The Act deals with the serious issues of online bullying, harassment and non-consensual circulation of intimate images and aims the protection of Canadians from cyber-bullying and other forms of Internet exploitation.

Significant amendment to the Criminal Code

The Act notably brought two significant amendments to the Criminal Code:

• The creation of a new offence of non-consensual distribution of intimate images as well as complementary amendments to authorize the removal of such images from the Internet, the recovery of expenses incurred to obtain their removal and the forfeiture of property used in the commission of the offence;