Alberta proposes new penalties for sharing intimate deepfakes

Posted on November 12, 2026 by Ryan Dahlman

By Brook Wagner
Southern Alberta Newspapers

The Alberta government has proposed a new provincial offence for sharing intimate images without consent, including fake images made with artificial intelligence. Offenders could face fines of up to $10,000, up to two years in prison, or both.

The changes, announced Oct. 27, would widen the province’s existing law to cover digitally altered and AI-generated intimate images, videos and audio.

Under the proposal victims could take civil legal action when intimate content of them is shared without consent, or when someone threatens to share it. This would apply even if the content was never sent out. Albertans could also withdraw consent to having such content shared, and hold people responsible for negligent behaviour that causes it to spread.

Alberta’s current law was passed in 2017. It lets victims sue for damages but only covers real photos and videos of a person who is nude, partly nude, or taking part in sexual activity.

Technology and Innovation Minister Nate Glubish says the government will not leave Albertans without protection if they are targeted by deepfakes. He said the government “takes the misuse extremely seriously.”

Haley Scott, co-chief executive officer of the Association of Alberta Sexual Assault Services, welcomed the plan. She said that for victims, sharing such content without consent “can have profound impacts on their sense of safety.”

The issue has come up in southern Alberta before. In March, Kristine Cassie, chief executive officer of the Chinook Sexual Assault Centre in Lethbridge, supported the idea when the province first said it would act. She said deepfakes were being made of unsuspecting people and that Alberta’s rules had fallen behind other provinces.

Saskatchewan changed its rules in 2021 to include altered images, while Manitoba, British Columbia and Quebec updated their laws in 2024.