What Canada currently lacks:
- No federal property-style right to your voice, face, or likeness.
- No explicit offences for creating or even possessing deepfakes (only distribution of intimate images is covered).
- No labeling or disclosure rules for synthetic media.
- No election deepfake restrictions.
- No national takedown or victim support system.
What I’m proposing for Canada:
A Canadian Likeness and Synthetic Media Protection Act to give every person control over their face, voice, and body in replicas (consent, licensing, and revocation).
Criminal prohibitions for creating or possessing non-consensual sexual or harmful deepfakes.
Platform duties with fast takedown timelines and accountability.
Mandatory disclosure and labeling of AI-generated content, especially in elections and advertising.
Post-mortem protections for performers and public figures.
A national victim helpline, legal aid support, and funding for detection tools and artist protection.
How far behind we are compared to the world:
Denmark (2025, proposed): Citizens could demand takedowns and compensation for AI likeness theft. read more
European Union (2024): The AI Act requires clear labeling of all deepfakes.
EU Digital Strategy page on the European AI Act. read more
Article 50 of the AI Act (labeling requirement) read more
United Kingdom (2025): Criminal offence for sexually explicit deepfakes. read more
France (2024): Deepfake-specific offences and platform duties (“hypertrucages” law).
read more
South Korea (2024): Criminalizes even possession or viewing of non-consensual deepfakes. read more, more reading here
China (2023): Mandatory labeling of all synthetic media under “Deep Synthesis” provisions.
read more
United States (various states): Voice rights via Tennessee’s ELVIS Act; digital replica protections in New York and California.
Tennessee ELVIS Act (HB 2091):
https://www.capitol.tn.gov/Bills/113/Bill/HB2091.pdf
New York Civil Rights Law § 50-f (digital replica protections):
https://www.nysenate.gov/legislation/laws/CVR/50-F
California AB 1836 (performer consent rules):
https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billTextClient.xhtml?bill_id=202320240AB1836
Canada is falling far behind. It’s time for Parliament catch up.