Reports of sharing intimate photos without consent increased in Regina and Saskatoon, police say
Saskatoon Police Service received 28 reports in 2021
Police in Regina and Saskatoon say there were more complaints about intimate images being shared without consent in 2021 than in previous years.
Sixteen people made these reports to the Regina Police Service (RPS) last year compared to 11 in 2020 and eight in 2019, according to the force's 2021 crime statistics.
A change to the Criminal Code of Canada in 2015 made it illegal to share sexually explicit images without the OK of the person in the photo.
This includes everyone who "knowingly publishes, distributes, transmits, sells, makes available or advertises an intimate image of a person knowing that the person depicted in the image did not give their consent," according to section 162.1 of the criminal code.
A guilty suspect might face prison time of not more than five years, according to Canada's criminal code.
Not all accusations resulted in charges, says Popowich
Not all of the 2021 reports ended in charges, RPS spokesperson Elizabeth Popowich said via email.
Investigations showed that a few of the complaints were "unfounded," meaning they were not true or the sharing was not non-consensual, she said.
Some other reports had "insufficient evidence to proceed." Officers will move forward with these investigations if new evidence comes up, she said.
Six of the reports resulted in charges, she said.
"It's impossible to say if an increase in the number of reports we take is an actual increase in this type of activity in society, or a greater comfort in coming forward," said Popowich.
"We hope people are more comfortable to come forward to police and report when they believe they are the victim of this (or any) crime."
Saskatoon police received 28 reports in 2021
Saskatoon Police Service (SPS) also saw an increase in reports about non-consensual distribution of intimate images.
Last year SPS received 28 reports compared to 25 in 2020, spokesperson Kelsie Fraser said in an email to CBC. Those numbers are higher previous years, she said.
Fraser believes the increase might be connected to the pandemic.
"One could anecdotally speculate that the rise could be attributed to people spending an increased amount of time online," she said.
"We strongly discourage people from sharing intimate images with anyone, especially someone they do not know or have not met personally."
People sending sensitive images lose control of those pictures, Fraser said. Someone who has access to an intimate image can threaten to distribute it unless the person in the photo gives them money, she said.
"There is very little that police can do to find the person responsible and the image is lost to the internet."
Fraser was not able on Tuesday to provide information about how many charges have been laid in connection with the reports received in 2021.
Consent education important: Sexual Assault Services of Sask.
Ashley Kilback agreed with Popwich and Fraser that the pandemic and the time people spent online, including on dating platforms, might have played a role in the increase in reports.
However, the communications specialist with Sexual Assault Services of Saskatchewan thinks the root of the problem is not necessarily the act of sharing intimate photos.
"A big piece is consent education," she said.
"Just because someone shares an intimate image or video with you during a consensual relationship does not mean that that person should be exploited. Or that the person who has received that is allowed to distribute it."
This crime is sometimes associated with so-called revenge porn, wherein a person who got an image with consent during a relationship later shares it once the relationship is over.
Kilback said the term revenge porn can sometimes be misleading because there is a broad spectrum of why someone commits the crime.
Most victims female, not all suspects male, according to RPS
Of these incidents reported to Regina police in 2021, only one alleged victim was male, said Popowich.
Also, the suspects were not always men, she said. Three of the accused people were female.
The crime category of non-consensual distribution of intimate images is closely connected to extortion cases, said Popowich.
Last year officers counted 25 reported extortion incidents, almost double the number from 2020, according to the Regina Police Service 2021 crime statistics.
This rise of reported extortion incidents is not unique to Regina, but a trend across Canada, police said.
"A full 90 per cent of our extortion files involve social media and, unlike the 'Intimate Images' category, involve more men as victims than women," said Popowich.
Part of the pattern is an unknown person trying to establish false trust by sharing intimate photos or videos to push a potential victim to do the same, according to the RPS 2021 year-end crime statistics report.
The offender records the private pictures and then threatens to disclose them to the victim's family or social connections unless they pay money, the report says.
Often young persons are affected by these types of crimes at a greater rate, and people might be ashamed or hesitant to seek help, according to the 2021 statistics.
According to Popowich and Fraser, someone sharing intimate photos without consent might face additional charges of possession and distribution of child pornography if the victim was under 18.