Bill C-277 Online Deepfakes Act
C-277 An Act to Provide for the Regulation of the Online Use of Deepfakes and for Related Transparency Measures
Short Title: Regulating the Online Use of Deepfakes Act
Bill Type: Private Member’s Bill
Bill Sponsor: Michael Coteau (Scarborough—Woburn)
Status: Outside the Order of Precedence — Introduced May 6, 2026. This Bill hasn't passed yet.
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WHO GAINS POWER
- The Minister of Industry gains authority to designate persons to administer the penalties scheme and oversee compliance
- The Governor in Council gains broad regulation-making power — penalty amounts, violation definitions, defenses, appeals and record-keeping requirements are all set by regulation, not by the Bill itself
- Individuals gain a reporting mechanism and the right to have harmful deepfakes removed as soon as feasible after identification
WHO LOSES POWER
- Online platform operators — social media services, apps and online undertakings — must establish detection processes, label deepfakes, remove harmful content and keep compliance records
- Directors and officers of non-compliant platforms are personally liable for violations they directed, authorized or participated in
WHO GAINS MONEY
- No direct financial benefit to individuals — penalties go to the Crown, not to victims
- ⚠️ No compensation mechanism for survivors — a person harmed by a deepfake has no restitution pathway under this Bill
WHO LOSES MONEY
- Platform operators face administrative monetary penalties for violations — amounts set entirely by regulation with no cap written into the Bill
- Directors and officers face personal penalties in addition to corporate liability
THE CATCH
- ⚠️ Penalty amounts are not in the Bill — the Governor in Council sets them by regulation and can change them at any time without a Parliamentary vote
- ⚠️ "Reasonable steps" is not defined — operators must take reasonable steps to detect and prevent harmful deepfakes, but what qualifies is left to interpretation and litigation
- ⚠️ "As soon as feasible" sets no deadline — operators must remove harmful deepfakes after identification but the Bill sets no maximum timeframe
- ⚠️ Detection technology is not mandated — operators must establish a process to identify deepfakes but are not required to use any specific tool or meet any accuracy standard
- ⚠️ Violations are not criminal offenses — this is an administrative penalties scheme only; no criminal liability attaches to individuals who create or share harmful deepfakes, only to platform operators who fail to act
- The Bill regulates platforms, not creators — the person who makes and posts a harmful deepfake faces no direct liability under this Act