Toronto, November 13, 2025—On October 24, 2025, the Federal Court granted LEAF leave to intervene in Privacy Commissioner of Canada v. Aylo (Federal Court File No. T-702-25), a case about consent requirements for intimate images on porn platforms.
This case originates from an investigation undertaken by the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada (OPC), after it received a complaint from a woman whose intimate images were posted on porn websites without her consent.
The complainant made an intimate video with her boyfriend. After she broke up with him, she learned that he uploaded the video to porn websites, which were operated by Aylo (then known as MindGeek).
At the time of the complaint, Aylo only required uploaders to attest—not prove—that everyone in an intimate image had consented. No direct consent was required. The takedown process for non-consensually shared intimate images was also extremely onerous and required separate requests for every posting on each website. The OPC found Aylo in violation of the Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA) and has applied to the Federal Court to enforce its recommendations.
LEAF will be intervening to argue that PIPEDA must be analyzed through a substantive equality lens, which requires acknowledging the disproportionate impact—including serious and irreparable harm—of non-consensual distribution of intimate images (NCDII) on women, girls, trans, and non-binary people. The gendered and grave harms of NCDII must play an integral role in determining the appropriate consent requirements for organizations like Aylo who profit from intimate images.
“Women, girls, trans, and non-binary people already bear a disproportionate burden of protecting their sexual integrity and equality,” says Ruth Goba, LEAF Executive Director. “They should not be expected to continually scour the internet to determine whether their intimate images have been uploaded without their consent.”
LEAF is grateful to be represented pro bono by Molly Reynolds, Nic Wall, Allyson Reid Taylor (Torys LLP) in this case. Rosel Kim (Senior Staff Lawyer, LEAF) is also representing LEAF.
LEAF’s interventions are guided, informed, and supported by a case committee with expertise in the relevant issues. We are grateful to this intervention’s case committee members (in alphabetical order): Moira Aikenhead, Suzie Dunn, Claire Feltrin, Nasreen Rajani, and Yuan Stevens.
For media inquiries, please contact [email protected].
About the Women’s Legal Education and Action Fund (LEAF)
The Women’s Legal Education and Action Fund (LEAF) is a national not-for-profit and charity that works to advance the equality rights of women, girls, trans, and non-binary people in Canada through litigation, law reform, and public legal education. Since 1985, LEAF has been involved in over 140 cases that have helped shape the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. To find out more, visit www.leaf.ca.
