Filmed Drunk Woman, Shared Intimate Images Without Consent: Canadian Influencer Ordered to Pay $20,000

A Canadian social media influencer has been ordered to pay $20,000 after posting intimate images of a woman online without her consent. In a decision released by the B.C. Civil Resolution Tribunal on 9 July, Sherif Elbishlawi, famous for lifting women onto his shoulders outside nightclubs, has been found to have breached British Columbia's Intimate Image Protection Act. The tribunal ruled that he posted footage that revealed the woman's underwear and partially exposed her buttocks to his massive following online.

The woman, who is protected by a publication ban, had been drinking when Elbishlawi asked to lift her. While she initially agreed, she soon realised that the recordings exposed intimate parts of her body, and she told him not to upload them. Elbishlawi posted the videos anyway.

Tribunal: Videos Were Intimate Images

Tribunal member Maria Montgomery said that the videos clearly met the legal definition of intimate images under British Columbia law. According to her, the woman's skirt was lifted high enough to expose her underwear and partially expose her buttocks.

The decision states: 'During the videos, the (woman's) skirt is moved and lifted in such a way that her underwear is exposed and her buttocks are partially exposed. One of the videos also captures up the applicant's skirt.'

The tribunal also found that the woman was identifiable from the recordings. The woman consented to be filmed, Elbishlawi said, adding the videos were not intimate images. The tribunal dismissed this argument. The case was considered under British Columbia's Intimate Image Protection Act. Introduced in 2024, it provides a quicker way for victims to get compensation and have images removed without having to go through lengthy court battles.

The tribunal noted that Meta removed the videos twice and that Elbishlawi later reposted them before his social media accounts were eventually deactivated. This undercuts his claim that there was nothing inappropriate about his posts.

Thousands Watched Before the Videos Were Removed

Before the videos were removed from Elbishlawi's social media accounts, they were estimated to have already been seen by 30,000 to 40,000 people. Elbishlawi, who had more than 100,000 Instagram followers, left the clip online for days before it was removed.

Tribunal member Maria Montgomery said that widespread exposure heightened the damage caused to the woman. 'I find that the videos were widely accessible, potentially to the applicant's acquaintances, which goes to the harmful nature of the sharing,' she wrote.

The woman said that she was deeply embarrassed by the thought that people she knew saw the footage. She also described ongoing anxiety as she feared Elbishlawi's social media accounts might post the footage again.

Refusal to Remove Videos Proved Costly

The tribunal also found that Elbishlawi worsened the harm by ignoring the woman's request to take down the videos. At one point, he told her, 'I don't do favours for strangers.'

He later re-shared the footage after it was taken down by Meta and never apologised to the woman, saying he had done nothing wrong. Eventually, Elbishlawi was ordered to pay $20,000 in damages, plus fees and interest. The decision highlights the possible legal consequences of sharing intimate images online without consent.