Two websites where Internet users exchanged stolen photos and "deepfakes" of Italian political figures and anonymous individuals have been shut down.

A wind of disgust and anger is blowing across the Italian internet at the end of this summer. At the heart of the controversy is a website, Phica.eu, which published photos of women on its pages without their knowledge. These photos were taken on the spot or retrieved from social media or television, often accompanied by degrading and hateful comments. The victims are anonymous figures in the Italian political class, actresses, and influencers. In the forum's "VIP area," one could find photos of Giorgia Meloni at the beach, her sister Arianna, and the leader of the Democratic Party (PD), Elly Schlein. Some even appear through deepfakes, generated using AI, like the one of former minister Mariastella Gelmini, shown with her breasts bare.

The international newsletter

Every Tuesday at 11am

Receive the best of international news.

Your email address

By registering, you agree to the terms of use and our privacy policy.

The alert was also issued by several Democratic elected officials, who were also victims of this site, which opened two decades ago. "I discovered that, for years, it had been stealing photos and clips from television shows in which I had participated, then modifying them and delivering them to thousands of users," confided PD MEP Alessandra Moretti on her social networks. These images were followed by a "long list of obscene comments that undermine not only my emotional sphere but also the safety of many women exposed to this new repugnant trend of photos published without consent," the parliamentarian added.

READ ALSO “I see him pull down his pants and masturbate”: the chilling daily life of women harassed on public transport

Comments that Valeria Campagna, a Democratic leader in Lazio, even wanted to expose in broad daylight, on her Instagram account. "Some comments talk about my body in everyday life. This means that these are people who know me, who come from the same city as me, and who feel entitled to talk about me as if I were theirs," she worries. The elected officials invite Italians to "mass report" this type of "sites that incite rape and violence," expressly requesting their closure and ban. And to launch a call for action among the ranks of the male sex: "Men must take their responsibilities. Society must stop minimizing and justifying this," we can read.

The "Mia moglie" case

While dozens of complaints have been received from all over Italy by the Italian postal police, the Phica forum has finally closed its doors. A message on its homepage invites victims to come forward: "If your rights have been violated, contact us with the link so we can remove it," it promises.

Active since 2005 and boasting, according to the Italian press, some 700,000 users (overwhelmingly men) and 10 million published messages, the site was intended to be a "platform for discussion and sharing," its managers recalled in a press release. "Unfortunately, as on any social network, some abuse the platforms, thus undermining their spirit and their original vocation," they lament. And they acknowledge that, despite their efforts, the site has "failed to put a timely end to the toxic behavior that has made Phica, in the eyes of many, a place to flee rather than a place to which one is proud to belong." "Therefore," they continue, "to our great regret, we have decided to close and permanently remove everything that was reprehensible."

READ ALSO From Gisèle Halimi to Gisèle Pelicot: 50 years of fighting against rape

Earlier this summer, another forum had already caused widespread consternation in the Belpaese. On the Facebook page "Mia moglie" (my wife, in Italian), with over 32,000 members, men were exchanging intimate photos and other stolen videos of their partners, wives, or girlfriends, again without their consent. These images were accompanied by a torrent of vulgar and sexist comments. The page was finally blocked by Meta on August 20 after the case was made public by writer Carolina Capria, triggering a wave of denunciations. "I saw photos of my naked body, images I had shared with my husband, and underneath there were horrible comments," said one of the victims, whose partner had posted the photos on the Facebook group, in a statement reported by La Repubblica, inviting other users to share their reactions.

After Gisèle Pelicot

A story that, on this side of the Alps, did not fail to recall the horrors experienced by Gisèle Pelicot. "We thought that after this affair, something had finally changed. That the public trial against her husband—and against many other men who, without her knowledge, had assaulted her—had opened our eyes. Shame, it was said, had changed sides," wrote philosopher Michela Marzano last weekend. But the "Mia moglie" scandal "has shown how deeply rooted rape culture is in our country," denounced the former center-left elected official.

To Discover

Kangaroo of the day

Answer

In these cases, "it's difficult to obtain criminal convictions," warns lawyer Jessica Valentini, who is working on the case. Interviewed by Italian media, she highlights in particular the difficulties linked to the fact that the managers of the platforms in question "are abroad or have headquarters abroad." More than on the judicial level, the lawyer believes it is more effective "to intervene on the cultural and also political level."

Following the controversy, Eugenia Roccella, Minister of Family and Equality, announced the launch and strengthening of "specific initiatives to monitor these phenomena, report them to the competent authorities, starting with the justice system, and identify the most effective tools to combat this barbarity of the third millennium." But it was more from the Palazzo Chigi and Giorgia Meloni, criticized in the past for her lack of commitment to tackling the roots of gender-based violence, that a strong statement was expected. For the time being, the President of the Council remains offline.

The alert was also issued by several Democratic elected officials, who were also victims of this site, which opened two decades ago. "I discovered that, for years, it had been stealing photos and clips from television shows in which I had participated, then modifying them and delivering them to thousands of users," confided PD MEP Alessandra Moretti on her social networks. These images were followed by a "long list of obscene comments that undermine not only my emotional sphere but also the safety of many women exposed to this new repugnant trend of photos published without consent," the parliamentarian added.

Comments that Valeria Campagna, a Democratic leader in Lazio, even wanted to expose in broad daylight, on her Instagram account. "Some comments talk about my body in everyday life. This means that these are people who know me, who come from the same city as me, and who feel entitled to talk about me as if I were theirs," she worries. The elected officials invite Italians to "mass report" this type of "sites that incite rape and violence," expressly requesting their closure and ban. And to launch a call for action among the ranks of the male sex: "Men must take their responsibilities. Society must stop minimizing and justifying this," we can read.

The "Mia moglie" case

While dozens of complaints have been received from all over Italy by the Italian postal police, the Phica forum has finally closed its doors. A message on its homepage invites victims to come forward: "If your rights have been violated, contact us with the link so we can remove it," it promises.

Active since 2005 and boasting, according to the Italian press, some 700,000 users (overwhelmingly men) and 10 million published messages, the site was intended to be a "platform for discussion and sharing," its managers recalled in a press release. "Unfortunately, as on any social network, some abuse the platforms, thus undermining their spirit and their original vocation," they lament. And they acknowledge that, despite their efforts, the site has "failed to put a timely end to the toxic behavior that has made Phica, in the eyes of many, a place to flee rather than a place to which one is proud to belong." "Therefore," they continue, "to our great regret, we have decided to close and permanently remove everything that was reprehensible."

Earlier this summer, another forum had already caused widespread consternation in the Belpaese. On the Facebook page "Mia moglie" (my wife, in Italian), with over 32,000 members, men were exchanging intimate photos and other stolen videos of their partners, wives, or girlfriends, again without their consent. These images were accompanied by a torrent of vulgar and sexist comments. The page was finally blocked by Meta on August 20 after the case was made public by writer Carolina Capria, triggering a wave of denunciations. "I saw photos of my naked body, images I had shared with my husband, and underneath there were horrible comments," said one of the victims, whose partner had posted the photos on the Facebook group, in a statement reported by La Repubblica, inviting other users to share their reactions.

After Gisèle Pelicot

A story that, on this side of the Alps, did not fail to recall the horrors experienced by Gisèle Pelicot. "We thought that after this affair, something had finally changed. That the public trial against her husband—and against many other men who, without her knowledge, had assaulted her—had opened our eyes. Shame, it was said, had changed sides," wrote philosopher Michela Marzano last weekend. But the "Mia moglie" scandal "has shown how deeply rooted rape culture is in our country," denounced the former center-left elected official.

In these cases, "it's difficult to obtain criminal convictions," warns lawyer Jessica Valentini, who is working on the case. Interviewed by Italian media, she highlights in particular the difficulties linked to the fact that the managers of the platforms in question "are abroad or have headquarters abroad." More than on the judicial level, the lawyer believes it is more effective "to intervene on the cultural and also political level."

Following the controversy, Eugenia Roccella, Minister of Family and Equality, announced the launch and strengthening of "specific initiatives to monitor these phenomena, report them to the competent authorities, starting with the justice system, and identify the most effective tools to combat this barbarity of the third millennium." But it was more from the Palazzo Chigi and Giorgia Meloni, criticized in the past for her lack of commitment to tackling the roots of gender-based violence, that a strong statement was expected. For the time being, the President of the Council remains offline.