An Italian image sharing website has been forced to shut down after users posted thousands of doctored pornographic images of women, including Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and other celebrities. The website announced its closure after a backlash from several female politicians including Meloni.
The website named Phica, a play on the Italian slang for vagina, now displays a message saying it has shut down. The scandal broke down after several politicians targeted in the website reported the matter to the police. The Italian police have launched investigations into the site’s administrators and participants.
“I am disgusted by what has happened, and I want to address my solidarity and closeness to all the women who have been offended, insulted, violated in their intimacy by the managers of this forum and its users,” Giorgia Meloni told the media. She said that that those who disseminate intimate content without consent commit a serious crime.
Doctored photos of women posted on the site were accompanied by sexist and explicit comments. Alessandra Moretti, Member of the European Parliament, said, “They have been stealing photos and clips from TV shows I’ve appeared on for years, then altering them and feeding them to thousands of users.”
Phica reportedly had around 7,00,000 users, and was active for two decades. While there were complaints earlier, no action was taken. The site had a so-called VIP section, where doctored photos of female Italian politicians and other prominent figures were posted. The photographs were taken from publicly available sources including their own social media profiles.
Phica said that all the images from the platform will be deleted.
