Italian Prime Minister Seeks Damages in Deepfake Porn Case
In a bold move, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni is demanding $108,200 (€100,000) in damages in a civil trial following the circulation of pornographic deepfake videos featuring her.
Civil Trial Details
Meloni is scheduled to testify in a Sardinian court on July 2 as part of the civil case she has filed against two individuals accused of superimposing her face on adult film stars’ bodies and sharing the videos on a US-based pornographic website back in 2020.
Criminal Charges
The two men, a 40-year-old and his 73-year-old father, who remain unidentified, are not only facing Meloni’s civil lawsuit but also criminal defamation charges. Authorities were able to track down the culprits through their cellphones, which were used to produce and upload the explicit content.
Political Impact
During the time of the videos’ dissemination, Meloni, 47, was actively campaigning to become the prime minister as the leader of the Brothers of Italy party. She eventually secured the position in 2022 through a decisive electoral victory.
Continued Circulation
According to the criminal complaint, the images remained online for several months and garnered millions of views. Some of the content is still circulating on the internet to this day.
Legal Response
Meloni’s attorney, Maria Giulia Marongiu, informed CNN that any financial compensation received will be donated to the Interior Ministry’s fund for victims of domestic violence. Marongiu emphasized Meloni’s desire to serve as a role model for other victims of revenge porn and deepfake materials to come forward and hold their defamers accountable.
