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Italian Forum Accused of Non‑Consensual Images Shuts Down as Police Open Probe

Calls for a parliamentary debate intensify over Italy's response to online gender‑based abuse.

Overview

  • Eurodeputy Alessandra Moretti filed a criminal complaint after discovering hundreds of her photos had been uploaded since 2014.
  • Phica.net hosted scraped and manipulated images of women, including Giorgia Meloni, Arianna Meloni, Elly Schlein, Paola Cortellesi, Chiara Ferragni and Alessandra Mussolini, which drew sexist and sometimes violent comments.
  • Site administrators issued an apology, said they were deleting the contested material and closing the forum, and claimed long‑standing cooperation with law enforcement.
  • Italian police opened an investigation following hundreds of complaints, with media reporting efforts to identify platform operators, image sources and commenters.
  • The case follows the shutdown of Facebook group Mia Moglie and has prompted petitions and broader outrage, with reports that Phica had amassed hundreds of thousands of registered users.