Italian Prime Minister demands symbolic reparation for deepfake porn images

Italian Prime Minister, Giorgia Meloni, has been called to testify in a court case against two men accused of creating and sharing pornographic deepfake images featuring her likeness. The trial is set to take place on July 2 in Sassari, Sardinia. The deepfake technology is a point of contention, as it can create damaging effects on an individual’s reputation and privacy.

Meloni, who is considered an injured party in the incident, is seeking €100,000 in symbolic damages. According to her attorney Maria Giulia Marongiu, any monetary award received will be donated to an Interior Ministry fund that supports victims of domestic violence. Marongiu also emphasized the particularly heinous nature of the crime, pointing out that it could happen to any unsuspecting woman with serious repercussions to her reputation and private life.

Marongiu further highlighted the unique position Meloni holds as the Italian Premier, explaining that it seemed most fitting for her to be a civil plaintiff in the case. She hopes that Meloni’s involvement will help raise awareness about this matter and also represent the interests of many women who often remain defenseless in the face of such crimes.

The accused individuals, a father and son, were identified in 2020 by Italy’s postal police, who traced the data related to the deepfake images to one of their cell phones. They had allegedly uploaded the images to a U.S.-based pornographic website. It must be noted that at the time of the offense, Meloni was not the Italian Premier but led the Brothers of Italy party.

This incident raises serious concerns about the abusive potential of deepfake technology and the harm it can inflict on a person’s reputation and privacy. It also underscores the need for stringent measures and laws to prevent such misuse of technology and to adequately protect the rights of individuals.