Intimate photo-sharing website Phica.eu shut down on Thursday after several complaints from women whose photos were shared without their consent.
Phica.eu, an adult forum, was used to share photos of women without their consent, sometimes altering them and accompanying with obscene or violent comments.
Several photos of Italian public figures appeared on the site, including Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, opposition leader Elly Schlein and influencer Chiara Ferragni.
Democratic Party MEP Alessandra Moretti filed a criminal complaint against the site on Wednesday, she announced on Instagram. Photos taken from her various television appearances were altered to appear on the site, accompanied by what she described as a “long list of obscene comments”.
It is “damaging not only my emotional well-being but also the safety of many women exposed to this disgusting new trend of photos being posted without consent”, she went on to write.
The scandal comes only a few weeks after a Facebook group with over 32,000 members called Mia Moglie (“my wife”) where members shared intimate pictures of women, was taken down by the tech giant.
Meta said it shut down the group for violating its adult sexual exploitation policies – but the group had existed for five years.
“The battle against gender-based violence must be fought by both women and men, because violence is a problem that affects us all. Websites that incite rape and violence must be shut down and banned,” Moretti said in her post.
(aw)