An Italian website, Phica, known for sharing doctored images of well-known women, including Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, alongside obscene commentary, has been forced to shut down following widespread political and public backlash. The platform, which gained notoriety for its explicit content, displayed a message on its homepage expressing regret for closing due to the “toxic behavior” of some of its users.
Prime Minister Meloni, who was one of the targets of the website’s offensive posts, expressed her disgust, calling for those responsible to face severe legal consequences. The closure of Phica follows a similar public outcry over another platform, Mia Moglie (My Wife), a Facebook group where men had been sharing intimate images of their partners without consent. Meta, the parent company of Facebook, shut down the group for violating its policies against adult sexual exploitation.
While Mia Moglie had a relatively smaller user base, Phica was a more significant operation, reportedly boasting 700,000 members. The website had been active for over 20 years and had received prior complaints but continued operating. Its VIP section featured photos of female politicians, celebrities, and influencers, often taken from public appearances or social media accounts. These images were digitally altered and paired with vulgar captions, promoting inappropriate and sexist commentary.
Alessandra Moretti, a Member of the European Parliament (MEP) from the opposition Democratic Party, denounced the platform and called for stronger legal action to prevent such content from circulating. She emphasized that while well-known figures could effectively raise complaints, ordinary women often lacked the means and resources to protect themselves from such exploitation.
In its closure statement, Phica claimed that the platform had originally been intended as a safe space for sharing content but acknowledged that it had devolved into something unrecognizable, now distancing itself from its original purpose. The site also pledged to delete all its content, including images that had been widely criticized for being invasive, such as those taken without consent in changing rooms or public restrooms.
Italy’s Postal Police, responsible for investigating cyber-crime, confirmed that an official investigation into the website is underway. Phica maintained that it had always blocked violent content and images of minors but faced significant backlash from users who accused the site of enabling the sharing of invasive and illegal material.
The outcry surrounding Phica has also ignited renewed calls for greater protections against online harassment. Prime Minister Meloni, speaking to the Corriere della Sera newspaper, condemned the normalization of sexist and degrading behavior, urging women to report any instances of image-sharing without consent. She stressed the need for continued vigilance in protecting the dignity of women in the digital age.
As Italy continues to confront the issue of online gender-based violence, the Phica incident has sparked a broader conversation about the responsibility of social media platforms in safeguarding individuals’ privacy and dignity.
Source: theghanareport
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