A pornographic website that published doctored images of several high-profile Italian women, including the prime minister, Giorgia Meloni, and the opposition leader, Elly Schlein, has provoked widespread outrage in Italy.
The platform, Phica, which has more than 700,000 subscribers, altered images taken from personal social media accounts and public appearances, often accompanied by vulgar and sexist captions. Photographs of women from across the political spectrum were manipulated to suggest sexual poses or focus on body parts, and published in the site’s “VIP section”.
Among those targeted were Meloni’s sister, Arianna, senior figures from the Democratic Party (PD), and prominent cultural figures including actor and director Paola Cortellesi and influencer Chiara Ferragni.
The scandal has reignited debate in Italy about entrenched misogyny and gender-based violence. It follows closely on from Meta’s closure of a Facebook group called Mia Moglie (“My Wife”), in which men shared intimate images of women without consent.
Phica, founded in 2005 and named as a crude play on a slang term for vagina, had operated largely unchecked until PD politicians announced they had filed official complaints. Police have since opened an investigation.
Valeria Campagna, a PD politician, was among the first to take legal action after discovering her images on the site. In a Facebook post, she described herself as “disgusted, angry and disappointed”, adding: “Not just photos in a swimsuit but moments from my public and private life. Beneath them there were sexist, vulgar and violent comments. This story isn’t just about me. It’s about all of us.”
Her colleagues Alessia Morani, Alessandra Moretti and Lia Quartapelle also confirmed they had lodged complaints. Morani said comments posted beneath her photographs were “unacceptable and obscene” and called for such sites to be banned. Quartapelle described the unauthorised use of her images as “online abuse” and said she had taken action “not only for myself but, above all, for all the other women who have been victims of this violence”.
Politicians from the right were also among those targeted, including Alessandra Mussolini, a League party member and granddaughter of Benito Mussolini, and Daniela Santanchè, Italy’s tourism minister.
A petition demanding the closure of Phica has gathered more than 150,000 signatures. Its organiser, Mary Galati from Palermo, said she had lodged two complaints in 2023 after discovering her own image on the site, but the matter only gained national attention once senior politicians became involved.
The controversy comes weeks after the Italian senate approved a bill introducing a legal definition of femicide into criminal law, punishable with life imprisonment, alongside tougher sentences for stalking, sexual violence and “revenge porn”.
Ignazio La Russa, president of the senate, condemned the abuse as “a very serious matter, one that arouses profound outrage”. He urged authorities to move swiftly to identify those responsible.
