Read about Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s pursuit of justice in a deepfake pornography trial, as she seeks $108,200 in damages.
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni is pursuing compensation totaling $108,200 (€100,000) through a civil trial following the dissemination of pornographic deepfake videos featuring her online.
Scheduled to appear in a Sardinian court on July 2, Meloni will testify in her civil case against two individuals accused of digitally manipulating her likeness onto adult film performers’ bodies and sharing the content on a US-based pornographic platform in 2020.
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The defendants, an unnamed 40-year-old and his 73-year-old father, are also facing criminal defamation charges alongside Meloni’s civil lawsuit. Law enforcement identified the perpetrators using their mobile phones, which were employed to produce and distribute various pornographic materials.
During the period of dissemination, Meloni, then 47 years old, was campaigning for the position of prime minister representing the Brothers of Italy party. She secured the prime ministerial role in 2022 with a significant electoral victory.
The illicit content remained accessible online for several months, garnering millions of views, as detailed in the criminal complaint. Some of the content persists on online platforms to date.
Meloni’s legal counsel, Maria Giulia Marongiu, conveyed to CNN that any financial restitution obtained will be directed to the Interior Ministry’s fund for victims of domestic violence.
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In statements to Italian media, Marongiu emphasized Meloni’s intent to serve as an example for other victims of revenge porn and deepfake content, urging them to confront and challenge those responsible for defamatory acts.