(ANSA) – ROME, SEP 3 – Investigations into the scandal of sexist websites where photos of women were published without their consent, accompanied by vulgar comments and insults, could merge into a massive investigation based in Rome, legal sources said Wednesday.
The Rome Prosecutor’s Office has opened a revenge porn case in connection with the Facebook group “Mia Moglie,” where users shared private photos without the consent of the women concerned.
The case of another sexist page, Phica.eu, echoing the Italian slang word for vagina, could also be implicated in this proceeding, said the sources.
Rome prosecutors are awaiting initial information from the Postal Police regarding the platform, where photos of politicians, influencers, and actresses were also published.
Deputy Prosecutor Giuseppe Cascini will coordinate the investigation.
In the ‘Mia Moglie’ case, the investigative process seems more straightforward, as it involves a single case: photos of women, taken without their knowledge or otherwise unaware of their distribution, which was carried out by their husbands or partners.
The Phica case is different, where other crimes could be involved, from defamation to extortion for alleged requests for money—reported by victims—to remove sensitive content.
Meanwhile, the Florence prosecutor’s office has opened a parallel investigation into alleged defamation against Mayor Sara Funaro, who unknowingly ended up on that platform along with other political figures.
And the mayor herself today spoke out about the alleged manager of Phica, whose identity was revealed by the newspaper Domani.
“It’s the first time I’ve heard” the name Vittorio Vitiello, “what would I say to him if I met him? I’d ask him a question, about how he thinks women might react if they don’t realize they’ve violated their privacy and done something truly serious,” Funaro said.
Her report is said to have helped identify the 45-year-old Florentine man, originally from Pompei (in the province of Naples), who has already been interviewed by investigators.
“I think we need to report it, to protect all women. If we don’t report it, these things will always continue,” the mayor emphasized.
“The question I ask myself is this: if a vulnerable girl ends up on these sites, what happens? As soon as I saw my images, I felt a sense of outrage, but nothing more,” she said.
“When you’re a public figure, you’re used to finding yourself in these situations, even if it shouldn’t be that way. My thoughts immediately turned to all the other women. It gives me a sense of revenge, as if to say, let’s act now.” The forty-five-year-old, the administrator of a small company that handles advertising campaigns and “event organization using social media,” has apparently been investigated in the past, again in connection with the dissemination of photos of public figures.
Meanwhile, on the homepage of the Phica website, where the content was removed in recent days but pornographic pop-ups remain, a lengthy post was published in the last few hours in which the admin “officially rejects the extortion accusations.” The message, accompanied by a series of screenshots of conversations, reconstructs the story, which began in December 2023 when a user requested the removal of content, culminating in a controversy involving threats of legal action.
In the text, the administrator asserts the legality of his actions, distinguishing between “work” and “morality.” (ANSA).
Read article…
The Rome Prosecutor’s Office has opened a revenge porn case in connection with the Facebook group “Mia Moglie,” where users shared private photos without the consent of the women concerned.
The case of another sexist page, Phica.eu, echoing the Italian slang word for vagina, could also be implicated in this proceeding, said the sources.
Rome prosecutors are awaiting initial information from the Postal Police regarding the platform, where photos of politicians, influencers, and actresses were also published.
Deputy Prosecutor Giuseppe Cascini will coordinate the investigation.
In the ‘Mia Moglie’ case, the investigative process seems more straightforward, as it involves a single case: photos of women, taken without their knowledge or otherwise unaware of their distribution, which was carried out by their husbands or partners.
The Phica case is different, where other crimes could be involved, from defamation to extortion for alleged requests for money—reported by victims—to remove sensitive content.
Meanwhile, the Florence prosecutor’s office has opened a parallel investigation into alleged defamation against Mayor Sara Funaro, who unknowingly ended up on that platform along with other political figures.
And the mayor herself today spoke out about the alleged manager of Phica, whose identity was revealed by the newspaper Domani.
“It’s the first time I’ve heard” the name Vittorio Vitiello, “what would I say to him if I met him? I’d ask him a question, about how he thinks women might react if they don’t realize they’ve violated their privacy and done something truly serious,” Funaro said.
Her report is said to have helped identify the 45-year-old Florentine man, originally from Pompei (in the province of Naples), who has already been interviewed by investigators.
“I think we need to report it, to protect all women. If we don’t report it, these things will always continue,” the mayor emphasized.
“The question I ask myself is this: if a vulnerable girl ends up on these sites, what happens? As soon as I saw my images, I felt a sense of outrage, but nothing more,” she said.
“When you’re a public figure, you’re used to finding yourself in these situations, even if it shouldn’t be that way. My thoughts immediately turned to all the other women. It gives me a sense of revenge, as if to say, let’s act now.” The forty-five-year-old, the administrator of a small company that handles advertising campaigns and “event organization using social media,” has apparently been investigated in the past, again in connection with the dissemination of photos of public figures.
Meanwhile, on the homepage of the Phica website, where the content was removed in recent days but pornographic pop-ups remain, a lengthy post was published in the last few hours in which the admin “officially rejects the extortion accusations.” The message, accompanied by a series of screenshots of conversations, reconstructs the story, which began in December 2023 when a user requested the removal of content, culminating in a controversy involving threats of legal action.
In the text, the administrator asserts the legality of his actions, distinguishing between “work” and “morality.” (ANSA).
Read article…
