Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni Seeks Damages in Deepfake Porn Trial.

By Caroline Ameh

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni is pursuing damages of $108,200 (€100,000) in a civil trial following the dissemination of pornographic deepfake videos featuring her online.

The trial, scheduled for July 2 in a Sardinian court, will see Meloni testifying against two individuals accused of superimposing her face onto adult film actors’ bodies and posting the videos on a US-based pornographic website in 2020.

The defendants, a 40-year-old and his 73-year-old father, remain unnamed publicly and face criminal defamation charges in addition to Meloni’s civil lawsuit. Law enforcement authorities traced the perpetrators via their cellphones, which were used to produce and upload several pornographic videos and images.

The incident occurred while Meloni, aged 47, was campaigning for prime minister as the leader of the Brothers of Italy party. Following a resounding victory in 2022, she assumed the role of prime minister.

According to the criminal complaint, the illicit content remained online for several months, garnering millions of views. Despite efforts to remove the images, some are still in circulation on the internet.

Maria Giulia Marongiu, Meloni’s legal representative, informed CNN that any financial compensation awarded to Meloni will be donated to the Interior Ministry’s fund for victims of domestic violence.
Marongiu emphasized Meloni’s desire to serve as a role model for other victims of revenge porn and deepfake videos, encouraging them to speak out against their defamers.

In a related incident, a finance worker paid out $25 million after engaging in a video call with a deepfake impersonating a ‘chief financial officer’.

Additionally, a woman relocated to Italy and purchased a palazzo for a fresh start, accompanied by her ex-husband.