An explicit content platform in was forced to close on Thursday, after it was discovered that users had displayed photos of high-profile women without their consent.
The content on the site included images of and European Parliament member Alessandra Moretti, opposition leader Elly Schlein and influencer Chiara Ferragni.
The online forum, dubbed Phica, derived its name from Italian slang for female genitalia, and has been around for at least two decades.
Some 200,000 users frequented the site and displayed pictures identified by names or certain themes.
The images of the women appeared to have been lifted from TV or social media profiles.
Obscene and explicit posts were tagged to the content, including idealized violence against women.
Sexism with ‘impunity’
Backlash grew over the site’s activities when Moretti formally lodged a complaint with police after finding her photo on the site displayed without her permission.
“They have been stealing photos and clips from TV shows I’ve appeared on for years, then altering them and feeding them to thousands of users,” Moretti said.
The EU MP said the site was just one among many in Italy that operate “with impunity,” despite numerous complaints filed against them.
“This type of site, which incites rape and violence, must be shut down and banned,” she said.
The platform’s administrators posted statement on Thursday saying that the site would be shut down “with great regret” due to “toxic behaviors” and a “wrong use of the platform, which damaged its original spirit.”
Italy’s struggle with gender-based violence
It all comes after a similar case involving the Italian Facebook group “Mia Moglie” (“My Wife”) also drew condemnation across the country.
In the online group of more than 30,000 men, users uploaded photos of their partners without their consent and shared them, where the images also drew obscene comments.
Italy’s government approved a draft law in March that for the first time introduces the legal definition of femicide into the country’s criminal law and punishes it with life imprisonment, but the bill has not yet met final approval nor become law.
The countries center-left opposition has praised the law but also stressed that the economic, educational and cultural sources of and still remain unaddressed.
Edited by: Wesley Dockery
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