Italy PM Girogia Meloni seeks 100,000 euros over deepfake pornographic videos

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni is pursuing damages of 100,000 euros ($109,345) following the dissemination of deepfake pornography featuring her online.

Investigators allege that two individuals created explicit videos by digitally inserting Meloni’s face onto another person’s body, subsequently circulating them on the internet. Charged with defamation are a 40-year-old man and his 73-year-old father, as reported by the BBC.

Law enforcement managed to trace the perpetrators by monitoring the smartphone used for uploading the videos. The deepfake content in question dates back to 2022, predating Meloni’s assumption of the Prime Minister’s office.

Of significance, certain defamation cases in Italy may carry criminal penalties, potentially leading to incarceration. Meloni is scheduled to provide testimony in court on July 2nd. The indictment asserts that the videos were posted on a pornographic website based in the United States and garnered “millions of views” over multiple months.

The legal representatives of Italy’s Prime Minister clarified that the damages request was intended as a symbolic gesture. They announced that Ms. Meloni would donate the entire sum to aid “women who have been victims of male violence.”

Maria Giulia Marongiu, Meloni’s lawyer, emphasized that seeking compensation would serve to encourage victims of such abuses of power not to hesitate in pursuing legal action.

Deepfake technology involves the creation of synthetic media through artificial intelligence, typically with the intent to deceive by making the content appear genuine.

According to MIT, the term “deepfake” originated in late 2017 when a Reddit user named “deepfake” created a platform for sharing pornographic videos crafted using open-source face-swapping technology. Deepfake technology employs artificial intelligence (AI) to produce images or videos that convincingly depict fabricated events. This process relies on a form of AI called deep learning, which generates realistic simulations of events that never occurred. Thanks to advancements in artificial intelligence, deepfakes have become increasingly realistic and prevalent.

However, they pose a significant threat to public trust and truth. Deepfakes serve as potent tools for spreading misinformation, manipulating public opinion, and tarnishing reputations by generating convincing audio and video recordings of individuals engaging in actions or making statements they never actually did. Numerous world leaders have voiced their concerns about the proliferation of deepfakes and their potential to deceive and undermine societal trust.