Italian PM Giorgia Meloni sues creators of deep fake video for defamation, will appear in court to seek €100,000 in damages

Italian PM Giorgia Meloni has filed a lawsuit and is seeking compensation to the tune of 100,000 Euros after deep fake videos of her were uploaded on a pornographic site in the USA and garnered millions of views for several months.

She is scheduled to appear personally and provide testimony on July 2 in a court in Sassari, in Italy’s Sardinia region, as reported by BBC.

Meloni’s face was reportedly swapped with a porn actress and pornographic videos were uploaded on an adult site. A 40-year-old man, and his 73-year-old father are currently under investigation in the case. They are facing charges that include defamation.

Meloni’s lawyer Maria Giulia Marongiu has informed that the pornographic videos with Meloni’s face morphed into an adult film actress were uploaded before she became the PM of Italy in 2022. They have been circulated in the US-based porn site for months and have garnered millions of views.

Maria Giulia Marongiu has also stated that the compensation Meloni is seeking will be ‘symbolic’, and the amount will be donated to charities that help women victims of male violence. The lawsuit is intended to encourage other victims to not be afraid and seek justice.

“The compensation was meant to send a message to women who are victims of this kind of abuse of power not to be afraid to press charges,” Marongiu said.

As per reports, under Italian law, defamation suits can also result in criminal charges and result in imprisonment.

In India too, several celebrities, including Rashmika Mandanna, Katrina Kaif and Sachin Tendulkar’s daughter Sara Tendulkar have been victims of deepfake videos. The menace has become all the more serious after the widespread availability of AI image editing and generative tools.