"The sites permitted men to post intimate or doctored photographs of women -- from celebrities to the men's own wives or daughters -- along with sexual, misogynistic or violent comments. The porn site classified girls by their names, regions or cities and posted photographs stolen from social media or doctored images from official or public functions. Some users posted pictures of their former partners. A special spy section gave tips on installing hidden cameras."
"As Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni -- herself one of the victims -- slammed the site, dozens of others came forward to say they had been targeted. "A real #MeToo has been born. There has never been anything like it in Italy," Semenzin said. "We can no longer act as if nothing happened, this is a problem that affects everyone," she said."
"Silvia Semenzin, an Italian sociologist specialising in gender violence and online misogyny, told AFP she reported the website Phica in 2019, but her complaint was not followed up. Phica -- a play on a slang term for vagina in Italian -- had around 100,000 users at the time, compared to more than 700,000 when it was finally shut down last week, she said."
Two Italian websites allowed users to post stolen or doctored intimate photographs of women accompanied by sexual, misogynistic or violent comments. One site classified girls by name, region or city, posted images taken from social media or public functions, and included a spy section with tips for installing hidden cameras. Phica grew from roughly 100,000 users to over 700,000 before being shut down. Italy's prime minister was among those targeted, prompting dozens more to come forward and Rome prosecutors to open investigations. Many victims feel intimidated or trapped and are reluctant to press charges amid a culture of victim-blaming.
Read at www.thelocal.it
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