Key Points

The forum, known as Phica - a name based on a slang term "figa" for the word "vagina" in Italian - was shut down by its own managers on Thursday, following a widespread backlash. The site, which had hundreds of thousands of subscribers at the time of its closure, blamed users for breaking its rules.

Subscribers of the adult forum allegedly harvested images of women from social media websites or public sources, before doctoring them and posting them along with misogynistic descriptions.

Alongside Georgia Meloni, as reported by CNN, the site also allegedly featured images of her sister Arianna, who is a prominent politician within the Brothers of Italy party as well as other Italian celebrities and politicians.

"I am disgusted by what happened, and I want to extend my solidarity and support to all the women who have been offended, insulted, and violated in their intimacy by the managers of this forum and its users," Meloni told Italy's local media, as quoted by CNN.

She added, "It is disheartening to note that in 2025, there are still those who consider it normal and legitimate to trample on a woman's dignity and target her with sexist and vulgar insults, hiding behind anonymity or a keyboard."

In an apparent nod to Italy's current laws on revenge porn, Meloni said it has become apparent that "this no longer happens just out of 'revenge,' and that protecting our data and our privacy is increasingly crucial in our times."

Italy does have a "revenge porn" law in place, passed in 2019, that makes the "illegal dissemination of sexually explicit images" punishable by up to six years in prison.

Her sister Arianna, also speaking to local media, blamed what she described as a "bad habit of a click-through society, where we intrude on private life, we offend, we peek through keyholes, we ruin lives, and we belittle the real, important things that women achieve and conquer with their work day after day," as quoted by CNN.

- ANI