Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni is understandably furious about the Phica scandal. She described her reaction as “disgusted” upon discovering that photos of multiple women, including her sister and current opposition leader Elly Schlein, were uploaded to the now defunct platform. At its release in 2005, Phica was quickly controversial, as it allowed users to share revealing, nude photos without someone’s consent. It gained more than 700,000 subscribers before getting the plug pulled on it.
Meloni’s remarks come on the heels of an increasing movement among women to expose similar violations on other digital platforms. The elected leader promised to find the persons accountable for the scandal and bring them to book “with the greatest severity.” She exclaimed about the seriousness of the situation. According to a 2019 study by University of Milan researchers, one in five Italian women have experienced non-consensual dissemination of intimate images.
Leading women in Italy made the Phica scandal public, creating a nationwide uproar. In reaction to official complaints made by elected members of the centre-left Democratic Party (PD), the police has initiated an internal investigation. The scandal has led one hundred women to step forward and bring action against Phica and other such platforms.
“I am disgusted by what has happened,” – Giorgia Meloni
Phica’s managers closed the site down, alleging that their users had “misused the platform.” In answer to the rising outcry against non-consensual sharing, Meloni added solidarity to all women victimized by this act. She stated, “I want to extend my solidarity and support to all the women who have been offended, insulted and violated.”
This year, in September, the Prime Minister doubled down on these perceived threats, emphasising the harm of online content. She remarked, “Content that is considered harmless can, in the wrong hands, become a terrible weapon. We must all be aware of this.” Meloni’s pronouncements speak to the need for safeguarding women’s dignity in an ever more digital society.
In her remarks, Meloni criticized societal attitudes towards women, stating, “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.”
As a result, Meta just recently shut down an Italian Facebook account named Mia Moglie (My Wife). This account was merely the most egregious example of a broader trend that exposed the immediate need for stricter online platform regulations.