Italy's PM vs. Deepfakes: Giorgia Meloni Seeks Rs 90 Lakh In Damages, Plans To Donate It
Deepfake technology is slowly becoming a menace as many celebrities and influential personalities are bearing the brunt of it. It has become so widespread that even Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has become a victim of the same.?
What Happened With The Italian PM?
For the unversed, deepfake images/videos are generated by digitally overlaying one person's face onto another person's body.??These deepfake videos of Meloni emerged in 2022, before she assumed the role of Italy's Prime Minister.
Italy's Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni is taking legal action and demanding €100,000 (Rs 90 Lakh approx) in compensation following the unauthorized creation and distribution of explicit deepfake videos featuring her online.
Who Is The Culprit Behind Meloni¡¯s Fake Video?
Authorities have filed defamation charges against a 40-year-old individual and his 73-year-old father for allegedly creating and sharing manipulated videos online, in which Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni's face was digitally inserted into pornographic material.
According to the BBC, police located the accused via tracking of the device that was used to upload the videos.
In Italy, defamation cases can be deemed criminal offenses under the law, which may lead to potential jail sentences.
Meloni Will Testify In Court In July
Meloni is set to appear in court on July 2, according to the BBC report. The indictment claims that the altered videos were posted on a pornographic website in the United States, accumulating "millions of views" over several months.
What Will She Do With The Compensation?
The legal team representing the Italian Prime Minister has characterized the €100,000 damages request as "symbolic," stating that the Prime Minister plans to donate the entire sum to organizations supporting women affected by gender-based violence. Meloni's lawyer, Maria Giulia Marongiu, emphasized that the compensation demand aims to encourage women subjected to such abuses of power to come forward and seek justice.
