Italian forum doctored Meloni and Schlein photos, sparks a probe

A pornographic forum that published altered photos of hundreds of Italian women without their consent, including Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and opposition leader Elly Schlein, has provoked national outrage and prompted criminal complaints and a police probe. The uproar follows renewed attention to a long-running site, variously identified in reports as Phica, and renewed efforts by activists and politicians to force platforms and authorities to act against nonconsensual image sharing and online misogyny.

The site, which activists say has existed for at least two decades, published images taken from social media, television appearances and public events, often zoomed or doctored and accompanied by vulgar captions and sexually explicit commentary. Accounts of its size and current status differed. Some reports put its membership at roughly 200,000 users, while others cited more than 700,000 subscribers. After dozens of women filed complaints and a petition demanding closure collected more than 150,000 signatures, site administrators posted a statement saying it was being shut down, and police have opened an investigation.

The controversy intensified after Alessandra Moretti, a...