Italy PM Giorgia Meloni to testify today in deepfake pornography trial

Italy Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni is scheduled to testify in court today in a civil lawsuit against two men accused of creating and disseminating deepfake pornographic videos using her likeness. The court appearance marks a significant moment as Meloni seeks justice and aims to send a strong message against such abuses of technology.

What is the case about?

The lawsuit involves a 40-year-old man and his 73-year-old father, who are allegedly responsible for uploading the manipulated videos to an American pornographic website in 2020, prior to Meloni becoming the prime minister.  

According to the indictment, the videos were viewed millions of times globally during their several-month-long presence online. Meloni is pursuing a “symbolic” compensation of €100,000, which she has pledged to donate to an interior ministry fund supporting women victims of violence.

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Meloni’s lawyer has emphasised that the lawsuit aims to encourage other victims of similar abuses to come forward and press charges. The older defendant has requested to serve community service to settle the case against him, a decision that will be made by a judge next week.

Deeper concerns over the impact of deepfake technology

A deepfake is a digitally altered image or video where a person’s face is superimposed onto another body. This technology has become increasingly prevalent, raising alarms over its potential for political disinformation and online sexual harassment. Meloni’s case highlights the urgent need to address the misuse of such technologies.

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Are there enough legislative measures and regulations in place?

Deepfakes are not illegal in Europe under the EU’s new AI rulebook. However, content creators have to be transparent about their origins. This does not mean that content creators are allowed to make offensive videos of somebody.  

Italy has legal remedies in place to regulate artificial intelligence (AI) technology while staying in conformity with the European Union AI Act approved by the European Parliament earlier this year.  

While deepfakes are not explicitly outlawed as stated above under the new EU regulations, content creators are required to disclose the origins of AI-generated content. Furthermore, large tech platforms like TikTok, X, and Facebook must identify AI-generated content under the Digital Services Act, part of the EU’s content moderation laws.

Why Meloni’s testimony matters

Meloni’s testimony today in Sassari, Sardinia, represents a critical step in addressing the misuse of deepfake technology and supporting victims of such online harassment. Her lawyer has said that the lawsuit is meant to “send a message to women who are victims of this kind of abuse of power not to be afraid to press charges”.