Giorgia Meloni raises the alarm about deepfakes, sharing an example of a fake photo, generated using artificial intelligence, in which her face appears on the body of a woman wearing underwear.
One of those that are "going around these days" and are "passed off as real by some diligent opponents," the Prime Minister explains, publishing the post of a certain Roberto, who, commenting on the image, called it "shameful" that "a Prime Minister presents herself in these conditions."
Deepfakes, the prime minister warned, "are a dangerous tool because they can deceive, manipulate, and harm anyone. I can defend myself. Many others cannot."
Five years ago, when she was still only the leader of FdI, her face was used in a hardcore video posted on a pornographic website by a Sardinian father and son, who later ended up on trial in Sassari.
Meanwhile, digital technologies for creating realistic yet false content have become increasingly effective and available. They've even been used in politics at times. Regarding the fake image she posted, Meloni jokes ("Whoever created it actually made me look a lot better") before lashing out: "Just to attack and invent falsehoods, people really use anything these days." And to protect against deception, she adds, "one rule should always apply: verify before you believe, and believe before you share. Because today it happens to me, tomorrow it could happen to anyone." The prime minister has received messages of support from several female parliamentarians. "We must be ready," says Lega member Simonetta Matone , "to combat online insider scams, protecting the women who are their victims, especially in a delicate moment when online manipulation is unfortunately on the rise."
For Alessandra Maiorino , of the M5S, the obligation to have a digital identity is «an issue that can no longer be postponed. The web cannot continue to remain the unregulated jungle it is now,” otherwise “it is always the most vulnerable who suffer first: minors and women.” “Violence spreads quickly on the web and,” notes Mariastella Gelmini of Noi moderateti, “even these tools can become very dangerous.” According to Anna Ascani of the Democratic Party, however, Meloni “forgets that her government has also acted here with the same old pattern: introducing a crime. Nothing more useless.” The reference is to the law approved in September 2025, but for the Vice President of the Chamber of Deputies, “there is no law that allows the relevant authorities to ask platforms to immediately remove content of this type, especially that which pollutes public debate and the formation of consensus, particularly during election campaigns. And this law,” she attacks, “does not exist because this executive didn’t want it : my bill to combat the distorted use of content produced with artificial intelligence spread on social media was rejected by her own government, to the embarrassment of the majority in Parliament who stammered in surprise at the total closure on an issue that concerns everyone.” and it is in everyone's interest."
(Unioneonline)
