Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has requested a compensation of 100,000 euros following the uploading of few deepfake videos of her online, according to a BBC report.
Meloni is set to testify in a Sassari court on July 2.
According to the BBC report, a 40-year-old individual, suspected of creating the videos, along with his 73-year-old father, are currently under investigation. They allegedly replaced Meloni’s face with that of an adult film actor in the purported video.
Both individuals now face defamation charges.
The suspects were reportedly located by authorities through tracing the mobile device used to upload the purported adult videos, as per the report.
Information provided by Meloni’s legal representative indicates that the videos were posted on an adult content site in the US, where they accumulated “millions of views” over numerous months. Significantly, the deepfake videos were uploaded prior to her assuming office as Prime Minister in 2022, as per the BBC report.
Maria Giulia Marongiu, Meloni’s lawyer, characterized the compensation requested by the Prime Minister as ‘symbolic’ and stated that if awarded, she would donate the amount to a fund to support women who have been victims of male violence.
“The compensation was meant to send a message to women who are victims of this kind of abuse of power not to be afraid to press charges,” the report quoted Marongiu as saying.