An Italian website that featured manipulated images of prominent women, including Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, alongside offensive commentary, has announced its closure following widespread condemnation from female politicians.
The explicit site, named Phica – a play on the Italian slang term for vagina – now displays a message stating that it has shut down “with great regret” due to the “toxic behaviour” of certain users.
Prime Minister Meloni expressed her “disgust” at the site and called for the perpetrators to be punished “with the utmost firmness.”
The closure of Phica coincides with public outcry led by prominent figures against an Italian Facebook group called Mia Moglie (My Wife), where thousands of men were allegedly sharing intimate images of their partners without their consent.
These images were accompanied by explicit and, in some cases, violent commentary, with users reportedly including former politicians, business professionals, and law enforcement officers.
Meta has since removed the group for “violating our adult sexual exploitation policies.”
Phica, reportedly boasting around 700,000 users, had been operating for two decades despite previous complaints.
Its so-called VIP section contained photographs of female Italian politicians and other high-profile figures, ranging from actresses to influencers, sourced from public appearances or extracted from their personal social media accounts.
The images, including beach photographs in swimwear, were digitally altered before being organized into albums with titles such as “hot politicians,” accompanied by suggestive and sexist captions that incited vulgar commentary.
Alessandra Moretti, a Member of the European Parliament (MEP) who voiced strong opposition to the site, stated that it also contained incitement to rape.
Speaking to the BBC, she explained that images were altered and disseminated to users, triggering a wave of obscene comments.
“This was followed by a flood of obscene comments that have not only harmed my emotional well-being but also endangered the safety of many women,” stated the MEP from the opposition Democratic Party.
She emphasized that prominent political figures like herself had a responsibility to stand up and advocate for other women who were being targeted.
“Platforms that incite rape and violence must be shut down and banned,” she added. “Violence breeds violence, and it’s time to put an end to it.”
Phica’s statement announcing its closure attributed the situation to users who, it claimed, had perverted the “spirit and original purpose” of the platform, which it alleged was intended for individuals seeking to “share their content in a safe environment.”
However, the statement acknowledged that the platform had become something people “wanted to distance themselves from, not be proud of,” and pledged that all content would be deleted.
The statement was accompanied by emoji-like images of tears and concluded with the words “See you soon.”
Italy’s Postal Police, the agency responsible for addressing cybercrime, has confirmed to the BBC that an investigation is underway.
Phica maintained that it had consistently blocked and reported all instances of violence and images of minors.
However, a petition for its closure on Change.org, which garnered nearly 170,000 signatures, alleged that it had included images of individuals taken surreptitiously in changing rooms and beauty salons, “or filmed by hidden microcameras in public bathrooms.”
Prior complaints regarding the Mia Moglie group had also been ignored.
That changed last week when writer Carolina Capria publicly denounced the group in a widely shared post. Women who recognized themselves in the images subsequently began to speak out.
Police report they have been inundated with reports about these and other platforms.
“It is disheartening to note that in 2025, there are still those who consider it normal and legitimate to trample on a woman’s dignity and target her with sexist and vulgar insults, hiding behind anonymity or a keyboard,” Italy’s Prime Minister told Corriere della Sera newspaper.
She also urged women to report any images that were being shared without their consent.
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Local media named the man as 47-year-old Diego Borella, an assistant director on the show.