Facebook has been summoned into the spotlight once again after the shutdown of an Italian group notorious for sharing intimate images of women without their consent. The group, called Mia Moglie—which translates to My Wife in English—had amassed approximately 32,000 members before its sudden removal this week.
The discovery of this group has prompted an immediate outcry among Italians worried about a surge in similar online communities taking its place. Meta, the parent company of Facebook, stated that the group was taken down for infringing upon their Adult Sexual Exploitation policies.
Screenshots taken prior to the group's dissolution depicted women in sensitive situations, including those captured while sleeping or during personal moments. Beneath these images, men displayed brazen misogyny, with comments ranging from violent fantasies to explicit remarks celebrating the illicit nature of the photographs.
Author Carolina Capria brought attention to the group's disturbing content, admitting she was "nauseous" and "scared" after observing the nature of the interactions. She lamented the pervasive blend of violence with sexuality that allows men to openly assert dominance while hiding behind their screens.
Political figures also responded to the controversy, with Fiorella Zabatta from the European Greens denouncing the group as "virtual rape" and calling for collective action against harmful online behaviors. "These platforms must be confronted, and this toxic masculinity must be dismantled," she emphasized, asserting the need for both civil society and political engagement in the fight against such predatory actions.
Italy has dealt with issues surrounding revenge porn, defined as the unauthorized sharing of explicit images meant for private viewing, since it became illegal in 2019. Reports indicate that over a thousand individuals have filed complaints regarding the Mia Moglie group to Italy's cyber crime unit.
Meta reiterated their commitment to preventing the dissemination of content that poses threats of sexual violence or exploitation on their platforms. The emergence of the Italian group has drawn comparisons to the notorious Pelicot case in France, where Dominique Pelicot received a 20-year prison sentence for criminal acts against his wife, Gisèle. Capria noted a worrying similarity in both cases, highlighting the unsettling belief that men can exert control over their partners, where sexuality becomes entwined with oppression.
