An Italian website that posted doctored images of well-known women, including Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, with obscene commentary, has announced its closure after a backlash from other female politicians.
The explicit site called Phica, a play on the Italian slang for vagina, now displays a message saying it has shut down with great regret due to the toxic behaviour of some users.
Meloni herself has said she is disgusted by the site and called for those responsible to be punished with the utmost firmness.
The removal of Phica comes days after celebrity figures led a wave of public anger against an Italian Facebook group called Mia Moglie (My Wife), where thousands of men had been swapping intimate images of their partners apparently without their knowledge.
Those pictures were posted with explicit or even violent comments, with users said to include former politicians, businessmen and police officers.
Meta has since closed down the group for violating our adult sexual exploitation policies.
Phica was a far bigger operation, said to have some 700,000 users, and had been active for two decades despite previous complaints.
Its so-called VIP section contained photos of female Italian politicians and other prominent figures, from actresses to influencers, taken either from public appearances or lifted from personal social media accounts.
The images, including beach shots in swimwear, were digitally altered before being posted in albums with titles like hot politicians with other suggestive and sexist captions, prompting vulgar commentary beneath.
Alessandra Moretti, an MEP who spoke out against the site, says it also included incitement to rape.
Images were altered and then pushed out to users, she told the BBC.
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, said the MEP from the opposition Democratic Party.
Phica's statement announcing its closure blamed users who it said had perverted the spirit and original purpose of the platform, claiming that it had been intended for those who wanted to share their content in a safe environment.
Italy's Postal Police have confirmed that an investigation has been launched regarding the site and similar platforms.
Previous complaints about the Mia Moglie group went unheeded until last week when writer Carolina Capria denounced the group publicly, leading to a wave of women speaking out in recognition of themselves in the images shared.
The closure of Phica was welcomed by many, reflecting the urgent call for respecting women's dignity online as emphasized by leaders like Meloni.
