Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni is seeking €100,000 (£85,374) in damages following the uploading of deepfake pornographic videos depicting her online.
Ms. Meloni is scheduled to testify in court in Sassari, Sardinia, on 2 July.
Deepfake technology involves digitally superimposing one person’s face onto another’s body.
A 40-year-old man, believed to have created the videos, and his 73-year-old father are currently under investigation for their production.
The police located the suspects by tracing the mobile device used to upload the videos, and both individuals are charged with defamation.
In Italy, some defamation cases can lead to criminal charges and imprisonment.
The videos were posted on a US pornographic website and garnered millions of views over several months, as per the indictment.
If successful in her claim, Ms. Meloni plans to donate the €100,000 to a fund supporting women who have suffered from male violence.
Her lawyer, Maria Giulia Marongiu, described the sum as symbolic and aimed at encouraging victims of such abuses to come forward without fear.
The deepfake videos of Ms. Meloni date back to before her appointment as prime minister in 2022.
Deepfake porn has become increasingly common online, causing emotional distress to victims whose faces are manipulated into explicit content.
Source-BBC
