Rome, March 21: Italy’s Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni is seeking €100,000 ($109,345) in damages following the creation and online circulation of deepfake pornographic videos featuring her on internet.

The videos were allegedly created by two men who superimposed Meloni’s face onto another person’s body. The individuals, a 40-year-old man and his 73-year-old father, have been charged with defamation. Deepfake Scandal: Identify and Remove Deepfakes Else Face Legal Action, Government Reminds Intermediaries.

According to a report in Independent, the police were able to track down the suspects by tracing the smartphone used to upload the videos. The deepfake video in question was created in 2022, prior to Meloni’s appointment as Prime Minister. In Italy, certain defamation cases can be criminal and may result in a jail sentence. Meloni is set to testify in court on July 2nd. Deepfake Video Conference Call: CFO’s Digitally Recreated Avatar Costs Hong Kong Multinational Company USD 25.6 Million.

The indictment alleges that the videos were uploaded to a pornographic website based in the United States and were viewed millions of times over several months. Meloni’s legal team has stated that the request for damages is symbolic and that any awarded funds will be donated to support women who have been victims of male violence.

Maria Giulia Marongiu, Meloni’s lawyer, expressed hope that the case will encourage other victims of such abuses of power to press charges.

Deepfakes, a form of synthetic media, use artificial intelligence to manipulate or generate visual and audio content with the intent of appearing authentic.

The term “deepfake” first appeared in late 2017 when a Reddit user of the same name created a platform for sharing pornographic videos made with open-source face-swapping technology. As artificial intelligence has advanced, deepfakes have become more realistic and widespread.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Mar 21, 2024 11:11 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).