ROME (AP) \u2014 An internet site which showed photos of thousands of Italian women without their consent and attracted obscene and explicit comments was forced to shut down on Thursday after a backlash.<\/p>\n
The site, which featured prominent women, including Premier Giorgia Meloni and European Parliament member Alessandra Moretti, also included posts which idealized violence against women.<\/p>\n
The online forum, which took its name from slang for female genitalia, has been around for at least two decades but it only drew national attention after Moretti formally lodged a complaint with police after finding her photo displayed without her permission.<\/p>\n
It displayed unauthorized photos and videos of hundreds of public figures, along with unsuspecting actresses, influencers and ordinary women. The images were often lifted from TV or social media profiles. It counted 200,000 users and displayed pictures identified by names or certain themes. <\/p>\n
\u201cThey have been stealing photos and clips from TV shows I\u2019ve appeared on for years, then altering them and feeding them to thousands of users,\u201d Moretti said.<\/p>\n
She said the site was among many that operate \u201cwith impunity\u201d even though previous complaints have been filed against them.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis type of site, which incites rape and violence, must be shut down and banned,\u2033 she said.<\/p>\n
Following the comments by Moretti, and complaints by dozens of other women, the site\u2019s administrators posted an online statement on Thursday saying \u201cwith great regret\u201d it was being shut down.<\/p>\n
They attributed the \u201ctoxic behaviors\u201d to a \u201cwrong use of the platform, which damaged its original spirit.\u201d<\/p>\n
Italian women, from ordinary workers and housewives to top politicians, are fighting back against a proliferation of websites displaying their photos without their consent, often accompanied by obscene language. <\/p>\n
Their efforts gained national prominence when activists earlier this summer denounced a Facebook page dubbed \u201cMia Moglie\u201d (\u201cMy Wife\u201d), where men posted unauthorized photos of their spouses and succeeded in getting it taken down.<\/p>\n
Some men said their wives had agreed to their images being posted, but no female comments were visible on the site. <\/p>\n
Experts said websites that display images of women without their consent were \u201cthe other face\u201d of physical and sexual violence.<\/p>\n
\u201cDigital tools became not only a way for men to exercise control over women, but are increasingly used to offend, humiliate and attack them,\u201d Sabrina Frasca, activist with anti-violence group Differenza Donna, told The Associated Press. <\/p>\n
\u201cMia Moglie,\u201d had around 32,000 members before it was shut down last week by Facebook<\/a> -owner Meta, which said it acted against the site \u201cfor violating our adult sexual exploitation policies.\u201d<\/p>\n