Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni publicly condemned the spread of an artificially generated photograph depicting her in an intimate bedroom setting wearing undergarments, calling it a political assault against her on Tuesday.
The prime minister posted the questionable image on her Facebook page, along with what appeared to be a social media user named Roberto’s post that included the fake photo and suggested Meloni should feel “ashamed” of herself.
Meloni cautioned against distributing such manipulated content on social platforms without first confirming their authenticity.
“Deepfakes are a dangerous tool because they can deceive, manipulate and target anyone. I can defend myself. Many others cannot,” she cautioned in her Facebook statement.
Officials have not confirmed whether Meloni plans to file a complaint with authorities, despite encouragement from followers responding to her post. She did note with some humor that the digitally altered image “actually made me look a lot better.”
“But the fact remains that, in order to attack and fabricate lies, people will now use absolutely anything,” she stated.
This marks another instance where Italy’s first female prime minister’s image has sparked controversy. Earlier this year in February, a church-state dispute emerged when a cherub sculpture resembling Meloni was discovered in a Roman cathedral.
At that time, Meloni responded with humor to the comparison.
“No, I definitely don’t look like an angel,” she posted on social media, including a laughing emoji next to a picture of the artwork.
