A shocking case in Italy has exposed a disturbing side of online abuse. Police have discovered a secret Facebook group where thousands of men were sharing private photos of women, often their own partners without their knowledge or consent.
According to reports, the group called “Mia Moglie” (My Wife) had been active since 2019 and had more than 32,000 members before it was shut down. Investigators found that men, including husbands and partners, were uploading intimate photos of their wives, girlfriends, and even strangers. Many of the images showed women while undressing, sunbathing, or during sexual activities.
What shocked authorities most was that in many cases, the photos had been uploaded by the women’s own partners. Alongside the pictures, members often posted indecent remarks and obscene suggestions, creating what police described as a “deeply toxic environment.”
Barbara Strappato, Deputy Director of Italy’s Postal Police, the cybercrime unit handling the case, said “All comments made in the group will be recorded in our information system. The crimes here range from defamation to sharing intimate pictures without permission. I have never seen so many disturbing words in a social media group in my career.” She added that the crimes under investigation range from defamation to unlawful sharing of intimate images.
(Also Read: 'Chaos At 30,000 Feet': BA Staff Caught Naked And High Mid-Flight)
The investigation began after Meta and Italian police received more than 2,000 complaints demanding the group be closed. Acting on these alerts, the Postal Police launched a probe and on August 20 the group was permanently shut down.
However, before the closure, the group’s anonymous administrators tried to keep the community alive. In a final message, they told members that a new, “private and secure” group had been created. Authorities now suspect that the activity is shifted to Telegram, a platform which is considered harder to monitor.
By then, thousands of screenshots and photos had already been copied and shared on other platforms, making it nearly impossible to fully stop the spread.
Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has condemned the case strongly and said that the issue has now gone beyond revenge.
