Siracusano Deepfake, Barachini launches an appeal and the undersecretary announces a lawsuit against Vannacci

"After the very serious episode of the publication of a photo of the Siracusan undersecretary modified with AI by General Vannacci to discredit the image of the government representative, I launch an appeal to the majority and opposition forces not to use faces and voices modified by artificial intelligence in the electoral campaign as our party will do". Alberto Barachini, undersecretary to the Presidency of the Council with responsibility for information and publishing, declared this in his capacity as head of communications for Forza Italia.

"Using the mystification of content aimed at voters - says Barachini - means betraying citizens. The task of politics is, vice versa, to strengthen the democratic bond and participation in public life by consolidating the relationship of trust between the voter and his representatives. My appeal - underlines Barachini - follows the Italian path traced by this government on artificial intelligence, introducing the crime of deepfake".

"Using a woman's body to campaign is unacceptable. The political confrontation should be measured by the resources brought to the territory. It seems to me that I have contributed a lot, unlike Vannacci." Undersecretary Matilde Siracusano stated this in an interview with Corriere della Sera.

What would you tell him? "Who has committed a crime - he adds referring to Vannacci - because the original photo was taken from my personal profile on the web and modified. And then, the fact that a former general, who talks so much about honor and values, finds himself forced to modify the photo of a woman with software says a lot about the person he is. I also find this fixation on women a bit excessive, what does Vannacci want to prove? He had already exposed himself with skirts, saying that he preferred women without them, what else does he want to add?".

"A clear sexist and denigrating intent - continues Siracusano -. I have never run for office and will never run for Reggio Calabria so this attack has no reason to exist. It was just an attack targeting a woman, partner of a political opponent, despite my militancy dating back to a long time before. Evidently they tried to use this denigration campaign to act politically, they have no other means. A squalid and perverse mechanism".

"The idea must pass that the victim of this attack is not me - she continues -, but any woman with shoulders less broad than mine, which is why I think I will file a complaint: operations of this kind must not go unnoticed. A politician who presents himself as a national leader and publishes these things, I would say that he qualifies himself".

Will he act legally? "I confirm, even after the latest controversy on skirts, it's enough to play with women's bodies" concludes Undersecretary Siracusano.