Italian and US authorities block deepfake porn site cFake.com, PM Meloni and other public figures among victims
Italian police, with US Homeland Security, shut down the 19-year-old platform cFake.com, which hosted thousands of non-consensual fake explicit images and videos of female politicians and celebrities including Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni.
The platform and its victims
cFake.com launched in April 2007 and initially relied on photomontages, superimposing celebrities' faces onto pornographic images. In recent years it incorporated AI-generated deepfake images and videos. The victims identified by Italian authorities include Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, influencer Chiara Ferragni, opposition politician Elly Schlein, and singer Laura Pausini, along with many other women from politics, entertainment, sports and culture.
How the investigation unfolded
The Postal Police in Rome opened an investigation in October 2025 after receiving multiple reports. Technicians traced the servers to the United States. In November 2025, a preliminary investigations judge in Rome ordered the preventive seizure and blocking of the site for Italian users.
- Domain cFake.com first registered, initially hosting photomontages.
- US Take It Down Act enacted, providing a legal tool against non-consensual explicit content.
- Italian Postal Police open investigation after multiple reports.
- Rome judge orders preventive seizure and blocking of the site for Italian users.
- Full takedown executed; site replaced by a block notice from US and French agencies.
International cooperation and legal basis
Through international police cooperation, US Homeland Security Investigations requested the Department of Justice to issue a seizure order for the domain under the federal Take It Down Act, which came into force in May 2025 to combat non-consensual explicit content. French police also participated in the operation, according to the block screen now displayed on the site.
A long-running operation
The site operated for nearly 20 years, evolving from crude photomontages to AI-generated deepfakes. Access required an age self-declaration, and the interface was entirely in English. The takedown marks one of the most prominent enforcement actions under the Take It Down Act since its enactment.
