Tiziana Cantone: Sex tape suicide fuels revenge porn debate
Italian woman found hanged after battling to have explicit video removed from internet
The suicide of an Italian woman who faced months of humiliation over a sex tape posted on the internet has fuelled debate about revenge porn and the "right to be forgotten" online.
Tiziana Cantone, 31, was found hanged at her aunt's house in Mugnano, close to Naples, three days ago.
Her name was well known in the country after an explicit video she had sent to an ex-boyfriend was uploaded to the internet last year. It subsequently went viral and triggered a torrent of abuse and jokes at her expense.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
"In a bid to escape the humiliation, Tiziana quit her job, moved to Tuscany and tried to change her name, but her nightmare went on," reports The Local.
A quote from the video, translated as "You're making a video? Bravo", was printed on T-shirts, smartphone cases and other items for peoples' entertainment.
Cantone eventually won a "right to be forgotten" ruling, which ordered the video to be removed from specific sites and search engines, but she was ordered to pay €20,000 in legal costs and the video can still be found online, according to the Naples daily Il Mattino. "In the Wild West of the internet, the orders of a judge have the same effect as shooting blanks," says the newspaper.
Her mother, Maria Teresa, told La Repubblica: "She suffered from everything she saw and heard, and in particular from the lawsuit, because she believed justice had not been done."
According to local reports, prosecutors in Naples are exploring "incitement to suicide" charges, with four men under investigation.
Most often, victims of revenge porn are women, says Bustle, and this case "specifically challenges" the sexual objectification and violence against women that is prevalent when explicit material is shared online without an individual's consent: "Cantone's suicide exemplifies how deadly misogyny can be."
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
81 things Donald Trump has said about women
The Explainer The former president has a long history of controversial remarks about the opposite sex
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
Video games to play this fall, from 'Call of Duty: Black Ops 6' to 'Assassin's Creed Shadows'
The Week Recommends 'Assassin's Creed' goes to feudal Japan, and a remaster of horror classic 'Silent Hill 2' drops
By Theara Coleman, The Week US Published
-
'This is but one of a string of troubles confronting the agency'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
By Justin Klawans, The Week US Published
-
A brief history of third parties in the US
In Depth Though none of America's third parties have won a presidential election, they have nonetheless had a large impact on the country's politics
By Joel Mathis, The Week US Published
-
Chimpanzees are dying of human diseases
Under the radar Great apes are vulnerable to human pathogens thanks to genetic similarity, increased contact and no immunity
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
Deaths of Jesse Baird and Luke Davies hang over Sydney's Mardi Gras
The Explainer Police officer, the former partner of TV presenter victim, charged with two counts of murder after turning himself in
By Austin Chen, The Week UK Published
-
Quiz of The Week: 24 February - 1 March
Puzzles and Quizzes Have you been paying attention to The Week's news?
By Sorcha Bradley, The Week UK Published
-
Will mounting discontent affect Iran election?
Today's Big Question Low turnout is expected in poll seen as crucial test for Tehran's leadership
By Sorcha Bradley, The Week UK Published
-
Sweden clears final NATO hurdle with Hungary vote
Speed Read Hungary's parliament overwhelmingly approved Sweden's accession to NATO
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Modern royal scandals from around the world
The Explainer From Spain to the UAE, royal families have often been besieged by negative events
By Justin Klawans, The Week US Published
-
Zelenskyy says 31,000 troops dead in 2 years of war
Speed Read Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy gave a rare official military death toll
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published