The presenter returned to the trauma she experienced in 2016, when stolen intimate photos were spread. “It’s never the victim’s fault,” he explained
In a long interview with Vanity Fair, Diletta Leotta He clearly addresses the 2016 breach that changed his life forever, when intimate photos stolen from his Cloud storage were released online along with his phone number. Almost ten years later, the presenter has decided to transform that trauma into a message of strength, awareness and solidarity for other victims of digital violence. And today, at 34, he is Meta’s Ambassador for online security. “It’s never the victim’s fault,” he explains.
Diletta Leotta, the theft of intimate photos
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It all started with a message from a friend: “Have you seen the photos that are going around online?”. It was 2016, Leotta was 26 years old and had a promising television career in its infancy. “I went to search on Google and in the meantime my phone started going crazy. They had stolen some intimate images and, along with them, also spread my phone number”, she said. Within a few minutes she was overwhelmed by an avalanche of calls and messages. “I felt paralyzed, violated in my identity and my freedom.” The sense of terror and bewilderment, the feeling of helplessness, is inevitable.
From paralysis to reporting after the hack
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Having metabolized the initial shock, Diletta Leotta found it the strength to contact the postal police. “At the beginning, total discouragement, an incredible sense of loneliness. I didn’t know what to do. Then I found the courage to go and report it,” he said. At the time, terms like ” revenge porn or sextortionnow used to indicate the non-consensual dissemination of intimate images and the blackmail that often ensues. “I found myself fighting against an invisible giantwithout tools or laws to protect me”. A lonely but necessary path to regain control of one’s life.
“stop blaming victims”
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Beyond the violence itself, Diletta Leotta above all denounces the weight of social prejudice. “The blame is never on the victim, but on those who violate their privacy,” he explained. “Until there is clarity on this, we will continue to protect the executioners.” The presenter had criticized a culture still permeated by prejudices, in which women are often pointed out as responsible for the violence suffered. “There was even a TV program that suggested it was my fault. But it wasn’t.” He recalled how, in the early years of the spread of smartphones, it was common to take photos lightly, regardless of the risks associated with the internet.
diletta leotta, the role of Ambassador
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Years later, Leotta could not fail to recognize the enormous progress made on the protection of digital privacy. “Much more than in 2016. The fact that this violence has a name is already a step forward,” he explained. Nowadays we can count on new tools and platforms created to protect people from online abuse, as well as on the legal and psychological support of various associations. “We need to raise awareness, explain to girls and boys that they should not be ashamed, but report it.”
Diletta Leotta’s appeal
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Over time, the relationship between Diletta Leotta and technology has radically changed. “Immediately after that episode, I was experiencing the phone as one tool that I no longer knew how to handle. Today, however, I know how to use it in a conscious way”, she confided. The presenter said that she no longer wants to take certain photos and that she pays more attention to privacy and shared contents. And to anyone who ends up in the same nightmare as her, Diletta Leotta makes an appeal: “Don’t be afraid and report it immediately. Silence is the executioner’s friend“.
La Gazzetta dello Sport
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