Tiziana Cantone

About Tiziana Cantone

Tiziana Cantone, whose name was later changed to Tiziana Giglio, was an Italian woman from the Naples area, specifically Casalnuovo di Napoli, who became a tragic figure in the fight against non-consensual distribution of intimate images, often referred to as revenge porn. In 2015, she recorded amateur videos of herself engaged in consensual sexual acts with a partner and sent them to several individuals, including an former boyfriend, reportedly to provoke his jealousy. This ex-partner subsequently posted the videos online, where they rapidly achieved widespread notoriety.

The videos' viral spread led to Tiziana enduring immense public ridicule, the creation of numerous memes (including a memorable catchphrase "Stai girando? Bravo!" which translates to "Are you filming? Good!"), intense cyberbullying, the loss of her employment, and relentless harassment. She pursued legal avenues for years, striving to have the images removed from websites and search engine results. Although she secured some court orders in her favor, she was ordered to pay €20,000 in legal fees shortly before her untimely death. During this period, she legally changed her name, relocated, and battled with profound depression and previous suicide attempts.

Tiziana died on September 13, 2016, at the age of 33 in Mugnano di Napoli, at her aunt's residence. Initial investigations and reports concluded her death was a suicide by hanging, using a silk scarf attached to a piece of exercise equipment in her basement. She had a history of two prior suicide attempts. Her mother attributed her death to the unending online humiliation, the perceived failure to achieve complete justice, her ongoing depression, and panic attacks.

Her passing ignited a wave of national indignation across Italy concerning revenge porn, cyberbullying, the concept of the "right to be forgotten," and the accountability of internet platforms. In 2021, prosecutors reopened her case, exhumed her body, and initiated an investigation into a potential murder. This renewed inquiry was prompted by the discovery of new DNA evidence—traces belonging to two men found at the scene—and observed inconsistencies. However, as of the most recent major updates from sources like Wikipedia and news outlets, her death is still officially classified as suicide, with the murder investigation noted but remaining unresolved or not impacting the established conclusion.