Raoul Bova, 53 years old, flirts with Martina Ceretti, 23. An age difference that can turn up the nose, although it is two adult people, both perfectly able to decide freely of their emotional and sexual life, whether it likes or not. Between the two there is not even a dynamic of subordination, as could happen, for example, between a professor and a pupil or between a famous director and a novice actress.

The extortion in Bova

Bova, after all, did not behave differently from many US sex symbols, Leonardo DiCaprio, Brad Pitt, George Clooney, just to make examples, all linked to women much younger than them. But numerous cases could also be mentioned in inverted genres: Madonna, to say one, has never hidden that it had had relationships with significantly younger partners. As for the question of the alleged betrayal, Bova claims that, at the time of the facts, it was already separated from his wife for about two years, even if she did not seem to be of the same notice. But here we don’t talk about gossip or pink chronicle. Here we talk about violence.

The “romantic” audio sent by Bova to Ceretti were in fact made public by Fabrizio Corona, unleashing a wave of criticisms towards the actor. The dynamic is not yet completely clear, but an investigation has already been opened for extortion against Bova. In fact, it seems that the actor was contacted by a friend of Martina Ceretti, such Federico Monzino, who would have received the audio directly from her and then forward them to Fabrizio Corona. “He wanted to become famous,” Monzino himself would say. The most paradoxical aspect of the entire affair is that Fabrizio Corona was spreading the audio, sentenced in 2015 by the Court of Cassation to 13 years and 2 months for several crimes, among which the extortion against VIPs, in a dynamic not so far from the one contested in Monzino. And what is striking is that, at least initially, few seem to have realized the gravity of what was happening.

Use Bova’s audio illegally

Indeed, prestigious clubs such as Napoli Calcio and Ryanair have used those audio, illegally published, to create ironic posts on their official profiles. Yet, not many months ago, when the gossip spread according to which Chiara Ferragni would have had a relationship with a friend of the ex -husband Fedez – the singer Achille Lauro – the latter, stuck on the story, commented: “We speak so much of violence against women and we must realize that this is not very different.” It was applauded, uncensized, painted as the progressive man that we need so much. But if that was considered a form of “violence against women”, the Bova case how should we interpret it? Violence against men? Let’s not even say it as a joke.

The right to privacy

The point is that all this is possible only in a context – the digital one – where the right to privacy now seems to be vanished, and not only for the VIPs. “If he searched, he is part of his work,” some will say. But this story also concerns us, ordinary people. Because if those who shared those messages passed it smoothly, then we would all be at risk. Perhaps, in the digital age, we should begin to think as if privacy no longer existed. As if everything we say or do, even in the most intimate context, could become public domain. Look at what happened to Andy Byron and Kristin Cabot: a escapade during a Coldplay concert became viral in a few days. They were not famous. Now I am. And they will not be happy.