Pescato in Rete! Taking online animal abusers to court
Every day, videos of cruelty to animals are posted to get likes. The platforms do nothing. We do: we report them to the public prosecutor, one by one. Help us find them. Pescato in Rete means “Caught in the Net”.
Cruelty has become a format
Crabs grabbed with bare hands and broken in front of the camera. Lobsters thrown alive into the pot while they writhe. Lobsters used as props for “funny” videos. These are not accidents: this is content made on purpose by restaurants and fishmongers to get engagement on social media.
These videos get thousands of views. Whoever posts them gains a direct commercial advantage. And although they document acts of cruelty towards sentient animals, the platforms’ anti-violence filters almost never catch them.
The people who make them think they are untouchable. Many do not even know that what they are doing is a crime. It is time to prove them wrong.
A legal operation without precedent in Italy
With “Pescato in Rete!” we have launched the first campaign of systematic legal action against people who post animal cruelty content on social networks. We do not just protest: we gather evidence, identify those responsible and file complaints with the public prosecutor. A new case every two weeks.
Found a video of animal cruelty? Report it to us.
Good to know:
- Our legal team examines every report.
- If the facts are a crime, we file a complaint with the competent public prosecutor and ask the platforms to remove the content and close the profile.
- Your identity stays completely confidential. Because the content is published on public platforms, we do not need any witness statement. You will never be named in any legal document.
The form is on Pet Law, Animal Law Italia’s platform, in English: at the first step choose «Online». At the end we send you a code to confirm your email, and the legal team answers you there, in English. We can only file complaints for content filmed in Italy.
Frequently asked questions
Before reporting, please read this section.
Fill in the report form and, at the first step, choose «Online: social media, videos, ads». We ask for the link, the platform, the profile name, when you saw it and, if you can tell, where it was filmed; you can attach screenshots and screen recordings.
The form is on Pet Law, Animal Law Italia’s platform. It is in English and the legal team answers you in English. At the end we send you a code to confirm your email, and the legal team replies to you there, in the same conversation, where you can also add more material. If you don’t have a Pet Law account yet, we create one with that email.
None. Your identity stays completely confidential: you will never be named in any legal document. Because the content is published on public platforms, we do not need witness statements.
So that we can reply to you and know that the report comes from a real person. You can follow the status of your report from your Pet Law account (new, under review, passed to the authorities, complaint filed, closed) and add screenshots if the content changes or is deleted. A phone number is not required.
You can report to ALI any content that documents cruel or violent behaviour towards animals. For us to file a complaint with the judicial authorities, the facts must be a criminal offence under Articles 544-bis and 544-ter of the Italian Criminal Code, which cover the killing and the mistreatment of animals respectively.
ALI examines the material received, assesses its relevance and checks whether there are grounds for further steps. Where a case justifies it, ALI may act in whatever way it considers most appropriate, including through the courts.
Every report is assessed on its merits. We file a complaint only when the facts are actually a criminal offence. We do not ask the judiciary to act on behaviour that is not a crime.
For acts committed outside Italy we cannot file a complaint in Italy. You can still report the content directly to the platform: the more users report it, the more likely it is that action will be taken, up to closing the profile or removing the content.
Yes. Photos and videos taken with a smartphone can help document the facts. It is best to keep the material as complete as possible and, for repeated incidents, to give the exact dates, so that we can better assess whether the conduct is systematic.
Reports are assessed, among other things, in the light of Articles 544-bis and 544-ter of the Italian Criminal Code, which govern the killing and mistreatment of animals. These articles protect all animals, including crustaceans and other aquatic species, as sentient beings. The legal relevance of each case is always checked on its specific facts.
It varies from case to case. When there are grounds for a complaint, ALI can act quickly. What happens next depends on the judicial authorities. Meanwhile, reporting to the platforms can lead to faster action to delete the content and remove the profiles.
Because every report helps monitor a growing phenomenon: content online that trivialises animal suffering or turns it into a show. Countering this content means not only acting on individual cases but also promoting a different, more respectful culture.
You can support the campaign with a donation and help us spread the word by sharing the Pescato in Rete page and our content on social media. The more attention we generate, the more we can strengthen monitoring, reporting and pressure on the platforms.
No, you do not need a precise legal classification of the facts. It is important, though, to report content that clearly shows serious, cruel or violent behaviour towards animals, together with anything that helps us assess it, if possible.
It is worth reporting when the content shows clearly enough a possible case of mistreatment or serious conduct harming an animal. If the content is ambiguous, incomplete or impossible to document, it is better to gather more information first, or to report it directly to the platform.
Vague reports are not useful: without links, screenshots or enough information to find the content, or based on personal impressions with nothing concrete to back them up. To help us assess the case, please send only content that is as clear and well documented as possible.
Document it straight away, before it is removed: save the link, take screenshots or screen recordings, and note the platform, the profile name and the date you saw it. Then send the report with the report form, choosing «Online», and report the content directly to the platform too.
No. The criminal-law concept of mistreatment is narrower than the everyday one: it does not cover every kind of neglect or every behaviour that may seem morally wrong. For there to be a crime, the conduct must be particularly serious, amount to cruelty or at least be carried out without any necessity, as the law requires. That is why we do not file a complaint in every case, even when we are looking at events that may seem like acts of violence or, at the very least, of indifference towards animals.
To help us assess it faster and better, give the link to the content, post or profile, the platform where it was published, the date you saw it, a short description of the facts and any screenshots or other useful material.
Yes. A report can still be useful, especially if you have screenshots, recordings or other material that make it possible to reconstruct the content and the context in which it was published.
Yes. A link is always better, but a screenshot can also help, especially if it shows the content, the profile or the platform where it was published.
Yes. You do not need to know the real identity of the person who published the content. It still helps to give the profile name, the link to the post or video and anything else that helps us find the content you are reporting.
Yes, as long as you manage to document it promptly with screenshots, recordings or other useful material before it disappears.
Yes. Reporting to the platform and reporting to ALI do different but complementary jobs. The first can lead to faster removal of the content or profile; the second allows a legal assessment of the case and, where there are grounds, appropriate legal action.
Yes. In many cases it is better to document the content and report it through the proper channels, avoiding public interactions that could spread it further or make it harder to find.
Yes. An ironic, provocative or seemingly light-hearted tone does not mean the content should not be assessed for its seriousness. Animal suffering that is trivialised or turned into a show also deserves attention.
Yes. Multiple reports can help both with the platform and in showing how widely the content has spread.
Yes. Repeatedly posting content that trivialises, makes a show of or normalises conduct harmful to animals can also be worth flagging. In these cases, give as many references as you can.
Yes, especially if the content is still online or you have kept material that helps reconstruct it. Content that is not very recent can also help document relevant or repeated behaviour.
Reports are assessed carefully, but the campaign is not an individual legal advice service for each case. Its aim is to examine the content received and, where there are grounds, to take the action it considers appropriate.
You can read the Pet Law guides (in Italian), with further practical advice on protecting animals and the ways to act, starting with how to document cruelty. If you saw the cruelty in person rather than online, use the same form and choose «In person, at a place». Read also Report animal cruelty in Italy.
Support the campaign
Every complaint has a cost. Your support makes it possible.
Each legal action — from gathering the digital evidence to the complaint to the public prosecutor, monitoring the proceedings and any trial that follows — costs about 1,000 euros. We would like to file a new complaint every two weeks. Your support means we don’t have to stop.
15 €
helps us prepare a complaint
30 €
helps us attend a hearing
60 €
helps us push for changes to the platforms’ rules
Having trouble with this form? Donate on the PayPal website.
Who we are
Animal Law Italia is a non-profit organisation that uses the law as a tool to protect animals. We are a Third Sector Entity, registered as an interest representative with the European institutions. With “Pescato in Rete!” we bring our experience in strategic litigation to the digital world, to show that cruelty to animals has consequences online too.
Every cruelty video that circulates online without consequences sends the wrong message: that animals can be mistreated with impunity. We want to reverse that message.
