The website for Italy’s upcoming citizenship referendum, referendumcittadinanza.it, is currently down due to a hacker attack. The committee behind the referendum, set for June 8 and 9, 2025, reported that the site was inaccessible as of April 27, 2025. Visitors attempting to access the platform encountered a message saying “We are performing maintenance. Please check back later.” Technicians are working to restore the website, which is critical for providing information to voters ahead of the referendum.
On April 27, 2025, the referendum committee revealed that the site had experienced 21 million access attempts in a single day. These attempts appeared to originate from masked IP addresses in countries such as China, Mexico, the Philippines, Bolivia, South Korea, and Singapore. However, the committee stated that these IP addresses might be masking the actual origin of the attack. They are gathering data to file a formal complaint with the Public Prosecutor’s Office, as the attack has been ongoing since April 25 and seems to be targeted.
Riccardo Magi, president of the referendum committee and secretary of +Europa, condemned the scale of the attack. He emphasized that the attack highlights the significance of the referendum and democracy itself. He urged Italian citizens to vote on June 8 and 9, pointing out that the attack reflects the referendum’s importance and the threats to democratic processes.
The referendum will address five major questions, one of which proposes reducing the residence period for non-EU foreigners to apply for Italian citizenship. Other questions, presented by the CGIL, involve labor rights, including the elimination of certain employment contracts and adjustments to workers’ compensation and safety standards. The attack on the referendum website has only intensified the focus on these pivotal issues in Italy’s democratic process.
Reference:
