"When social media becomes a tool for abuse: the case of medical tests"

Source: La Repubblica – "Medicine, photos of tests on social media: the wrath of the Ministry of the Interior", November 21, 2025

When the breach goes viral

The case of the medical school tests circulating on social media before and during the entrance exam isn't a simple instance of irregularity. It's a symptom of a deeper problem: the current digital ecosystem instantly enables the illicit dissemination of sensitive content , turning every smartphone into a potential tool for hacking. Images of the questions, taken by candidates during the exam, began circulating in private chats, Telegram groups, Instagram, and TikTok in real time. This explosive dynamic has thrown the entire public selection system into crisis. What emerges is clear: social networks are not simply neutral containers , but structural accelerators of dangerous behavior.

The misuse of social media: a systemic problem, not an isolated one

The ease with which photos can be taken and shared instantly has rendered any formal ban irrelevant. Control measures, already insufficient, are rendered ineffective by platforms designed to maximize speed, virality, and the absence of barriers . In less than a minute, content that should remain confidential becomes public, replicable, and impossible to stop . The problem is not just the dishonesty of individual candidates. The problem is a system in which Big Tech has built digital environments optimized for the uncontrolled circulation of images and personal data. It is a model that prioritizes speed over responsibility , visibility over security , virality over legality .

Trafficking in private photos: a new type of crime

The test incident falls within a now widespread category: the unauthorized circulation of private images , facilitated by instant messaging and social media. Whether it involves intimate photographs, sensitive documents, health data, or—as in this case—exam materials, the result is always the same: an immediate, widespread, and irreversible violation. The article shows how, in just a few minutes, the test photos reached thousands of people, distorting the fairness of the exam and prompting the Ministry to consider canceling the test. This is collective harm , not individual naivety. And the platforms bear a clear responsibility: they created the tools, dynamics, and incentives that fuel this trafficking.

Big Tech as part of the problem

In the medical tests affair, social media wasn't simply the "tool" of the problem: it was the problem . The platforms' architecture is designed to minimize barriers to sharing and maximize the speed of propagation. And this same architecture makes it impossible for institutions to contain damage once it has occurred. Big Tech continues to claim they can't preemptively control content. But this is false: they have the technical tools to do so when it's in their economic interest. The truth is, they have no incentive to do so when virality brings volume, engagement, and data. This is why the responsibility doesn't lie solely with users: it lies with an industrial model that transforms every violation into content, every illicit act into flow, every abuse into useful traffic.

The meaning for Algopolio: protecting society from infrastructure breach

For Algopolio, this story demonstrates why the fight for digital rights cannot be limited to traditional privacy. Platforms must be held accountable for the ecosystem they have built: a system that allows the uncontrolled dissemination of protected material, exposes millions of people to constant risks, and compromises even essential public activities such as competitions, exams, and selection processes. Digital cannot be a place where everything can be replicated endlessly and where no one is held accountable for the consequences. Regulation is needed that imposes technical barriers , real prevention obligations, and clear responsibilities for the illicit dissemination of images. And, above all, a cultural shift is needed: to stop considering social media as "neutral" tools and recognize them for what they have become— infrastructures of social risk , which society must learn to govern.