A prosecutor is on the hunt for the parties who "incited" Tiziana Catone's suicide.
Cantone was found dead in her aunt's home near Naples in September, more than a year after a sex video she filmed spread across social media.
The 31-year-old had sent the clip to some friends, including her ex-boyfriend, to make him jealous.
However, the video and her name soon found their way to the web, where the woman was mocked and abused. The footage has been viewed by almost a million internet users.
In a bid to escape the humiliation, Ms Cantone quit her job, moved to Tuscany and tried to change her name, but her nightmare went on.
Prosecutor Francesco Greco is asking the Department of Justice to intervene and force Apple to give him access to Cantone's locked iPhone, the Guardian reports.
Unlocking the phone could reveal "reasons that caused the suicide".
"It's important to pursue the case because a serious fact happened and we have to understand the reasons for it - and there is a need for justice," Greco said.
A large issue for victims such as Cantone, he added, was how difficult it was to remove images and videos from the internet.
"It's not like you can do it with a magic wand," he said. "Citizens need to be protected. When something needs to be removed, people are confronted with [technology company] behemoths, which have staffs of lawyers, with headquarters that aren't even in Italy, so it's all very expensive."
