Digital Resistance Under Siege: Autistici/Inventati's Forced Shutdown

Italian technology collective Autistici/Inventati is shutting down its services after being designated by the U.S. as supporting extremist activities, leading to a suspension of its domain and bank account. The closure impacts thousands of users, with the group refuting the allegations and emphasizing its digital activism mission.

The Italian technology collective Autistici/Inventati (A/I) announced the closure of its services following a U.S. terrorism designation, resulting in the suspension of its .org domain and bank account. This development impacts approximately 16,000 mailboxes, 1,500 websites, 5,500 mailing lists, and 10,000 blogs.

The U.S. State Department's designation on August 26 accused A/I of supporting extremist activists through its services. A/I, founded in 2001, denies these allegations, maintaining that they are a collective of volunteers providing digital self-defense tools to activists and campaigners.

The closure of the group's operations followed legal actions from the Public Interest Registry and Banca Etica. A/I emphasized its commitment to user protection and highlighted the political motivations behind the U.S. sanctions that led to their decision to shut down.