US places Italian internet provider on terrorism list, alarming civil rights groups

Autistici/Inventati is fighting to keep its websites and email servers online after the United States placed the small Italian internet provider on a terrorism sanctions list. The volunteers who run it now face the practical consequences of that designation: PayPal immediately closed their account, and on the fifth day their Italian bank shut down their account as well.

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We are being treated like Hamas or Al-Qaida.

The organization says it received no warning and faced no legal procedure. One of its leading figures, whose name is known to the editors but who spoke anonymously, said, “We are being treated like Hamas or Al-Qaida.” He added, “This is apparently how you are rewarded for 25 years of volunteer work.” The person chose anonymity because an association with terrorism could have serious personal consequences.

The U.S. action began with a post by Secretary of State Marco Rubio on X on August 26. He said the United States had expanded its list of organizations it considers terrorist. American citizens and companies can face heavy penalties if they continue doing business with listed groups.

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There was no warning, no legal procedure.

Autistici/Inventati began 25 years ago as a hackers’ collective. It is now a registered association run by volunteers and financed through donations. It provides free encrypted email and web hosting to activists around the world, and about 20,000 organizations use its services. They include groups that describe themselves as antifascist, feminist or anarchist, ranging from radical left-wing organizations that do not reject violence to peaceful activist movements. In the Netherlands, examples include Anti-Fascist Action in Rotterdam, Abortion Network Amsterdam and De Zwarte Tulp.

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This is apparently how you are rewarded for 25 years of volunteer work.

Digital civil-rights organizations across Europe are watching with concern and organizing support campaigns. A briefing aimed at European Parliament members says the U.S. government is using extraterritorial legal tools against critics, dissidents and the independent digital infrastructure that supports them. Marleen Stikker of Amsterdam’s Waag Futurelab called Autistici/Inventati “the canary in the coal mine” and said the dispute concerns strategic autonomy.

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The U.S. government is using extraterritorial legal instruments against critics, dissidents and the independent digital infrastructure that supports them.