Networking is not terrorism. on Keep the Internet free

Internet Society position on the consequences of the designation of Autistici/Inventati as global terrorist

Fri, 02 Oct 2026 15:32:00 +0200

Today Internet Society’s CEO Sally Wentworth issued a statement concerning the consequences of the Autistici/Inventati designation as global terrorist by the US governement.

The open Internet is made up of countless interconnected networks. At its best, it is resilient enough to withstand disruptions. But even narrow policy and commercial choices can have ripple effects that shape what people can access, how information moves, and who gets to participate online.

Late August offered a reminder of that reality with the domain suspension of the Italian nonprofit Autistici/Inventati (A/I). The suspension came in response to the U.S. Treasury Department Office of Foreign Assets Control’s (OFAC) decision to designate A/I as a Specially Designated Terrorist and add it to its Specially Designated Nationals and Blocked Persons (SDN) list. […]

Nobody has to agree - The Broomstick Brief

Thu, 01 Oct 2026 15:43:00 +0200

Nobody has to agree - The Broomstick Brief

Autistici/Inventati was never playing against the United States. No charge was laid, no forum convened, no argument heard.

The collective learned of the designation from the press. No US authority had asked it to take anything down or to hand anything over. Italian authorities had made such requests between 2005 and 2009, and A/I had answered them through the courts: content was removed where a judge ordered it, while requests for user data produced nothing because no logs or subscriber identities had been kept.

Margaret Killjoy's Podcast tells the tale of Autistici/Inventati

Thu, 01 Oct 2026 09:35:00 +0200

Margaret Killjoy’s podcast (Cool People Who Did Cool Stuff) dedicates two episodes (they will be four in total, she states) to the history of the Autistici/Inventati project and to what has happened since August 26 with the designation of the collective as global terrorist by the US administration. Listen up!

Episode 1 of Autistici/Inventati and the Fight for the Autonomous Internet
Episode 2 of Autistici/Inventati and the Fight for the Autonomous Internet
Episode 3 of Autistici/Inventati and the Fight for the Autonomous Internet

Corteo contro le sanzioni USA

Fri, 25 Sep 2026 20:00:00 +0200

Il 25 Settembre saremo in piazza contro le sanzioni Usa ad Autistici/Inventati, Francesca Albanese, Palestine Action.

Nel mirino

Dopo essere stata inserita nelle liste OFAC delle sanzioni USA, Autistici/Inventati ha annunciato il 6 settembre 2026 che cesserà tutti i propri servizi. Si chiude un’infrastruttura di 25 anni, fatta di servizi autogestiti, nata dal basso in difesa della privacy e di una comunicazione libera e non commerciale.

Il vero centro di questa storia è però il dispositivo delle sanzioni USA, utilizzato come metodo di eliminazione sistematica e violenta della dissidenza politica. Un’ingiustizia intollerabile e plateale che stiamo rischiando di normalizzare. Prima una fantomatica organizzazione “Antifa”, poi Francesca Albanese e i giudici della Corte penale internazionale, poi Palestine Action, poi Autistici/Inventati.

Presidio davanti al consolato USA

Fri, 25 Sep 2026 17:30:00 +0200

Presidio a Firenze, di fronte al Consolato USA venerdì 25 settembre - ore 17.30

Nel mirino

Parliamentary Questions (EU, IT, et al)

Thu, 24 Sep 2026 15:27:00 +0200

We gather here all the links to parliamentary questions to the EU Parliament, Italian Parliament and other countries’ institutions on the designation issue.

EU Parliament

01/09/2026 - Clausen et al
01/09/2026 - Fidanza et al [Adversarial]
07/09/2026 - Benifei et al
10/09/2026 - Della Valle et al
24/09/2026 - Salis, Scuderi et al

Italian Parliament

09/09/2026 - Montaruli, Donzelli et al [Adversarial]
14/09/2026 - Piccolotti et al
14/09/2026 - Tajani et al

Others

10/09/2026 - Netherlands

Netherlands asks EU to prepare 'blocking statute' to protect ICC from further US sanctions - Anadolu Ajansı

Thu, 24 Sep 2026 10:00:00 +0200

This article concerns the possible request of widening the terms of the “blocking statute” to include OFAC, so as to make US sanctions ineffective on EU companies and individuals. It is clear how this relates to the A/I designation and its aftermath, since this widening has been proposed in that case as well.

Netherlands asks EU to prepare ‘blocking statute’ to protect ICC from further US sanctions - by Burak Bir for Anadolu Ajansı

Trump attacks civil liberties in Europe, the EU remains silent: the Autistici/Inventati case - Radio Popolare

Wed, 23 Sep 2026 22:00:00 +0200

Trump attacks civil liberties in Europe, the EU remains silent: the Autistici/Inventati case - Radio Popolare

L’amministrazione USA sta procedendo con accuse e restrizioni nei confronti di reti, associazioni e persone legate a movimenti di diritti umani, di dissenso, per lo più pro-palestinesi e antifasciste. Basta un ordine del Presidente che mette nelle blacklist chiunque sia presunto di ostacolare la sicurezza USA e si rischiano fino a 20 anni di prigione. Il problema è che la minaccia statunitense arriva ad aziende, operatori, dogane e quindi le associazioni e persone colpite subiscono conseguenze complicate e gravi, limitazioni alla propria mobilità, a servizi. Sono fatti illegali come una sorta di giurisdizione extra-nazionale che incide su cittadini e comunità in altre parti del mondo. Il caso italiano di Autistici/Inventati, un provider libero e indipendente da più di 20 anni, è emblematico. Shayana Kadidal, avvocato del Centre for Constitutional Rights, intervistato da Luisa Nannipieri, ci spiega come funziona l’attacco alle associazione “antifa” e “pro-pal”, il caso italiano e auspica che l’Europa capisca che sono in ballo la violazione delle libertà civili e lo stesso stato di diritto.

‘Bullies cannot be appeased’: Pressure mounts on EU to shield ICC from new US sanctions - EU Observer

Tue, 22 Sep 2026 17:11:00 +0200

‘Bullies cannot be appeased’: Pressure mounts on EU to shield ICC from new US sanctions - by Elena Sánchez Nicolás for EU Observer

The Trump administration seems ready to hit the International Criminal Court with new sanctions, as it seeks in its own words to “dismantle” the global tribunal – further blowing up what remains of the rule of law and international justice.

[…] The EU responded with kind words of “unwavering support,” saying that the ICC is a “cornerstone of the international criminal justice system and the global fight against impunity”.

National Lawyers Guild Condemns OFAC Designation of Palestine Action and Autistici/Inventati, Calls for Challenges

Mon, 21 Sep 2026 17:02:00 +0200

National Lawyers Guild Condemns OFAC Designation of Palestine Action and Autistici/Inventati, Calls for Challenges

The National Lawyers Guild (NLG) has carefully reviewed the U.S. Department of Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) August 2026 sanctions against Palestine Action and Autistici/Inventati as Specially Designated Global Terrorists (SDGTs). We strongly and unequivocally condemn these acts by the federal government.

[…]

We call on grassroots, civil, and legal groups around the country to speak up against these OFAC designations. Our networks need to send a clear message to the Trump administration that we do not accept criminalizing free speech and dissolving the right to privacy. We hope that impacted individuals consider challenging the OFAC designation.

Technology rules us, let's rule technology! - MilanoInMovimento

Mon, 21 Sep 2026 15:00:00 +0200

La tecnologia governa, governiamo la tecnologia! - di Andrea Cegna per MilanoInMovimento

Autistici/Inventati apparteneva a questa seconda storia. Per oltre venticinque anni ha costruito infrastrutture digitali indipendenti per movimenti, collettivi, associazioni, giornali, progetti politici e singole persone. Non era soltanto un posto dove avere una mail o un blog senza pagare. Era il tentativo di rispondere a una domanda semplice: se una parte sempre più grande della nostra vita passa attraverso una macchina, di chi è quella macchina?

A dutch associations' appeal for Autistici/Inventati and for the ICC - Il Domani

Sun, 20 Sep 2026 16:00:00 +0200

A dutch associations’ appeal for Autistici/Inventati and for the ICC - by Emanuela Del Frate for Il Domani

PublicSpaces and other 29 associations send a letter to the dutch Parliament and Government appealing for them to protect EU organizations and their users from the pressure of foreign sanctions.

From: Il Domani

Assemblea cittadina, call for action

Sat, 19 Sep 2026 14:30:00 +0200

Assemblea cittadina, call for action

sabato 19 settembre alle 15:30

Assemblea cittadina, call for action

Questo è il momento di rilanciare l’autogestione virtuale, sostenendola attraverso una responsabilità distribuita. Perché, come la sproporzione della vicenda che ha toccato A/I ci ricorda: chi possiede il server è importante, chi controlla il dominio è importante, chi può terminare l’account è importante, chi sa come ricostruirlo da qualche altra parte è importante.

A/I non fu costruita in un giorno, né lo sarà ciò che verrà dopo. Per muovere i prossimi passi dobbiamo ricordare da cosa iniziarono loro, ormai 26 anni fa: la necessità. Quali sono le esigenze dei movimenti? Che strumenti possiamo costruire per dare risposta a queste esigenze? È il momento che ogni collettiva torni a chiedersi quali sono i propri bisogni di spazi di comunicazione virtuale, che cosa vuole da questi strumenti e quali siano le competenze tecniche già presenti al suo interno.

Trump Administration Linking Its Domestic Enemies to Foreign Terrorists - Brennan Center for Justice

Sat, 19 Sep 2026 11:00:00 +0200

An interesting analisys by the Brennan Center for Justice at NYU School of Law about the motives of the Trump Administration for using terrorism designation as an internal political targeting method, and why this is an issue for democracy.

Trump Administration Linking Its Domestic Enemies to Foreign Terrorists - by Faiza Patel for Brennan Center for Justice

Falsely claiming that U.S. citizens and groups have ties to international terrorism could let the government turn tools intended to combat the likes of ISIS against its perceived foes at home.

Who fixes the Internet? The autistici.org case and the invisible work keeping Internet open - Controversie (IT)

Sat, 19 Sep 2026 08:00:00 +0200

Who fixes the Internet? The autistici.org case and the invisible work keeping Internet open - Anna Pisterzi for Controversie (Italian)

I volontari di Autistici/Inventati hanno tenuto in piedi per venticinque anni un pezzo piccolo di rete, ed è bastata una riga in una lista redatta a Washington per cancellarlo. La libertà di pensiero e di azione si muove su un terreno più fragile di quanto ci piaccia pensare. Quello che resta da capire, ed è un lavoro che non riguarda solo chi sa programmare, è come costruire forme di resistenza nonviolenta ma ostinata capaci di proteggere la rete. L’infrastruttura si vede quando si rompe: la chiusura di autistici.org è dunque un’occasione, per chi dava Internet un diritto acquisito e scontato, di imparare a guardarla. La consapevolezza non è un requisito d’ingresso, è qualcosa che si coltiva, e comincia quasi sempre dalla perdita di una libertà fondamentale in nome di un pericolo che nessuno è tenuto a dimostrare.

Helpdesk A/I @ Exploit Pisa

Thu, 17 Sep 2026 18:00:00 +0200

Autistici/Inventati è un collettivo di hacker che forniva servizi online gratuiti incentrati sulla privacy e che non monetizza i dati degli utenti. Da marzo 2001 il loro scopo è quello di promuovere un’idea di internet diversa da quella a cui oggi siamo abituatə.

Il 26 agosto il governo Trump ha designato, con accuse totalmente infondate, A/I come un’organizzazione che supporta il terrorismo. A questo si sono aggiunte una serie di sanzioni tra cui il blocco del loro conto su Banca Etica, tutto ciò portando alla scelta del collettivo di sciogliersi.

Assemblea pubblica contro le sanzioni ad Autistici/Inventati

Wed, 16 Sep 2026 19:00:00 +0200

Assemblea pubblica contro le sanzioni ad Autistici/Inventati

Il 26 Agosto, il segretario di stato USA Marco Rubio accusa il collettivo Autistici/Inventati di fornire infrastruttura a gruppi “terroristi”, e lo inserisce nelle liste OFAC. Dieci giorni dopo, il collettivo annuncia la sua chiusura.

La portata di questa mossa è enorme, e non si limita ad essere un attacco all’Internet aperta e alla libertà di informazione. Data la completa arbitrarietà della designazione di terrorista, nel mirino potrebbe finire chiunque: il meccanismo delle sanzioni - raro in Italia, usatissimo fuori dall’occidente - è quintessenzialmente capitalista: non ha bisogno di condanne penali per impedire il dissenso.

Go forth and multiply! May 10 - 100 - 1000 servers spark up

Sat, 12 Sep 2026 17:18:00 +0200

In these days of rabid, ideological and groundless repression you have often asked us: “How can we support you?”

The first answer that has come to our minds is: if you want to help, create new spaces online. There are way too few autonomous servers around there, whether for email and web hosting or for any other useful communication tools.

This idea is by no means new. We have been repeating it since March 2001, when A/I began its adventure. Already back then we had started calling for the creation of countless self-managed servers, and with this hope in mind we coined the pseudo-biblical phrase: “Go forth and multiply, the grasshoppers said!”

Assemblea di aggiornamento ed helpdesk

Fri, 11 Sep 2026 19:00:00 +0200

Il collettivo Autistici/Inventati chiude dopo 25 anni di attività, dopo esser stato inserito, il 26 agosto, tra le organizzazioni terroristiche mondiali dal governo USA. L’accusa è quella di fornire infrastrutture digitali a movimenti e militanti, in USA come in Europa e nel resto del mondo.

L’inserimento nella lista di organizzazioni terroristiche avviene per decisione amministrativa e comporta l’esclusione dai circuiti finanziari. Il dominio autistici.org è stato cancellato pochi giorni dopo la decisione.

Assemblea cittadina contro le sanzioni ad Autistici/Inventati

Thu, 10 Sep 2026 18:30:00 +0200

Dopo essere stata inserita nelle liste OFAC delle sanzioni USA, Autistici/Inventati ha annunciato il 06 settembre 2026 che cesserà tutti i propri servizi. Si chiude un’infrastruttura di 25 anni, fatta di servizi autogestiti, nata dal basso in difesa della privacy e di una comunicazione libera e non commerciale.

Il centro di questa storia è l’eliminazione sistematica e violenta della dissidenza politica. Un’ingiustizia intollerabile e plateale che stiamo invece rischiando di normalizzare. Prima una fantomatica organizzazione “Antifa”, poi Francesca Albanese e i giudici della Corte penale internazionale, poi Palestine Action, poi Autistici/Inventati. L’ansia serpeggiante del “a chi toccherà dopo? Chi sarà il prossimo bersaglio?” è evidente ed è alimentata ad arte per indurci all’immobilismo: una trappola che va respinta al mittente.

Technical Howto to back up your data on A/I services

Tue, 08 Sep 2026 18:23:00 +0200

In the next 10 days Autistici/Inventati’s services will be terminated.

This means that all email accounts will stop working, so if you have used them to register on third-party services you will have to change your username (or your recovery email) for those services.

This page includes instructions on how to export your data on services you have been using in A/I’s infrastructure.

1. NOBLOGS

Blog owners and admins will receive an email with a link to download a backup of their blog, including posts and media uploads, in a format that will make it possible to migrate to a different WordPress platform.

AI ODV's appeal against Banca Etica

Tue, 08 Sep 2026 14:13:00 +0200

AI ODV’s Press Release, 8 September 2026

We have filed an urgent application at the Court of Pisa to appeal against Banca Popolare Etica, based on art. § 700 of the Italian Code of Civil Procedure, asking the bank to immediately restore the functionality of our bank account operations.

On August 26 the US Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) added Autistici/Inventati to their list of Specially Designated Nationals (SDNs), based on Executive Order 13224. On September 1 Banca Etica proved to be incredibly eager to abide by the US sanctions, “temporarily” limiting the functionality of AI ODV’s account - thus making any kind of operation impossible -, without mentioning any regulation that bound them to do so or any time frame, and without asking the association for any documents. We are not facing any legal action in Italy, we are not designated by any U.N. or EU list, and we have not received any formal complaints. We are undergoing U.S. sanctions without any kind of hearing in a court of law, without any possibility to defend ourselves and without ever receiving a request to take down specific contents or to abide by laws that we may have been deemed to have infringed upon.

Banchetto al festival antirazzista Abba Vive

Sun, 06 Sep 2026 18:30:00 +0200

Ci vediamo al festival abba vive per poter avere un luogo fisico in cui scambiarci informazioni per scambiarci le nuove configurazione dei server mail di autistici, guida per backuppare i noblogs e aggiornamenti vari.

Il banchetto sarà riconoscibile dalla presenza del volantino dell’evento stampato. A presto <3

A/I shuts down - Stay human

Sun, 06 Sep 2026 15:16:00 +0200

The day we discovered we had been designated a global terrorist organization, we promised that we would try to resist as long as this was possible, that we would not back down as long as we could see options to stand our ground. For years, we have proudly maintained and defended a free, privacy-friendly, autonomous and politically committed infrastructure.

“Stay human” is not an empty phrase to us.

It means, above all, that we have a responsibility to protect our users, those who build the human networks we rely, and for the communities who flooded us with messages of support and solidarity.

Banca etica shuts down A/I funds

Sat, 05 Sep 2026 11:15:00 +0200

Autistici/Inventati’s Press Release, 5 September 2026

On Friday, September 4th, Banca Etica met the AI ODV association in a videocall and told us that they are going to shut down our bank account unilaterally, thus terminating our contract for good, and that the funds still on the account, which we raised through donations from thousands of people, organizations and collectives, will not be at the association’s disposal.

Banca Etica has been spending many words to justify their actions and pretend they are on our side, but their actions counter all of their statements, clearly showing how they are just faithful servants of the US autocrat.

Assemblea pubblica di aggiornamento

Wed, 02 Sep 2026 21:00:00 +0200

Ci incontriamo Mercoledì 2 Settembre al Circolo Anarchico Berneri per una assemblea di aggiornamento e confronto sulla vicenda accaduta al collettivo A/I.

Il circolo è accessibile solo tramite scale

L’EVENTO SARA’ ANCHE IN DIRETTA STREAMING SU RadioSpore –> https://radiospore.oziosi.org/

Frequently Asked Questions (August 2026)

Wed, 02 Sep 2026 13:11:00 +0200

Here are some of the questions we’re asked most often these days, we’ll try to answer point by point.

Can I access my email?

Yes: the webmail interface is accessible via https://www.inventati.org. POP/IMAP clients can also connect using the new connection parameters (which have been updated with new servers to use).

The autistici.org domain however is no longer reachable worldwide, after the recent events.

I have an @autistici.org email, can I receive and send email?

Now that the autistici.org domain has been completely blocked, it’s impossible to receive or send any new mail using an address on that domain (except from/to other A/I accounts).

Announcing https://keepitfree.ai

Wed, 02 Sep 2026 13:00:00 +0200

Many things happened since August 26, 2026, when the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) at the US Department of the Treasury included us in their list of “Specially Designated Global Terrorists” (SDGT). This is just the beginning.

On August 28 our autistici.org domain was wiped from the face of Earth.

Bear in mind: all of this happened without A/I committing any crime, neither in Italy nor in the US, and without any prosecutor ever indicting us either for felonies or for misdemeanors.

Banca Etica temporarily suspends A/I's bank account

Wed, 02 Sep 2026 08:56:00 +0200

Autistici/Inventati’s Press Release, 2 September 2026

Let’s start from the beginning.

Following the designation of A/I Collective and Associazione AI ODV [ODV: nonprofit organization legally recognized in Italy] as Specially Designated Global Terrorist, Banca Etica, through a series of phone calls, communicated the temporary suspension of the Association’s bank account, effective from Tuesday, September 9, 2026, at 9:00 AM (Italian time). The follow-up formal communication regarding the precautionary suspension of the account pending verification was delivered in written form only at 1:00 PM. Later on the same day, at 4:00 PM, the bank representatives met with Associazione AI ODV legal team.

Open Letter

Mon, 31 Aug 2026 16:29:00 +0200

Defend Autistici/Inventati and the right to build resistant communication

On August 26, 2026, the United States designated the Italian volunteer technology collective Autistici/Inventati as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist and placed it on the Specially Designated Nationals list under Executive Order 13224. A temporary authorization covering certain wind-down transactions ends at 12:01 a.m. Eastern on September 25.

Autistici/Inventati has provided noncommercial email, websites, mailing lists, Noblogs and other communications services since 2001. It emerged from Italian hacklabs, autonomous media and social movements. Its infrastructure was built in response to censorship, covert surveillance and server seizures. It minimizes identifying data, uses distributed systems and treats privacy as a condition of political participation rather than a product.

⌦ Keep the Internet free!

Sun, 30 Aug 2026 16:29:00 +0200

“The structure of power behaves like a spider that weaves its web to catch and immobilize insects; but those very insects, moving along the threads of the same web, can use it from below as a tool to connect with one another, to communicate and to organize their liberation.”

Aldo Braibanti

There was a dream, in the beginning. The net as a horizontal space, as a fabric of non-hierarchical connections, where knowledge circulated freely and voices did not need permission to be heard. The dream became reality, and then something broke. From two sides, simultaneously.

Noblogs status update

Sat, 29 Aug 2026 15:26:00 +0200

On August 28, 2026, someone managed to gain access to the noblogs.org platform as a privileged user, exploiting a vulnerability in the software we use to provide the platform.

The access lasted for about two hours, during which the homepage of noblogs.org was changed, and we cannot rule out that the attacker may have had access to the users’ database, which contains the list of email addresses of the people who manage the blogs and their passwords (not in plain text).

Email service is back

Fri, 28 Aug 2026 11:00:00 +0000

Il servizio di posta funziona di nuovo. Ecco le istruzioni su come accedere alla tua casella:

Se hai una mail @autistici.org, stiamo spostando la tua casella su un nuovo dominio (seguiranno aggiornamenti). Nel frattempo non potrai inviare o ricevere nuove mail, ma potrai comunque accedere al tuo account. Una volta dentro, troverai tutto il tuo archivio.
Per indirizzi sugli altri domini: - Usa la webmail: apri la nostra home all’indirizzo https://www.inventati.org clicca Login in alto a sinistra e inserisci nome utente e password. - Per i client di posta, cambia l’indirizzo del server: da mail.autistici.org a mail.inventati.org (posta in entrata) / da smtp.autistici.org a smtp.inventati.org (posta in uscita).

Tieni duro e abbi fiducia! Continueremo a pubblicare aggiornamenti via via che ne abbiamo.

Press Release

Fri, 28 Aug 2026 09:00:00 +0200

[Last updated: September 16, 2026]

1. Quick summary

On August 26, 2026, the U.S. Department of the Treasury, through OFAC (Office of Foreign Assets Control – the authority responsible for managing and enforcing economic and financial sanctions) sanctioned Autistici/Inventati (A/I), an Italian collective that has been providing digital infrastructure – email, hosting, mailing lists, chat, videoconferencing and other privacy-friendly online services – to movements and activists since 2001. Washington designated it as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist (SDGT), alleging that it has provided financial, material or technological support to terrorism and to organizations already subjected to sanctions. A/I rejects the allegations and declares that its activities consist in providing tools for digital self-defence and infrastructure for the freedom of communication.

Statement by A/I COLLECTIVE about US sanctions

Wed, 26 Aug 2026 10:00:00 +0000

Today we were made aware that the US Government has targeted a small, volunteer-run, technology collective from Italy with disproportionate sanctions as anyone can read in the Treasury Department Statement, the State Department Statement and the related Executive Order.

We deny all allegations included in the statements, while we strongly affirm our dedication to providing a platform of tools for digital self-defense, addressing the need of free communication for activists and other individuals, groups and associations.

Press coverage

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Solidarity

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Sites