US seizes independent media sites

[Henk Elegeert]

REPLY TO: D66 at nic.surfnet.nl

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/3732718.stm
BBC NEWS | Technology | US seizes independent media sites

"

US seizes independent media sites
The FBI has shut down some 20 sites which were part of an
alternative media network known as Indymedia.

A US court order forced the firm hosting the material to
hand over two servers in the UK used by the group.

Indymedia says it is a news source for the
anti-globalisation movement and other social justice issues.

The reasons behind the seizure are unclear but the FBI has
reportedly said the action was taken at the request of
Italian and Swiss authorities.

Legal action

The servers affected were run by Rackspace, a US web hosting
company with offices in London.

It said it had received a court order from the US
authorities last Thursday to hand over the computer
equipment at its UK hosting facility.


"Rackspace is acting as a good corporate citizen and is
cooperating with international law enforcement authorities,"
said a statement by the company.

It said it was responding to an order issued under the
Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty. Under the agreement,
countries assist each other in investigations such as
international terrorism, kidnapping and money laundering

The reasons behind the action against the Indymedia websites
are unclear.

The group said the servers affected had hosted the sites of
more then 20 local collectives and audio streams for several
radio stations, as well as several other projects.

"Indymedia had been asked last month by the FBI to remove a
story about Swiss undercover police from one of the websites
hosted at Rackspace," said the group in a statement.

"It is not known, however, whether Thursday's order is
related to that incident since the order was issued to
Rackspace and not to Indymedia."

'Intolerable and intrusive'

A FBI spokesperson told the AFP news agency that it was not
an FBI operation, saying the order had been issued at the
request of Italian and Swiss authorities.

The seizure has sparked off protests from journalist groups.

"We have witnessed an intolerable and intrusive
international police operation against a network
specialising in independent journalism," said Aidan White,
general secretary of the International Federation of
Journalists.

"The way this has been done smacks more of intimidation of
legitimate journalistic inquiry than crime-busting."

The UK site of Indymedia is back up and running but several
of the other 20 sites affected are still offline.

In the US, the civil liberties group, the Electronic
Frontier Foundation (EFF) said it was working with Indymedia
over how to react to the seizures.

"The constitution does not permit the government
unilaterally to cut off the speech of an independent media
outlet, especially without providing a reason or even
allowing Indymedia the information necessary to contest the
seizure," said EFF Staff Attorney Kurt Opsahl.

Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/1/hi/technology/3732718.stm

Published: 2004/10/11 09:01:49 GMT

© BBC MMIV


[       The way this has been done smacks more of intimidation
of legitimate journalistic inquiry than crime-busting
Aidan White, International Federation of Journalists ]

"

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