Italian tech collective Autistici/Inventati shuts down after US terrorist designation
Italian privacy collective Autistici/Inventati shut down after a US State Department terrorist designation triggered its domain suspension and bank account closure.
The volunteer-run Italian collective Autistici/Inventati, founded in 2001, announced Sunday it would shut down after the State Department labeled it an extremist group on August 26, 2026. The designation led the Public Interest Registry to suspend the group's .org domain on August 28 and its bank, Banca Etica, to suspend its account. The collective hosted roughly 16,000 email addresses, 1,500 websites, 5,500 mailing lists, and about 10,000 blogs, including the Noblogs platform. European Digital Rights warned the move sets a dangerous precedent for non-commercial European hosts and digital sovereignty.
- State Department designated A/I an extremist group on August 26, 2026, without judicial procedure.
- Public Interest Registry suspended the .org domain; Banca Etica froze the group's bank account.
- A/I hosted 16,000 email addresses, 1,500 websites, 5,500 mailing lists, and 10,000 blogs.
- EDRi says the sanctions undermine European digital sovereignty and threaten privacy-preserving services.
- Victims
- Autistici/Inventati
- Countries
- United StatesItalyGermany
From the original article
4 min read at therecord.mediaOn August 26, the State Department labeled A/I an “extremist group” operating infrastructure for “far-left militants across the world” and announced that anyone engaging with the group financially risked exposure to sanctions.
therecord.media
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