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Trump admininistration has designated the Italian pro-privacy and anticapitalist collective Autistici/Inventati - which creates and maintains open-source software—a “terrorist organization” (infosec.pub)
submitted 1 week ago by thewal@lemmy.dbzer0.com to c/privacy@lemmy.dbzer0.com
47 comments fedilink hide all child comments
 

https://www.state.gov/releases/office-of-the-spokesperson/2026/08/imposing-sanctions-on-violent-far-left-terrorist-groups/

https://home.treasury.gov/news/press-releases/sb0616

#AutisticiInventati

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[–] thewal@lemmy.dbzer0.com 108 points 1 week ago (1 children)

Statement from Autistici/Inventati

[ENGLISH VERSION]

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.

We will not back down, we will keep doing what we have been doing all these years and we will do whatever is in our possibility to counter the false allegations made by a politically desperate administration with the sole intention of swaying people and media attention away from their own violence and warmongering.

Antifascism and anticapitalism are not terrorism. Protesting is not terrorism. And everyone has the right to speak out and to struggle for humanity.

Collettivo Autistici / Inventati — “Socializzare saperi senza fondare poteri”

Stay human

posted on August 26 2026

https://archive.is/GBobG

[–] Gullible@sh.itjust.works 62 points 1 week ago

"This is bizarre. What could possibly have set him off about Italian programmers?"

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

"I forgort that privacy is terrorism. Sometimes I like to pretend we aren't in clown world."

[–] scrubbles@poptalk.scrubbles.tech 61 points 1 week ago

Anything that hides you from their eyes will eventually become banned and illegal

[–] TheMightyCat@ani.social 33 points 1 week ago

[–] assaultpotato@sh.itjust.works 33 points 1 week ago (2 children)

https://autistici.org/who/manifesto

Seems pretty great to me. MSFT and friends must be unhappy Europe is slowly moving off US software.

[–] amelore@slrpnk.net 5 points 1 week ago

Those are two separate things. European companies and governments move from Teams/OneDrive to Nextcloud, and stuff like that.

But autistici/inventati is intended for activists, not the general public, and as they mention not for companies either.

[–] ayyy@sh.itjust.works 3 points 1 week ago (1 children)

I can’t reach that server from the USA. The Great American Firewall has begun. I hate this shitty country.

[–] assaultpotato@sh.itjust.works 3 points 1 week ago

Whois still has the DNS record but it doesn't resolve for me either at this point. I can't resolve it using dns.leonet.it either so presumably the sanctions have taken effect and their internet service has been cut off.

[–] lambalicious@lemmy.sdf.org 27 points 1 week ago (2 children)

If there ever was going to be good advertising for A/I's services, it's this one. Good job Don Demente, as per usual!

(Speaking more seriously, how good are their offerings?)

[–] tar@lemmy.zip 5 points 1 week ago

it's very comparable to rise up, in that you gotta bring your own savvy about email encryption etc.

they do vett though

[–] mojo_raisin@lemmy.world 3 points 1 week ago

Ya this seems kinda streissandish

[–] e8d79@discuss.tchncs.de 24 points 1 week ago (1 children)

This is your chance to fund a "terrorist" group.

[–] Echolynx@lemmy.zip 3 points 1 week ago (1 children)

Bizarre, the link will just not load for me. Tried VPN, different DNS, no dice.

[–] e8d79@discuss.tchncs.de 7 points 1 week ago (1 children)

Looks like someone disabled their domain. https://www.inventati.org/ still works for now.

[–] Echolynx@lemmy.zip 1 points 5 days ago

That worked, thanks.

[–] TropicalDingdong@lemmy.world 19 points 1 week ago

Couldnt infiltrate them, coudlnt coop them so they call them terrorists

[–] atmothin@sh.itjust.works 16 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago)

this coming from the goverment who did this shortly after taking over:

US justice department removes study finding far-right extremists commit ‘far more’ violence

they sure love projection

theres a literal wikipedia list United States government online resource removals under the second Trump administration

also this is ridiculous Source (TwitterWebViewer frontend since Nitter is down now)

[–] switcheroo@lemmy.world 16 points 1 week ago

Take it as a badge of honor for the fascist losers in the US to name you a terrorist org.

[–] Confused_Emus@lemmy.dbzer0.com 13 points 1 week ago (2 children)

including encrypted chats and email, web hosting, secure video conferencing and streaming, anonymity shields, and a suite of other technological tools…

I host stuff like this on my NAS. Am I a terrorist?!

[–] ZILtoid1991@lemmy.world 8 points 1 week ago (1 children)

Soon, yes. They will make some law, that will force you to use either big tech's stuff or not use tech at all for "safety" reasons, or you get sent to Bobby's wellness camps for forced labor for big tech.

[–] Confused_Emus@lemmy.dbzer0.com 6 points 1 week ago

My personal conspiracy theory is that all the price hikes in PC components like RAM and GPUs are really just an effort to take computing power out of the hands of the people. The future we’re being steered towards is rental PCs and/or thin-client-like PCs with subscriptions to stuff like GeForce Now.

[–] Sxan@piefed.zip 7 points 1 week ago

You are now

[–] piccolo@sh.itjust.works 10 points 1 week ago

A lot of talk for the same group that hides the Epstein Files.

[–] poolcritter@pawb.social 8 points 1 week ago (1 children)

guess I'm pro-A/I now

[–] AceFuzzLord@lemmy.zip 6 points 1 week ago

Can confirm that my ISP has blocked their website, Autistici's that is.

[–] waltersf@bookwyr.me -1 points 1 week ago

nlim, 人 will let Trump do whatever he wants.

[–] motionofethre@piefed.social -3 points 1 week ago (9 children)

I have no context here. Is this true though?

https://www.state.gov/releases/office-of-the-spokesperson/2026/08/designation-of-autistici-inventati-as-a-specially-designated-global-terrorist/

The anarchist cells responsible for sabotaging rail systems across France, Italy, Germany, and the Netherlands in 2026, relied on A/I Collective tools and services to claim responsibility for the attacks, publish official communiqués, and disseminate manuals for constructing improvised incendiary devices to target railways and other critical infrastructure.

[–] assaultpotato@sh.itjust.works 22 points 1 week ago (1 children)

Anyways in the US Section 230 of whatever law prevents companies and organizations from being liable for content users post to their websites. How is this any different than FB hosting the breeding grounds for Proud Boys et al, other than them not being a US company and them being leftist-aligned?

[–] ZILtoid1991@lemmy.world 4 points 1 week ago

US tech firms want to undo Section 230, because they have the capacity to prefilter stuff (thanks to AI moderation) and to pay fines, but smaller providers such as the Fediverse don't.

[–] shininghero@pawb.social 13 points 1 week ago

This is the equivalent of blaming Dewalt for manufacturing angle grinders, simply because a bike thief bought and used one to steal yours.

[–] KurtVonnegut@mander.xyz 10 points 1 week ago (1 children)

There have been no rail system sabotages in 2026 in the Netherlands.

[–] ZILtoid1991@lemmy.world 4 points 1 week ago

So it's made up by Grok (no em dashes).

[–] assaultpotato@sh.itjust.works 9 points 1 week ago (1 children)

I'd argue it doesn't matter. If they offer e2ee email, they can't be aware of the content of any messages exchanged.

Unless they were informed one of their email accounts belonged to someone convicted of committing an actual act of domestic terror, they would be completely in the dark about who's using their email services.

Given its this US state department issuing the statement, I wouldn't believe any accusation leveled at all without proof. I'd need to see evidence that A/I knowingly provided services to a convicted domestic terrorist for me to believe this is anything other than trying to stamp out E2EE.

[–] motionofethre@piefed.social 0 points 1 week ago (2 children)

If it was e2e anonymous services, I would agree completely, however their policy indicates it's different. They apparently selectively choose who and what to host. It's not even clear it's encrypted.

I'm not arguing that they are guilty or bad, but rather that this is different from a bad actor using Proton over For.

A/I merely selects and filters the individuals to whom the Services are delivered to in order to reduce the risk of violations of our policies. By preventively asking to submit a written statement of intents, we can evaluate the affinity of every Service request from potential new users before any account is approved; the aforementioned statements are always evaluated in person by an appointee of A/I and deleted right after the request process is terminated.

Every written statement always undertakes a non-automated process of case-by-case examination, occasionally involving some follow-up questions and observations that the appointee will send to the requestor in dialogue via a dedicated webpage.

https://www.autistici.org/who/policy

[–] assaultpotato@sh.itjust.works 9 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago) (1 children)

So they have a TOS like Facebook or any other large platform, and reserve the right to refuse service?

Unless they're knowingly doing business with a known convicted terrorist, I fail to see how this makes them a terrorist support platform.

[–] motionofethre@piefed.social -3 points 1 week ago (2 children)

Yeah. I'm not suggesting TOS indicates guilt, but just the "I can't control my users" argument is void.

[–] assaultpotato@sh.itjust.works 7 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago) (1 children)

May I ask why FB, Twitter, etc. get protection from liability from 3rd party content under Section 230 of the Communications Act but these folks don't? They both have a TOS and reserve the right to refuse service.

[–] atmothin@sh.itjust.works 2 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago)

Epstein ring communicated a lot through Gmail for years and they still never went after those involved nor Google

@motionofethre@piefed.social how would you explain Google still not being sanctioned based on your logic?

[–] lambalicious@lemmy.sdf.org 6 points 1 week ago

They can't control their users once provisioning them. Once again, this is not different than any local restaurant.

[–] assaultpotato@sh.itjust.works 4 points 1 week ago

I'm not downvoting you btw, I know you're engaging in good faith. Idk who is.

[–] lambalicious@lemmy.sdf.org 9 points 1 week ago

I speak to a friend about antifascism as we take the subway to the job. That absolutely makes the subway a terrorist organization!!!!!! Thank your for your attention to this matter. SDF User Not‑yet‑President lambalicious (verified™).

[–] skarn@discuss.tchncs.de 7 points 1 week ago (1 children)

These sabotages had been so inconsequential that I had not even hear about them. On the other hand...

https://www.dw.com/en/germany-left-wing-group-says-it-is-behind-railway-sabotage/a-77916758

This might be controversial, but I find that protesting the environmental damage of western industrialization by attacking public transport... Is a very special type is stupid.

[–] nightlily@leminal.space 8 points 1 week ago

That was the most blatant false flag attempt I’ve ever seen. I can’t believe anyone takes this supposed group, that speaks worse German than I do, as anything other than a poorly disguised Russian proxy attack. Of course it plays in Ami interests as well.

[–] Freeposity@lemmy.world 7 points 1 week ago

I don't know, but the people making this charge routinely deflect any criticism about the manufacture and sale of guns in the USA by stating that guns are just tools and it's individuals who commit crimes, not the tools they use or create.

Hypocrisy in the Republican party is not a bug, it's a feature.

[–] tar@lemmy.zip 6 points 1 week ago

kyle has been trying to shut down noblogs for about a year

https://centerforsecuritypolicy.org/author/kshideler/

[–] jatone@lemmy.dbzer0.com 3 points 1 week ago

Probably not.