This suffices with the mass of the people who have no means of distinguishing the false from the true paragraphs of a newspaper."
- Thomas Jefferson to G. K. van
Hogendorp, Oct. 13,1785*.
On Thursday morning, US authorities issued a federal order to Rackspace ordering them to hand over Indymedia web servers to the requesting agency. Rackspace, which provides hosting services for more that 20 Indymedia sites at its London facility, complied and turned over the requested servers, effectively removing those sites from the internet.
Since the subpoena was issued to Rackspace and not to Indymedia, the reasons for this action are still unknown to Indymedia. Talking to Indymedia volunteers, Rackspace stated that "they cannot provide Indymedia with any information regarding the order." ISPs have received gag orders in similar situations which prevent them from updating the concerned parties on what is happening.
It is unclear to Indymedia how and why a server that is outside the US jurisdiction can be seized by US authorities.
At the same time an additional server was taken down at Rackspace which provided streaming radio to several radio stations including one covering the European Social Forum in London, BLAG (linux distro), and a handful of miscellanous things.
The list of affected local media collectives includes Ambazonia, Uruguay, Andorra, Poland, Western Massachusetts, Nice, Nantes, Lilles, Marseille (all France), Euskal Herria (Basque Country), Liege, East and West Vlaanderen, Antwerpen (all Belgium), Belgrade, Portugal, Prague, Galiza, Italy, Brazil, UK, part of the Germany site, and the global Indymedia Radio site.
It is ironic that that this happens now, just days before Indymedia is due to participate in the European Forum on Communications Rights being held alongside the European Social Forum and several other days of discussions about electronic civil liberties and community media. For more information on these events see www.efcr2004.net
The last few months have seen numerous attacks on independent media by the US Federal Government. In August the Secret Service used a subpoena in an attempt to disrupt the NYC IMC before the RNC by trying to get IP logs from an ISP in the US and the Netherlands. Last month the FCC shut down community radio stations around the US. Two weeks ago the FBI requested that Indymedia takes down a post on the Nantes IMC that had a photo of some undercover Swiss police and IMC volunteers in Seattle were visited by the FBI on the same issue. On the other hand, Indymedia and other independent media organisations were successfull with their victories for example against Diebold and the Patroit Act. Today however, the US authorities shut down IMCs around the world.
Attack on free speech!
07.10.2004 23:58
The list of affected local imc media collectives includes Ambazonia, Uruguay, Andorra, Poland, Western Massachusetts, Nice, Nantes, Lilles, Marseille (all France), Euskal Herria (Basque Country), Liege, East and West Vlaanderen, Antwerpen (all Belgium), Belgrade, Portugal, Prague, Galiza, Italy, Brazil, UK, part of the Germany site, and the global Indymedia Radio site.
We still do not have confirmation of who the drives were handed to or confirmation as to the reasons why.
08.10.2004 00:18 Stop
The French Connection (and swiss connection) is still unconfirmed as cause of seizures)
FBI seizes Global Indymedia Servers. Reasons Unknown. Background, by Sascha Meinrath
Email: sascha (nospam) ucimc.org
http://www.ucimc.org/feature/display/20764/index.php Stop.
FBI took the hard drives of Global IMC servers in the USA and the UK. It appears that a court order was issued to Rackspace (Indymedia's service provider with offices in the US and in London) to physically remove the hard drives from Global Indymedia servers (backup servers are now in place). Rackspace was given no time to defend against the order before it was acted upon and turned over the hard drives, both in the US and the UK. The servers hosted numerous local IMCs and the reason for the seizure is not known.
The FBI's latest anti-free-press actions began at the beginning of October when they visited Indymedia's ISP demanding the removal of identifying information from photographs of undercover police officers that was posted on the Nantes Indymedia website. When asked what the US government was doing requesting the removal of information from a French-run website that contained information about Swiss police actions, the FBI stated that this was a "courtesy" to the Swiss government. The FBI agents stated that no laws had been broken, and no crimes had been committed. However, because no identifying information was posted on the website in question, it was unclear what actions the FBI was requesting.
FBI took the hard drives of Global IMC servers in the USA and the UK. It appears that a court order was issued to Rackspace (Indymedia's service provider with offices in the US and in London) to physically remove the hard drives from Global Indymedia servers (backup servers are now in place). Rackspace was given no time to defend against the order before it was acted upon and turned over the hard drives, both in the US and the UK. The servers hosted numerous local IMCs and the reason for the seizure is not known.
The FBI's latest anti-free-press actions began at the beginning of October when they visited Indymedia's ISP demanding the removal of identifying information from photographs of undercover police officers that was posted on the Nantes Indymedia website. When asked what the US government was doing requesting the removal of information from a French-run website that contained information about Swiss police actions, the FBI stated that this was a "courtesy" to the Swiss government. The FBI agents stated that no laws had been broken, and no crimes had been committed. However, because no identifying information was posted on the website in question, it was unclear what actions the FBI was requesting.
The article in question is/was posted here:
http://nantes.indymedia.org/article.php3?id_article=3910
-Stop.
On Tuesday October 5th, Indymedia received the following message from Rackspace:
"I apologize for the delay in responding. I have been trying to get a hold of the FBI agent I spoke with before, but haven't been able to at this time. As the request originated with the Swiss police, I can only speculate on what they saw or what they were concerned about. However, at this time, I have received no further communications from either the FBI or the Swiss authorities, so I feel like we can close this this issue."
Today the FBI seized Global Indymedia servers; however it is unclear if this is related to the Nantes issue or is a second FBI concern within the past week.
(14:20) Rackspace has issued a "no comment" response concerning the FBI's actions.
(15:25) New list of IMCs affected: ambazonia, uruguay, andorra, pl, wester mass, radio, uk, antwerpen, nice, nantes, lille, euskalherria, liege, oost-vlaanderen, belgrade, west-vlaanderen, portugal, prague, marseille, galiza, basque, germany media, italy, and brasil.
(16:10) Rackspace has issued the following comments:
I have been in contact with the regional director responsible for the federal order. He has stated that I can not provide any information regarding the order. I am going to follow up with our law enforcement liason to verify this, however.
Regards,
Jennifer O'Connell
Rackspace AUP - Stop.
Unfortunately, we have received a federal order to provide your hardware to the requesting agency. We are complying at this time. Our datacenter technicians are building you a new server which will be online as soon as possible. Your account manager will notify you once the new server is online and available.
I apologize for abruptness of this. However, we are required to comply with all federal orders of this nature.
Please let us know if there is anything that we can do to make this easier on you.
Regards,
Jennifer O'Connell
AUP Administrator
Rackspace Managed Hosting - Stop.
(16:45) The story has hit slashdot:
http://yro.slashdot.org/yro/04/10/07/204217.shtml?tid=153&tid=219
(16:55) Original photos are now available here:
http://www.andrew.cmu.edu/user/mtoups/
nantes/copsinnantes.htm - Stop.
Can't keep us down!
08.10.2004 00:40
Within a short of time of the server going down, the indymedia IRC was buzzing with questions as dozens of people arrived to figure out what had happened and what could be done. The lost servers contained around 20 IMC sites from around Europe and Africaas well as the UK. Also taken in the 'raid' was the london icecast server with the UK radio stream that was currently being used for ESF coverage from rampART radio.
Quickly the situation was established and the DNS information (which says what computer is refered to by an internet address) was updated to point at the backup UK server. At the same time, another new radio server was located in the US and rampART radio popped back up with it's new address (see www.rampartradio.co.nr)
All this goes to prove that Indymedia is decentralised enough (but not perfectly) to survive an attack and that as a cooperative international network, we rock!
indyboy - Stop.
Indymedia italy Press Release
08.10.2004 01:07
Press Release
7 October 2004
FBI Seizes IMC Servers in the UK
US authorities issued a federal order to Rackspace's office in the US ordering them to provide Indymedia's hardware located in London to the requesting agency. Rackspace is one of Indymedia's web hosting providers with offices in the US and London. Rackspace complied, without first notifying Indymedia, and turned over Indymedia's server in the UK. This affects some 20+ Indymedia sites worldwide.
Since the subpoena was issued to Rackspace and not to Indymedia, the reasons for this action are still unknown to Indymedia. Talking to Indymedia volunteers, Rackspace stated that "they cannot provide Indymedia with any information regarding the order." ISPs have received gag orders in similar situations which prevent them from updating the concerned parties on what is happening.
It is unclear to Indymedia how and why a server that is outside the US jurisdiction can be seized by US authorities.
At the same time a second server was taken down at Rackspace which provided streaming radio to several radio stations, BLAG (linux distro), and a handful of miscellanous things.
The last few months have seen numerous attacks on independent media by the US Federal Government. In August the Secret Service used a subpoena in an attempt to disrupt the NYC IMC before the RNC by trying to get IP logs from an ISP in the US and the Netherlands. Last month the FCC shut down community radio stations around the US. Two weeks ago the FBI requested that Indymedia takes down a post on the Nantes IMC that had a photo of some undercover Swiss police and IMC volunteers in Seattle were visited by the FBI on the same issue. On the other hand, Indymedia and other independent media organisations were successfull with their victories for example against Diebold and the Patroit Act. Today however, the US authorities shut down IMCs around the world.
The list of affected local media collectives includes Ambazonia, Uruguay, Andorra, Poland, Western Massachusetts, Nice, Nantes, Lilles, Marseille (all France), Euskal Herria (Basque Country), Liege, East and West Vlaanderen, Antwerpen (all Belgium), Belgrade, Portugal, Prague, Galiza, Italy, Brazil, UK, part of the Germany site, and the global Indymedia Radio site.
http://www.indymedia.org
Homepage: http://www.indymedia.it/press_release_en.html
-Stop
Ironic Timing
08.10.2004 02:26
It is ironic that that this happens now, just days before Indymedia UK is due to participate in the European Forum on Communications Rights being held alongside the European Social Forum and several other days of discussions about electronic civil liberties and community media. For more information on these events see http://www.ecfr2004.net
imcista - Stop.
Nantes IMC Article In Question Recovered
08.10.2004 03:46
Google's cache of the Nantes IMC web page in question. (Sorry, no pix!)
http://66.102.7.104/search?q=cache:EWMWT-NGfvMJ:nantes.indymedia.org/article.php3%3Fid_article%3D3910+&hl=en
The photos allegedly in question are (allegedly) posted here:
http://www.andrew.cmu.edu/user/mtoups/nantes/copsinnantes.htm
In Google's cache, the four photos in question were named doc-1636.jpg, doc-1637.jpg, doc-1638.jpg, and doc-1639.jpg. The photos on this site are numbered differently, however, a comment at the bottom of the original article in Google's cache states that the Nantes IMC blanked out the eyes (or faces) of the two undercover cops in question following a request by the FBI to do so. Pathetic. The photos in this link do not have the faces blacked-out, and are numbered doc-1594.jpg through doc-1597.jpg, so these are probably the photos from the original posting of the Nantes IMC web page in question, before the identities of the undercovers was hidden.
Someone please post these pictures all over Switzerland. Thanks.
Homepage: http://www.andrew.cmu.edu/user/mtoups/nantes/copsinnantes.htm - Stop.
Intimidation
08.10.2004 10:38
worth pointing out to those that don't know, indymedia doesn't log isp's of visitors to imc sites so no paper trails for the suits to follow. all change is still go. - Stop.
Free Radio Santa Cruz Raided by Federal Government
At 8:20 AM on Wednesday, September 29, armed US Marshals and FCC Agents (the US radio police) raided the house from which Free Radio Santa Cruz broadcasts. Agents entered with guns drawn, showing the warrant to a couple of residents but not serving the warrant to anyone at that time. All residents, some wearing only their bathrobes and PJ's, were herded to the sidewalk in front of their house.
Freak Radio has been raided after almost 10 years of broadcasting for the Santa Cruz community and listeners around the world via online streaming, and has received strong support from community members, including the Santa Cruz Mayor and City Council: 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year, in defiance of federal regulation.
[ SC-IMC: Feature and 120 photos | Free Radio Santa Cruz | Wikipedia on the FCC ]
[ Democracy Now!: FRSC Shut Down by FCC | Donate to FRSC | FRSC Press Release | audio coverage] - Stop.
MEXICO: Repression on a radio - 30 Sep 2004
Members of Community Radio in Oaxaca Beaten and Jailed
At 6:13 in the morning of the 14th of september, several police units, including forces of the UPOE (Special Operations Police), policia preventiva, turism police, police of the state of Oaxaca, the Federa Agency of Investigations (AFI), and plain clothed officers numbering a sum of 200 violently evicted members of Guetza Radio and the Popular Indigenous Counsel of Oaxaca - Ricardo Flores Magon (CIPO - RFM) with tear gas, cuncusion grenades and water hoses. To this date seven people remain in jail.
The repression marks the most recent attack by the government of Oaxaca, under Governor Jose Murat, against the Indigenous people of Oaxaca and the CIPO in particular. The CIPO, with the Indigenous National Congress, recently organized the first National Encounter of Autonomies, the participants of which included student activists, labor unions and indigenous communities, in order to facilitate a discorse between the problems of each community and formulate proposals in the spirit of mutual aid. Guetza Radio transmitted and archived the encounter.
Guetza Radio, along with the CIPO, is a voice in the city of Oaxaca which continually demands justice for indigenous people and political prisoners of the region. The raid of the radio marks one more step in the history of repression against free radio in mexico. It is also part of the current political trend toward fascism throughout the country, as displayed by the examples of recent violence against demonstrators in Guadalajara and the growth of power throughout the country of the PAN, party of the ultra-right.
Guetza Radio continues transmiting from a new location and in a new frequency. They demand the following rights:
1.-immediate and unconditional liberty of all political prisoners.
2.-an end to the harrassment and repression of community radios throughout the country
3.-constitutional recognition of community radios and the peoples proposal for radio and television
4.-the return of confiscated equipment
Send letters of Solidarity to: Guetza Radio or CIPO-RFM - Stop
http://www.indymedia.org/en/index.shtml
Print This 
Print This 
