The Shutdown of Autistici/Inventati: A Blow to Activist Digital Infrastructure

• The Italian tech collective Autistici/Inventati (A/I) has ceased operations after 25 years following a U.S. government designation labeling the group as a supporter of terrorism.
• The shutdown affects 20,000 blogs, 20,000 email accounts, 5,000 mailing lists, and 1,500 websites that served as critical infrastructure for grassroots communication.

Timeline of Actions

• Designation: The U.S. Department of State claimed A/I was an extremist group providing infrastructure for militant leftist cells; A/I refuted these allegations.
• Domain Seizure: The Public Interest Registry (PIR) deactivated the “autistici.org” domain without prior notice.
• Financial Blacklisting: Banca Etica closed the collective's account, and PayPal blocked access to funds, leaving A/I unable to manage donations.

Implications for Digital Rights

• Lack of Due Process: These actions occurred through extrajudicial measures triggered by the U.S. terror designation, rather than a formal legal process.
• Impact on Users: Thousands of users lost access to archives and communication platforms hosting content on climate change, human rights, and anti-fascism.
• Governance Concerns: ISOC Italy and other critics argue that the management of .org domains should not be subject to the arbitrary control of any single government.
• Chilling Effect: The human rights organization Article 19 warns that the relative silence surrounding the shutdown signals a dangerous normalization of attacks on independent, non-commercial digital infrastructure.