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FBI Coverage

IMC: FBI and other legalbreaking news

This page has been superseded by the wiki page on docs.indymedia.org - please visit that page for a more current and complete list of state actions against Indymedia centers worldwide. Press contact: press(a)indymedia.org

The servers are back - why aren't things back to normal?
"There has been a lot of work for the techies:

  1. Finding temporary solutions
  2. Implementing a more permanent solution
  3. Retrieving backups
  4. Inspecting the returned disks
We've been working very hard, but we're understaffed and continuously have to deal with new developments" (IMC Techie)
Please see the list of affected IMC sites which is being updated regularly.


Please sign the solidarity statement :
Declaration in Support of the Indymedia Network and Against the Seizure of its Servers

"And even if there were something far more serious involved than just a couple of photos, the procedure ought to send shivers down the spine of every publishing organisation on the Internet." (The Register, UK, Oct 11, 04)

Who took Ahimsa?
Why were more then 20 Indymedia sites taken down?
Directly affected Indymedia sites
Rackspace's statement
Legal Information (MLAT, etc.)
Indymedia & the FBI: earlier incidents

Who Took Ahimsa? Why were more then 20 Indymedia sites taken down?
  • Indymedia does not have any information on the reasons and the nature of order and the actions taken.
  • Indymedia does not know whether Rackspace was ordered to provide information on the servers, or the hardware (servers or disks). Apparently the hardware was handed over.
  • Indymedia does not know if Rackspace is under a gag order, or what legal restrictions were imposed requiring them to act this way, or whether their legal department had enough time to study the request.
Directly affected Indymedia sites

IMCs back alive:

  • Ambazonia: alive
  • Andorra: alive
  • Antwerp: alive
  • Brasil: alive
  • Euskal Herria: alive
  • Galiza: alive
  • Italy: alive
  • Liege: alive
  • Lille: alive
  • Marseille: alive
  • Nantes: alive
  • Nice: alive
  • Oost-Vlaanderen: alive
  • Poland: alive
  • Portugal: alive
  • Prague: alive (collective is no longer active)
  • UK: alive
  • Uruguay: alive
  • Western Massachusetts: alive
  • West-Vlaanderen: alive

IMCs with temporary solution

IMC's shut down

Other affected sites

  • keys.indymedia.org: still down (this is only public keys, obviously)
  • Germany: all pictures are missing

according to Jebba's blog:

  • www.blagblagblag.org - GNU/Linux Distro, will be back up around Tuesday
  • www.foref.org - For Refugees (inactive?)
  • syndicate.org.uk - I dont recall what was on the site, but they did mail.
  • indymail.org - Test/brainstorm webmail server
  • agnud.org - GNU/Linux distro dont know what happened to it (inactive?)

For around 4 years AHIMSA mirrored a number of Free Software projects. It was the main mirror for KDE (download.kde.org ???), mirrored php.net, kernel.org, GNU/Linux Documentation Project, apache, cpan, and probably a couple others. smile As the various Free Software projects developed more mirrors, the AHIMSA mirrors were removed to make space for Indymedia & BLAG.

Imc-UK server admins have done a quick calculation and the loss of Ahimsa means that the FBI action deprived the network of about 1 million pieces of content. Much of this is now back online from backups, but some of the sites have lost a lot of content. We are compiling a list now, please add as you find out more:

Data loss

  • Antwerp: data starting from june
  • Italy: two months data {Italy imc won't restore its archives until this situation is solved}
  • Marseille: all data since latest backup on July 31, 2004 (attempt to restore data)
  • Nantes: Unknown but definite data loss
  • Nice: one month data {actually live with backup of 02 sept 2004}
  • Uruguay: all content since April 2004
  • Western Mass: all data since latest backup on July 31, 2004

Rackspace's statement, 8 October

"In the present matter regarding Indymedia, Rackspace Managed Hosting, a U.S. based company with offices in London, is acting in compliance with a court order pursuant to a Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty (MLAT), which establishes procedures for countries to assist each other in investigations such as international terrorism, kidnapping and money laundering. Rackspace responded to a Commissioners subpoena, duly issued under Title 28, United States Code, Section 1782 in an investigation that did not arise in the United States. Rackspace is acting as a good corporate citizen and is cooperating with international law enforcement authorities. The court prohibits Rackspace from commenting further on this matter."
Legal Information (MLAT, etc.)

Background on MLAT - Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty - can be found on the websites below. Basically, the MLATs are bilateral agreements that the US has made a lot of countries sign. These agreements allow for the US to "do stuff within other nations" that was previously not possible due to national sovereignty. As such, MLATs are an example of "bad" or "globalisation from above".
Intro: http://www.statewatch.org/news/2003/jul/08euus.htm Background on Section 1782 - This section of the US Code allows cooperation with a foreign or international investigation, even during a preliminary investigating phase.
Intro: http://assembler.law.cornell.edu/uscode/html/uscode28/usc_sec_28_00001782----000-.html Additional links for further reading:

Indymedia & the FBI: earlier events

Earlier incidents with the FBI, CIA or other US authorities included: