INDYMEDIA UK SERVERS SIEZED BY FBI!, page 1

posted on Oct, 7 2004 @ 08:47 PM

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www.indymedia.it...

www.indymedia.org... 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.

Please visit the link provided for the complete story.

um... WTF? How did a US-based law-enforcement agency sieze computers in the UK?

Jamuhn

posted on Oct, 7 2004 @ 08:53 PM

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That is incredible! There is information about other gag orders on that site as well. Seriously, wtf is going on?!

Intelearthling

posted on Oct, 7 2004 @ 08:56 PM

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Must be really big time. Gag orders and the sort?

It is unclear to Indymedia how and why a server that is outside the US jurisdiction can be seized by US authorities.

I'm amazed that the FBI had so much power on foreign soil! Makes you wonder where they'll strike next?

curme

posted on Oct, 7 2004 @ 08:57 PM

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Nobody's exactly sure why or how the FBI got warrants to take Indymedia's HDs, but their speculation tends to center around the fact that the Feds were spooked by the fact that Indymedia was able to publish RNC delegate names. This unfortuantely means political motivations are going to be questioned no matter what reasoning is brought forward.

Not much we can do at this hour but hold our breath and wait for more info to be released.
Slashdot

The bloggers are buzzing about it!

tututkamen

posted on Oct, 7 2004 @ 08:58 PM

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It is enforcement of the Patriot Act. They are doing it all over this country. How they can manage it in England is beyond me.

Valhall

posted on Oct, 7 2004 @ 08:58 PM

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SO, do you have any knowledge of what site(s) could have been on those servers that could have caused this?

Jamuhn

posted on Oct, 7 2004 @ 09:10 PM

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For more information, visit: www.indymedia.org.uk...

The server hosted over 20 local IMCs: the Belgian and African imcs, Palestine, UK, Germany, and Brasil.

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.

Could this be a reason?

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 www.ecfr2004.net...

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.

[edit on 7-10-2004 by Jamuhn]

chaosrain

posted on Oct, 7 2004 @ 09:14 PM

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Originally posted by tututkamen
It is enforcement of the Patriot Act. They are doing it all over this country. How they can manage it in England is beyond me.

I'm sorry, but isn't the US's biggest ally in Iraq, England? Hasn't Tony Blair indicated on many occasions that the UK is an ally in the 'War on Terror'? Just like extradition treaties allow countries to export criminals to other nations, many countries allow others to engage in other law enforcement activities on their soil.

If you told me that the servers were seized by the FBI from a company in Iran or North Korea, I too would wonder how they managed it...the UK, that's a cinch.

AceOfBase

posted on Oct, 7 2004 @ 09:23 PM

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Perhaps the UK officials did not need to get involved.

The Subpoena was issued to Rackspace in the States, ordering them to hand over the hard drives from computers in the US and UK which were both in control of Rackspace.

Rackspace could have just called their UK office and told them to ship the drives down without the need for any involvement from UK authorities.

If the UK office had objected, it could have turned out differently.

Hellmutt

posted on Oct, 7 2004 @ 09:31 PM

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I just saw some news about an Al-Qaida computer they�ve found.
The computer was filled with info and plans.
If I can just remember where I saw it. I�ll see if I can find it...
I don�t know if there�s a relation to this case, but it might explain some things.

Hellmutt

posted on Oct, 7 2004 @ 10:13 PM

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I found some in norwegian media.
They say that the following Al-Qaida leader: Ismail Mohammad al-Khatib was arrested some three weeks ago in Libanon. He died in custody of "heart-failure", but he "said" something before he died. I think they also got his computer with some "highly sophisticated stuff" revealed. Cyber-warfare was a word they used. Some info they got have also caused some actions in Denmark. Their sniffing up some cells there now. They say they know for sure he have been in close contact with Al-Qaida cells in Denmark, Italy and Germany. Some minister in Lebanon have said that "this is the most dangerous and sophisticated terror-network ever seen in Lebanon"...
Like I said: Might be related somehow, might not...

Quest

posted on Oct, 7 2004 @ 10:18 PM

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The servers were taken because they had pictures of undercover swiss police taking pictures of protesters.

Yay, now i get to learn if the feds really do read ATS...if i mysteriously stop posting, they do!

[edit on 7-10-2004 by Quest]

Esoterica

posted on Oct, 7 2004 @ 10:23 PM

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Originally posted by Quest
The servers were taken because they had pictures of undercover swiss police taking pictures of protesters.

Yay, now i get to learn if the feds really do read ATS...if i mysteriously stop posting, they do!
[edit on 7-10-2004 by Quest]

Dig the sources

curme

posted on Oct, 7 2004 @ 10:25 PM

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Originally posted by Quest
The servers were taken because they had pictures of undercover swiss police taking pictures of protesters.

Yay, now i get to learn if the feds really do read ATS...if i mysteriously stop posting, they do!

[edit on 7-10-2004 by Quest]

Do you have a link? I really want to learn more. What protesters? I want to know if this is a legitimate law enforcement action, or some way to quell free speech and dissent.

Quest

posted on Oct, 7 2004 @ 10:32 PM

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Originally posted by curme
Do you have a link? I really want to learn more. What protesters? I want to know if this is a legitimate law enforcement action, or some way to quell free speech and dissent.

Nope, no link. This is based on "inside" info. You won't find a link saying this now or ever (probably). Nor will I or my source openly say this or stand by it. Hell, if the feds came knocking on my door i'd retract what I said.

I'm just letting people know, I'm not trying to step on any FBI toes.

Quest

posted on Oct, 7 2004 @ 10:34 PM

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Keep any eye on the thread... I think the source may be posted (not by me).

Esoterica

posted on Oct, 7 2004 @ 10:34 PM

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Originally posted by Quest
Nope, no link. This is based on "inside" info. You won't find a link saying this now or ever (probably). Nor will I or my source openly say this or stand by it. Hell, if the feds came knocking on my door i'd retract what I said.

I'm just letting people know, I'm not trying to step on any FBI toes.

See...I've been unable to take the Indymedia's word at face value ever since they ran a story about how tank cannons in Afghanistan were creating a vacuum that sucked women and children out of their homes at 100MPH+...

So, I mean no offense, but I can't just take anyone's "word" on it.

Jamuhn

posted on Oct, 7 2004 @ 10:35 PM

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The link is here: www.indymedia.org.uk...

Micah of the global imc-tech collective said,
"We suspect it has to do with an FBI request that we take down a post on the Nantes IMC that had a photo of some undercover Swiss police. They claimed there was threats and personal information, but there was nothing of the sort. The undercover police that were photographed on the page were photographing protesters. Rackspace is a US company, but have colocation in the UK where these servers are (err, were) located. So this is about Swiss police, on a French site, on a server in England, taken away by American federal police... can I be the first to say WTF?!"

And I reiterate, WTF indeed, there's more to it in my opinion.

TrickmastertricK

posted on Oct, 7 2004 @ 10:37 PM

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Doubt this has any value, but what the heck
lists.indymedia.org...
Im tryin to find a possible list of their websites

AceOfBase

posted on Oct, 7 2004 @ 10:37 PM

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Originally posted by curme
Do you have a link? I really want to learn more. What protesters? I want to know if this is a legitimate law enforcement action, or some way to quell free speech and dissent.

Here's a link here:

NYC Indymedia
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.