+comunity+ independent media! (fwd)

[cym at mur.at]

hallo,

ich weiss nicht ob wer das mitgekriegt hat. letzte woche wurde ein teil der
indymedia.org server von der FBI beschlagnahmt, ohne weitere angaben warum.

ein grossteil der indymedia-websites war unerreichbar und sie waren/sind auf der
suche nach server die die seiten 'mirrorn' moechten. anscheinend haben sie die
beschlagnahmte hardware mittlerweile wieder zurueckbekommen. mehr info auf der
indymedia-website http://www.indymedia.org/

gruesse,

cym


*Mirrors needed!* (Score:4, Informative)
by Anonymous Coward on Sunday October 10, @03:04PM (#10487219
<http://yro.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=125126&cid=10487219
<http://yro.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=125126&cid=10487219>>)

If anyone wants to help out (there are still many IMC sites down) some
more mirrors would be good!

You can get in touch with IMC techies via email
<http://lists.indymedia.org/imc-tech> [indymedia.org] or via #tech on
irc.indymedia.org <http://chat.indymedia.org/?chans=tech> [indymedia.org].

The sites that are easy to mirror are the ones running Mir
<http://mir.indymedia.org/> [indymedia.org] since this CMS generates
static HTML, this includes the global site <http://www.indymedia.org./>
[www.indymedia.org <http://www.indymedia.org>] and the UK site
<http://www.indymedia.org.uk/>
[indymedia.org.uk].

Also one of the siezed London servers was the main Blag Linux
<http://blagblagblag.org/> [blagblagblag.org] server and it ran some
other Free software mirrors... :-/


NEWS
""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," the statement said.
(...) Indymedia called it "ironic" that the action came just before it
was to participate in the European Forum on Communications Rights being
held alongside the European Social Forum, covering issues such as
electronic civil liberties and community media." -
http://www.computerworld.com/governmenttopics/government/legalissues/story/0,10801,96581,00.html
<http://www.computerworld.com/governmenttopics/government/legalissues/story/0,10801,96581,00.html>



"By request from the United States, British authorities shut down 20
independent media Web sites without explanation, The Guardian reported
Monday. " -
http://washingtontimes.com/upi-breaking/20041011-085832-4074r.htm
<http://washingtontimes.com/upi-breaking/20041011-085832-4074r.htm>


On Friday, Rackspace published a statement saying that they turned over
the servers in response to an order under the Mutual Legal Assistance
Treaty (MLAT). The MLAT establishes procedures for countries to assist
each other in investigations regarding international terrorism,
kidnapping and money laundering. (...) The International Federation of
Journalists (IFJ) has condemned the action and called for an
investigation into the action by police in Britain and the other
agencies involved. - http://www.dmeurope.com/default.asp?ArticleID=3708
<http://www.dmeurope.com/default.asp?ArticleID=3708>


"The request came from two countries, "Italy and Switzerland", explained
an FBI spokesman to the AFP, without giving more details. "The persons
in charge for the ministry for Justice did nothing but fulfill the legal
obligations contained in our treaty of mutual assistance", it insisted.
Indeed, we then learned that the National Alliance, the second party of
the coalition of Silvio Berlusconi, had asked as of November 2003 to
close Indymedia Italy, following insults with the Italian armed forces.
The Attorney General of Geneva has opened an investigation, following a
complaint deposited by two police officers who had discovered the name
of one of them, their addresses and their photographs on the French
version of Indymedia. By seizing the servers, the FBI shut down Nantes
Indymedia. The involvement of the FBI in this business is very
suspicious. Don't the Italian and French authorities have the sufficient
means to sanction Indymedia if reprehensible acts are shown? All this
appears to be an attempt at intimidation, according to the international
Federation of the journalists (FIJ), who Saturday asked for an
investigation into this operation." -
http://www.infoshop.org/inews/stories.php?story=04/10/10/5437524

The Indymedia network, which hosts alternative media, no longer works in
many countries including Italy and France. Its servers located in Great
Britain were shut down by the FBI following a request from Switzerland
and Italy. Indymedia Italy was closed in a few hours. Opened in June
2000, Indymedia is presented in the form of "first independent media of
the masses" by hosting many alternative news and protest sites.

Apparently the protestors caught the notice of the FBI, Italy and
Switzerland. On October 8, agents of the American agency visited the
British and American buildings of the company which hosts the servers of
Indymedia. The servers were shut down and seized. The agents of the FBI
did not provide details on the raid.

The shutdown also affects 20 Indymedia sites throughout the world,
including the Nantes IMC. Indymedia affirms that "the FBI ordered in
Rackspace in the United States to physically shut down" one of its
servers. "the order was given to Rackspace to immediately surrender the
hard disks hosted in Great Britain", it adds.

The FBI's involvement has quickly erupted into a scandal. An Italian
deputy, Mauro Bulgarelli, member of the Green Party, denounced "this
provocation and intimidation" at a few days of the social Forum of
London (October 15-17).

But the FBI would not have acted on its own. Indeed, the American agency
explained a few hours later "the assignment was made in the name of
third country by persons in charge for the ministry for Justice against
an ISP, Rackspace, which provides server space to Indymedia".

The request came from two countries, "Italy and Switzerland", explained
an FBI spokesman to the AFP, without giving more details. "The persons
in charge for the ministry for Justice did nothing but fulfill the legal
obligations contained in our treaty of mutual assistance", it insisted.

Indeed, we then learned that the National Alliance, the second party of
the coalition of Silvio Berlusconi, had asked as of November 2003 to
close Indymedia Italy, following insults with the Italian armed forces.

The Attorney General of Geneva has opened an investigation, following a
complaint deposited by two police officers who had discovered the name
of one of them, their addresses and their photographs on the French
version of Indymedia. By seizing the servers, the FBI shut down Nantes
Indymedia.

The involvement of the FBI in this business is very suspicious. Don't
the Italian and French authorities have the sufficient means to sanction
Indymedia if reprehensible acts are shown? All this appears to be an
attempt at intimidation, according to the international Federation of
the journalists (FIJ), who Saturday asked for an investigation into this
operation.

Some suspect the operation was planned by the FBI. On Paris Indymedia,
which is still accssible, one can read that "These last months many
attacks were directed towards Indymedia by the federal government of the
USA. In August, the secret service issued an injunction in order to
intimidate the New York City IMC before the Republican Convention (RNC),
while trying to obtain the IP logs of news contributors in the USA and
the Netherlands. Last month the U.S. Federal Communications Commission
(FCC) raided community radio stations throughout the USA. Two weeks ago,
the FBI asked that Indymedia delete an article on IMC Nantes which
contained a photograph of uncovered Swiss police officers, and one IMC
Seattle volunteer was visited by the FBI investigating the same subject.

In France, the Odebi League denounced this "brutal act of censure". It
points out: "If news content posed a problem on Nantes Indymedia, the
French should have the legal authority to do the same, if necessary, to
quickly order the removal of only those contents." This intervention of
the American authorities in Europe is extremely likely to be regarded as
an affront and an insult to national sovereignty.

Olivier Chicheportiche
http://www.infoshop.org/inews/stories.php?story=04/10/10/5437524




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