On Thursday, Oct 7, US authorities issued a federal order to Rackspace ordering them to hand over Indymedia web servers to the requesting agency. Rackspace, a US ISP colocated in London that provides hosting services for more that 20 IMC sites around the world, complied and turned over the requested servers, effectively removing those sites, several internet radio streams and other projects from the internet.

On Friday,October 8, Indymedia learned that the request to seize Indymedia servers originated from government agencies in Italy and Switzerland. The reasons for the court order or who actually holds the servers now are still unknown to Indymedia. According to Italian news agency reports and an Agence France-Presse (AFP) interview with FBI spokesman Joe Parris, the FBI acted on Italian and Swiss requests. "Through a legal assistance treaty, (MLAT) the subpoena was on behalf of a third country." The court prohibits Rackspace from commenting further on this matter.

An Indymedia system administrator stated: "We do 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."

Aidan White, the General Secretary for the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) had this to say. "We have witnessed an intolerable and intrusive international police operation against a network specialising in independent journalism. The way this has been done smacks more of intimidation of legitimate journalistic inquiry than crime-busting." Full Story

Related Links: Questions of Authority Still Unknown in Indymedia Server Seizures | IFJ Calls for Investigation | EFF Challenges Secret Government Order to Shut Down Media Websites | Reporters Without Borders Condemns Seizures | Alternative Network's Internet Servers Confiscated | IMC-UK (backup server ) | IMC-Nantes | IMC-Italy | Global IMC | SF Bay IMC | NYC IMC | Infoshop coverage (scroll down) | Slashdot coverage | Democracy Now!