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Seized server Autistici/Inventati (A/I) in Amsterdam for U.S. authorities

nltimes.nl47 points29 comments
Screenshot of Seized server Autistici/Inventati (A/I) in Amsterdam for U.S. authorities

Police in Amsterdam seized a server from a city data center on 14 October 2026 at the request of United States authorities. The machine is owned by Italian nonprofit Autistici/Inventati (A/I), which for years provided free website hosting and email to thousands of groups. Dutch police are creating a digital image of the server’s contents to hand over under a U.S. mutual legal assistance request, then will return the hardware to the data center. The seizure follows a U.S. designation in late August that labeled A/I as a terrorist organization for allegedly supporting antifa; U.S. sanctions since then cut the group off from its bank account and cost it its domain name, prompting volunteers to disband to shield users and donors from legal and financial fallout.

The move is notable because internet service providers are ordinarily not held liable for user activity, and the seizure underscores the tangible risks that criminal designations and sanctions pose to privacy, infrastructure and third-party users. Authorities have not disclosed which datasets will be transferred. The case highlights tensions between cross-border law enforcement cooperation, provider liability and the protections owed to service users when political designations trigger asset freezes and operational collapse.

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