Feds seize Indymedia servers [more info]

The Register ^ | Oct 8, 2004 | John Leyden

[Mike Fieschko]

The FBI yesterday seized a pair of UK servers used by Indymedia, the independent newsgathering collective, after serving a subpoena in the US on Indymedia's hosting firm, Rackspace. Why or how remains unclear.

Rackspace UK complied with a legal order and handed over hard disks without first notifying Indymedia. It's unclear if the raid was executed under extra-territorial provisions of US legislation or the UK's Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act (RIPA). Provisions of RIPA make it a criminal offence to discuss warrants, so Rackspace would not be able to discuss the action with its customer Indymedia, or with the media.

Rackspace US has issued a statement which says that the investigation "did not arise in the United States", but which sheds very little light on the whys and the wherefores.

In the present matter regarding Indymedia, Rackspace Managed Hosting, a US 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 Commissioner’s 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."

Dai Davis, an IT lawyer at London law firm Nabarro Nathanson, said Rackspace's statement fails to clarify the legal basis of the raid. "If it was a RIPA warrant, Rackspace can't refer to it. Most RIPA warrants can be issued by the Home Secretary," he said. "The FBI has no jurisdiction in the UK and would need to act in concert with UK authorities, such as the security services or police," he added.

Net effect

The seizure of Indymedia's servers affects more than 30 Indymedia sites worldwide. The list of affected local media collectives includes Uruguay, Andorra, Poland, Nice, several French groups, Euskal Herria (Basque Country), multiple Belgian sites, Serbia, Portugal, the Czech Republic, Italy, Brazil, the UK, part of the Germany site, and the global Indymedia Radio site. One of the servers taken down at Rackspace provided streaming radio to several radio stations and served files related to the Blag Linux distribution, among other purposes.

While Indymedia is not exactly sure what prompted the action, the group does have one strong idea. A French Indymedia site last month posted photos of what it believed to be undercover Swiss police officers photographing protesters at a French event. Indymedia received a request from the FBI to pull those photos down, as they "revealed personal information" about the undercover police, said Indymedia press officer Hep Sano.

Rackspace appeared to confirm that the photos were an issue with the FBI.

"I apologize for the delay in responding. I have been trying to get a hold of the FBI agent I spoke with before, but haven't been able to at this time," wrote a Rackspace official to Indymedia earlier this week, according to Sano. "As the request originated with the Swiss police, I can only speculate on what they saw or what they were concerned about. However, at this time, I have received no further communications from either the FBI or the Swiss authorities, so I feel like we can close this this issue."

Still, Indymedia has never sorted out the matter with the FBI.

"They never clarified what they meant by personal information," she said. "The photos were taken on a public street."

Indymedia believes the photos were eventually pulled, but ironically cannot check on this as it no longer has access to the servers or hard disks. The group has not been notified if the FBI is even involved in this seizure or whether or not the servers or just hard disks were confiscated.

"We are still trying to work with the EFF (Electronic Frontier Foundation) to figure out who is charging us and with what crime," said Sano. The EFF did not immediately return a call seeking comment.

Indymedia said yesterday's raids were part of a wider pattern of "attacks" against independent media outlets by the US Federal Government authorities over recent months. Last month the Federal Communications Commission shut down community radio stations around the US.

In addition, an article submitted through Indymedia's Open Newswire service identifying the names of delegates to the Republican Convention and where they were staying in New York reportedly led to an investigation by the FBI. The Secret Service used a subpoena in an "attempt to disrupt" the New York City's Independent Media Centre before last month's Republican National Convention in the city.Speculation (on Slashdot) links yesterday's raids with this investigation. This remains unconfirmed but Rackspace's comment that this is to do with "an investigation that did not arise in the United States" doesn't fit with this theory. Indymedia also believes that the Republican Convention problems have passed and are not an issue in this week's server raids.

Indymedia (AKA Independent Media Center) was set up in 1999 to provide grassroots coverage of the World Trade Organisation (WTO) protests in Seattle. It has continued to report on controversial subjects often under-reported in the mainstream media since then; but this week has marked the most controversial chapter in its operations.

[VeniVidiVici]

I seriously doubt this was due to Swiss undercover agent pictures on an Indy server.

I also doubt they (Indy) can do anything under US laws as the servers were not in the US.

And I doubt the FBI was involved.

Good cover story though for the great unwashed at IndyMedia.

[piasa]

Thanks- that rings a bell now.

[brityank]

Your welcome -- I get my bell rung a lot 'round here!! :^)

[Nick Danger]

FBI yesterday seized a pair of UK servers used by Indymedia, the independent newsgathering collective, after serving a subpoena in the US on Indymedia's hosting firm, Rackspace. Why or how remains unclear.

Back in the days of Janet Reno, we used to worry that this would happen to us. I don't think we should cheer too much over this. If they can do it to them, they can do it to us.

[DaveTesla]

Another Communist Connection....
From Richard Poe..http://www.richardpoe.com/soros07.18.04.html

I noted, for instance, that Soros is a militant atheist who despises men of faith such as George W. Bush. He is a Jew who loathes Jewish "tribalism;" a Holocaust survivor who likens Israel to Hitler's Germany; a naturalized U.S. citizen who considers himself "stateless;" a critic of "Darwinian" capitalism who ruthlessly exploited the fallen USSR in the crony-capitalist free-for-all known as "Russiagate."

In the last two years, money from George Soros has ushered
in a veritable Golden Age for Web-based mischief, much of
it perpetrated through such high-profile sites as
http://www.MoveOn.org and http://Indymedia.org . But if such a thing as a
digital brownshirt movement truly exists, its seeds surely
took root in the Clinton White House as early as the summer of 1995.
http://www.richardpoe.com/soros07.17.04.html

Soros Communist ALERT: http://mediamatters.org/items/200406080004

"The Capitalist Threat" by George Soros
Atlantic Monthly, Volume 279, No. 2, February 1997
http://www.mtholyoke.edu/acad/intrel/soros.htm

[DaveTesla]

From Richard Poe:
http://www.richardpoe.com/soros07.18.04.html
Few Americans realize that it was George Soros who bankrolled the seven-year lobbying effort without which McCain-Feingold never would have seen the light of day.

"Combine… the $1.7 million that Mr. Soros gave the Center for Public Integrity, the $1.3 million he gave Public Campaign, the $300,000 to Democracy 21, the $625,000 to Common Cause, and the $275,000 to Public Citizen – and you can be forgiven for believing Mr. Soros got campaign finance passed all by himself," notes a Wall Street Journal editorial.

McCain-Feingold neatly accomplishes Soros’ goal of regulating political discourse on the airwaves. It bars "special interest groups" from placing ads for or against any candidate for federal office on TV or radio 60 days before a general election, and 30 days before a primary. These "special interest groups" can be anything from corporations to grassroots networks of concerned citizens.

Big Media networks, on the other hand, are exempted from the blackout. Unlike other corporations, they are not classified as "special interest groups." During the blackout period, Big Media networks may say whatever they like about any candidate on their news reports and talk shows.

McCain-Feingold thus grants to Viacom (which owns CBS); Disney (which owns ABC); GE (which owns NBC); Time Warner (which owns CNN) and to other multibillion-dollar media conglomerates what amounts to a government-enforced monopoly on political speech during election season. Curiously, wealthy individuals such as George Soros are also exempt from the TV and radio blackout.

[nw_arizona_granny]

This is a good one to read, also.

[Calpernia]

OMG...

::shivers::

Check freep mail.

[piasa]

Soros fyi

[Grampa Dave]

"Wasn't Indymedia the one who posted the names, addresses and phone numbers of all the delegates to the RNC with specific threats and ideas of mayhem?"


I believe so.

Whenever a cop is murdered, the stuff that is posted on their sites is incredible.

This seizure was probably requested by an ally like the UK.

Then they will let us know about our bad guys after they scan the hard disks.

The pro Islamofascist dumbos who signed on to this site have left an electronic breadcrumb trail to their home or office. The same thugs who troll on Free Republic have done the same thing.

[Grampa Dave]

Dave, thanks for posting this.

Piasa thanks for your ping.

Richard thanks for writing this.

Maybe this is why McAinal is back to his original stab GW in the back routine after the election? Could $oreA$$ be funding him again or still?

[MeekOneGOP]

Thanks for the post, DT, and for the ping to #46, Grampa.

---

Excerpt:

http://www.richardpoe.com/soros07.18.04.html
Few Americans realize that it was George Soros who bankrolled the seven-year lobbying effort without which McCain-Feingold never would have seen the light of day .....

---

The Soros Threat

The Capitalist Threat
(1997 article by Soros)

SOROS SNACKING ON SIDE DISHES
(Soros the Adulterer)

FR Search for Keyword Soros

FR Search for Keyword George Soros

[MeekOneGOP]

Man, I do get sick of McCain and his BS.
I wish he'd keep his mouth shut.

It took him 4 years to "get over" losing the GOP nomination to Bush.

And lately he's questioning the military in Iraq and didn't he also take
jabs at Rumsfeld to step down?

Rumsfeld's doing great.

[jer33 3]

Thanks for the ping!

[DaveTesla]

Soros is also funding the ACLU:
The Hidden Soros Agenda: Drugs, Money, the Media, and Political Power

An interesting history on Mr Soros:
George Soros, Postmodern Villain

[Lazamataz]

Provisions of RIPA make it a criminal offence to discuss warrants

This is truly Orwellian.

[Grampa Dave]

Thanks! From your first link on $oreA$$, which is a treasure cove on $oreA$$.

"His position is also reflected in his funding of the ACLU, which itself favors the legalization of all drugs—even heroin and crack cocaine—and opposes virtually all measures taken to curtail drug use. In another example of its extremist approach, the group has rejected funds from the Ford and Rockefeller Foundations, and participation in the Combined Federal Campaign, because acceptance of the money would require adopting measures to make sure it does not employ terrorists or support terrorist activity."

"Soros hired Aryeh Neier as president of his Open Society Institute (OSI) in 1993. Neier worked for the ACLU for 15 years, including eight as national director."

[MeekOneGOP]

Thanks! From your first link on $oreA$$, which is a treasure cove on $oreA$$.

Thanks for the heads up, Grampa! :^D

The Soros Threat

The Capitalist Threat
(1997 article by Soros)

SOROS SNACKING ON SIDE DISHES
(Soros the Adulterer)

FR Search for Keyword Soros

FR Search for Keyword George Soros

[Calpernia]

http://www.indymedia.org/en/2004/03/110687.shtml

Indymedia.org team in merger talks with CBS/Viacom
George Soros, CEO of Indymedia.org ltd has begun merger talks with the CBS/Viacom News Network to help bring together the Vibrant Staff of the Independant News Network with the resources and Global Consumer Reach of the CBS news network. This follows a meeting of the IMC Board of Directors and key Indymedia shareholders where it was decided that Indymedia needed to branch out from its traditional Liberal readership demographic to encompass more mainstream news interests and readerships....

http://sf.indymedia.org/uploads/cbs60minskullandbones.wmv

[McGavin999]

Are you kidding? Indymeadia merging with CBS? The same CBS that uses public airways for their broadcasts?