Forwarded From: ^Faust^ <faustt_private> Originally From: Net Diver <distorsionit_private> Hi, i'm the remailer administrator of Cripto Anonymous Remailer. The Remailer actually don't work because the server was seizer 3 days ago. Below, you can read what happened ITALY: NON-PROFIT SERVER SEIZED FOR "DEFAMATORY" MATERIAL POSTED ON ITS SYSTEM Saturday, June 27th, 1998, at 10:30 am, the Isole nella Rete (INR) server <ecn.org> has been shut down and seized by the Postal Police in Bologna for "defamatory" material posted on its system. Isole nella Rete (Islands in the Net) is an Italian non-profit organization founded in Milan in 1996, now counting about 300 members, was offering Web space and Internet services to more than 100 groups (social centers, local radio stations, cultural associations) and other entities involved in political, solidarity and social activities throughout Italy and Europe. Without any notice, Saturday morning all of them found their server down and their incoming mail irreparably lost. The Web site <http://www.ecn.org> is unavailable and silent -- maybe even for months and years to come. Acting under a warrant issued by the Vicenza State Prosecutor Dott. Paolo Pecori, yesterday several officers of the Bologna Postal Police seized and physically removed the INR server hosted in the office of DS Logic srl, a local ISP. According to the warrant, this is a "preventive" measure for the crime of a "prolonged defamation" toward a Milan travel agency, Turban Italia Srl. The operation came after the publication on the INR Web site of a message signed by a Vicenza collective under the title "Solidarity with Kurdistan people - Boycott tourism in Turkey." That message was originally posted on the mailing list <cslistt_private>, devoted to issues related to social centers and their political activities, and on January 15th re-published on the Web through a typical automatic procedure. The message was the actual transcription of a printed flyer publicly distributed and broadcast in local radio programs. As part of a solidarity campaign with Kurds persecuted by Turkish government launched by several political and cultural associations in Italy, the document called for a boycott of tourism in Turkey and particularly of Turban Italia services. Among other things, the flyer claimed that the travel agency had strong financial ties to former Turkish Prime Minister Tansu Ciller, "organizer of death squad operations against Kurdistan people and other political opponents." After the message appeared on the Web last January, Turban Italia lawyers alerted local authorities, but also got involved with INR attorneys to find a "peaceful" solution to the issue -- a possible outcome being to mantain the "defamatory" message online along with a strong reply by the same Turban Italia. It is not clear who or what prompted the Vicenza Prosecutor to enforce such a sudden and indiscriminate action on Saturday morning. Although the seizure warrant does not charge any specific person (yet), it is clear that the Prosecutor holds INR liable for the material hosted on its Internet server. Under these circumstances, provider's liability is an higly debated topic worldwide, still far from a viable solution. However, as even the US Supreme Court confirmed last week in a case involving America Online, the general approach is that ISsP should not be held liable for the material carried on their systems. In this case, the operation is exceptionally harmful and serious, hitting a service mostly used by hundreds of people and associations politically and socially oriented, in Italy and abroad. They were (and many of them still are) completely unaware of the events that conducted to the charge and the shutting down of the server. Their right to freely communicate and express themselves have been violated without any notice or explanation. Not to mention those using the INR mail service for their daily work and business activities. In the recent years, the INR-ecn.org activities had greatly helped the building of a strong solidarity and socially-oriented network, such as Lila (AIDS fighting association), Italy-Cuba Association, Telefono Viola (psychiatric abuse hot-line), ADL (workers union), Spain's CNT. The ecn.org server was also hosting cultural organizations: web-zines (.Zip , Necron, London's Freedom Press), local bands (99 Posse, Sunscape, Electra) , radio stations (Radio Black Out, Radio Sherwood, Radio Onda d'Urto). Very active were several mailing lists, including one in support and solidarity with Chiapas people and "cyber-rights", the only Italian list devoted to public discussion about privacy, encryption, free speech online. The <cyber-rightst_private> list and its subscribers were essential to the success of HackIt98, the first ever public meeting organized by and devoted to the Italian hacker community, held in Florence during the first week-end of June and attended by about one thousand people. At the moment the INR-ecn.org members are closely monitoring the situation in order to find the best solutions to what seems to be an extremely serious event whose conseqences will be in any case far and wide. The organization is now working to get the news to all of its members and users, as well as to media agencies worldwide and to the online community at large. Also, a backup server should be up and running as soon as possible, while others initiatives are under way. For more info and updated news: http://strano.net/news http://geocities.com/Hollywood/Set/2184/inr.html mailing list (in Italian) <hackmeetingt_private> [send mail to <majordomot_private> including 'subscribe hackmeeting' in the body message] Net Diver Remailer Administrator Cripto Remailer -o- Subscribe: mail majordomot_private with "subscribe isn". Today's ISN Sponsor: Repent Security Incorporated [www.repsec.com]
This archive was generated by hypermail 2b30 : Fri Apr 13 2001 - 12:57:38 PDT