US Government shuts down independent news: update
Last November, we noted the story about the US Government seizing web servers in London
(US Gov. says: “We seize servers, you can’t complain”). Now an update from
the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF):
Secret Documents About Indymedia Server Disappearance Unsealed
EFF last week won a motion allowing it to
access sealed court documents about the mysterious
disappearance of two web servers used to host news websites
for Indymedia, a global collective of Independent Media
Centers (IMCs) and thousands of journalists. After six
months of secret litigation, EFF obtained a copy of the
federal court order that resulted in the October 2004
handover of copies of Indymedia servers to the government
by Indymedia’s web host. That handover resulted in the
silencing of more than 20 news websites and radio feeds
for nearly a week.However, the unsealed documents reveal that the government
never officially demanded the computer servers - the
subpoena to Rackspace only requested server log files.
This contradicts previous statements by the web host that
it took the servers offline because the government had
demanded the hardware. The documents also contradict
Rackspace’s claim that it had been ordered by the court
not to discuss publicly the government’s demand. It
cannot be determined from the unsealed documents
whether or not the government informally pressured
Rackspace to turn over the servers.
More here:
- US court files reveal Italian link to Indymedia server grab
By John Lettice, The Register August 3, 2005. - Indymedia Server Takedown EFF, Updated August 2005
“The feds can’t pull the plug on more than 20 news websitesÑour modern printing pressesÑbased on a secret proceeding at the request of a foreign government. This is a flagrant violation of the First Amendment,” said Kevin Bankston, EFF attorney and Equal Justice Works/Bruce J. Ennis Fellow. “As far as the Constitution is concerned, Indymedia has the same rights as any other news publisher. The government can’t shut down the New York Times, and it can’t shut down Indymedia.”