Alternative Servers Attacked:
"Not a Private Question:
A Question of
Privacy"

Indymedia Bristol

Two alternative servers have been attacked by the police: The Italian independent
non-profit server Autistici and the server of Indymedia Bristol, a local
alternative media project.

On Monday, June 27th, Indymedia Bristol's server was seized by the police. Last
week, police demanded access to the server to gain the IP details of a posting. The
alternative media outlet is receiving advice from civil liberties organisations and
the NUJ. Before being legally forced to hand over the server, Indymedia Bristol
stated: "We do not intend to voluntarily hand over information to the police as
they have requested".

Italy-based server Autistici found out that the authorities have copied the keys
necessary for the decryption of their webmail a year ago. Since
then, the authorities potentially had access to all the data on the disks.
Autistici's provider did not inform them about this. Apparently, this is connected
to the same investigation as the one that caused an international law enforcement
operation in London last October: A few days before the European Social Forum,
Indymedia servers in London were seized, prompting a wave of solidarity statements.

Note: Indymedia UK is preparing to provide grass-roots non-corporate coverage for
the forthcoming G8 protests and events. Additional http mirrors would help with
increased traffic and external disruptions. If you can offer a mirror, mail
imc-uk-contact@indymedia.org. Donations can be sent here.