Feds target alternative media Web site

An alternative media network called the Independent Media Center said Friday that federal law enforcement authorities confiscated several of its Web servers, shutting down many of its independently run sites.

The group said in a statement on its Web site that federal authorities issued a court order requesting the computer equipment Thursday morning to United States-based Web hosting provider Rackspace. The hosting company subsequently handed over the Web servers, located in its London facility, to authorities, Independent Media Center (IMC) said.

Rackspace issued a terse comment on the issue, saying it responded to a subpoena in an investigation that did not originate in the United States.

"Rackspace is acting as a good corporate citizen and is cooperating with international law enforcement authorities," the company's statement read. "The court prohibits Rackspace from commenting further on this matter."

A spokeswoman for IMC said the group had not been told why it was the subject of an investigation.

"We don't know why it happened," said Hep Sano, a member of the IMC organization in San Francisco. "We did not receive a copy of the subpoena. Right now, we're trying to organize legal help to figure out what the procedure is."

She added that the group thinks the issue might be related to recent requests by the FBI asking that the site remove photos posted by IMC's Nantes affiliate, purportedly depicting Swiss undercover police.

An FBI representative in Texas, where Rackspace is based, did not return calls for comment.

The IMC site said the loss of the Web servers affected local independent media sites serving Ambazonia, Uruguay, Andorra, Poland, Western Massachusetts, Nice, Nantes, Lilles, Marseille (all France), Euskal Herria (Basque Country), Liege, East and West Vlaanderen, Antwerpen (all Belgium), Belgrade, Portugal, Prague, Galiza, Italy, Brazil, the United Kingdom and Germany.

[zaznet]

Censorship...

Sounds like censorship to me.

[bestbee]

Something still missing

So far, none of the major news services have picked up on this story. One would think that they would be all over it, as it is both a first amendment issue and a fourth amendment issue. But almost all the 'news' about this has been either on an indymedia server, or a very few sites that tend to repeat the story from Indymedia. I know that the FBI can be close-lipped about things, and didn't really expect them to confirm it, but the lack of coverage lends some credence to the possibility that the other news services smell a publicity stunt/hoax.

[zaznet]

Problems with international hosting

This is a big problem for US companies using International hosting options. The US Government can use other countries laws against US web sitse that are based outside the US. Nothing in our laws requiers the US to abide by US law in other countries.

[barlie]

Right leaning media

Or that the media is leaning to the right and is a mouthpiece for the republican party.
Fox news :case in point.

[Gwydion Frost]

"Conspiracy" theory behind seizure

I love this. The Indy Media are the only ones reporting the story...much like they USUALLY are. I love the fact that this commentator's answer to the reporting of an unnamed foreign law enforcement agency seizing media servers without notifying anyone WHY is secretly a publicity stunt by the Indy Press.

I dunno just how informed this man is, personally I'm thinking he's a tried and true Acolyte of the holy gospel of the Assimulated Press, with their 2 second sound byte and 1 minute spinned analysis by a so-called expert. Truly, multimillionaire industrialists and international corporations have no selfish agendas behind their network produced propaganda whatsoever.

Right.

Wake me up when ABC runs an expose on Disney's clothing line's workers conditions, NBC gives us the dirt on the shady dealings of General Electrics' "Weapons of Mass Liberation" division, and CBS headlines Viacom's hiring requirements for 'sexy' hosts on it's music channels.

Was it an incredible and incalculable coincidence that when the muslim cleric al-Sadr declared that "the USA should leave Iraq" that EVERY single major news media around the world (television, radio and print) stopped referring to him as the Shiite cleric al-Sadr and ALL starting calling him the "RADICAL cleric al-Sadr" on the EXACT SAME DAY?

Did I miss a meeting? Did every news reporter get together and have a vote, and decided that "radical" was the new adjective for him?

Now, being a writer myself, I happen to take pleasure in KNOWING the meaning of words.

"Radical islamic cleric"

al-Sadr doesn't support a secular government.

al-Sadr thinks that the Quran should be the basis of law.

Sounds like a traditional FUNDAMENTAL Islamic cleric to me, not radical at all.

Radical clerics are the ones that are on the USA's side, folks.

They are bucking the Islamic horse, not al-Sadr.

So why THAT word? Why EVERYONE using ONLY that word and at the same time?

No sir, I agree with you, Mister Indy Conspiracy Publicity Stunt.

If the "mainstream" media conglomorate has not said it's true, it must be some sort of stunt, rather than something else, because only boardroom driven newsmedias can get the factual story on the street.

[anthonycea]

The sites published some Anti-Bush material

This network of site was publishing anti-Bush Family articles and that was the reason that it was moved upon.

The photos of Swiss undercover police is an excuse that the Government is using to destory free speech.

What is next, anti-war websites?

Maybe they can take down everysite that publishes the truth about the oil wars.

Where is Mike Moore when you need him?

[Dibbs]

haha

i'd call call you a paranoid liberal right now, but instead i'll wait on the facts, like a reasonable person. THEN i'll call you a paranoid liberal.

you could at least wait until some actual information comes out before you shoot your mouth off, but of course then you might not get the chance if it turns out you're wrong. we wouldn't want that, now would we? noooo, instead you should shoot your mouth off every chance you get! who cares if you're right or wrong? just as long as you get to pollute the internet with your mindless chatter.