NoBlogs no more: Autistici/Inventati suspends operations after US sanctions

Eleven days after the US government declared it a terrorist group, the Italian collective Autistici/Inventati (A/I) announced that it would cease its activities. The NoBlogs hosting service, email inboxes, websites and mailing lists are among those affected. The repression affects thousands of left-wing groups worldwide.

On August 26, the US government designated the Italian IT collective Autistici/Inventati (A/I) as a “Specially Designated Global Terrorist.”classified. The collective is accused of providing digital infrastructure for groups classified as terrorist. A/I rejected the allegations and initially stated that it wanted to continue operations. The collective describes itself as anti-fascist and anti-capitalist and sees its work as providing tools for free communication and digital self-defense.

The consequences of the classification were immediate. According to A/I, the domain autistici.org was no longer accessible just two days after the classification. This meant that the mail server and the email addresses at @autistici.org also failed. Last Friday, Banca Etica A/I announced that it would unilaterally close the bank account of the AI ​​ODV association. The funds in the account came from donations from thousands of individuals, organizations and collectives and are now no longer available, according to A/I.

A/I had initially announced that it would continue to operate until the end of the winding-up period set by the US authorities on September 25th.That didn't happen. The collective explains that continuing to provide its services could expose users, supporters and others around it to legal and financial risks. Under these conditions it is no longer possible to continue the original task of providing secure and non-commercial digital tools.

US government puts NoBlogs and Palestine Action on terror list

Sanctions take a detour

The case illustrates the reach of international US sanctions. The US government did not have to immediately shut down A/I's infrastructure. However, the classification blocks assets and prohibits US persons and companies operating in the US from doing business with the organization. Because of the international interconnectedness of the financial and technology sectors, actors outside the US also come under pressure if they have business relationships with sanctioned organizations.

It was precisely through these mechanisms that A/I became incapacitated within a few days. The domain disappeared from the internet, the bank account was initially restricted and then canceled. A/I not only had to defend its own political work against the sanction, but also take into account the possible consequences for those associated with the organization. The settlement period envisaged by the USA could not change this.

A similar mechanism could already be observed in Germany at the end of 2025. Shortly after the US classification of the so-called “Antifa Ost”, the Sparkasse Göttingen and the GLS Bank of the Red Aid closed the accounts. According to Rote Hilfe, the US sanctions had no direct equivalent in German law. Nevertheless, the classification had an impact on the international financial system.

This creates a repression mechanism that does not necessarily work through a direct ban. Banks, hosting providers, domain registrars or other service providers may terminate their relationship with an affected organization because they fear financial or legal consequences. The sanctioning of a single organization can thus affect its entire environment.

Another debanking case: Skatbank terminates VVN-BdA accounts

What is lost with the infrastructure of resistance

With A/I, the international left is losing an independent digital infrastructure that has existed for 25 years. In addition to the NoBlogs platform, the collective operated websites, email services, mailing lists and other communication offerings. The aim was to support political groups in their communication without making them dependent on commercial platforms.

The first thing for users is to secure their data. A/I announced instructions for backing up and transferring blogs, mailboxes and websites. At the same time, the collective warns that other parts of the infrastructure could fail without prior notice. The collective expressly justifies this step with its responsibility towards its users and their environment: further operation under the conditions of the sanction involves excessive risks.

Politically, the significance goes beyond that. With A/I, the US government is not sanctioning a single organization, but rather a service provider that provides digital infrastructure to other political groups. The consequences affect an infrastructure that was used by numerous political groups worldwide for their daily communication.

The incident is linked to further international measures against left-wing and Palestinian solidarity organizations. On August 26, the US government added Palestine Action and Masar Badil to the terrorist list alongside A/I. At Palestine Action it followed a ban that had already been implemented in Great Britain.

The postNoBlogs no more: Autistici/Inventati suspends operations after US sanctionsappeared firstperspective.