Protest Against the U.S. Government’s Crackdown on Autistici/Inventati

September 7, 2026

JCA-NET

1. Overview

On Wednesday, August 26, the U.S. government (Department of the Treasury, Department of State) imposed sanctions on “Autistici/Inventati” (hereinafter abbreviated as A/I), a small Internet service provider for a volunteer-run movement in Italy, on suspicion of providing services to terrorist organizations. According to the State Department, it is “an Italy-based extremist group that builds and operates the digital infrastructure for violent Antifa cells and other far-left militants across the world.” The sanctions include the freezing of the organization’s assets under U.S. jurisdiction; prohibiting all U.S. citizens from engaging in transactions with the organization; prohibiting financial institutions and others from conducting transactions with the organization; and prohibiting donations, as well as the provision of funds, goods, or services to the organization.

Furthermore, in a statement dated September 6, “A/I is shutting down. The Autistici/Inventati collective is shutting down and will soon discontinue all of the services we provide,” and went on to state the following. (The full text is included at the end of this statement.)

In this political climate, continuing to offer our services endangers our users and anyone who is part of our communities. In a world where allegations are disconnected from reality, we can only expect repression to be increasingly disproportionate. Under these circumstances, we are no longer able to maintain our original mission – offering secure and non-commercial digital tools.

JCA-NET expresses deep condemnation of the U.S. government’s sanctions that forced A/I to shut down.

Like JCA-NET, A/I provides email and blog services to numerous social movement organizations and individuals, as well as Internet-related services—including technical measures such as the security people need—and its user base has spread worldwide. It is also worthy of praise that, unlike JCA-NET, it does not operate on a paid membership basis but provides all services free of charge, relying on donations and volunteers for its operations.

2. Serious Issues

According to A/I’s statement and other sources, since the U.S. government announced the sanctions, disruptions—such as the inability to use email—have occurred, and effects believed to be related to the sanctions, such as the temporary freezing of bank accounts at transaction partners, have begun to emerge. Although A/I continued to make efforts to keep the service running, it was ultimately forced to shut down. They were forcibly deprived of all technical and financial means necessary to continue operating as a service provider.

If A/I were to become subject to sanctions, users around the world who rely on A/I’s services would lose access to all related services—including email and blogs—and would even be unable to access data stored on A/I’s servers. Recognizing this possibility, A/I had already announced measures for users—such as data backup—and outlined steps to prepare for the site’s shutdown.

3. JCA-NET strongly objects to the U.S. sanctions and expresses solidarity with A/I

JCA-NET strongly condemns these U.S. sanctions as a serious act of hostility against Internet service providers operating worldwide to support grassroots movements, such as civic and social movements.

The U.S. sanctions, which target small, volunteer-based service providers located outside the United States, are of a different dimension entirely from the domestic internet shutdowns that governments around the world have repeatedly used as a means to suppress anti-government movements within their own countries. Many organizations involved in the Internet governance, such as domain management, are concentrated in the United States. These organizations are subject to the U.S. legal system and are therefore required to comply with the U.S. government’s sanctions. Given the reality that many organizations and companies involved in the Internet governance are based in the United States, the current situation cannot be viewed as a temporary phenomenon. There is also the possibility that other countries may adopt similar sanctions, and we strongly worry that this will continue to be used as a means of interfering with and suppressing the right to the Internet communication.

JCA-NET, whose core mission is to provide services to numerous activist groups, views these U.S. sanctions as a matter of direct concern to us. In recent years, the Japanese government has adopted policies that prioritize national security above all else and has established laws and institutions to significantly expand online surveillance. Furthermore, the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) has shown a tendency to regulate international solidarity movements, such as by proposing the enactment of a “Foreign Agent Act” and a “Foreign Interference Act.”

In the case of JCA-NET, we have supported online communication and outreach for movements opposing U.S. military bases and the Self-Defense Forces, movements against nuclear power, and anti-surveillance movements—ranging from surveillance cameras to the My Number system. Given that these civic and social movements represent vital grassroots efforts resisting policies related to national and economic security, recent events have made it clear that the Japanese government—in collaboration with the U.S. government and others—may take even more repressive measures to restrict online expression than ever before. JCA-NET reaffirms its commitment to devoting even greater effort to safeguarding users’ right to communication.

JCA-NET expresses respect for A/I’s long history of activism and is convinced that its movement will live on within the people’s movement, albeit in a different form.