US designates Italian hosting collective Autistici/Inventati as terrorist organization

The United States government has designated the Italian independent hosting collective Autistici/Inventati (A/I) as an international terrorist organization. The US Department of State alleges that the group provides digital infrastructure and material support to far-left, anarchist, and anti-fascist groups globally, claiming these services have been used to plan or announce terrorist attacks in countries including Germany and France.

The designation has led to immediate and severe operational consequences for the collective. Within 24 hours of the announcement, PayPal disabled the group's account. Additionally, the Public Interest Registry, which manages .org domains and is based in Virginia, suspended the autistici.org web server in compliance with US orders. Shortly after, the Italian bank Banca Etica also suspended the activists' account to avoid potential secondary sanctions.

Digital rights advocates, including La Quadrature du Net, have criticized the move as a grave and unprecedented act of censorship. Critics argue that the US is weaponizing international financial and technical mechanisms against civil society organizations.