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US designation of Autistici/Inventati as terrorist group

Updated 1 time since CLSTR started tracking revisions of this situation.

What changed

2026-08-28 19:00 UTC → 2026-08-29 05:12 UTC · added removed

The United States Department of State has designated the Italian-based technology collective Autistici/Inventati (A/I) as a ‘Specially Designated Global Terrorist’ (SDGT) organization. Authorities allege the group supports extremist activities by providing encrypted communications, anonymization tools, and services that facilitate propaganda and recruitment. The designation enables the U.S. government to freeze assets and prohibits citizens from conducting financial transactions with the group. A/I has rejected the label, describing itself as an anti-fascist movement against capitalism. Under the Trump administration, the Department of the Treasury and the Department of State utilized legal authority from a George W. Bush-era executive order to implement the designation. U.S. officials allege the volunteer-run collective provides digital architecture, web hosting, and email services that materially assist violent far-left groups, Antifa cells, and the Kurdistan Workers' Party. Following the announcement, some services hosted by the collective, such as the NoBlogs platform, experienced service interruptions. Autistici/Inventati maintains that it provides digital self-defense tools to support free communication for activists and characterizes the sanctions as a politically motivated attempt to suppress dissent. Following the designation, social media influencer Brian Krassenstein faced scrutiny after allegedly posting a message that read, ‘Donated thanks,’ regarding a contribution to A/I before deleting it. Assistant Secretary of State for Global Public Affairs Dylan Johnson warned that donating to a designated terrorist organization is a federal crime. Krassenstein subsequently denied making a donation, stating he would wait until the designation is removed, and advised followers to withhold funds to avoid arrest by what he described as an ‘authoritarian regime.’

Versions

  1. 2026-08-29 05:12 UTC US designation of Autistici/Inventati as terrorist group
  2. 2026-08-28 19:00 UTC US designation of Autistici/Inventati as terrorist group

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