Anti-police group says it's shutting down over terrorism sanctions

An Italy-based group is unable to keep providing digital tools to radical activists worldwide due to U.S. sanctions, the group announced on Sunday. The Autistici Inventati Collective, or A/I Collective, will soon 'discontinue' its services after the Trump administration classified the group as a 'Specially Designated Global Terrorist' in August, according to the announcement. The sanctions caused a European bank to cancel the A/I Collective's account and created 'legal and financial consequences' that are too risky to tolerate, the collective said. Federal officials highlighted the 25-year-old foreign collective for providing website hosting, encrypted communications, the blogging platform NoBlogs, and other tools with the explicit purpose of helping 'anti-fascism' activists anonymize their data while posting extreme content. NoBlogs users — vetted and chosen by A/I — used the platform to post statements taking credit for attacks that sparked U.S. law enforcement inquiries, try to dox political enemies' home addresses, and republish propaganda from other designated terrorists, the State Department noted. The group's announcement means that extremists will lose a key resource for organizing legally risky activities, as well as posts meant to inspire their radicalized followers into action. Advertisement