<nettime> Ferry Byte, Stefano Sansavini and Tommaso Tozzi: From Cloud to payments: the digital dependency of the European Union turns into a political issue

[Patrice Riemens via nettime-l <nettime-l@lists.nettime.org>]

From cloud to payments: the digital dependency of the European Union turns into a political issue

Italian original:
https://www.agendadigitale.eu/infrastrutture/dal-cloud-ai-pagamenti-la-dipendenza-digitale-ue-diventa-politica/

(Deepl translated, & sorry no time to edit)


The shutdown of Autistici/Inventati following a US legal order 
highlights the extent to which European digital services, accounts, and 
infrastructure depend on powers from across the Atlantic. From privacy 
to independent digital infrastructure, this case underscores the need 
for digital autonomy rooted in decentralization, free software, and 
alternative services.


Ferry Byte
Founder of StranoNetwork and Ecn

Stefano Sansavini
Founder of StranoNetwork and Ecn

Tommaso Tozzi
Founder of StranoNetwork and Ecn


The shutdown of Autistici/Inventati brings the issue of digital autonomy 
back to the forefront: those who control servers, domains, payments, and 
platforms can directly impact freedom of expression and the ability to 
organize dissent.

Table of Contents

The Autistici/Inventati case and the issue of digital autonomy

Digital autonomy, privacy, and dissent under pressure

From the "Italian Crackdown" to the roots of digital autonomy

sTRANO nETWORK and independent telematics

Decentralization returns to the local level

European digital autonomy as a response to monopolies

Free software and alternative digital services

Generative AI and inequalities in the challenge of digital autonomy

Digital autonomy: if not now, when?



The Autistici/Inventati case and the issue of digital autonomy

The facts are by now well known: a US government order led to the 
shutdown of an Italian activist internet server that had centralized a 
range of digital services supporting the activities of a myriad of 
associations—including some based in the US. The service, which hosted 
thousands of mailboxes, blogs, and mailing lists, guaranteed freedom of 
expression without tracking user activity (logging).

The concept map created by US Republicans demonstrates how a voice that 
was too free and inconvenient had become intolerable by today's US 
standards.

The immediate deletion of the *autistici.org* domain and the sudden 
freezing of the bank account by Banca Etica—compounded by the subsequent 
seizure (unlawful until proven otherwise) of the association’s assets, 
which it has yet to recover—were the primary reasons behind the 
Autistici/Inventati management collective's decision to shut down 
operations (though the site remains partially accessible via 
*archive.org*). This decision was also made to avoid jeopardizing the 
personal liberties of the many individuals and collectives that relied 
on the service.

For anyone scandalized by the term *autistici* (autistic): there was 
never any intention to mock neurodivergent people; rather, the name was 
meant to assert an affinity for a certain kind of political 
neurodivergence—one that could lead to extreme behaviors, such as 
removing the letters from a keyboard to prove one could use it from 
memory by typing on the remaining blank white pegs.

For those unfamiliar with *Archive.org*: it is important to know that it 
features a tool for preserving the web—including past content that no 
longer exists—known as the Wayback Machine. You might find it useful for 
"resurrecting" some of the links in this article, should they soon be 
censored.


Digital autonomy, privacy, and dissent under pressure

The case of Autistici/Inventati is not the first the Trump 
administration has sought to silence, but it represents an attempt to 
systematically eliminate political dissent—a move that risks becoming 
normalized. Chronologically, we have witnessed punitive executive 
orders—against which there is no avenue of appeal—targeting, in turn, a 
shadowy "Antifa" organization, Francesca Albanese, judges at the 
International Criminal Court, Palestine Action, and finally 
Autistici/Inventati. One has to wonder: whose turn is next? Who will be 
the next target?

The Autistici/Inventati group is not accused of committing terrorist 
acts; rather, they are accused of creating email services, mailing 
lists, blogs, and web hosting spaces designed to ensure that no 
user-identifying traces remained on the servers. The group’s aim was to 
safeguard its users' privacy.

The only viable tool for protecting privacy is the right to anonymity. 
Journalists, gay people, and political dissidents persecuted by 
oppressive regimes often need to conceal their identities in order to 
express their views freely.

Today, anti-fascism and anti-militarism certainly fall into this 
category as well: being a pacifist now carries the risk of a collision 
course with—and persecution by—the governments of nations at war.

It is no longer feasible to rely on a handful of "Big Brothers" (all 
US-based) to secure even the bare minimum of space for communication and 
political activity in the digital realm. A handful of generative AI 
tools, two search engines, a single satellite positioning system, and 
one banking system (SWIFT)—all under US control. This constitutes a 
"Sword of Damocles" that could come crashing down on anyone holding 
views or positions at odds with the prevailing ideology or politics—and 
not just those of the US administration.


From the Italian Crackdown to the roots of digital autonomy

The three of us, along with many others, fell victim to a similar 
repressive crackdown many years ago—back when the internet did not yet 
exist (incredible but true): the infamous Italian Crackdown. At that 
time, digital development was already hinting at opportunities for 
industrial speculation overseas, and there was a need to signal a move 
toward normalizing the activities of the myriad Bulletin Board Systems 
(BBS) operating across Italy. sTRANO nETWORK and independent telematics

As the sTRANO nETWORK communications working group, we managed to 
respond to that situation with a series of initiatives—starting with a 
renowned conference at the Luigi Pecci Center for Contemporary Art in 
Prato. This allowed us, in a way, to continue supporting the kind of 
independent telematics that would eventually pave the way for the birth 
of the Internet and, subsequently, activist-run servers like *Isole 
nella Rete*.

This was followed by a flourishing of hackmeetings and 
hacklabs—initiatives that remain very much alive and active today, as 
evidenced by the packed hackmeeting recently held in Florence (the same 
city that hosted the first one 28 years ago). The etymology and meaning 
of these terms matter here: the original sense of "hack" refers to an 
innovative solution to a problem; it was only a later media campaign 
that attached a negative connotation to the word.


Decentralization returns to the local level

Even today, the proposal emerging from the network of collectives and 
individuals targeted by that severe crackdown centers on 
decentralization and stronger ties to local communities. This echoes the 
early days of sTRANO nETWORK—based at the CSA Ex-Emerson in Florence—or 
the LOA (at the Bulk Student-Occupied Laboratory in Milan), Avana BBS 
(with its close links to Radio Onda Rossa and Forte Prenestino in Rome), 
and the Sicilian group Freaknet (and its collaborations with local 
centers for restoring obsolete digital technology).

Just as in the past, there is a renewed focus on "free telematics," and 
the US crackdown may not be achieving its intended effect. One can 
picture border police "death squads" (ICE) prowling about... 
...magically crossing borders to crush and eliminate people of the wrong 
color—yet the effect this threat is actually producing is quite 
different, in Italy and beyond:

“Wait, what? They shut down an Italian website in two seconds? Oh, they 
control it from the States—I get it... And the Italian bank account? Oh, 
they control that from the States too?!?”


European digital autonomy as a response to monopolies

These and other questions regarding the current monopoly over control of 
the "digital realm" are spreading from the "movement" to civil society 
at large.

While the silence from Italian institutions and the political 
establishment is deafening, the need for a capacity for digital 
autonomy—or "sovereignty," if you prefer—to emerge at least at the 
European level is becoming increasingly evident. We need the creation of 
European-based search engines, generative AI, electronic payment 
networks, satellite geolocation systems, and other essential 
infrastructure, so that we are no longer so dependent on directives from 
across the Atlantic.

It is unacceptable for a mere letter from the US government to have such 
disastrous consequences for an Italian non-profit cultural association 
without anyone at an institutional or political level speaking up, 
taking their side, or acting to change this state of stifling, silent 
subjugation.


Free software and alternative digital services

What we hope for and call for is not entirely utopian; even in the realm 
of software alone, we are witnessing a series of entrepreneurial 
initiatives and free software developments that are being taken very 
seriously by an increasing number of European countries (Germany, 
France, etc.). These nations recognize that digital autonomy is becoming 
a strategic matter of survival.

The crucial step forward—one in which universities, polytechnics, and 
academies could play a leading role—is the prototyping of alternative 
digital services.

Generative AI and inequalities in the challenge of digital autonomy

All this is happening against a backdrop of social insecurity that 
permeates our daily lives—on the streets, in the workplace, and 
regarding the fulfillment of basic needs (food and shelter, and not just 
for "out-of-town students"). All this is happening while prominent 
figures like the Pope or Bill Gates—hardly individuals easily labeled as 
“antagonists” or “antifa”—are loudly voicing concerns about a collective 
future challenged by generative AI.

All this is happening while youth distress is reaching alarming 
statistical highs: a striking example being the recent seventeen 
hospitalizations of minors for self-harm and attempted suicide in 
Florence over a single weekend.

All this is taking place amidst a frightening trend of social and 
economic stratification, where entire sectors—including the press and 
digital media—struggle against ruthless AI competition, facing an 
economic and social erosion that translates into ever-lower wages and 
increasingly scarce jobs, yet yields ever-higher profits for those who 
control digital production processes and the few digital infrastructures 
we use every day.


Digital autonomy: if not now, when?

So, if not now, when?

If not now, when should we foster an awareness of the necessary shift 
toward digital autonomy—and autonomy of thought—that is absolutely vital 
for our collective survival?


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