[liberationtech] Riseup had a server seized by the US Federal Authorities

[Anne Roth]

https://help.riseup.net/en/seizure-2012-april

Server Seizure, April 2012
April 18th, 2012, Riseup had a server seized by the US Federal  
Authorities. This is our press release.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

FBI seizes server providing anonymous remailer and many other services  
from colocation facility.
Contacts:B6

- Riseup Networks, Devin Theriot-Orr, 206-708-8740, sunbird at riseup.net
- May First/People Link, Jamie McClelland, 917-509-5734, jm at mayfirst.org
- ECN: Isole Nella Rete, inr at riseup.net

Attack on Anonymous SpeechB6

On Wednesday, April 18, at approximately 16:00 Eastern Time, U.S. Federal 
authorities removed a server from a colocation facility shared by Riseup 
Networks and May First/People Link in New York City. The seized server was 
operated by the European Counter Network (bECNb), the oldest independent 
internet service provider in Europe, who, among many other things, provided 
an anonymous remailer service, Mixmaster, that was the target of an FBI 
investigation into the bomb threats against the University of Pittsburgh.

bThe company running the facility has confirmed that the server was  
removed in conjunction with a search warrant issued by the FBI,b said May 
First/People Link director Jamie McClelland. bThe server seizure is not 
only an attack against us, but an attack against all users of the Internet 
who depend on anonymous communication.b

Disrupted in this seizure were academics, artists, historians, feminist  
groups, gay rights groups, community centers, documentation and software  
archives and free speech groups. The server included the mailing list  
bcyber rightsb (the oldest discussion list in Italy to discuss this  
topic), a Mexican migrant solidarity group, and other groups working to  
support indigenous groups and workers in Latin America, the Caribbean and 
Africa. In total, over 300 email accounts, between 50-80 email lists, and 
several other websites have been taken off the Internet by this action. 
None are alleged to be involved in the anonymous bomb threats.

bThe FBI is using a sledgehammer approach, shutting down service to  
hundreds of users due to the actions of one anonymous person,b said Devin 
Theriot-Orr, a spokesperson for Riseup. bThis is particularly misguided 
because there is unlikely to be any information on the server regarding the 
source of the threatening emails.b

bWe sympathize with the University of Pittsburgh community who have had to 
deal with this frightening disruption for weeks. We oppose such  
threatening actions. However, taking this server wonbt stop these bomb  
threats. The only effect it has is to also disrupt e-mail and websites for 
thousands of unrelated people,b continues Mr. Theriot-Orr. bFurthermore, 
the network of anonymous remailers that exists is not harmed by taking this 
machine. So we cannot help but wonder why such drastic action was taken 
when authorities knew that the server contained no useful information that 
would help in their investigation.b

The FBI purportedly seized the server because it was hosting an anonymous 
remailer called Mixmaster. Anonymous remailers are used to send email 
anonymously, or pseudonymously. Like other anonymizing services such as the 
Tor network, these remailers are widely used to protect the identity of 
human rights activists who place themselves and their families in grave 
danger by reporting information about abuses. Remailers are also important 
for corporate whistle blowers, democracy activists working under repressive 
regimes, and others to communicate vital information that would otherwise 
go un-reported.

The Mixmaster software is specifically designed to make it impossible for 
anyone to trace the emails. The system does not record logs of  
connections, details of who sent messages, or how they were routed. This  
is because the Mixmaster network is specifically designed to resist  
censorship, and support privacy and anonymity. Unfortunately, some people 
misuse the network. However, compared to the rate of legitimate use, the 
abuse rate is very low. There is therefore no legitimate purpose for the 
FBI to seize this server because they will not be able to obtain any 
information about the sender. This is plainly extra-judicial punishment and 
an attack on free speech and anonymity on the internet and serves as a 
chilling effect on others providers of anonymous remailers or other 
anonymous services.

In absence of any other leads, the FBI needs to show that they are making 
progress in this case, and this has meant seizing a server so they can 
proudly demonstrate they are taking some action. But what this incident 
shows is they are grasping at straws and are willing to destroy innocent 
bystanders for the sake of protecting their careers.
About the organizations involvedB6

MayFirst/People Link (mayfirst.org) is a politically-progressive  
member-run and controlled organization that redefines the concept of  
bInternet Service Providerb in a collective and collaborative way. May  
First/People Linkbs members are organizers and activists who elect a  
Leadership Committee to direct the organization. Like a coop, members pay 
dues, buy equipment and then share that equipment for websites, email, 
email lists, and other Internet purposes.

Riseup Networks (riseup.net) provides online communication tools for  
people and groups working on liberatory social change. Riseup creates  
democratic alternatives and practices self-determination by controlling  
our own secure means of communications.

ECN (European Counter Network b ecn.org) is the oldest independent service 
provider in Europe providing free email accounts, mailing lists, and 
websites to organizations, activists, and movements that are involved in 
human rights, freedom of speech and information in Italy and Europe. ECN is 
anti-fascist and works towards a just and equal society. Years ago, before 
sites like Youtube and Vimeo existed, ECN created a platform called NGV 
where people could upload and share independent video of human rights 
violations. Nowadays ECN works primarily with anti-fascist and anti-Nazi 
movements in all of Europe, providing space and resources to political and 
social centers.
Questions / further readingB6

Q: Doesnbt Mixmaster/anonymous remailers enable criminals to do bad things?

A: Criminals can already do bad things. Since theybre willing to break  
laws, they already have lots of options available that provide better  
privacy than mixmaster provides. They can steal cell phones, use them, and 
throw them in a ditch; they can crack into computers in Korea or Brazil and 
use them to launch abusive activities; they can use spyware, viruses, and 
other techniques to take control of literally millions of Windows machines 
around the world.

Mixmaster aims to provide protection for ordinary people who want to  
follow the law. Only criminals have privacy right now, and we need to fix 
that.

Some advocates of anonymity explain that itbs just a tradeoff b accepting 
the bad uses for the good ones b but therebs more to it than that. 
Criminals and other bad people have the motivation to learn how to get good 
anonymity, and many have the motivation to pay well to achieve it. Being 
able to steal and reuse the identities of innocent victims (identify theft) 
makes it even easier. Normal people, on the other hand, donbt have the time 
or money to spend figuring out how to get privacy online. This is the worst 
of all possible worlds.

So yes, criminals could in theory use mixmaster, but they already have  
better options, and it seems unlikely that taking mixmaster away from the 
world will stop them from doing bad things. At the same time, mixmaster and 
other privacy measures can fight identity theft, physical crimes like 
stalking, and so on. (www.torproject.org/docs/faq-abuse.html)

Q: How does Mixmaster / Anonymous remailers work?

A: Anonymous remailers work by connecting to other anonymous remailers in a 
chain, and every one in that chain removes the mail header information 
making it impossible to find the real sender. The Tor project maintains a 
list of typical users of this and other anonymity systems, and the 
Mixmaster home page
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