A-Infos (en) Italy, FDCA, L'ANTIDOTO n. 6: The End of Formal Freedom: The Autistici/Inventati Case and the New Technocratic Authoritarianism (ca, de, fr, it, pt, tr)[machine translation]

In late August 2026, the United States government added 
Autistici/Inventati (A/I)-a long-standing Italian digital hacktivist 
collective-to its list of Specially Designated Global Terrorists (SDGT). 
This measure triggered the immediate blocking of their .org domains, the 
closure of their bank accounts, and the shutdown of thousands of blogs, 
email accounts, and self-managed communication services used by 
activists, journalists, and ordinary citizens. This event paves the way 
for a modern model of technocratic authoritarianism.

It is a system in which dissent is not necessarily suppressed through 
physical force in the streets but is rendered invisible through 
financial bureaucracy, digital exile, and the erasure of independent 
technological infrastructure. The democratic façade-traditionally upheld 
by the formal freedoms of liberal democracies-is thus swept away by the 
unfettered will of state power.
The stifling of freedom inevitably proceeds through economic isolation. 
While Western democracies claim to protect property rights and private 
enterprise, the US sanctions mechanism effectively imposes the terror of 
"secondary sanctions." European financial institutions (such as Banca 
Etica, where the collective held a legitimate account) find themselves 
forced to consider terminating relationships-not because any wrongdoing 
was found, but out of fear of economic retaliation from Washington. This 
demonstrates that global geopolitical power can revoke the civil rights 
of a European citizen, completely bypassing the legal protections 
afforded by their own state.
When exceptional administrative measures are used to shut down platforms 
for political dissent, freedom ceases to be a universal guarantee and 
becomes a revocable concession. The US Department of the Treasury and 
the Department of State have imposed counter-terrorism sanctions on 
A/I-sanctions usually reserved for international criminal networks or 
armed organizations.
All of this represents:

A brutal violation of freedom of expression and the press, striking at 
the very heart of media pluralism.
The imposition of purely administrative, extrajudicial censorship. In a 
state governed by the rule of law, the judiciary is the only 
independent, impartial body entrusted by the Constitution with the power 
to restrict fundamental freedoms. In the case of Autistici/Inventati, 
this cardinal principle has been nullified, shattering the rhetoric of 
the "Western democratic model" as an ideal space for rights and digital 
sovereignty.
We are witnessing a severe act of extraterritorial repression, driven by 
a clear intent to silence every critical and dissenting voice. While 
reaffirming our total solidarity with the Autistici.org collective, we 
appeal to all our readers. Today more than ever, we urge you to 
contribute so that *CANTIERE*-the magazine of *Alternativa 
Libertaria*-can continue to exist, remain self-managed, and give a voice 
to those who oppose capitalism, statism, and every form of authoritarianism.

*Hacktivism (a blend of hacking and activism) is the practice of using 
computer techniques to promote political, social, or ideological causes. 
Unlike cybercriminals, hacktivists do not act for financial gain; 
instead, they use the internet to protest, expose injustices, and raise 
public awareness.

https://alternativalibertaria.org/lantidoto-n-6/
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