Autistici/Inventati (A/I), a collective that has provided free, privacy-friendly digital infrastructure for 25 years, announced it is shutting down all services.
According to the announcement posted on keepitfree.ai, the collective was designated a global terrorist organization, an event it said prompted initial resistance. However, the organization ultimately determined that continuing operations posed unacceptable risks to its users and the communities it served.
“We cannot engage in a fight or expose ourselves to manipulations that threaten the lives of these people and their loved ones, leaving them at the mercy of autocrats, fascists and agencies that take extra-legal courses of action,” the collective stated. The group emphasized that the possibility of legal and financial consequences extending to people connected with the organization left it “no choice” but to cease operations.
The collective described its decision as rooted in the principle of “Stay human,” framing it as a responsibility to protect users and the networks dependent on its services. It rejected what it called “heroic gestures and martyrs,” stating that in the current political climate, continuing to offer services would endanger users and community members.
The shutdown comes as the collective noted that allegations have become “disconnected from reality” and that repression is “increasingly disproportionate.” Under these circumstances, maintaining its original mission of offering secure and non-commercial digital tools became untenable.
Autistici/Inventati indicated that it will provide instructions for users to back up content from blogs, mailboxes, and websites, along with technical recommendations. However, the collective warned that services could become unavailable with little notice, citing the recent example of its autistici.org domain being made unreachable without advance warning.
The organization’s final message emphasized that while it is stopping, “the Resistance and ideas do not stop.”
Key facts
- Autistici/Inventati is shutting down after 25 years of operation
- The collective was designated a global terrorist organization
- The shutdown was driven by concerns that continuing operations would endanger users and connected communities
- The organization will provide backup instructions before full discontinuation