[Chapter-delegates] We should speak up about the disabling of autistici.org

[Tom Fredrik Blenning]

Hi,

The availability of other domains is obviously not the problem here, nor 
is PIR’s compliance with US law. As a US-based organization, compliance 
is to be expected, even when the laws or orders in question may be 
unjust. While I personally would have preferred PIR to take an 
adversarial approach and challenge the US government in court, as for 
instance EFF has suggested it will do, that is not the core problem I 
have with PIR’s actions.

My understanding of US law is limited, but as I understand it, PIR had 
30 days to comply. Rather than taking immediate action, a warning to A/I 
would therefore have given them time to mitigate the worst consequences 
of suddenly losing one of their core domains.

A/I has several domains, and acquiring another domain is naturally not a 
problem. But DNS is core Internet infrastructure, and abruptly 
suspending a domain on which services depend causes real disruption. 
Moving a website to another domain is one thing; dealing with the sudden 
disappearance of a domain embedded throughout an organization’s 
infrastructure is quite another.

We cannot expect PIR not to comply with US law. But when put on notice, 
I expect them to comply with less fervour than this: to do what the law 
requires while making reasonable efforts to minimise collateral damage.

For context, I am to the right of centre in most of the European 
political spectrum. I do not particularly agree with some of the 
communist organizations for which A/I provides infrastructure. But 
disagreeing with them is entirely different from believing that attacks 
on infrastructure providers serving them are acceptable.

As the Internet Society, I think this is precisely the kind of issue we 
should speak up about. The principle that infrastructure providers 
should not become convenient points of leverage against lawful 
communications and civil society is important regardless of whether we 
agree with the people using that infrastructure.

Best regards,
Tom Fredrik Blenning

Den 04.09.2026 09:57, skrev Hank Nussbacher via Chapter-delegates:
> On 03/09/2026 23:18, Sebastian Bellagamba via Chapter-delegates wrote:
> 
> Hi,
> 
> There are so many gtlds these days, why not just leave .org and move
> your content to any of the other possibilities:
> https://getnonprofitweb.site/top-level-domain-for-nonprofits/
> as well as .community (examples - https://samarth.community/ -
> https://mlops.community/)
> and ISOC can come out with an FAQ recommending when to use a .org domain
> and when to use an alternative.
> 
> Regards,
> Hank Nussbacher
> ISOC-IL
> 
> 
>> Dear Chapter Delegates,
>>
>>
>> I want to follow up on my initial note about PIR’s suspension of
>> autistici.org and to thank those of you who have reached out and
>> shared your concerns.
>>
>> The affected .ORG domain name was identified on the U.S. Treasury
>> Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) Specially
>> Designated Nationals and Blocked Persons list (SDN List). As a
>> U.S.-based organization, PIR is legally required to comply with U.S.
>> law and was legally mandated to suspend the domain, with failure to
>> comply potentially exposing PIR to significant civil and criminal
>> liability. The registrant of the domain has the right to challenge the
>> designation.
>>
>> While this sets out the legal context for PIR’s action, our focus is
>> on the broader principle at stake. We believe the Internet is for
>> everyone. We support the people who use it, build it, and depend on
>> it, including civil society organizations and communities around the
>> world that rely on access to Internet infrastructure to organize,
>> communicate, and participate in public life. Our concern is the wider
>> principle: protecting an open and globally connected Internet,
>> including the secure and private communications on which people and
>> communities depend.
>>
>> We put our commitment to these principles into practice across all of
>> our work. We defend strong encryption and secure, private
>> communications. We advocate for policies that protect the Internet’s
>> open architecture and resist fragmentation. We support communities
>> working to expand resilient connectivity. And through our grants and
>> philanthropic initiatives, we help strengthen the security of civil
>> society and public interest organizations.
>>
>> Above all, we work with our global community, benefiting from your
>> experience, expertise, and local leadership, to make the case for an
>> Internet that remains open and globally connected. Especially when
>> those principles are tested. This work began long before the present
>> situation, and it will continue.
>>
>> Best,
>>
>> Sebastian
>>
>> *Sebastián Bellagamba*, VP, External and Community Engagement
>> bellagamba at isoc.org
>> A close up of a sign Description automatically generated
>> _internetsociety.org_ <http://www.internetsociety.org> | @internetsociety
>>
>> _______________________________________________
>> As a Chapter Leader, you are automatically added to the Internet Society’s Chapter Leaders Community Group and the Chapter Delegates e-list, which is regularly synchronized with the Internet Society Chapter Portal (AMS): https://community.internetsociety.org.
>> The Internet Society has a legitimate interest to communicate with its chapter leaders, you will therefore remain subscribed for the duration of your term and will be unsubscribed automatically when your term ends.
>> Please note that the archive of this list is publicly accessible and may be viewed by anyone. By submitting information to this list and contributing to the communications, you acknowledge that the contents will be publicly visible.
>> View the Internet Society Code of Conduct: https://www.internetsociety.org/become-a-member/code-of-conduct/
>> -
>> Unsubscribe: https://app.smartsheet.com/b/form/9b6ef0621638436ab0a9b23cb0668b0b?The%20list%20to%20be%20unsubscribed%20from=Chapter-delegates
> 
> 
> _______________________________________________
> As a Chapter Leader, you are automatically added to the Internet Societys Chapter Leaders Community Group and the Chapter Delegates e-list, which is regularly synchronized with the Internet Society Chapter Portal (AMS): https://community.internetsociety.org.
> The Internet Society has a legitimate interest to communicate with its chapter leaders, you will therefore remain subscribed for the duration of your term and will be unsubscribed automatically when your term ends.
> Please note that the archive of this list is publicly accessible and may be viewed by anyone. By submitting information to this list and contributing to the communications, you acknowledge that the contents will be publicly visible.
> View the Internet Society Code of Conduct: https://www.internetsociety.org/become-a-member/code-of-conduct/
> -
> Unsubscribe: https://app.smartsheet.com/b/form/9b6ef0621638436ab0a9b23cb0668b0b?The%20list%20to%20be%20unsubscribed%20from=Chapter-delegates