Authorities shut down U.K.-based news Web sites

IDG News Service - LONDON -- U.S. authorities, participating in an international investigation, have shut down 20 independent news Web sites run by the Independent Media Center (Indymedia) by seizing two U.K.-based Web servers, the group said on Friday.
Last Thursday morning, a federal order was issued to Web hosting provider Rackspace Ltd. requiring the company to hand over the computer equipment, according to the Indymedia Web site. San Antonio-based Rackspace was hosting the Indymedia Web servers in London.
A U.K. spokeswoman for Rackspace declined to comment today, referring instead to a company statement.
Rackspace said in the statement that the order was issued under the Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty. The treaty allows mutual cooperation between countries in investigations into criminal activities such as international terrorism, kidnapping and money laundering.
The company said the investigation wasn't initiated in the U.S. Some local news media outlets reported that the investigation originated in Europe.
"Rackspace is acting as a good corporate citizen and is cooperating with international law enforcement authorities. The court prohibits Rackspace from commenting further on this matter," the statement said.
Officials from the Home Office in the U.K. and the FBI couldn't immediately be reached for comment.
Indymedia said it didn't know why the servers had been seized, since the subpoena was issued to Rackspace and not to Indymedia. The group, which describes itself as an international media network covering social justice issues, said it "insists that the servers are returned."
The Indymedia site in the U.K. was restored because it was backed up on another server, the group said, though other sites remained off-line today. The Web sites affected by the seizure are located in 17 countries.
Indymedia called it "ironic" that the action came just before it was to participate in the European Forum on Communications Rights being held alongside the European Social Forum, covering issues such as electronic civil liberties and community media.