The Italian tech collective Autistici/Inventati (A/I) has rejected US accusations of terrorism after Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced on August 26, 2026 that Washington had designated the group a Specially Designated Global Terrorist.
The State and Treasury departments said A/I provides digital infrastructure — including encrypted email, chat, web hosting, and anonymity tools — used by violent Antifa cells and other far-left militants. In a statement published the same day, A/I called the move desperate and denied every allegation in the US statements and related executive order.
The collective described itself as a small, volunteer-run Italian project that has offered “tools for digital self-defence” since 2001 so activists, individuals, groups, and associations can communicate freely. It said it would not back down and would keep doing the work it has done for years, using every means available to it to counter the allegations against it.
A/I accused the Trump administration of acting out of political desperation in order to divert public and media attention from “their own violence and warmongering.” The statement ended: “Antifascism and anticapitalism are not terrorism. Protesting is not terrorism. And everyone has the right to speak out and to struggle for humanity.”
Electronic Frontier Foundation director Jillian York condemned the US Secretary of State’s decision and said that providing private communication services cannot be described as “terrorism.”
The move forms part of President Trump’s campaign against Anti-Fa groups, however the decision is unprecedented and diplomatically awkward, because the United States has designated a European group as terrorist even though there is no European legal basis for that label and no criminal case underway against the group.
The Italian Foreign Ministry has yet to react on the decision.
A more detailed write-up about the group can be found here.
Executive order here.
The full statement of the collective is being published below:
Today we were made aware that the US Government has targeted a small, volunteer-run, technology collective from Italy with disproportionate sanctions as anyone can read in the Treasury Department Statement, the State Department Statement and the related Executive Order.We deny all allegations included in the statements, while we strongly affirm our dedication to providing a platform of tools for digital self-defense, addressing the need of free communication for activists and other individuals, groups and associations.We will not back down, we will keep doing what we have been doing all these years and we will do whatever is in our possibility to counter the false allegations made by a politically desperate administration with the sole intention of swaying people and media attention away from their own violence and warmongering.Antifascism and anticapitalism are not terrorism. Protesting is not terrorism. And everyone has the right to speak out and to struggle for humanity.Collettivo Autistici / Inventati — “Socializzare saperi senza fondare poteri”Stay human
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