U.S. shuts down British media Web sites [View All]

[Mr2005]

By request from the United States, British authorities shut down 20 independent media Web sites without explanation, The Guardian reported Monday.

A court order was issued Thursday to Rackspace, a U.S.-owned web hosting company in Uxbridge, forcing it to hand over two servers used by Indymedia, an international media network.

Rackspace said the order was issued under the Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty, in which countries assist each other in investigations such as international terrorism, kidnapping and money laundering.

The Web sites affected by the seizure span 17 countries.

However, there is confusion over how the treaty applies, as British police were unaware of the order, and it is not known if Britain's Home Office was involved. It's also unknown where the servers were taken, the newspaper said.

The British Indymedia site was working Monday, as it had been backed up on another server, unlike the others that were shut down.



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