Seattle IMC announced today that the government has dropped its court order to obtain its web server log records, listing the IP addresses of all contributors and readers during the weekend of the Summit of the Americas, April 20-22. The delivery of the court order on April 21 caused a stir throughout the Indymedia universe when it was reported that the FBI had visited the Seattle IMC, but then further information was silenced due to a gag order that accompanied the court order. Less than a week later the IMC got the gag order lifted, although the FBI probably got the length of silence it needed. The IMC hasn’t yet decided if it will continue legal action against the government. IMC counsel Nancy Chang of the Center for Constitutional Rights comments: “Although the court order has been withdrawn, the IMC’s concerns over the government’s ability to use internet technology for surveillance of political activists continue to linger.”
The Urbana-Champaign IMC received notice yesterday that it has become the first Indepdent Media Center to acheive federal tax-exempt, non-profit status. This is an important step forward for the Urbana IMC, making it easier to raise funds because contributors can now deduct them from their taxes. It is significant because it places the IMC on a par with other community organizations, and is a demonstration that the service and outreach it provides is indeed valuable. This acheivement is also important for the entire Indymedia movement, which is increasingly coming under fire from the rich and powerful, as you can see in the previous story. I hope that the U-C IMC can serve as a model and provide guidance to other IMCs and grassroots organizations looking to take this step.
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