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(restructuring as per suggestions from internal mailing list, language edits, spelling fixes)
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'''DRAFT - DO NOT LINK''' (as of time of writing, this does not represent a consensual statement of the metalab)
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'''DRAFT DO NOT LINK''' (as of time of writing, this does not represent a consensual statement of the Metalab)
  
 
''please correct, clarify, reduce, compress''
 
''please correct, clarify, reduce, compress''
  
It has come to our attention that on Saturday, November 28th, the police of Malmoe committed an apparently unwarranted search in the location of the hackerspace [http://hackerspaces.org/wiki/Forskningsavdelningen Forskningsavdelningen].
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It has come to our attention that on Saturday, November 28th, the police of Malmoe conducted a reportedly unwarranted search in the location of the hackerspace [http://forskningsavd.se/ Forskningsavdelningen].
  
Police sources claim that they acted on suspicion of preparation (sic!) to hacking and theft due to the fact that key copying machines and wifi equipment was expected and found on site. However, these tools are not per se illegal and also do not require illegal activities for operation. Far fetched? Well, sure, as we all know, martial arts and shooting exercises are preparation for murder, too. In fact, in other countries, such as germany, exist hobbyist sport clubs for lockpicking - members of which regularly engage in education of the public and deliver devestating demonstrations about insecurites of common locks. And by the way, a wifi antenna can only receive signals which are public by design anyway.
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Police sources '''(FIXME: which sources?)''' claim that they acted on suspicion of preparations for hacking and theft due to the fact that Wi-Fi equipment and key copying machines were expected and found on site. However, these tools are not illegal ''per se'' and have perfectly legal uses. Lock-picking, for example, is practised as a sport by members of official clubs in Europe; these regularly engage in education of the public and deliver striking demonstrations about the security flaws of common locks. Participation in this sport is no more a preparation for burglary than sport shooting is a preparation for murder. '''(FIXME: Would we like to change this to a different example in order to steer clear of people misinterpreting the preceding sentence as an endorsement of gun nuts? Do we want to have the word "murder" in this document?)'''
  
We are members of the Metalab, a hackerspace in Vienna - and as such a sister project of Forskningsavdelningen. Metalab is an organization that is privately financed as well as publicly subsidised and has been host to widely recognized talks, conferences, and other activities. Moreover, the Metalab has given birth to various commercial, civil, philanthropic and generally experimental social ventures of various forms. These kind of social and technological advances can only grow in certain environments, and the Metalab - like all hackerspaces - strives to provide such an environment. An environment which may seem uncommon or ominous to the uneducated or uninterested. An environment which usually bears harbour to technology which is not available to the common man. But after all, this is the whole point of a hackerspace, isn't it?
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The members of the [http://metalab.at/ Metalab] – a hackerspace in Vienna and as such a sister project of Forskningsavdelningen – would like to bring to your attention that hackerspaces enrich their region's cultural and technological scene. They are places of information, discussion, experimentation and openness. They are the real world manifestations of a new paradigm, originated in the free, borderless and undiscriminating nature of the internet and its communications structures. Hackerspaces are places where freedom of opinion meets creativity. They're the birth-place of start-up firms that employ cutting edge technology, of altruistic community projects and of art in new media.
  
Hackerspaces enrich the cultural and technological scene of the area they are located in. Hackerspaces are places of information, discussion, experimentation and openness. They are the real world manifestations of a new paradigm, originated in the free, borderless and undiscriminating nature of the internet and its communication structures. Hackerspaces are places where freedom of opinion meets creativity.
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These sorts of social and technological advances can only grow in certain environments, and hackerspaces strive to provide such an environment. An environment that may seem odd or even ominous to outsiders. An environment which usually harbours technology that's not a common sight in just any home or office. But after all, this is the whole point of a hackerspace.
  
One would certainly expect that it is in the public interest to foster this kind of organisation, as it is the case in Vienna and many other places around the world.  
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One would certainly expect that it is in the public interest to foster this kind of organisation, as it is the case in Vienna and [http://hackerspaces.org/ many other places around the world]. In Malmoe, however, it seems like the public doesn't value hackerspaces so much. Not only were the actions of the Swedish police in violation of the civil rights of the club members, they also suggest that engaging in creative collaboration might put you in danger of being prosecuted for dubious reasons. Hackerspaces, being what they are, create potential for everyone. To put such organisations in random legal peril will eventually prove detrimental to a free society as a whole.
  
Not so in Malmoe. Not only were the actions of the Swedish police in violation of the civil rights of the club members, they also send the message that engaging in creative collaboration might put you in danger of being prosecuted - for mysterious reasons. Hackerspaces, being what they are, create potential for all of us. To put such organizations in random legal peril will eventually prove detrimental to a free society as a whole.
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We, the members of the Metalab, hereby strongly object to the raid and expressly state our solidarity with our friends in Malmoe. We request the responsible authorities to cease and desist from any further measures as well as to return all confiscated equipment immediately and to compensate Forskningsavdelningen for damages.
  
Thus, we hereby strongly object to the actions in question and expressly state solidarity with our friends in Malmoe. We request the responsible authorities to cease and desist from any further measures as well as to return all confiscated equipment immediately and to compensate Forskningsavdelningen for damages.
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Additionally, we demand a public investigation into the true nature of this sting operation as well as against the agitators responsible to clarify whether or not they maliciously presented false reasoning to perform this operation against a private interest organisation without legal grounds.
  
Additionally, we demand a public investigation into the true nature of this sting operation as well as against the agitators in charge to clarify whether or not they maliciously presented false reasoning to perform this operation against a private interest organisation without legal grounds.
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We also request a statement of Austrian and Swedish authorities as to what legal uncertainties organisations such as ours have to face in continuing our work.
  
We also request a statement of Austrian and Swedish authorities as to what legal insecurities organisations such as ours have to face in continuing our work.
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The Metalab is a hackerspace in Vienna, Austria. The organisation was founded in 2006 and is privately financed as well as publicly subsidised. The hackerspace has been host to widely recognised '''(FIXME: by whom?)''' talks, conferences, workshops, and social events. Moreover, it has given birth to various commercial, civic, philanthropic and generally experimental ventures of various forms.
  
  

Version vom 1. Dezember 2009, 20:03 Uhr

DRAFT – DO NOT LINK (as of time of writing, this does not represent a consensual statement of the Metalab)

please correct, clarify, reduce, compress

It has come to our attention that on Saturday, November 28th, the police of Malmoe conducted a reportedly unwarranted search in the location of the hackerspace Forskningsavdelningen.

Police sources (FIXME: which sources?) claim that they acted on suspicion of preparations for hacking and theft due to the fact that Wi-Fi equipment and key copying machines were expected and found on site. However, these tools are not illegal per se and have perfectly legal uses. Lock-picking, for example, is practised as a sport by members of official clubs in Europe; these regularly engage in education of the public and deliver striking demonstrations about the security flaws of common locks. Participation in this sport is no more a preparation for burglary than sport shooting is a preparation for murder. (FIXME: Would we like to change this to a different example in order to steer clear of people misinterpreting the preceding sentence as an endorsement of gun nuts? Do we want to have the word "murder" in this document?)

The members of the Metalab – a hackerspace in Vienna and as such a sister project of Forskningsavdelningen – would like to bring to your attention that hackerspaces enrich their region's cultural and technological scene. They are places of information, discussion, experimentation and openness. They are the real world manifestations of a new paradigm, originated in the free, borderless and undiscriminating nature of the internet and its communications structures. Hackerspaces are places where freedom of opinion meets creativity. They're the birth-place of start-up firms that employ cutting edge technology, of altruistic community projects and of art in new media.

These sorts of social and technological advances can only grow in certain environments, and hackerspaces strive to provide such an environment. An environment that may seem odd or even ominous to outsiders. An environment which usually harbours technology that's not a common sight in just any home or office. But after all, this is the whole point of a hackerspace.

One would certainly expect that it is in the public interest to foster this kind of organisation, as it is the case in Vienna and many other places around the world. In Malmoe, however, it seems like the public doesn't value hackerspaces so much. Not only were the actions of the Swedish police in violation of the civil rights of the club members, they also suggest that engaging in creative collaboration might put you in danger of being prosecuted for dubious reasons. Hackerspaces, being what they are, create potential for everyone. To put such organisations in random legal peril will eventually prove detrimental to a free society as a whole.

We, the members of the Metalab, hereby strongly object to the raid and expressly state our solidarity with our friends in Malmoe. We request the responsible authorities to cease and desist from any further measures as well as to return all confiscated equipment immediately and to compensate Forskningsavdelningen for damages.

Additionally, we demand a public investigation into the true nature of this sting operation as well as against the agitators responsible to clarify whether or not they maliciously presented false reasoning to perform this operation against a private interest organisation without legal grounds.

We also request a statement of Austrian and Swedish authorities as to what legal uncertainties organisations such as ours have to face in continuing our work.

The Metalab is a hackerspace in Vienna, Austria. The organisation was founded in 2006 and is privately financed as well as publicly subsidised. The hackerspace has been host to widely recognised (FIXME: by whom?) talks, conferences, workshops, and social events. Moreover, it has given birth to various commercial, civic, philanthropic and generally experimental ventures of various forms.


Sources:

A next to complete list of activities, visitors and press coverage in the metalab:

Some commercial ventures originating at the metalab:

For more information about hackerspaces, please see:

For more information about the metalab, please visit:

The Metalab is a non profit organisation located in Vienna, Austria and counts more than a hundred paying members.

Potentially "suspicous" organisations with long standing impact on society and technology:

This statement will be communicated to the media, the Austrian Ministry of Interior Affairs and the Swedish Department of Justice.