FBI Seizes Chat Room Servers

CYBERSPACE – The Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI) stormed CIT Hosting, a private hosting company, with allegations that the company was aiding "cyber crime" and "terrorist" activities; a general term provided under the shield of the U.S. Patriot Act.

The company was forced to shut down temporarily during and after the FBI raid, and CIT's private chat rooms are still disabled, according to the Associated Press (AP).

[BANNER1]The AP reports that the feds confiscated the company's servers and reportedly spent hours reviewing computer data pertaining to CIT's business and chat rooms. According to a federal spokesperson, the FBI search and seizure also involved a house in the Columbus suburbs.

CIT Hosting issued a statement to its customers stating: "According to the warrant, it appears that the bureau is investigating whether someone hosted on our network hacked and attacked someone else."

The AP reports that the U.S. Attorney's office has not released any information about the search and seizure or the purpose behind the FBI raid. There is also no word when CIT chat rooms will be back in operation.

The U.S. Attorney was not available for comment at the time of this printing.

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