Federal Reports Detail Monitoring of Anti-Technology Protests

Federal agencies have compiled reports on protests and online activity critical of technology companies and emerging technologies. Wired obtained more than 1,000 pages of unpublished reports from the Department of Homeland Security, FBI, and fusion centers that detail monitoring of events labeled as related to anti-technology sentiment.

A March report from the Northern Virginia Regional Intelligence Center documented monitoring of demonstrations including Tesla Takedown protests and a Break Up With Tech Rager event organized by Eject Elbit. A separate report from the New York Intelligence and Counterterrorism Bureau stated that emergent AI technology could lead to large-scale protests and civil unrest in urban areas such as New York City within the next five years.

Intelligence analysts have searched online for expressions of anti-technology views, according to the documents reviewed by Wired.

Federal officials and members of both major political parties have held congressional hearings with technology company executives and attributed various social problems to online platforms. The documents indicate that authorities have expressed concern that some anti-technology sentiment could result in vandalism or violence.

Wired noted that the same federal agencies producing these reports have previously conducted surveillance of political activists and protest movements.