FBI Creates New "Anti-Tech Extremism" Category to Monitor AI Critics
More than 1,000 pages of unpublished DHS, FBI and fusion center reports show agencies widening surveillance of AI critics and data center protests.
- On Tuesday, WIRED published more than 1,000 pages of unpublished federal documents revealing that the FBI, DHS, and 80 fusion centers are surveilling what agencies describe as 'anti-tech violent extremism,' marking a national shift in domestic security monitoring.
- President Donald Trump's December executive order limiting state AI regulations and National Security Presidential Memorandum 7 directing investigation of 'anti-Americanism' and 'anti-capitalism' set the stage; Counterterrorism Adviser Sebastian Gorka released a strategy this month naming left-wing extremists a top priority.
- The term 'anti-tech violent extremism' does not appear in any publicly available DHS or FBI reports, representing a novel classification; Northern Virginia Regional Information Center flagged activities like 'photography' and 'observing facilities' as suspicious, prompting Spencer Reynolds of the NAACP Legal Defense Fund to warn such reports are 'incredibly unreliable.'
- Civil liberties advocates warned the broad designation could suppress constitutionally protected protest, with Reynolds noting it encompasses 'peaceful data center protests, AI skeptics, and people unhappy with technology,' potentially enabling local law enforcement to target protesters.
- Intelligence assessments warned that growing AI backlash and job loss fears could fuel civil unrest in coming years, as hundreds of groups across 42 states oppose data center construction; the formal designation now directs DHS and FBI resources to protect AI executives and infrastructure.
24 Articles
24 Articles
FBI, DHS Monitor New "Anti-Tech Extremism" Threat Vector Amid AI Backlash
Federal law enforcement and intelligence agencies, including the FBI and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), have begun tracking "anti-tech extremism" as a domestic threat classification. The shift follows public backlash against artificial intelligence, data center expansions, and fears of job displacement.According to reports, the designation addresses a rise in online manifestos naming technology executives as targets, alongside violen…
US law enforcement warns of "anti-tech extremism" as AI hatred grows
In the wake of attacks on CEOs, a nationwide protest movement targeting data centers, and increasing concerns about AI job replacement, federal intelligence agencies and domestic law enforcement are circulating reports with a new domestic target in mind: anti-technology extremists. More than 1,000 pages of unpublished reports from the Department of Homeland Security, FBI, and fusion centers obtained by WIRED show a national shift taking place to…
Marjorie Taylor Greene Blasts FBI's Reported Monitoring Of AI Critics, Data Center Protestors: Treated Li
Former Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) blasted federal authorities after a report suggested that U.S. intelligence and law enforcement agencies are increasingly monitoring anti-AI activists, data center protesters and critics of the technology industry under a growing "anti-tech extremism" focus. Report Raises Concerns Over AI Protest Surveillance According to a report published Tuesday by WIRED, more than 1,000 pages of unpublished document…
‘Anti-tech extremism’: The government is monitoring AI criticism nationwide, says report
Being critical of AI is far from a fringe position in the United States. Recent polling shows that half of U.S. adults feel more concerned than excited about the increased use of AI in daily life. And among Gen Z specifically, excitement and hope around artificial intelligence are falling while anger over the tech increases, with 42% of Gen Zers saying AI makes them anxious. But those increasingly common AI-critical sentiments are reportedly rai…
Coverage Details
Bias Distribution
- 50% of the sources lean Left
Factuality
To view factuality data please Upgrade to Premium
