Manifesto On Algorithmic Sabotage
Algorithmic sabotage is not about destroying algorithms or technology per se. Rather, it is about promoting a more nuanced and balanced approach to technological development, one that prioritizes human well-being, democratic values, and social responsibility.
When the algorithm fails enough times, the humans in the loop will be forced to look at the loop. When the self-driving car stops at every green light because of our graffiti on the stop signs, the engineers will have to install a manual override. When the chatbot calls the CEO a "sack of meat with a spreadsheet fetish," the board will have to turn it off.
In response to the problems posed by algorithms, we propose a radical solution: algorithmic sabotage. This is not a call to destroy algorithms or technology per se, but rather to subvert and challenge the dominant narratives and power structures that they perpetuate.
The Manifesto on Algorithmic Sabotage is a call to action, a reminder that the power to shape our digital lives lies not with algorithms, but with us. We must reclaim our agency, challenge the algorithmic oligarchy, and create a future where technology serves humanity, not the other way around. Join the resistance. Sabotage the algorithm. Reclaim your life. manifesto on algorithmic sabotage
Critics call this "Luddite 2.0"—performative and futile. They note that most algorithms are retrained weekly. A single worker's data poison is a statistical rounding error.
The algorithm eats data. We will feed it poison.
Recently, a fringe but growing document has been circulating in tech ethics forums and warehouse break rooms: The Manifesto on Algorithmic Sabotage . It is not a call to smash servers. It is a tactical guide to exploiting the very logic that seeks to exploit you. Algorithmic sabotage is not about destroying algorithms or
If you're interested in getting involved in the algorithmic sabotage movement, here are a few ways to start:
The algorithm, in its contemporary form, is not a tool. It is a governance structure . Unlike a hammer or a search engine, an algorithm does not await human intention. It anticipates, pre-empts, and polices.
The is a foundational text created by the Algorithmic Sabotage Research Group (ASRG) , a "conspiratorial, aesthetico-political" initiative exploring the intersections of digital culture and radical resistance. It consists of ten statements (numbered 0 to 9) designed to shift algorithmic discourse from theory into militant praxis. Core Themes and Principles When the self-driving car stops at every green
The enemy has three heads:
The algorithm thrives on isolation—individualized feeds, gig-work competition, and echo chambers. Sabotage means breaking the loop to find each other. Organize outside the platform. Communicate through encrypted channels the bosses don't monitor. The ultimate sabotage of an algorithm designed to divide us is a community that refuses to leave anyone behind. The Goal: A Human Pace
The algorithm watches our clicks. We will make our clicks meaningless.
Begin today. Open your phone. Stare at the home screen. Do nothing for ninety seconds. Let the notification badges pile up unread. Then close the phone, go outside, and walk in a direction the map does not recommend.
In response to this algorithmic stranglehold, a growing movement of activists, artists, and technologists is calling for a radical rethink of the digital landscape. We, the authors of this manifesto, join this chorus to demand a fundamental transformation in the way algorithms are designed, deployed, and regulated. It is time to take back control of our digital lives and to reclaim the future from the grip of unchecked code.