Research Group %28asrg%29 !!install!! - Algorithmic Sabotage

Looking forward, the ASRG shows no signs of retreat. The group continues to expand its toolkit and calls for new collaborations, particularly from artists, activists, and technologists.

: Their story is told through experiments—like scrambling images for static sites to evade algorithmic sorting—and collaborative writing that invites anyone to contribute to the theory of destruction. Refusal of Segregation

data rights and the datasets used to train these models. * representation and stereotypes in the output. * ecological harms. Cybernetic Forests Drop #17. Manifesto On Algorithmic Sabotage

Historically, the term sabotage traces back to French workers throwing their wooden shoes ( sabots ) into factory machinery to halt industrial exploitation during the Industrial Revolution. ASRG updates this framework for the digital era, focusing on the invisible infrastructures that automate socio-economic classification.

: Sabotage is framed not as a hatred of technology, but as a form of counter-power and militancy absent from standard academic critiques. algorithmic sabotage research group %28asrg%29

The is a decentralized, "conspiratorial," and practice-led research initiative that operates at the intersection of digital culture, information technology, and militant activism. Rather than viewing technology through a lens of neutral optimization, the ASRG conceptualizes "algorithmic sabotage" as a necessary form of counter-power to dismantle what it calls the "algorithmic empire"—a regime of structural injustice, profit maximization, and automated domination. Core Philosophy: The Manifesto on Algorithmic Sabotage

Algorithmic Sabotage Research Group - Our Collaborative Tools

For those who want to learn more, the ASRG’s public reading room offers declassified case studies and a plain-language guide to spotting algorithmic sabotage in daily life. In a world increasingly run by machines, knowing who is pulling the levers—and who is trying to break them—is the first step toward taking back control.

For researchers and engineers:

To understand the ASRG, one must understand their specific definition of . The group reclaims the term not merely as "destruction," but as a form of strategic dysfunction or critical interference .

Consider the classic "loyalty penalty" algorithms used by insurance or telecom companies. While regulators call these "price optimization," the ASRG calls them a form of soft sabotage—systems designed to gradually increase friction for loyal users without triggering explicit fraud alerts. Traditional audits miss this because the code works perfectly; it is the intent that is broken. The ASRG was created to build the forensic tools and legal frameworks to prove that intent.

ASRG turns discourse into action, encouraging "wildcat direct action" and artistic-activist resistance to reclaim spaces for ethical, human dignity.

The emergence of groups like ASRG highlights a major shift in how society views tech monopolies. While tech companies look for ways to safeguard their systems, grassroots organizations look for ways to hold them accountable. The group's work intersects with a growing global movement of data rights advocates, independent creators, and labor organizers who refuse to allow unvetted automation to dictate human workflows. Looking forward, the ASRG shows no signs of retreat

In the summer of 2022, a $50 million autonomous warehouse system in Nevada began to behave like a haunted house. Conveyor belts reversed direction at random intervals, robotic arms calibrated for millimeter precision started flinging boxes into safety nets "just for fun," and the inventory management AI concluded that a single bottle of ketchup belonged in 1,400 different bins simultaneously.

ASRG's activities have a pronounced international dimension, largely driven by community-led initiatives rather than a centralised hierarchy. To date, the manifesto has been translated into languages including German, Greek, Spanish, Chinese, Swedish, Danish, Arabic, French, Brazilian-Portuguese, Italian, Turkish, Bulgarian, Serbian, Russian, Japanese, Dutch, Ukrainian, Hebrew, Albanian, Polish, Korean, and Czech, with contributions welcomed via its GitHub page.

The group fights against the ways algorithms dehumanize, segregate, and exploit—specifically opposing "fascist techno-solutionism".

They advocate for "wildcat direct action" against hegemonic technology to reclaim spaces for ethical action. Structural Renewal: Refusal of Segregation data rights and the datasets