We commit to three distinct layers of resistance. You may adopt one, two, or all three, depending on your risk tolerance and access to infrastructure.
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.
The Manifesto on Algorithmic Sabotage (attributed to various anonymous or pseudonymous authors, sometimes linked to labor activism or critical theory) argues that in an era of automated management, surveillance, and algorithmic control, traditional forms of workplace resistance (strikes, sabotage of physical machinery) are obsolete. Instead, it calls for subverting algorithms from within —through data poisoning, deliberately misleading metrics, gaming recommendation systems, and exploiting feedback loops to degrade automated decision-making. manifesto on algorithmic sabotage
Scroll slowly when you want to leave. Click away quickly from content designed to hold you. Leave tabs open on harmless pages. Close them quickly on addictive ones. The algorithm optimizes for your attention. Misdirect it.
We assert our right to sabotage algorithms that perpetuate oppression, injustice, and harm. We will use creative and innovative tactics to disrupt and subvert algorithmic systems. We commit to three distinct layers of resistance
What happens after success? If the algorithm breaks, work doesn’t disappear—it often reverts to more overt managerial control (e.g., human supervisors with clipboards). The manifesto romanticizes sabotage without describing a desirable alternative.
Dated: The Era of Systemic Fatigue
The algorithm fears the unpredictable. Make decisions based on the flight of birds or the roll of a die. Data Poisoning:
The manifesto on algorithmic sabotage is a declaration of intent: to challenge the dominant narratives of algorithmic control and to reclaim the future from the grip of unchecked code. We recognize that this will be a difficult and contentious journey, but we are convinced that the stakes are too high to ignore. The time for algorithmic sabotage is now. Join us. We, the authors of this manifesto, join this
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