Police surveil critics of AI data centers, bulletin says

police surveil – A confidential law enforcement bulletin from a Philadelphia fusion center warns that people criticizing artificial intelligence data centers online could pose a physical and cyber threat. Civil rights attorney Paul Hetznecker says the report risks treating pro

For months, Americans have vented their anger about AI data centers on social media—posting memes, arguing about bills, and calling the projects harmful. Now, a confidential bulletin circulated through police intelligence networks has treated that online outcry as potential prelude to violence.

The Delaware Valley Intelligence Center. a fusion center housed inside the Philadelphia Police Department. wrote in a December alert that “Domestic violent extremists (DVEs) are likely interested in targeting artificial intelligence (AI) data centers. posing a physical and cyber threat to infrastructure in the Philadelphia regional area.” The bulletin—marked “for official use only”—was distributed through the national fusion center network connecting state. local. and federal police agencies.

The report acknowledges it has little concrete evidence of near-term plots. It points to a “lack of specific information on plans to target AI data centers in the Philadelphia area. ” even as it tells law enforcement to be alert because three planned data center facilities in the region could become targets of future protests.

In language that blurs political dissent with threats. analysts described “disruptive First Amendment activity” as an “indicator” of risk from “Domestic Violent Extremists. ” an expansive term favored by the FBI and other law enforcement agencies. The bulletin frames online comments as part of an escalation path. directing authorities with jurisdiction over roughly 16 data centers near Philadelphia to watch posts from AI skeptics.

The document leans on social media examples that range from inflammatory rhetoric to material that is speculative or fictional. It cites hyperbolic anti-AI rhetoric. including an unnamed internet user who “indated a desire to ‘burn down’ data centers.” It also includes references to a fictional anti-robot movement in the science fiction novel “Dune” and a Facebook meme.

A key flashpoint for civil liberties advocates is how the bulletin handles protected political speech. Longtime Philadelphia civil rights lawyer Paul Hetznecker said he was troubled by the fusion center’s association of AI skeptics with terrorists.

“Those are legitimate, popular political concerns that are raised by local communities,” Hetznecker said. “This particular report from [the Delaware Valley Intelligence Center] reflects a very dangerous attempt to characterize that protected First Amendment activity — activity which is fundamental to our democracy — as something other. something more dangerous. a breeding ground for something more sinister.”.

The fusion center has previously drawn scrutiny for similar approaches. Fusion centers sprouted across the country after the September 11. 2001 attacks. and critics have said they do too little to stop real terror plots while focusing too heavily on lawful protesters. The bulletin ties its warnings to an environment of past alarm: fusion centers have reportedly warned local police about the supposed threat from Black Lives Matter protesters and from Keystone XL to Line 3 pipeline opponents.

Pennsylvania’s own record includes controversy about fearmongering. In 2010, then-Gov. Ed Rendell apologized for the state Department of Homeland Security contracting with a private firm to produce fearmongering reports on groups including anti-fracking activists.

Asked about the December data center activist report. the Philadelphia Police Department and the Delaware Valley Intelligence Center provided a statement emphasizing rights and limits. A spokesperson for the Philadelphia Police Department said the center “recognizes and respects the rights of individuals to lawfully express opinions. engage in peaceful advocacy. and participate in protected First Amendment activities.” The spokesperson. Sgt. Eric Gripp. said. “Fusion centers exist to help stakeholders understand emerging threats and hazards that could impact public safety. critical infrastructure. major events. government facilities. businesses. and the communities we serve.” Gripp added: “These assessments cover a wide range of topics and are designed to provide situational awareness. not to characterize lawful activity or constitutionally protected speech as criminal conduct.”.

The new bulletin is part of a larger pattern emerging from intelligence documents obtained by journalists: the Intercept says it acquired the Philadelphia report as part of a wider cache from local fusion centers. It also points to other recent warnings. including a Wired magazine report on notices about “anti-tech extremism. ” and reporting by journalists Ken Klippenstein and Dan Boguslaw about a document from the U.S. Capitol Police Intelligence Services Bureau warning of the potential for anti-data center violence.

Those reports land on top of public opposition that is broader than any single faction described in police paperwork. A Gallup poll found that seven out of 10 Americans oppose having data centers as neighbors.

In the Philadelphia bulletin. analysts describe the outcry as a possible first step toward violence and instruct local police to pay attention to online posts. The report warns about posts on an “anti-capitalist blog that remains popular amongst local anarchist extremist collectives.” Under a title urging “Butlerian Jihad Against AI”—a reference to a “Dune” book in which humans revolt against intelligent computer overlords—the bulletin cites a post on the Philly Anti-Capitalist blog saying “only we can decide to smash the screens that are brainwashing us into submission. The time is now, the day is here, ATTACK!. ATTACK!. ATTACK!” The post. the bulletin says. was unattributed. did not include targets for attack. and included a cartoonish sketch of an old-fashioned computer struck by arrows. Even so, the document says intelligence analysts appeared to take the potential threat seriously.

The bulletin also lists other online content it says reflects a growing anti-data center furor. It includes a meme posted to a local Facebook account with text reading: “I cannot escape the feeling that I am morally obligated to sabotage AI data center infrastructure.” Commenters on that post discussed a proposed Amazon data center near Berwick. Pennsylvania. as a “potential target. ” the report says. The Intercept says it found other versions of the meme on Facebook and Instagram that were unrelated to targeting specific physical data centers.

Beyond anarchist-themed material. the bulletin says white supremacists and members of the dark online subculture labeled “nihilistic violent extremism” by the FBI have agitated online against data centers. It also references a DHS report highlighting a thread on an online image board where users discussed using magnets. explosives. or an electromagnetic pulse weapon—framed in the report as reflecting a sci-fi movie trope—to take out data centers.

The Delaware Valley Intelligence Center bulletin says it considers a wide range of possible attack methods. It describes “general anti-AI data center rhetoric” alongside discussions of tactics. techniques. and procedures “varying from simple swatting and hoax threats to property damage. arson. and even the use of chemical. biological. radiological. and nuclear (CBRN) material.”.

For Hetznecker, the mention of nuclear threats is where the quality of sourcing—and the resulting inference—becomes most troubling.

“That appears to be an effort by law enforcement to hype up the threat where there may be no threat at all,” he said. “To increase scrutiny on First Amendment activities by lumping in those activities with the most extreme, possible scenarios one could imagine that have no factual basis.”

The bulletin then returns to its central warning: that new local data centers could face protests that escalate beyond anger. The Philadelphia fusion center report specifically warned authorities of the likelihood that new local data centers could be the target of protest. It said there is “potential for significant pushback to the three newly proposed AI data centers in the Philadelphia area.” It listed indicators of increased threat in the short term as including “more disruptive First Amendment activity” in opposition to AI data centers. “small acts of vandalism. ” “online calls for action to boycott and or protest local AI data centers in the Philadelphia area. ” and “extensive criticism of higher utility bills resulting from AI data centers.”.

The mention of boycotts, criticism, and other activities protected by the First Amendment raised red flags for Hetznecker. He said he expects heightened scrutiny of legitimate concerns.

“I wouldn’t be surprised if we see heightened law enforcement scrutiny on legitimate expressions of AI data center concerns, and I hope that would not chill the appropriate dialogue that needs to occur on the impact of data centers on local communities,” he said.

As the debate over data centers intensifies nationwide—one driven by jobs and infrastructure promises. and another fueled by fears about environmental impact. public costs. and long-term community change—the Philadelphia bulletin offers a glimpse of how some officials interpret dissent. The stakes are not abstract. If the line between political protest and potential violence keeps narrowing. people who simply speak out may find themselves treated like a risk—before anyone can point to an actual plan.

Update: June 1, 2026, 11:01 a.m. ET The article was updated with a statement from the Philadelphia Police Department received after publication.

AI data centers surveillance fusion center Philadelphia Police Department Delaware Valley Intelligence Center domestic violent extremists First Amendment civil rights Paul Hetznecker