The Algorithmic Sabotage Research Group (ASRG): Deciphering the Art of Digital Resistance
Neither a traditional academic body nor a standard hacking collective, the ASRG represents a fusion of media theory, political activism, and technical subversion. Their work explores a provocative question: If an algorithm is inherently biased or oppressive, is the most ethical response to break it? What is Algorithmic Sabotage?
: Promoting artistic-activist resistances that prioritize mutual aid and solidarity over profit maximization. algorithmic sabotage research group asrg
If you'd like, I can provide more details on specific methods like: How to How to create "poisoned" images for AI How to set up a "tarpit" for scrapers
By sabotaging algorithms, the ASRG creates spaces of opacity. If a system cannot predict your next move, it cannot control it. This reclaiming of unpredictability is central to the group’s ethos. In a world that demands data, the ASRG champions the right to be unreadable. This reclaiming of unpredictability is central to the
Opposing the "algorithmic empire" and its role in reinforcing structural injustices like "necropolitical" authoritarianism and capitalist exploitation. Materiality and Ecology:
The official mission of the ASRG is to before they appear in deployed systems. They argue that most AI safety benchmarks measure competence (accuracy, truthfulness, helpfulness). The ASRG measures malevolence through malfunction . According to the ASRG manifesto
Disrupting AI training data by feeding it misleading, chaotic, or "poisoned" images, text, and metadata.
ASRG collects, analyzes, and develops various techniques for sabotaging AI crawlers and automated systems. Their work often involves making technology unusable or misleading for the algorithms that scrape, ingest, and monetize user-generated content without consent.
According to the ASRG manifesto , algorithmic sabotage is a form of counter-power that arises from the strength of the community, not merely from an atavistic fear of technology. It is a proactive, rather than reactive, approach that seeks to:
Because the acronym "ASRG" is shared across several tech sectors, it is vital to separate the radical activist framework of the Algorithmic Sabotage Research Group from industrial compliance groups.