Philly Cops Are Tracking People Who Criticize AI Data Centers Online

Multiple surveillance cameras mounted on a pole against a cloudy sky

TL;DR: The Intercept obtained a confidential December 2024 bulletin from the Delaware Valley Intelligence Center, a fusion center housed inside the Philadelphia Police Department. The bulletin warns that “domestic violent extremists” are “likely interested in targeting” AI data centers, then admits it has zero specific intel to back that up. What it does have: screenshots of social media posts criticizing data centers, a blog post about AI resistance, and a Facebook meme. The bulletin lists “disruptive First Amendment activity” (boycotts, protests, online criticism) as an indicator of extremist behavior. This is fusion center mission creep at its most predictable: lawful speech in, threat intelligence out.

What the Bulletin Actually Says

The DVIC alert, dated December 2024 and distributed through the national fusion center network, opens with a warning that sounds serious: domestic violent extremists are “likely interested in targeting artificial intelligence (AI) data centers” in the Philadelphia region ^[1].

Then comes the fine print. The bulletin acknowledges “a lack of specific information on plans to target AI data centers.” No plots. No suspects. No credible threats. Just vibes.

So what did they actually flag? Social media posts. The bulletin cites an unnamed user’s comment about wanting to “burn down” data centers. A Philly Anti-Capitalist blog post titled “Butlerian Jihad Against AI” (a reference to Frank Herbert’s Dune novels). A Facebook meme that reads: “I cannot escape the feeling that I am morally obligated to sabotage AI data center infrastructure” ^[1].

That’s the evidence. Blog posts and memes.

The bulletin then lists indicators that law enforcement should watch for. Among them: “disruptive First Amendment activity.” That phrase covers boycotts, protests, online calls for action, and criticism of utility bill increases tied to data center power consumption ^[1].

Read that again. Complaining online that your electricity bill went up because of a data center is, according to the Philadelphia Police Department’s intelligence apparatus, an indicator of domestic violent extremism.

The Fusion Center Playbook

If this sounds familiar, it should. Fusion centers have been pulling this move for two decades.

After 9/11, the Department of Homeland Security helped create roughly 80 fusion centers across the country, state and local intelligence hubs designed to connect law enforcement agencies and share threat information ^[2]. The pitch was counterterrorism. The reality has been something very different.

In 2019, the Virginia Fusion Center issued a bulletin equating environmental activists protesting a gas pipeline with foreign terrorist organizations ^[3]. During the 2020 racial justice protests following George Floyd’s murder, then-Attorney General William Barr deployed Joint Terrorism Task Forces to surveil protesters ^[3]. The ACLU has documented fusion centers targeting Muslim communities, anti-war activists, and racial justice organizers, all under the banner of “counterterrorism” ^[3].

A 2012 Senate investigation found that DHS-funded fusion centers produced “intelligence” that was “oftentimes shoddy, rarely timely, and sometimes endangering citizens’ civil liberties.” That was 14 years ago. The DVIC bulletin shows nothing has changed.

The pattern is always the same: take lawful activity (protests, social media posts, political organizing) relabel it as a “threat indicator,” then distribute the intelligence to every cop shop in the network. The person who posted a meme about data centers on Facebook doesn’t know they ended up in a fusion center database. They have no way to challenge it, no way to get their name out.

Why AI Data Centers, Why Now

The DVIC bulletin didn’t emerge in a vacuum. Communities across the country are fighting AI data centers, and they’re winning.

At least 48 data center projects representing $156 billion in investment were blocked or stalled by local opposition in 2025 alone. Project cancellations jumped from six in 2024 to 25 in 2025. In the first quarter of 2026, more than 20 additional projects were killed ^[4]. Data Center Watch identified at least 142 activist groups operating across 24 states ^[4].

The opposition isn’t radical. It’s practical. In Virginia, residents voted out every town council member who backed a proposed Amazon data center campus in Warrenton ^[5]. In Tucson, Arizona, residents are fighting “Project Blue,” which would divert millions of gallons of drinking water for cooling in the desert ^[4]. In Georgia, municipalities have imposed moratoriums on new projects.

These are parents worried about their water supply. Homeowners watching their property values drop. Ratepayers watching their electricity bills climb to subsidize tech companies’ AI ambitions. None of them are terrorists.

But the data center boom is a $1 trillion industry bet, and the companies behind it (Microsoft, Google, Amazon, Meta) need communities to stop saying no. When democratic opposition becomes too effective, the playbook is to reframe it. Call it a security threat. Get law enforcement involved. Make people think twice about showing up to a zoning meeting.

The Chilling Effect Is the Point

Philadelphia civil rights attorney Paul Hetznecker called the DVIC bulletin a “dangerous attempt” to characterize protected political speech as evidence of terrorism ^[1].

He’s right, but it’s worse than that. The bulletin was distributed through the national fusion center network. That means police departments across the country received it. Officers in dozens of jurisdictions now have a document telling them that criticism of AI data centers and “disruptive First Amendment activity” are domestic extremism indicators.

That doesn’t mean they’ll arrest people for posting memes. They probably won’t. But it means the next time someone shows up to a city council meeting to oppose a data center, there’s a nonzero chance that local police are already watching their Facebook page. That’s the chilling effect in action. You don’t have to arrest anyone. You just have to make them wonder if they’re being watched.

And for communities of color, immigrant communities, and activist groups that have already been targeted by fusion centers: they know the answer. They are being watched.

Three Data Centers, Zero Accountability

The DVIC bulletin identifies three proposed data centers in the Philadelphia region ^[1]. The companies behind them get security intelligence from the police department. The communities opposing them get labeled as potential extremists.

That’s not law enforcement. That’s a public relations service for corporations, funded by taxpayers, wearing a badge.

The ACLU filed a FOIA lawsuit in July 2024 seeking records on how fusion centers and Joint Terrorism Task Forces target protesters and communities of color ^[3]. The government hasn’t released the records. The DVIC bulletin shows exactly why they don’t want to.

What You Can Do

Know your rights at protests: Fusion center surveillance doesn’t change the law. You have the right to protest, attend public meetings, post on social media, and criticize data centers. The ACLU’s “Know Your Rights” guide for protesters covers what law enforcement can and can’t do.
Assume you’re being watched: Fusion centers monitor social media. Use encrypted messaging apps like Signal for organizing. Think about your digital footprint, not because you’re doing anything wrong, but because they’re treating lawful activity as suspicious.
File public records requests: Your state’s fusion center produces intelligence reports. File a FOIA or public records request to find out what they’re tracking. The more sunlight on these operations, the harder it is to justify them.
Show up anyway: The chilling effect only works if you let it. Attend the zoning meetings. Talk to your neighbors about data center impacts. Contact your city council. The 142 activist groups fighting data centers across 24 states didn’t get there by staying quiet.
Support oversight: The Brennan Center for Justice has been pushing for fusion center reform for years. Contact your federal representatives and ask them to support mandatory oversight and civil liberties protections for fusion center operations.