Decoding Technofascism: Lessons of Resistance from Black America

Code & Conscience #020

In this Issue

Technofascism is reshaping tech! Billionaires, tech leaders, and right-wing politicians are all coming together to push their ideologies and change the world. Since we're celebrating Black History Month in the U.S., we are looking at what this means for Black communities and what Black history can teach all of us about resisting power that oppresses.

Decoding Technofascism

The U.S. Capitol Enclosed in a Futuristic Glass Dome with technological lights reflected on a dark background– Symbolizing Government Isolation, Digital Surveillance, Cybersecurity, and the Technological Shielding of Political Power — By Rafaqat Batool on Adobe Stock

At its simplest, technofascism is “the collusion of large technology firms, right-wing billionaires, and tech culture with authoritarian and anti-democratic political agendas.” Technofascism goes beyond politics or technology; it is about who holds power and who gets left behind.

Today, many tech leaders are older, conservative men, and their political views often decide which projects get money and who gets included or left out. Who gets promoted and who gets laid off. Who gets hired and who doesn’t. They wield a lot of power.

Let’s take a short trip down memory lane. During the Jim Crow era, racism went beyond personal bias. It was built into systems, like government laws and public institutions. These systems limited the rights and opportunities of Black people while claiming they were keeping peace and order. Things like blocking Black people from voting, monitoring, and over-policing Black communities were presented as fair rules, even though they mainly harmed Black people.

Studies show, for example, that surveillance technology often watches Black communities more closely than white communities, with cameras and other monitoring systems more heavily deployed in their neighborhoods. One report found, “Flock cameras in Hampton Roads survey Black communities more intensely than white ones.”

Even cultural contributions are affected. Black culture is widely consumed and monetized by tech platforms, yet the communities that created it often receive little recognition or benefit. A clear example is the word “woke.” It started in Black communities as "stay woke"--a reminder to stay aware of injustice and unfair systems. Long before its meaning was changed and weaponized, it was simply a warning to pay attention and stay alert to oppression.

We also see this with Black influencers. The internet is flooded with AI-generated content of their likeness, yet they earn 34.04% less than white influencers. Now, the situation has worsened as they have to compete with AI-generated influencers, thereby reducing their chances of receiving monetary compensation from brands for their craft.

Sometimes governments also make unfair situations worse by either legalizing them or turning a blind eye. The inhumanity of slavery and the absurd treatment Black people received (and are still receiving) is clear for anyone with eyes to see. And the fact that such gross unfairness was legalized doesn't make it right. Slavery might be over, but ICE (U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement) is seeing our communities as the “problem,” instead of seeing us as people who deserve protection. This is a representation of how state authority extends into people’s daily lives, often affecting communities of color and immigrant households indiscriminately.

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An image with a black background and the words "Black History Month" centered, in red, yellow, and green text, and the words "Know the past, shape the future." below in white text, framed by patterned borders in red, yellow, and green, on the top and bottom of the image — By JK2507 on Adobe Stock

Dismantling Technofascism with Lessons of Resistance from Black America

Despite the fraught history of fascism against Black Americans in the forms of chattel slavery, Jim Crow, and even injustices into the modern post-Civil Rights era, Black history is also America's most well-documented record of sustained, generations-long resistance against fascism. What can we learn from our past to resist and dismantle this updated, tech-fueled version of fascism?

Challenge the System Through Boycotts and Engagement Starvation: Black history has shown us that systems can be challenged. In the Jim Crow era, resistance often took the form of boycotts and collective refusal. Black communities understood that oppressive systems depended on participation to survive. When people withdrew their labor and compliance, those systems weakened. That strategy still works today. For instance, the Black-led boycott of Target over its withdrawal from DEI initiatives shows how organized pressure can produce real results.
Grassroots Organizing: Change also comes from within. People who work inside tech companies have sometimes pushed back against work that hurts groups who are already treated unfairly. Their organized pressure has changed decisions. For example, some Palantir workers protested the company’s contracts with ICE, and 800+ Google employees delivered a petition to management, condemning the Trump administration’s use of Google Cloud technology in immigration enforcement, in the largest anti-ICE protest by workers at a single company. This shows that people in powerful companies can still hold their leaders accountable. Fighting technofascism today means knowing what is happening and taking action. Just noticing the problem isn’t enough, though; communities need to plan and act. Public campaigns and close monitoring of how tech affects disadvantaged groups are both important.
Recognizing Harmful Technology: We also need to rethink how technology is designed. Systems should be designed with inclusion in mind from the start. Asking hard questions and anticipating misuse before they are built can prevent exclusion and harm. Ruha Benjamin notes, “We might begin to think about technofascism as a negative design space—how do we avoid doing that?”

Technology can be used in ways that give a lot of power to a few, but that doesn’t have to happen. When communities speak up and hold tech companies and leaders accountable, even strong systems can change. By learning from history, combined with modern strategies, we can make technology work for everyone, not just the people at the top. So let’s learn from our history and work towards a better future together.

Happy Black History Month!

Around the Web

📖 Black History is also the History of Resistance by Michael Eric Dyson

▶️ Black History is the Blueprint by Garrison Hayes

▶️ I’ve Been Told to Stick to Comedy by Kevonstage

📖 Militant Strategy: The Black South's Revolutionary Anti-Fascist Tradition by Julian Rose

📖 A Dream Deleted? African Liberation in the Age of Techno-fascism by Red Balloon

📖 Practical Defenses Against Technofascism by Micah Lee

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Erica Stanley

Engineering Leader, Community Builder, Speaker, Contributor

Code & Conscience is my way of thinking out loud with friends (that’s you, btw) about how we as technologists–builders, creators, leaders–impact the world around us with what we choose to build and how we build it.

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