An analysis by Futurism found that at least 37 people have been arrested in the U.S. so far in 2026 in connection with protests against new data centers. [4, 6] Police have also intervened in at least 12 additional instances to prevent confrontations. [4] The arrests have occurred across a wide demographic and often resulted from actions at public meetings, such as a teacher arrested for clapping in support of an anti-data center speaker. [4]
The incidents are part of a nationwide, bipartisan movement opposing the rapid construction of data centers required for AI and cloud computing. [3, 7] Citing concerns over strains on electricity and water supplies, environmental impact, and noise pollution, activists have organized protests in dozens of states. [2, 3] This growing opposition has led to tangible impacts, including moratoriums on new data center construction in several jurisdictions. [2, 6, 7]