FBI COINTELPRO

FBI COINTELPRO (Counter Intelligence Program) was a series of secret operations conducted from 1956 to 1971 aimed at surveilling, infiltrating, discrediting, and disrupting domestic activist groups. Initially targeting the Communist Party, it later focused on civil rights movements, feminist groups, socialist organizations, and others viewed as political threats. The program employed tactics like misinformation, illegal wiretaps, and harassment, often violating citizens' civil rights. COINTELPRO was secret for many years and has been criticized for abusive practices, raising concerns about government overreach and the suppression of political dissent.