"Guerilla War Against Computers" (1969)
A 1969 article reports on growing public frustration with computer errors, highlighting incidents such as overbilling, mistaken dunning notices, and data mix-ups that sparked a "guerrilla war" of complaints and protests against computerized systems.
Background
- This 1969 *Time* article captures the early backlash against computerization in the US, when mainframes were just starting to handle billing, payroll, and government records.
- It describes a wave of sabotage, vandalism, and public anger—people slashing cables, wiping tapes, sending bombs—driven by fears of job loss, dehumanization, and errors that ruined lives (e.g., wrong bills, lost Social Security checks).
- At the time, computers were room-sized IBM and Univac machines run by specialists; most people had no direct access and felt powerless against "the system."
- The piece reflects a recurring pattern: every major tech shift (automation, AI today) triggers both practical grievances and existential anxiety about human obsolescence and control.