It takes a lot to get your typical white-bread American riled up enough that they’re willing to go to jail. Getting arrested is a massive pain, bringing court dates, fines, and a record that can shadow your job and housing prospects for the rest of your life. Yet in 2026, data centers have become one of the rare issues pushing more and more of Americans to risk it anyway. So far in the US, Futurism has counted at least 37 arrests stemming from protests related to data centers this year. Despite their differences, the arrestees all have one thing in common: they each felt the actions of democratically elected officials are failing to reflect the wishes of their constituents, instead deferring to massive tech corporations.