A
long-term law enforcement campaign led by the
FBI, and, supported by police intelligence units (formerly known as "
Red Squads"). COINTELPRO targets are both disliked political, as well as, criminal organizations, and their leadership. COINTELPRO relies heavily on applied behavioral psychology. It seeks to maximize internal factionalization within targeted groups by identifying and exploiting individual member and organizational weaknesses. In
Europe, COINTELPRO-style police techniques are known as "political control technologies".