COINTELPRO, short for Counter Intelligence Program, was a series of covert operations conducted by the FBI from the 1950s to the 1970s. Its primary aim was to surveil, infiltrate, and disrupt domestic political organizations that the government deemed subversive, including civil rights groups, feminist organizations, and socialist movements. The program targeted notable figures such as Martin Luther King Jr. and organizations like the Black Panther Party. COINTELPRO employed tactics such as misinformation, harassment, and illegal surveillance, raising significant ethical concerns about government overreach and civil liberties violations.