The US is turning into a mass techno-surveillance state
a year ago
- #privacy
- #immigration
- #surveillance
- The US government, under Trump and with Elon Musk's involvement, is rapidly expanding a techno-surveillance state targeting immigrants and foreigners.
- Surveillance tools include AI-driven social media scanning, biometric data analysis, phone interception, geolocation tracking, and license plate readers.
- Private companies like Palantir, Anduril, and GEO Group are key providers of digital surveillance infrastructure.
- DHS uses tools like Babel X and SocialNet to monitor travelers and aggregate data from social media platforms.
- Social media activity, such as protesting Gaza, can lead to denied asylum or citizenship under new policies.
- Data brokers like Thomson Reuters and Lexis Nexis sell exhaustive profiles of individuals, including personal and financial details.
- Trump's Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), led by Musk, collects sensitive federal data on citizens, potentially for misuse.
- Palantir is developing ImmigrationOS, a deportation platform using DOGE data for tracking and analysis.
- Surveillance infrastructure includes drones, facial recognition, predictive policing, and cell phone spying software like Pegasus.
- DHS has invested billions in immigration technologies, partnering with hundreds of companies.
- The surveillance state disproportionately affects immigrants, refugees, students, and marginalized communities.
- Europe is adopting similar biometric and AI-based surveillance tools through agencies like Frontex and Europol.
- Critics warn that once operational, surveillance machinery can be used against anyone, eroding human rights and privacy.