"Once you start down the road of collecting information on innocent people, it creates the intellectual justification for doing it again and again. From a contracting perspective, this is the proverbial self-licking ice cream cone, a spiral of endless expense."
Not to mention, the more "useless" data you have to sift through, the more difficult it is to get to the actual useful data that you're supposedly Hoovering up all this content to get.
Much more likely that they Hoover up everything so they have a play if you become a problem in the future.
I do believe that unfortunately, with AI, the "sifting" is going to be so much easier, which is why we really have to put up real barriers to this kind of deep state cavity-searching on citizens.
Yep. Automated censorship is even worse than the manual kind, because there's nobody actually responsible for it. "Oops, the algorithm messed up" will be the excuse.
The horse is already out of the barn. I may be a naturally pessimistic soul. Although some are at more risk than others, even as we type out comments today, we all have "predictive" profiles in the ether. They may not seem to matter now, but they are an undeniable resource for many kinds of future fuckery.
Agree. Especially with the likes of Peter Thiel and company at the helm, tech bros united for Trump, and let’s not forget the reams of our personal data collected by DOGE.
I don't worry about DOGE, any more than I ever worried about bureaucrats in general. All of our personal info is already available to any who want to buy it, along with any number of international spy agencies, who collect it just because they can.
I also suspect that if the political winds had been blowing another way, the "tech bros" would have gladly united for Kamala. I see this all as being somewhat inevitable --though I like to fantasize about a president who would try to protect us from these ghouls.
Meanwhile, Hassan Piker can be interrogated at the airport for speaking out against Israel. So really, what's changed? It's great that one minor intrusion on our freedoms has been officially ended. The lion's share will not be touched, and certainly Matt Taibbi will not lead the charge.
The surveillance itself is the new reality. We the People still have control regarding WHO is in control of it, and how it's used. That's what populism is. And that's why government officials and media hate populism so much. They've lost some of their grip on power, and their tears nourish my hope.
If surveillance is "the new reality", then brother, you can stop trying to console yourself with delusions that "We the People" are somehow in control of it. No one in government is crying, They are more powerful then ever, and the "people"s faith in jerk-offs like Trump giving them their power back is yummy yummy in their tummy.
Maybe some of us have experienced this. That gf/bf who doesn't trust you, and after you break up you find out they've had a year-long relationship with someone else. To me, it's always a "tell" that someone is not being entirely truthful and actually doing what they are accusing you of doing, if they accuse you of cheating.
'Not to mention, the more "useless" data you have to sift through, the more difficult it is to get to the actual useful data that you're supposedly Hoovering up all this content to get.'
"Morally, all this information-gathering reverses the natural political order, giving elected officials undeserved and unearned power over their bosses – the voters. These programs all need to be reevaluated. A lot of them have to go. People who lie about them in this chamber need to be fired."
I knew when they passed the Patriot Act that it opened up the door for abuses of our individual rights. All in the name of protecting us. That should have sunsetted but still to this day congress votes to keep parts of it alive
If I remember correctly Tulsi herself was grilled on her position on this kind of surveillance?
Yes, the formal name is "Uniting and Strengthening America by Providing Appropriate Tools Required to Intercept and Obstruct Terrorism." Obama extended it in 2011.
No, of course not. But I am tired of these subtle blowjobs from Matt for Trump and the MAGA party as if they represent some real reformist agenda towards surveillance. They are bigger scum than anyone that preceded them, and deserve no kudos.
Lesbian feminist Marxist hustlers (now the DEI) and their friends in the "why can't we just kill men" MSM began the open malicious destruction of lives and careers way back in the 60's. As Paul Simon said:"Someone could walk into this room and say--...' you're life is on fire..it's all over the evening news about the fire in your life."
Innocence/evidence be damned, trial by press hysteria, stilted kangaroo court, whisper campaign, anonymous phone call complaint and when the target proved innocent it made no difference at all. How many Universities paid huge settlements to men whose lives and careers were destroyed--because "he made me feel uncomfortable". Electronic Salem witchcraft poisoned the American psyche, installed the political snitch and got paid to do it. How? They used crazy people and tax treasure.(The manufacture and exploitation of crazy people is an industry.) The MSM and spook land saw that the grift worked and said "why not".
"Back in the 60's" Tricky Dickie and staff couldn't find a way to throttle White anti-war protest and stop the Black civil rights movement so they invented the "drug war". Overcharged and booked criminal conspiracy and mass arrests, when open murder (Fred Hampton/Gary Webb) wasn't required, laid the ground work for the surveillance state intrusion into private citizen life and finance. How'd they do it? Compromised informants (Whitey Bulger) and tax treasure? (Did the "drug war" get murky? Well yes!! Who was dealing what to who?-- Gang culture and values is prison culture. Black youth violence today is the result of the drug war and the prison industrial complex.)
Meanwhile--(guess who?)--the MSM got their "nasty little fingers in every bodies pie" and gladly put the hatchet to anyone D.C. political surveillance deemed a threat. Heads rolled on demand and when state propaganda/spook land needed a voice the MSM was there. Why and how does the beast survive? Tax treasure.
Throughout this sorid little story polished (sometimes not so polished) little grifters cast their grasping little shadows across the lives of hard working Americans, looted their economy and stole everything they could get their hands on. Electronic shadow villains from East to American West abound. Silicon Valley, the D.C. "Swamp", the MSM, monopolizing Private Equity perps and the biggest canker sore of all, a surveillance machine that designates concerned parents terrorists and puts sniffer dogs on sane American political voices. And, turn over the dead on Fentanyl corner, boarded up downtown, car jacked, working two jobs, buying food on credit so my children won't starve, herd management, keep you're f'kin mouth shut rock and behold, the Gerogie Soros NGO, CCP, Billy Gates euthanasia center, Green New Deal Al Gore, EU/Brussels billionaire Davos snake pit.("Perpetual crisis and war for thee. Never for me")
Gee--How does that grift keep breathing? Tax treasure.
Welp, we did give up, and Matt certainly will never lead the charge to get those liberties back if it means getting on the bad side of MAGA. (Do you think he wants his next appearance before Congress to include rough treatment by BOTH parties?)
This is a "why does the dog lick his balls?" situation - they have too much power and are dumber than mutts. Fire all the bosses and let the agents do their jobs instead of checking for skid marks. For real! Great work, Matt!
Thanks Dave, true, but we know data is being gathered, so the police are "not so secret" anymore.. I was thinking like credit score reporting, but would be:
who/agency is gathering my data?
what did they get on me?
as a stretch, how can this data gathering be blocked,
A government that commands so much of our personal information might even send IRS agents to the door of someone testifying to Congress -- to make sure we know who's boss.
"The government spent $200 million a year following up to 50 people a day for a program that in its history never once led to an arrest, or thwarted a single criminal act."
Excellent example of our tax dollars at work! Ain't government great!!??
We the People need to ask what do we need a central government for?
One of the wisest founders no one knows about is Robert Yates (aka) Brutus – who predicted ALL the corruption we see today. When compared to Alexander Hamilton (who said a bill of rights is not only unnecessary but dangerous (Federalist #84 and argued against term limits), it’s very apparent we should have amended the Articles of the Confederation and not created a powerful central government further away from the people.
Just by the by.....the propensity for regular spying, on anyone, is a totalitarian trait.
We saw a great deal of spying -- by the average person -- emerge during the COVID-mania months and years. The British called them "curtain twitchers". Tells you something about totalitarianism being afoot during COVID-mania.
We also saw these everyday spies portrayed in "1984".
And Alienating parents who control their children to hate the other parent will have the kids spy on their innocent mother or father to report back to the controller. Damages the child, of course.
Totalitarians are so prone to spying because they want to determine who is following their narrative and who is not. Those who are not following what they demand will be punished. This is the general principle driving them.
Don't you worry! Trump's gonna get onto rolling back "totalitariansm" any moment now! Pack your bags, Deep State! Trumps'a commin' for you! Yessiree Bob, freedom is on the way! Swamp's a-drainin' faster than you can say "Jeffrey Epstein was a pedophile pimp!" Power is coming back into the hands of the people in three...two... one...
I won't buy a new car because ever since about 2011, they're all connected to the internet. Not only do cars hoover up data which the automakers can then sell to anyone (including government agencies!), they also have the ability to "update" the software that runs many (if not most) of the systems in your car without your permission, consent, or even knowledge. Oh, and if you financed your car, the lender can shut your car down if you've been missing payments.
Now, add in the wonderous technology of "self driving" and "autonomous" vehicles, and think of the potential for official or unofficial mischief. Could someone use it to make your car drive off a bridge? The sales people will assure you that of course that's impossible, and we believe them because there's no one on earth more trustworthy than auto dealership sales people.
I'll keep my 2006 car with 150,000+ miles on it until someone will sell me one that's not connected to the internet.
"Once you start down the road of collecting information on innocent people, it creates the intellectual justification for doing it again and again. From a contracting perspective, this is the proverbial self-licking ice cream cone, a spiral of endless expense."
Not to mention, the more "useless" data you have to sift through, the more difficult it is to get to the actual useful data that you're supposedly Hoovering up all this content to get.
Much more likely that they Hoover up everything so they have a play if you become a problem in the future.
Hoover--apt. and witty. I wonder if people say Dyson now.
Or Roomba!
Sifting the data will become the job of AI.
Damn, that's NOT a comforting thought to start my day!
It already has. AI may be stupid, but it never gets tired or bored.
And the good news is AI has such high moral standards! /s/
Already is!
I do believe that unfortunately, with AI, the "sifting" is going to be so much easier, which is why we really have to put up real barriers to this kind of deep state cavity-searching on citizens.
Yep. Automated censorship is even worse than the manual kind, because there's nobody actually responsible for it. "Oops, the algorithm messed up" will be the excuse.
There's someone responsible, but it adds another layer of difficulty to proving it.
The algorithm will send the drone….
The horse is already out of the barn. I may be a naturally pessimistic soul. Although some are at more risk than others, even as we type out comments today, we all have "predictive" profiles in the ether. They may not seem to matter now, but they are an undeniable resource for many kinds of future fuckery.
Agree. Especially with the likes of Peter Thiel and company at the helm, tech bros united for Trump, and let’s not forget the reams of our personal data collected by DOGE.
I don't worry about DOGE, any more than I ever worried about bureaucrats in general. All of our personal info is already available to any who want to buy it, along with any number of international spy agencies, who collect it just because they can.
I also suspect that if the political winds had been blowing another way, the "tech bros" would have gladly united for Kamala. I see this all as being somewhat inevitable --though I like to fantasize about a president who would try to protect us from these ghouls.
Then why would they take it?
Why does a dog lick its balls?
I'm a lot more comfortable with them at the helm than whoever was running the Biden Administration.
Sounds much like Communist China.
I was thinking more like J. Edgar...
Geez Louise...I thought Mr. "Drain the Swamp" was going to take care of this. So much for the Great White Hope of "populism".
Matt did say, "Before Quiet Skies was discontinued by this administration..."
Meanwhile, Hassan Piker can be interrogated at the airport for speaking out against Israel. So really, what's changed? It's great that one minor intrusion on our freedoms has been officially ended. The lion's share will not be touched, and certainly Matt Taibbi will not lead the charge.
My apologies for replying to you in the future rest place. I hadn’t noticed that you were a one-trick pony.
Well, Matt isn't an elected official, much less the President. And he definitely leads the charge on free speech and the evils of surveillance.
Why are you trying to pin this shit on Matt?
because troll
If you’re trying to say Trump supports this as much as the previous bunch did, no doubt you’re right.
The surveillance itself is the new reality. We the People still have control regarding WHO is in control of it, and how it's used. That's what populism is. And that's why government officials and media hate populism so much. They've lost some of their grip on power, and their tears nourish my hope.
If surveillance is "the new reality", then brother, you can stop trying to console yourself with delusions that "We the People" are somehow in control of it. No one in government is crying, They are more powerful then ever, and the "people"s faith in jerk-offs like Trump giving them their power back is yummy yummy in their tummy.
Maybe some of us have experienced this. That gf/bf who doesn't trust you, and after you break up you find out they've had a year-long relationship with someone else. To me, it's always a "tell" that someone is not being entirely truthful and actually doing what they are accusing you of doing, if they accuse you of cheating.
'Not to mention, the more "useless" data you have to sift through, the more difficult it is to get to the actual useful data that you're supposedly Hoovering up all this content to get.'
That could explain a lot of the interest in AI.
Too much hay in the haystack.
Not to disagree but as St. Thomas said, "error has no rights."
"Morally, all this information-gathering reverses the natural political order, giving elected officials undeserved and unearned power over their bosses – the voters. These programs all need to be reevaluated. A lot of them have to go. People who lie about them in this chamber need to be fired."
Good stuff.
Along with way too many people employed by governments, who have a stake in preserving their supremacy any way they can.
Is this comment that respectfully has only one reply? "Duh!"
Well said Matt
I knew when they passed the Patriot Act that it opened up the door for abuses of our individual rights. All in the name of protecting us. That should have sunsetted but still to this day congress votes to keep parts of it alive
If I remember correctly Tulsi herself was grilled on her position on this kind of surveillance?
*USA PATRIOT Act
Because there's no problem so big the government won't give it a catchy acronym.
Yes, the formal name is "Uniting and Strengthening America by Providing Appropriate Tools Required to Intercept and Obstruct Terrorism." Obama extended it in 2011.
And yet no one, not even Trump, is fighting to repeal it.
Isn't Tom Cotton the R Senator that keeps pushing this?
I think most senators in both parties continue to vote for extensions on the act.
Did you really think he would?
No, of course not. But I am tired of these subtle blowjobs from Matt for Trump and the MAGA party as if they represent some real reformist agenda towards surveillance. They are bigger scum than anyone that preceded them, and deserve no kudos.
"...bigger scum..."
You people really can't deal with reality, can you?
Meh. Someday Trump will do SOMETHING that will remind you that he is nothing like the conservative you imagine he is.
Lesbian feminist Marxist hustlers (now the DEI) and their friends in the "why can't we just kill men" MSM began the open malicious destruction of lives and careers way back in the 60's. As Paul Simon said:"Someone could walk into this room and say--...' you're life is on fire..it's all over the evening news about the fire in your life."
Innocence/evidence be damned, trial by press hysteria, stilted kangaroo court, whisper campaign, anonymous phone call complaint and when the target proved innocent it made no difference at all. How many Universities paid huge settlements to men whose lives and careers were destroyed--because "he made me feel uncomfortable". Electronic Salem witchcraft poisoned the American psyche, installed the political snitch and got paid to do it. How? They used crazy people and tax treasure.(The manufacture and exploitation of crazy people is an industry.) The MSM and spook land saw that the grift worked and said "why not".
"Back in the 60's" Tricky Dickie and staff couldn't find a way to throttle White anti-war protest and stop the Black civil rights movement so they invented the "drug war". Overcharged and booked criminal conspiracy and mass arrests, when open murder (Fred Hampton/Gary Webb) wasn't required, laid the ground work for the surveillance state intrusion into private citizen life and finance. How'd they do it? Compromised informants (Whitey Bulger) and tax treasure? (Did the "drug war" get murky? Well yes!! Who was dealing what to who?-- Gang culture and values is prison culture. Black youth violence today is the result of the drug war and the prison industrial complex.)
Meanwhile--(guess who?)--the MSM got their "nasty little fingers in every bodies pie" and gladly put the hatchet to anyone D.C. political surveillance deemed a threat. Heads rolled on demand and when state propaganda/spook land needed a voice the MSM was there. Why and how does the beast survive? Tax treasure.
Throughout this sorid little story polished (sometimes not so polished) little grifters cast their grasping little shadows across the lives of hard working Americans, looted their economy and stole everything they could get their hands on. Electronic shadow villains from East to American West abound. Silicon Valley, the D.C. "Swamp", the MSM, monopolizing Private Equity perps and the biggest canker sore of all, a surveillance machine that designates concerned parents terrorists and puts sniffer dogs on sane American political voices. And, turn over the dead on Fentanyl corner, boarded up downtown, car jacked, working two jobs, buying food on credit so my children won't starve, herd management, keep you're f'kin mouth shut rock and behold, the Gerogie Soros NGO, CCP, Billy Gates euthanasia center, Green New Deal Al Gore, EU/Brussels billionaire Davos snake pit.("Perpetual crisis and war for thee. Never for me")
Gee--How does that grift keep breathing? Tax treasure.
First thing that came to my mind. One party started it, the other loved it. Anything that gives the Uniparty more power over the people.
And, uh... when is President Liberty going to fight to repeal the PATRIOT Act?
Never. Along with abolishing CIA and FBI, never.
Yeah, "Patriot Act": maybe the most grab your balls you're about to get hit name of all time...
as Benjamin Franklin put it; “Those who would give up essential liberty, to purchase a little temporary safety, deserve neither liberty nor safety.”
Welp, we did give up, and Matt certainly will never lead the charge to get those liberties back if it means getting on the bad side of MAGA. (Do you think he wants his next appearance before Congress to include rough treatment by BOTH parties?)
Oh brother....
This is a "why does the dog lick his balls?" situation - they have too much power and are dumber than mutts. Fire all the bosses and let the agents do their jobs instead of checking for skid marks. For real! Great work, Matt!
Thx Matt- for your tireless drive to expose the government (and private sector!) on this! 👏
I'd like to see an investigation into who exactly weaponized the federal government against Gabbard. It was an outrageous abuse of power.
Well, maybe if Gabbard hadn't been sidelined for speaking out against Israel that might have happened.
Willing to bet it was the Hillary contingent trying to find dirt for Kamala.
Wow I got in early to this story. Never before SitCom gets the first word...
Question, is there any avenue for a "typical citizen" to get a report of what info has been captured on their person?
FOIA like and not a seven year wait.
rich
Defeats the whole purpose of the secret police…
Thanks Dave, true, but we know data is being gathered, so the police are "not so secret" anymore.. I was thinking like credit score reporting, but would be:
who/agency is gathering my data?
what did they get on me?
as a stretch, how can this data gathering be blocked,
take care
"Not wittingly" needs to be on Clapper's tombstone.
AKA plausible deniability.
If you're not careful, Matt, we're gonna elect you to something
A government that commands so much of our personal information might even send IRS agents to the door of someone testifying to Congress -- to make sure we know who's boss.
You would think this would make Matt sympathetic to people being beaten up by ICE. Oh well.
Wow, you sure have a crush on Matt😉
Hey, I'm paying a lot to date they guy. $7.00 a month?? People with a lot more talent only charge $5.00. Sure hope I get a handy out of this!
By your own metrics it appears you're a dumbass
"The government spent $200 million a year following up to 50 people a day for a program that in its history never once led to an arrest, or thwarted a single criminal act."
Excellent example of our tax dollars at work! Ain't government great!!??
Ah, it's not real money. They're just printing it at will.
Word! But it may still be worth a few hundred thousand.
We the People need to ask what do we need a central government for?
One of the wisest founders no one knows about is Robert Yates (aka) Brutus – who predicted ALL the corruption we see today. When compared to Alexander Hamilton (who said a bill of rights is not only unnecessary but dangerous (Federalist #84 and argued against term limits), it’s very apparent we should have amended the Articles of the Confederation and not created a powerful central government further away from the people.
Brutus was right about EVERYTHING: https://lizlasorte.substack.com/p/captain-hindsight-to-the-rescue-brutus?r=76q58
https://lizlasorte.substack.com/p/get-in-the-ring-alexander-hamilton?r=76q58
Just by the by.....the propensity for regular spying, on anyone, is a totalitarian trait.
We saw a great deal of spying -- by the average person -- emerge during the COVID-mania months and years. The British called them "curtain twitchers". Tells you something about totalitarianism being afoot during COVID-mania.
We also saw these everyday spies portrayed in "1984".
And Alienating parents who control their children to hate the other parent will have the kids spy on their innocent mother or father to report back to the controller. Damages the child, of course.
Totalitarians are so prone to spying because they want to determine who is following their narrative and who is not. Those who are not following what they demand will be punished. This is the general principle driving them.
Don't you worry! Trump's gonna get onto rolling back "totalitariansm" any moment now! Pack your bags, Deep State! Trumps'a commin' for you! Yessiree Bob, freedom is on the way! Swamp's a-drainin' faster than you can say "Jeffrey Epstein was a pedophile pimp!" Power is coming back into the hands of the people in three...two... one...
It is the leftwing WOKE who are totalitarian, my friend.
Oh, yes... I forgot that ICE is all about trans rights.
I won't buy a new car because ever since about 2011, they're all connected to the internet. Not only do cars hoover up data which the automakers can then sell to anyone (including government agencies!), they also have the ability to "update" the software that runs many (if not most) of the systems in your car without your permission, consent, or even knowledge. Oh, and if you financed your car, the lender can shut your car down if you've been missing payments.
Now, add in the wonderous technology of "self driving" and "autonomous" vehicles, and think of the potential for official or unofficial mischief. Could someone use it to make your car drive off a bridge? The sales people will assure you that of course that's impossible, and we believe them because there's no one on earth more trustworthy than auto dealership sales people.
I'll keep my 2006 car with 150,000+ miles on it until someone will sell me one that's not connected to the internet.
"People who lie about them in this chamber need to be fired.
Correction: Those who lie about all of this to Congress need to go to prison.