The U.S. wants to be China, even if it means repeating the same mistakes and destroying any semblance of civil liberty. We’re on a fast track, and they don’t care who they hurt or what rights they violate as long as they can feel like they won.

Timeline of predictive policing and facial recognition surveillance in New Orleans:

~2012-2018: Palantir has secretly been using New Orleans to test its predictive policing technology

2015: Meet The Man Who Runs New Orleans’ Entirely Privatized (And Controversial) City Surveillance System

2017: ProjectNOLA plans to expand crime camera network, work more closely with New Orleans officials

2018: Months after end of ‘predictive policing’ contract, Cantrell administration works on new tool to ID ‘high-risk’ residents

2020: New Orleans City Council bans facial recognition, predictive policing and other surveillance tech

2022: Mayor Cantrell moves to reverse bans on facial recognition, predictive policing and other surveillance tech

2023: Wholly ineffective and pretty obviously racist’: Inside New Orleans’ struggle with facial-recognition policing

May 2025: Police secretly monitored New Orleans with facial recognition cameras

June 2025: City camera technology not useful for facial recognition: Project NOLA founder

Lagarde says he believed a proposed new ordinance would “free up NOPD to tap the Project NOLA network without concern” as needed.

Future surveillance across America as of 2025:

June 2025: Trump’s Palantir-Powered Surveillance Is Turning America Into a Digital Prison

Palantir, long criticized for its role in powering ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) raids and predictive policing, is now poised to become the brain of Trump’s surveillance regime. Under the guise of “data integration” and “public safety,” this public-private partnership would deploy AI-enhanced systems to comb through everything from facial recognition feeds and license plate readers to social media posts and cellphone metadata—cross-referencing it all to assess a person’s risk to the state.

It’s just a worn out cliche the GOP has been using against blue cities for decades now to pretend that the only explanation for crime in cities can be boiled down to Democrats not cracking down hard enough.

That’s the narrative control justification for this authoritarian bullshit. It doesn’t matter what the actual circumstances are behind the numbers, just throw out a statistic and stoke fear.

It’s shady as fuck and part of a very long and convoluted story. This guy’s private surveillance company popped up in New Orleans in the middle of a secret partnership with Palantir. So after Palantir “left” the city in a bit of a scandal, this guy’s surveillance company helped continue elements of what started under Palantir.

It’s very confusing bc as of the city council meeting on 6/30, NOPD said they wanted the ordinance to use facial recognition tech in their own crime cameras (separate from ProjectNola).

Yesterday was supposed to be the day the ordinance was discussed, but the city council meeting was just cancelled with no notification and no information provided about why.

City council was supposed to vote next week for or against the ordinance, but someone told me the vote has apparently also been cancelled. When I asked though they didn’t say how they know that, so I have no idea what is actually going on with the ordinance and city council.

NOPD argued on 6/30 that the ability to use real time facial recognition tracking in their system would at least give them more control bc they knew that ProjectNola was already working with the state police and ICE.

Except as of today, a state law kicks in and it becomes illegal for police to refuse a federal immigration order or “hinder” (yes it’s definitely intentionally vague what exactly that means) federal immigration.

There also seems to be contradicting evidence about how separate the city’s own real time crime camera program and ProjectNola are.

Main points:

• NOPD said on 6/30 that they believed ProjectNola and state police were already using this tracking tech to help ICE. ProjectNola seems to be denying this.

• Yesterday, the ordinance discussion and entire city council meeting was apparently cancelled with no notification to the public.

• As of today an insane new state law kicks in to try and force law enforcement to ignore a federal consent decree and join the state police and other state agencies in their partnership with ICE

K… keep simping for big brother.

Every city will have it’s justification soon enough, so good luck with that. It’s just more efficient for the government to be able to track you in real time. Crime goes down real quick, especially if you stop believing a violation of civil liberties is a crime.

Bc after all, how could a government that is run by criminals be commiting a crime when they make the laws?

This is fucked up for so many reasons, but to me the fucking creepiest part of this, is knowing this is the same group of people that are protecting a sex trafficking ring of elite pedophiles.

They love to justify not having any regulations to hinder this technology by reminding people it can be used to find missing children. But it also has the potential to exploit children.

If the government can track anyone in real time, including children, with no oversight, how the fuck do we know the wealthy elites that often purchase the government through campaign donations won’t also be tracking children in real time?

Even if you didn’t already have one million reasons (and growing every day) to not trust the people running the government. Even if some of the most hated broligarchs in the U.S. hadn’t already been given government positions, military rankings, and top clearance.

With zero oversight and accountability, how the fuck can you be sure that only the government will have access to this system?

It was an ICE agent at a protest. Not condoning throwing rocks at anyone but have you seen videos out of Portland?

ICE has been brutalizing the fuck out of protestors, especially in Portland. I would like to say I would never do that, but if I saw an ICE agent or anyone using unnecessary force against a friend or my family for peacefully protesting (which I’ve seen happen to multiple people, and that shit is definitely not ok) I cant honestly say I would react in the most calm and level headed way either.

They do directly address this in the article though, and the main issue is not so much that they used the technology, but again the fact that there is no oversight or regulation for its use.

Catherine Crump, a professor at UC Berkeley Law School who leads a law, technology and public policy clinic, said the use of facial recognition technology in this particular case was “as justifiable as it gets.”

“That said, it’s really problematic that we’ve done as bad a job as we have in this country at regulating the use of technology like this; there should be clear rules of the road,” Crump said.

She pointed out flaws in facial recognition technology, citing research that’s shown it to have racial bias in being worse at identifying Black people and other minorities.

“We need safeguards to ensure that this powerful technology is used in a way that advance legitimate law enforcement interests, but that stave off possibilities of abuse," Crump said.

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This would be infuriating no matter what, but the hypocrisy of ICE wearing masks and all the bullshit about accountability for everybody “except me and my frenz bcuz we’re too busy making America so great to worry about the rules” makes this all so much more fucking ridiculous

I’m sure once every human is replaced by shitty automated AI the entire process will become smoother than our darkest nightmares can imagine.

Book your flight. Hop into your driverless taxi, and if you survive the trip to the airport, use the facial recognition option to breeze right on through security within minutes (assuming you’re the right color of passenger) without even taking off your shoes.

No need for air traffic control, flight attendants, or even pilots. You can can walk straight on to the overcrowded plane, settle in, put on your headphones and sleep mask, then nosedive straight into the ocean without ever having to acknowledge another human being. Until the rude asshole sitting next to you suddenly bothers you with some stupid shit like “Oh God why aren’t the oxygen masks dropping? That used to be automatic! Our father who art in heaven. Hallowed be thy name…”

You roll your eyes and put your headphones and mask back on to enjoy the soothing sounds of autotune AI generated parody songs you made on the ride to the airport. What the fuck is that guy even talking about anyway? You don’t know and you don’t care. You didn’t pay for first class to have some rando kill your vacay vibe. You take a deep breath (but there’s no oxygen) smile and settle back in, knowing that soon you will reach your final destination.

You think any of this ends with superintelligence for us all? Is that why you’re building an underground doomsday bunker and tunnel in Hawaii?

the air industry groups said the law was a “step backward” and that facial recognition technology made security screenings far more efficient.

There’s that word again. Is there anything that can’t be justified by efficiency?

It never is, never has been, and probably never will be very efficient to slow down and consider the brand new set of issues created by efficiency. You’re just standing in the way of progress, and that’s tomorrow’s problem anyway. Let them figure it out. I’m sure they’ll come up with an efficient solution.

EPIC et al. Call on Congress to Codify Protections for Travelers From TSA Facial Recognition July 30, 2025

True, they will always play the victim even as they’re hurting and exploiting people they see as less than. Don’t allow them to have any evidence of credibility.

I think his idea of hell would probably be having to lower himself to the standard of living most people would consider normal and comfortable. Having to learn to actually survive day to day if he were to find himself suddenly without a cent of the money he was born into and all future wages and earnings garnished to pay the people he has harmed, would probably be a fate worse than any hell he could imagine.

I know there’s no justice and there is pretty much no chance of him ever facing any sort of proportional punishment or consequence for his actions. But, if I could make it happen, having to suddenly learn to survive with the rest of us mortals in the society he has helped create, in his late fifties, wondering how he will even afford something as basic as healthcare while his body rapidly ages from stress and gradually falls apart, after a lifetime of unimaginable privilege, unable to go anywhere or do anything he enjoys without being recognized and having people curse his name. That would be the fate I would wish on somebody like him.

I think that’s becoming a universal norm unfortunately. Governments don’t seem to be at all concerned if the policies they implement do or don’t please the people they are supposed to represent anymore, so who are they pleasing?

That’s why I feel like people need to be aware of this, and understand there are Republicans and Democrats taking Thiel’s money.

It doesn’t matter how he gets there, this is his ultimate goal. He would prefer the far right Nazi way, but if he has to hide behind a moderate Democrat he’ll do that too.

Look at this shit.

Ro Kahnna is definitely setting himself up to run for president in 2028. Either that or possibly vice president to Gavin Newsome. Newsome also has taken Thiel money in the past.

Thiel’s private Uranium mine just happens to be in the home state of Thomas Massie, the Republican who is partnering with Kahnna to take on the Trump Epstein files in a bipartisan tag team.

I’m glad they’re exposing rich pedophiles, but don’t give them fucking brownie points when it’s clear they’ve been sitting on this shit the whole fucking time. The same with Vance going to Rupert Murdoch before all of this dropped.

They definitely could have exposed Trump before he even ran for president the second time, but they didn’t bc this is just part of their evil bullshit plans. This is just a game to them, and the people who have been hurt and exploited mean nothing. Fuck these evil pieces of shit. All of them.

I just mean victimhood is usually the go to for far right assholes, and all assholes really. Especially the ultra wealthy ones who have the money and influence to spin the truth into whatever they want. Like you leave them no choice but to be even more evil the next time.

I could totally see whoever comes in his footsteps saying some shit like, “You saw what they did to Thiel. I had to crack down early on to protect myself.”

He really does just look so much more relaxed and carefree. Like one picture says 1000 words and tells the story of the life that could have been had he followed his heart rather than becoming a murderous dictator.

Theil looks roughly the same, but with a fun captains hat.

I’ve never seen Putin look that happy IRL. He’s glowing

I mean my opinion is if your plan is to take away everybody’s healthcare, collapse the economy, close public schools, and decrease quality of life in general, plus do all these other crazy things that put the mother’s life at risk, why would it be a good idea to encourage as many new births as possible?

Also, I know n=1 but I really wanted to have another kid last year, but put it off specifically bc of the crazy laws Republicans started passing that put maternal health at risk. Honestly, I’m relieved I didn’t bc the economy has also gotten so bad since then and everything is so uncertain. Now when I read stories about brain dead women being forced to be kept alive to carry a fetus and give birth it makes me wonder if I’ll ever want to risk having another baby.

I think it’s dishonest to pretend that current birthrates in the U.S. at least aren’t in part a reflection of many women’s fears about giving birth during such a chaotic time.

I’m starting to think this is how they ease us into accepting the argument they need to grind us up for biofuel.

“Sorry kids, it turns out deregulation of nuclear safety and all these small modular nuclear reactors we built still isn’t enough to power the data centers.”

“Good news, we have this new idea: You know how there’s just way too many of you bc we’ve been banning birth control methods and spreading misinformation about declining birth rates? And there’s also not enough food bc of tariffs and a lack of available labor to harvest all those crops we let rot?”

To be fair, in exchange we will still get to enjoy terrible AI generated art and music.

Thanks! Just calls em like I sees em. Not defending or criticizing a sports team, or anything else I could see somebody might reasonably take personal.

Just the facts about an evil piece of shit psychotic billionaire who would rather use you and me for biofuel before he would bother to spend a penny or lift a finger to do anything positive for humanity if it didn’t also benefit him in some way.