this post was submitted on 12 Aug 2026
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A Boring Dystopia
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The same thing is happening/has already happened in China, the government there can find you and black bag you anywhere at any time. Ask Naomi Wu.
Russia basically is this already.
Europe is also trying to go there with the repeated attempts to pass chat control and age restrictions on internet access.
In the US, capitalism is the tool the authoritarians are using to accomplish their goals, and it is absolutely enabling the spread of the surveillance state. Capitalism itself is not the motivation for the surveillance state, it's just being used by the authoritarians. If we're going to put a stop to this kind of behavior, we have to get the targets right. Flock and the other companies like them are a symptom of the larger problem.
To my knowledge, Naomi Wu was never "black bagged". She's still selling stuff on cybernightmarket. She's just done posting politics.
But to compare the grief Wu got (and, from what I read forever ago, it was as much other terminally online types screaming at her as any state intervention) with Leqaa Kordia or Mahmoud Khalil both of whom absolutely were "black bagged" in the literal sense? Wu was not indefinitely detained in a prison camp or threatened with torture unless she "voluntarily self-deported", at least as far as I could find.
Russia is so much more, as they've weaponized their prison population into military conscripts.
Really not looking forward to the day I'm arrested by an ICE agent who is, himself, wearing a bomb collar.
The surveillance state is a vital tool of private industry when executives fear a proletariat insurrection. It is a necessary precondition to prevent insurrection.
It's even more than that. Russia has weaponized their entire civilian population. It's straight up nazi-level shit where you're either Z or you're a traitor. This is what American maga salivates about - complete and utter obedience through surveillance, legal and cultural bullying.
She disappeared from western social media, where she was very active before. Her latest post on twitter was chilling, I just hope she and her partner are ok.
:-/
...including, like, the custodian?
You're not going to win over undecided people by advocating for unreasonable, indiscriminate violence, you're just going to give the opposition ammunition for calling you an extremist.
It would be far more productive to support groups like the EFF and ACLU in lobbying for legislation to prevent such abusive technology. Also get involved in your local town/county politics to advocate against the installation of such things. The absolute last thing the sick fuckers running companies like Flock want is for people to organize against them. Don't push people away, encourage them to join.
Right... I'm the one being divisive, by saying that we should organize and work together. Hilarious.
The thing doing the most damage to Flock right now is the negative public opinion pushing counties and townships to cancel contracts. Those "useless" systems are actively responding to the demands of their citizens, and Flock cameras are being removed in many jurisdictions. The way you hurt a capitalist enterprise is to take away its money (loss of contracts).
So, how about you "pick a side" and join in with the effort that is actually producing results?
https://www.npr.org/2026/02/17/nx-s1-5612825/flock-contracts-canceled-immigration-survillance-concerns
https://www.politico.com/news/2026/08/09/flock-cameras-backlash-cancellations-01026242
https://banflockcameras.com/tracker/
https://www.stopflock.com/