The backlash against tech fascism and Trump's surveillance state is in full swing.
The top story on The New York Times website this Sunday morning is headlined The Data Center Backlash Bursts Into the Midterms (gift link). The article, written by Shane Goldmacher, begins:
The fight over data centers is suddenly at the epicenter of the midterm elections.
One new ad in Texas begins with someone typing into a chatbot, “Why is my electric bill going up?” Another in Ohio blames one of the state’s Republican senators for a proliferation of data centers, calling them “a total scam.”
And it's not just data centers: Flock camera backlash adds fuel to midterm anti-AI frenzy reads an Axios front-page headline, with Andrew Solender explaining why:
The Flock camera backlash is converging with the already prominent data center discourse to make AI one of the most potent issues on the campaign trail.
Much of the best reporting on Flock has come from 404 Media, which since 2024 has reported at least 47 stories on how the company's technologies are being used and abused by ICE, to track women who have had abortions, to allow cops to stalk and menace women, and more.
Across the country citizens — and city councils — are turning against Flock as they realize that the cameras they thought would keep local streets safe have been used to create a sinister and hard-to-control national surveillance network.
As longtime readers of this newsletter know, I've been warning for years that the steamroller of fascism would be hard to stop in a second Trump administration.
The November midterms could be our last chance.
FURTHER READING: In his new book The Nerd Reich, Gil Duran explains how "democracy is being dismantled not by coups or tanks, but by code, capital, and the illusion of innovation."
Thanks for reading and sharing! And an extra special THANK YOU to all my paid subscribers*, past and present, and contributors to my "coffee fund." While paid subscriptions are always welcome, I’m continuing to offer all content free, so choosing a “free” subscription means you'll never miss an issue of UNPRECEDENTED.
To support this newsletter without subscribing, consider a one-time tip at Buy Me a Coffee.
*Subscriptions are billed to TLD Media, LLC
Subscribe to Unprecedented
Subscribe to the newsletter and unlock access to member-only content.