Posted on 02/08/2025 4:38:40 AM PST by MtnClimber
Innovation and liberty are not mutually exclusive — but the right balance requires a lot of vigilance.
In December 2024, Congress quietly extended Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) for two more years. Tucked into the National Defense Authorization Act, this extension renews controversial powers originally intended to monitor foreign intelligence threats. Critics warn that Section 702’s sweeping scope enables the incidental collection of Americans’ private communications, threatening Fourth Amendment protections against unreasonable searches and seizures. Once again, the delicate balance between security and liberty is on precarious ground.
Federal Contracts and Concentrated Power
A handful of America’s most influential figures — Elon Musk, Peter Thiel, Mark Zuckerberg, Jeff Bezos, and the architects of Google’s Alphabet — command unparalleled power. Hailed as innovators who’ve transformed industries and secured America’s technological dominance, their growing influence and lucrative federal contracts raise urgent questions. Among them, how much power is too much for any individual or corporation?
These titans thrive on government partnerships. Musk’s SpaceX has received over $19 billion in federal contracts, funding NASA missions, military satellite launches, and the defense-tailored Starshield program. Meanwhile, Starlink, Musk’s global internet network of over 6,000 satellites, improves connectivity but raises surveillance concerns. The Department of Defense plans to incorporate more than 100 Starshield satellites into its infrastructure by 2029, enabling comprehensive, high-fidelity Earth observation and secure communications.
Thiel’s Palantir Technologies, initially funded by the CIA’s venture capital arm, In-Q-Tel, plays a central role in federal intelligence. Its data integration tools power counterterrorism, predictive policing, and mass surveillance programs, aggregating vast amounts of public and private data to create detailed profiles of individuals — often without their consent.
(Excerpt) Read more at americanthinker.com ...
The left is drooling over what China has done with it’s Social Credit System and mass surveillance.
No wonder why Bezos and Zuck decided to support Trump. They are hoping by the time Trump gets around to them, he will be out of office.
Yep.
“The left is drooling over what China has done with it’s Social Credit System and mass surveillance.”
But right now the right and left tech giants both are coming together around Trump to make this happen.
Thank you for this, it is the factual reality I have been trying to explain for two years now.
I assume every key I hit and every word I say on a phone is recorded and readily available to federal agents.
The difference at most between your FISA fears and reality is a judicial warrant.
Leftist (and right-wing) judges will give Homeland Security whatever it asks for (unless you are an invader).
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.