Oversight
- ghostexodusfreelan2
- May 19
- 6 min read
by DexerTDP
What has governed America for over 163 years has caused the evolution of surveillance as time went on.
"There is something categorically different about electronic surveillance in our contemporary moment: the extent to which it operates on a mass scale. Wiretapping and electronic eavesdropping were highly individualized up until the 1980s. We were tapping individual telephones and listening to individual conversations. Now, as a result of the rise of “dataveillence” in particular, we're talking about a scale of surveillance that scarcely seems fathomable from the perspective of the 1960s, 1970s, or even the 1980s." - White, April. “A Brief History of Surveillance in America.” Smithsonian, Smithsonian.com, 22 Mar. 2018. www.smithsonianmag.com/history/brief-history-surveillance-america-180968399/
Whether I was in my history classes during my school years, the media reports of my time in anonymous. There was always one common denominator happening a time or two, over and over.
Surveillance.
Whether it's stock brokers wanting to hear trade secrets, the Red Scare, WWII, Cold War, Cosa Nostra, war on drugs, terrorism, "illegal aliens". It was always something or a target that people would be manipulated into being in favor of surveillance. In fact the FBI was founded on an executive order that was first signed by Attorney General Charles J. Bonaporte on July 26, 1908, following President Teddy Roosevelt wishes. Establishing the FBI, known then as the Bureau of Investigation.
Fun fact, the FBI were formed initially to fight corruption of illegal land dealings that congress didn't want the president to investigate with the secret service before J Edgar Hoover took over the bureau....Does it sound familiar now to what DOGE is trying to be?
History repeats
"Today U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) will begin considering aliens’ antisemitic activity on social media and the physical harassment of Jewish individuals as grounds for denying immigration benefit requests. This will immediately affect aliens applying for lawful permanent resident status, foreign students and aliens affiliated with educational institutions linked to antisemitic activity." -DHS to Begin Screening Aliens’ Social Media Activity for Antisemitism | USCIS.” USCIS, 9 Apr. 2025. www.uscis.gov/newsroom/news-releases/dhs-to-begin-screening-aliens-social-media-activity-for-antisemitism
The 1st time I had heard of systematic surveillance happening at any point in my life initially would be right after 9/11 with the passing of the patriot act. Now as a child, all of the politics aside, I took it as nonsense as I didn't understand what was going on then. That was until I first witnessed a kid of Muslim descent being bullied and picked on. As if he were to be blamed for the war. I didn't realize it then, but later on when I had discovered WikiLeaks and learned about what they put out on the war of Iraq. It's when I had that flashback to my childhood memory. I couldn't help but to feel bad for the whole damn thing.
Now racism and scapegoating go hand in hand, unfortunately.
After 9/11, many who were Muslim, of Middle Eastern descent, or came from one of those designated countries. You had to comply to be put on the registry in order for the government to know where you are. Which led to systematic abuse, and I mean Guantanamo Bay should be an example of that. And even before that, during WWII, when Japanese citizens had to be relocated to internment camps because of the aftermath of the bombing of the base, Pearl Harbor. There was always a reason of why some oversight had to happen in order for people to cater and let the government do what it was to keep them safe and always often never wanting to know what that meant until it was too late.…
Current Predicament
Now obviously the target of full surveillance these days is any political dissents, skin color (legal or not), and if you are RFK, people with autism. It seems that the current administration's obsession in repeating the aftermath of the Bush administration in how they dealt with it, which undermined warrants and the rule of law. Ironically, it only breeds whistleblowers and more outspoken critics.
It seems it's always the same cycle.
Highlight a problem that seems "overwhelming" or "catastrophic" via yellow journalism and highlight it to the max, people react and expand the narrative, and the media pushes the narrative so people go onboard. Throughout American history, this was highlighted in some capacity.
Red Scare after WWI
Internment camps for Japanese Citizens during WWII
Patriot Act / Muslim registry after 9/11
Muslim travel ban 2017
COVID
2025 immigration tensions
At times, it doesn't necessarily mean just in politics, but also in business.
Fear = Opportunity
Whether it's preventing the next terror attack or preventing the mass exodus of "illegal aliens". People at large have always had a fear of danger. And fear, often it's said that it can be a motivator. But it's also an emotion to sell narratives.
"The fact that fear - especially a constant state of fear - can interfere with a person's ability to think clearly, critically, and ethically was a convenient advantage for those with a financial stake" - Baldwin, N. (2022, January 31). Trump, Russiagate & Covid: How corporate media profits from Fear. OpEd News. https://www.opednews.com/populum/page.php?f=Trump-Russiagate--Covid-by-Natylie-Baldwin-Big-Pharma\_Corporate-Media\_Corporate-Media\_Covid-Censorship-220131-361.html
In the business world, it is trade secrets or sensitive projects that deal with all sorts of ramifications, and this couldn't be more true than for those companies that do business with the government. After all, its sort of an open secret expectation that any tech that helps the military overseas for their missions there's always a version that appears in home soil.
Then there's Hollywood.
Hollywood personnel were targeted by Hoover and the FBI for their political affiliation because of his bias belief that Hollywood was a breeding ground for "communism influence and propaganda." Yet what ended up happening was ramifications of careers ending and being blacklisted (i.e Hollywood ten), some who by sheer luck got through the targeting (i.e. Lucille Ball). Granted, Hollywood's origin story is muddy at best. It was a world of theatre and creative weirdos who got a shit ton of money as an end result of their work which highlighted their tendencies afterwards. Then there was the Hays code era of Hollywood which some questionable directors ended up using child stars to circumvent certain rules of the code.
Then there's the Weinstein scandal, which gave birth to the me too movement. Although in that, I sometimes gather that the telling of what happened to his victims overshadowed the fact that there was a firm which has its origins in Mossad were tailgating them on behalf of Mr. Weinstein. The perfect opportunity to showcase that surveillance in a very practical scale, where its no longer limited to just government.
But civilans with loot who for the right money can get an entire staff to follow you in every turn.
But I mean that's under the extreme circumstances.
The all-seeing eye in regular life
Now lets take away all the surveillance history away from governments and industry. You maybe asking yourself if say a regular normie or a hacker (active or retired) can be a target of surveillance other than the government.
yes...
How?
It only takes someone with time, determined and a platform where they can host their movements to make it happen.
How do I know that?
Simple.
That was what I used to do... after all people fascinated me more than code at times. As I speak, my bot is data scraping world topics that interest me so i'm informed, it wasn't always like that if you catch my drift.
In simple essence, tech and code is only around due to humans, and every person in this world is a machine in its way. It's why when you fall in love with someone, you take the time in knowing the person and in some cases, I've seen, they go beyond in knowing the internet life of someone. In tech, you are fascinated by code and if there's a vulnerability.
And in both there's always a payoff.
Which in hindsight, its the basis of surveillance. The sad part is, its a part of our society now. Snowden warned the world about it. Nobody really cared.
It is what it is.
Take Care,
Dexer
Edited by GhostExodus
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