This Is Not A Drill with Gavin Esler Big Tech, A.I. and the dictators – Inside the future of authoritarianism
Oct 30, 2025
Bruce Schneier, a renowned cybersecurity expert, dives into the alarming intersection of big tech, AI, and authoritarianism. He reveals how dictators can exploit surveillance capitalism for control. Schneier critiques the superficiality of legal consent in data collection and warns about escalating U.S. government surveillance. He emphasizes the need for civic awareness against emerging techno-authoritarian risks and argues that political solutions are crucial in combating these challenges. AI's ability to process vast data poses new threats that demand immediate attention.
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Surveillance Is The Internet's Business Model
- The internet's business model is surveillance capitalism where platforms spy, learn and manipulate users for ad revenue.
- Bruce Schneier warns this model shifts risk as governments gain increased access to corporate-collected data.
Government Data Is Deep And Mandatory
- Governments hold large, mandatory data sets (tax, health, licenses) that corporations typically do not.
- Schneier notes security has relied on data fragmentation, which centralization now threatens.
AI Enables Scalable Bulk Spying
- AI transforms bulk surveillance by automating understanding and summarizing of communications and behaviours.
- Schneier says this capability makes large-scale, detailed spying feasible in ways manual review never could.
