Politicology ENCORE: Means of Control — Part 1
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Jul 10, 2025 Byron Tau, a journalist specializing in law, courts, and national security, dives into his new book exploring the hidden alliance between tech and government. He discusses the evolution of data brokering and how metadata can pinpoint individuals, raising critical concerns for personal privacy. The conversation also touches on the changing landscape of privacy rights in the U.S. and the alarming increase in public-private surveillance relationships since 9/11, revealing how social media has transformed data collection practices.
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Government Buying Consumer Data
- Byron Tau discovered that the Pentagon and DHS were buying large amounts of consumer data for counterterrorism and manhunting.
- This data eventually spread to intelligence agencies and local police, raising privacy concerns.
Post-9/11 Shift to Individual Surveillance
- Post-9/11, U.S. intelligence shifted focus from state actors to individual people.
- This pivot sparked huge interest in commercial consumer data to track ordinary people globally.
Metadata Reveals Identities
- Metadata, though anonymized, contains unique device identifiers linked to individuals through patterns.
- Location data and habits make it easy to re-identify someone despite privacy claims.
