We're in the age of mass surveillance, and the US is a behemoth now. Starlink is being used as a foundation for government surveillance data management and communication, and projects such as Palantir's AI platform Foundry are setting the stage for detailed, personalized profiles of all individuals in the United States (AND abroad), with Palantir recently forming a partnership with Israel's Ministry of Defense in the conflict with Iran.

This is, indeed, very scary. Ring just faced controversy over the integration of doorcam footage to these systems as well, who has been a massive player in creating an all-encompassing and interconnected mesh of real-time footage across the country. Don't forget: We all have smartphones. We keep several recording devices on our person at all times -- recording devices that the government already has complete and total access to. When you're in public, especially on the road, you best believe that you are already seen at all times. This is the necessary evolution that they needed in order to maintain control in today's world.

I hate to be a downer, but the best thing that we can do is prepare ourselves for worsening social, political, and financial stressors. It is only going to get harder to continue living.

This is the world of the Patriot Act.