I write a blog that focuses on public information, public health, and policy: https://pimento-mori.ghost.io/
Moving from lemm.ee to sh.itjust.works
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"Totally not a narc, inc."
Interesting thing is that rich people also have a lot to lose from AI data takeover. Pretty sure the only reason Marsha Blackburn is opposed to the state AI ban is because her wealthy supporters in Nashville are going to be fucked by losing copyright control of so much material
The same reason this administration does all the things they point their finger and accuse everyone else of doing. They're traitorous scumbags and hypocrites.
Law enforcement officer
In my city, a private company, Project Nola, owns the cameras. The owner is a former LEO and basically started a private security company in the city around 2015. He charges people an installation fee and cloud storage fee for the cameras, but has allegedly always offered surveillance footage to the cops for free because he wants to help tackle crime. There has never been an official contract with the city or police
I could possibly see a small company legitimately starting out that way, but this company actually popped up in the city during the middle of a secret partnership between the city and Palantir. The partnership, which enabled Palantir to collect data on individuals in order to create and patent predictive policing software was exposed in 2018.
There is allegedly no link between the two private companies, but the business model of the local surveillance company seems very hard to match the level of growth despite what would seem to be a fairly low profit margin it charges people using its service.
At some point the owner of the local surveillance company began combining his surveillance with facial recognition software, which then provides real time tracking of individuals on a watchlist to police (or anyone working with the company) when a match is made via information the surveillance cameras are constantly scanning for. The cameras can scan for details like a specific face (which is still prone to error/false positive matches) or it can scan for more vague details like walking gait, clothes a suspect may be wearing, or the type of car they may be driving.
The owner of the surveillance company, insists he does share the data he collects with anyone other than the law enforcement agencies he is working with. Originally this was apparently only NOPD, but now it's also the state police, FBI, and ICE/ICE state affiliates such as the National Guard, ATF, Department of Wildlife and Fisheries, and some other Louisiana state departments.
If that were true, it would still be quite concerning, but given that he apparently began using facial recognition software at some point over the last few years, and the most common facial recognition software used by LEOs and private companies is also a company backed by Peter Thiel, I find that claim nearly impossible to believe.
Here is some info about that other Thiel backed company, Clearview AI
Before the police in New Orleans began using the facial recognition software, they had to lift a city wide ban in 2022, that had originally been put in place in 2020
Two years after the city's partnership with Palantir allegedly ended, it was revealed the city was using facial recognition software, despite years of denying use. After this use was revealed, the 2020 ban of the technology was put in place. In 2022, the mayor requested the ban be lifted, so that police could continue using facial recognition software, but an ordinance regulating use was created in order to offer some regulation and protection of this use. However, last week, a Washington Post article revealed that police had just ignored that ordinance anyway.
Most people in New Orleans, including myself, were oblivious about most of this information until the Washington Post article was released. NOPD has allegedly stopped using the tracking software since the Post began its investigation, but is hoping to get the city to remove the ordinance they were in violation of.
As concerning as all of this is, what's perhaps even more concerning are the provisions included in the 2022 ordinance, that was created with the intention of providing some small level of regulation and protection to the public once the ban was lifted.
The proposed ordinance, if passed, would largely reverse the council’s blanket bans on the use facial recognition and characteristic tracking software, which is similar to facial recognition but for identifying race, gender, outfits, vehicles, walking gait and other attributes. One provision also appears to walk back the city’s ban on predictive policing and cell-site simulators — which intercept and spy on cell phone calls — to locate people suspected of certain serious crimes.
That provision could, for the first time, give the city explicit permission to use a whole host of surveillance technology in certain circumstances, including voice recognition, x-ray vans, “through the wall radar,” social media monitoring software, “tools used to gain unauthorized access to a computer,” and more.
I would definitely just be that lady driving the truck
Or those that attend a protest, or mouth off to the wrong person, or catch the interest of the wrong person, the potential for abuse is kinda endless.
You know how in healthcare, you can be fired for looking up someones medical records just to snoop on them, even if you're not sharing it with anyone else? This is like that but so much worse, and you could potentially be sharing that information with anyone with zero consequences
Pentagon boosts budget for Palantir’s AI software in major expansion of Project Maven
This was the same day the bill passed in the House
I think there's already a law banning porn in my state. Not sure if that's a loophole
Dude, I've just been thinking about this as privacy violation bc it's being used for surveillance in my state, but you just made me realize it's probably being used for different things in different states.
The very first AI supercomputer in the U.S. was built in Memphis, TN and nobody knows what they've been using it for, but given Memphis and especially Nashville are such huge recording cities that is probably not an insignificant thing to consider.
That is probably why Blackburn actually opposes it, because she's probably getting push back from her wealthy donors in Nashville!
If you work for a corporation, sure why not?
If you're just firing as a citizen absolutely not!
Also doesn't hack what my city apparently quietly allowed as of 2022 when they rolled back previous bans on predictive policing tech and created a new ordinance with very bare minimum regulations (which the city still violated)
Through the wall x-ray surveillance?! Oh yeah also created the initial ban after it was revealed they were secretly partnering with Palantir for several years, so probably not a coincidence
I just found this all out a few days ago, but if we all learn to shimmy and wear sheets of lead 24/7 maybe we'll be able to get around it
It's like a fucked up doctor Seus rhyme
States rights for me, and none for you, not if blue states might get them too
But if we all think about it you will see
On banning state regulations, we can't agree
They say the only regulation needed is a federal light touch
Because these stupid assholes spent way too much.
They put all our eggs into one AI basket
Why trust them now that the economy is in a casket?
Our economy is fucked either way
But handing over our rights won't make it magically ok
They'll have to figure it out, like we do with tariffs and inflation
Tell them to eat our AI regulations
Well large or small be sure to cover your face at protests (or even anytime you walk outside) bc my state is now using facial recognition AI to track and profile people on a watchlist or even people that maybe kind of look like them
If this passes the Senate your state will be doing it too, and if my theory about why they are starting all this here in my city is correct, then when they use the various states national guardsmen to march across state lines and enforce Trump's federal immigration laws, even the bluest state will be forced to comply
Blue cities within red states being used to test run full scale U.S. authoritarian takeovers?
Sorry, got a little heated and misunderstood what you were saying, and yeah I agree that is a perfect example
This one lady is nervously stepping out of line bc she's starting to sweat and realized it means she's also fucked and not magically protected by being a part of the old money white men's club
Meanwhile the technocratic elites that want this ban and all the Republicans in the house that tried to sneak this through are the ones secretly looking out for you by banning blue states from regulations to protect themselves
Here's a story about the dystopian nightmare I'm facing bc my state is in favor of banning its own regulation and is ALLOWING THIS DEREGULATION TO GO ON
The NOPD have paused their use bc it was in violation of a city ordinance (which I'm also guessing would be reversed by this ban)
Now the FBI, ICE, National Guard, and for some reason the fucking Department of Louisiana Wildlife and Fisheries also have completely unregulated access to look for whoever they want with zero oversight bc it's a private company. We all know corporations are our frenz right?
This still has to go to the Senate so please for the love of god if you care about your rights and privacy tell your senator to vote NO!
My city is currently in the midst of an AI facial recognition/predictive policing thanks to a secret city partnership with Palantir, dystopian nightmare
Frankly I would be happy to see my state ban facial recognition completely, but they definitely aren't going to, but please take this as a warning of what is definitely coming for you next!
We should have federal regulations and state regulations! There is absolutely no need for them to ban regulation at the state level other than the argument it will halt progress.
In reality they are invading your privacy and generating valuable data for these stupid AI data centers and they don't want you to be able to decide this sucks and I want it to stop in my state!
Not only would it ban laws for the next 10 years, it would remove existing laws. Some places already have a facial recognition ban, and this would repeal it!
It's nuts this seems to actually have some bipartisan support in the Senate, bc everyone is "so concerned" about America winning the AI race.
News flash, we probably won't win it. It was a dumb fucking idea in the first place, and yeah they put all of our eggs into the AI basket and it's probably going to tank the economy even more, but why TF should we be giving them even more control of our lives in the hopes that just maybe they can make a lot of money by further invading our privacy and doing some really evil shit with our data that will make the world an even worse place?
Here is an article about the May 8, 2025 hearing.
Altman, during the hearing, said that Texas had been “unbelievable” in incentivizing major AI projects. “I think that would be a good thing for other states to study,” Altman said. He predicted that the Abilene site would be the “largest AI training facility in the world.” But Altman also later cautioned against a patchwork regulatory framework for AI.
“It is very difficult to imagine us figuring out how to comply with 50 different sets of regulations,” said Altman. “One federal framework that is light touch, that we can understand, and it lets us move with the speed that this moment calls for, seems important and fine.”
Here is a quote from Peter Thiel protege, Michael Kratsios regarding AI regulation in 2019
“A patchwork of regulation of technology is not beneficial for the country. We want to avoid that. Facial recognition has important roles—for example, finding lost or displaced children. There are use cases, but they need to be underpinned by values.”
They have no values, I support a federal regulation too, but in case you haven't noticed, the people who want you to vote to remove state regulations in favor of a "light touch" federal regulation are also in charge deciding what that "light touch" federal regulation will be and if it gets enforced at all.
I cannot believe I actually agree with Marsha Blackburn on something, but she's right! Why TF would you believe you don't need state regulations bc there is the possibility the same party that just tried to sneak in this nightmare, might enact some federal protections.
Government deregulation has been in the works for a very long time. Do not let them keep taking our protections away!
Until then, his chair on the dais of the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee had sat empty all year.
Mr. Fetterman does not enjoy participating in these hearings that he has sat through in recent weeks as he seeks to prove that he is capable of performing the job he was elected to do until 2028. In fact, at a critical moment for the country, he appears to have little interest in the day-to-day work of serving in the United States Senate.
In an interview, Mr. Fetterman, who represents 13 million people, said he felt he had been unfairly shamed into fulfilling senatorial duties, such as participating in committee work and casting procedural votes on the floor, dismissing them as a “performative” waste of time.
Ohhhh this mother....
k...,so this is the committee that determined fitness for Trump's Science Advisor, Michael Kratsios. I literally begged for them to not approve his fitness. I wrote about this here, and fun fact even have a screenshot of me @ing fetterman and others on the committee on bluesky included in the article. Little did I know he wasn't even bothering to show up bc he thinks it's "performative...?!"
Quick summary: Kratsios is a protege of Peter Theil, who actually served as Chief Technology Officer during the first Trump administration. During that time, he helped set up all of the dangerous AI shit we're now dealing with, making sure they wouldn't be restrained by any pesky regulations.
Unregulated surveillance and facial recognition tech use by ICE, the FBI, and other LEOs, you can thank Kratsios.
Access and use of private government data to train AI, you may think that's all on DOGE/Musk but that is actually something Kratsios mentioned back in 2018
Senate Dems knew how dangerous deregulated AI was, particularly facial recognition tech for profiling use. Yet, with a few exceptions, they either approved his fitness or they just didn't show up like Fetterman
I guess it's ok bc Kratsios is now agreeing maybe we should dial it back and start to regulate AI....
Lol jk, of course he's actually saying we need to somehow further deregulate it so we will have even less protection for our privacy, rights and liberty.
Thanks Dems of the committee for taking your job so seriously 👍
And OF COURSE Fetterman showed up for this one. Not because he felt like his depression was being weaponized, it's because he just weaponizes the D next to his name to help force through Republican policy
Here is an article about that May 8, 2025 hearing.
Altman, during the hearing, said that Texas had been “unbelievable” in incentivizing major AI projects. “I think that would be a good thing for other states to study,” Altman said. He predicted that the Abilene site would be the “largest AI training facility in the world.” But Altman also later cautioned against a patchwork regulatory framework for AI.
“It is very difficult to imagine us figuring out how to comply with 50 different sets of regulations,” said Altman. “One federal framework that is light touch, that we can understand, and it lets us move with the speed that this moment calls for, seems important and fine.”
Here is a quote from Kratsios about regulation in 2019
“A patchwork of regulation of technology is not beneficial for the country. We want to avoid that. Facial recognition has important roles—for example, finding lost or displaced children. There are use cases, but they need to be underpinned by values.”
🖕🖕🖕🖕🖕🖕🖕🖕🖕🖕🖕🖕🖕🖕🖕🖕🖕🖕🖕🖕
Ok, I think you found a loophole
I feel like somebody did that when they first came out and they created some kind of ridiculous over the top penalty for doing it.
Its a bigger risk than I'm willing to take, but I would suggest if you're going to go that route, try to get a wealthy and well connected friend to do it for you or have a good lawyer on retainer
Yeah, I wrote about that and in particular hope more people will pay attention to what Michael Kratsios is doing.
Kratsios stays pretty quiet, so most people aren't aware of him, or the fact he and Thiel were behind most of the ideas everyone currently associates with DOGE during Trump's first administration.