“To be GOVERNED is to be watched, inspected, spied upon, . . .”

‚Thus begins Pierre-Joseph Proudhon’s famous quote defining the function of the political state. The surveillance states already in formation in Britain and the U.S. are nothing new. Only its technology and its capacity for totality. But this is a key consideration. No more escaping across the county line or hiding out in the hills. Everywhere and anywhere today is a social panopticon. 

In earlier times of political opposition to the rulers, the names of rebels would be written in ink in a large ledger and later, on 3X5 cards, following reports from observers, undercover agents, and provocateurs. This was often sufficient to keep track of those who threatened the rule of capital and the state. Enough to often fill prisons and dungeons with those who refused their duty as loyal servants of the system.‘

https://freedomnews.org.uk/2026/04/26/files-on-the-fifth-estate/

https://www.fifthestate.org/

#FifthEstate #Surveillance #FBI #Technology #Repression #State #UK #USA #Europe #Antireport