Border Towers and Jail Algorithms Enforce State Surveillance
July 22, 2026
The Department of Homeland Security and municipal police departments are rapidly expanding automated surveillance networks, from billion-dollar border tower deployments to AI-driven behavior prediction in Ontario jails. Simultaneously, corporate platforms like Google and Thomson Reuters are actively sanitizing detention center reviews and funneling data to immigration enforcement, merging commercial infrastructure with state carceral control.
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BRIEF
An Explosion of Surveillance Towers is Coming to U.S. Borders, Costing Over $1 Billion
A new report from the Government Accounting Office reveals that the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) plans to nearly triple the number of surveillance towers along U.S. borders, from the current 830 to 2,300 by 2034. DHS expects to expend $1 billion in taxpayer dollars for this dangerous expans…
- AI governance
- structural power
- media and technology
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Black prisoners are assigned harsher living conditions in Ontario jails—thanks to AI
Ontario jails are using a program that claims it can predict prisoners’ behaviour, disproportionately putting Black prisoners in higher-security facilities The post Black prisoners are assigned harsher living conditions in Ontario jails—thanks to AI appeared first on The Breach.
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Google Is Censoring Reviews of ICE Detention Centers
In the past year, Google Maps was deleting all the reviews for dozens of ICE jails, a new study found. The post Google Is Censoring Reviews of ICE Detention Centers appeared first on The Intercept.
- structural power
- geopolitics
- OSINT methodology
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New Orleans Cops Published Policy Document Allowing Weaponized Drones
Cops and drone companies seem increasingly eager to put weapons on their drones.
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It’s Scary As Hell Being Black in America Right Now
The deaths of Nolan Wells and Kohen Wiley are symptoms of a nation retreating from any pretense of equal rights. The post It’s Scary As Hell Being Black in America Right Now appeared first on The Intercept.
- structural power
- geopolitics
- OSINT methodology
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Protecting Privacy in an AI Era
Daniel Solove argues in the Wall Street Journal (alternate link) that giving people control of their personal data is not an effective way to regulate privacy in this era. Instead, we need to hold companies accountable for their actions, similar to what we do with food and drug companies. Measures s…
- Cybersecurity
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Cops Continue To Prove They Can’t Be Trusted With Surveillance Tech
This is probably nothing more than another data point in a deluge, but it’s worth pointing out because it’s instructive. Cops are using a whole lot of surveillance tech these days. Flock Safety has been especially aggressive in pursuing the law enforcement market, offering cops access to a nationwid…
- media and technology
- AI governance
- structural power
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Thomson Reuters to share American information with ICE in new deal
While the company insists it has "safeguards" in place to prevent misuse of the information, some experts say the US$125-billion deal is a "red flag."
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MIT to Become Hotbed of AI Video Surveillance
It’s a lot: According to information obtained by The Tech, MIT is spending over $3 million on more than 500 AI surveillance cameras in academic buildings, residence halls, and outdoor areas along Memorial Drive. Installation of the new cameras, along with the wiring and infrastructure that will supp…
- Cybersecurity