Daily Archives: July 18, 2026
The invisible architects: five hard realities of the surveillance state
Artificial intelligence isn’t just changing how we work—it is reshaping how we’re watched. In this analysis, Leah Harmony examines the rise of the modern surveillance state, from AI-powered school buses and predictive policing to data architecture and “smart city” technology. As governments and tech companies build increasingly interconnected systems, she asks a fundamental question: Who controls the tools that increasingly control us—and what happens to freedom when every movement becomes data?
Raoul Peck on Orwell, authoritarianism and the duty to act
Acclaimed filmmaker Raoul Peck says authoritarianism did not suddenly arrive with Donald Trump — it has been decades in the making. In this exclusive conversation with the SF Bay View, the director of Orwell 2+2=5 explains why George Orwell remains essential reading, how propaganda and historical amnesia fuel modern power, and why neutrality is itself a political choice. Peck argues that democracy demands more than voting; it demands action.