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John Robb Profile picture
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14 Jul, 4 tweets, 1 min read
"U.S. Capitol Police will start using Army surveillance equipment to monitor Americans as part of a larger effort to improve security and turn the force into “an intelligence-based protective agency"

americanmilitarynews.com/2021/07/capito…
"Last week, the USCP took possession of eight Persistent Surveillance Systems Ground – Medium (PSSG-M) units"
Sounds like the beginnings of a Praetorian Guard:

"During the era of the Roman Republic, the Praetorians served as a small escort force (and intelligence agency) for high-ranking officials such as senators... and also serving as bodyguards for high-ranking officers"
This is a long-running trend. A "Hollow State" is only good for two things: helicopter money (just money, no programs that solve anything) and authoritarian control (militarization of police, surveillance, censorship).

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More from @johnrobb

John Robb Profile picture
14 Jul
"They enable extremely centralized command and control (as in: operations can be micro-manged down to the decision to kill). In sum, a small number of people in Washington DC can control and operate a vast 24x7 killing field for very few $$."

globalguerrillas.typepad.com/globalguerrill…
'a more interesting idea is how it gets applied to US internal security when... the current system loses much of its remaining legitimacy'
In that scenario:

"even a mildly radical post to a blog, Facebook, or Twitter (particularly if it could lead to a flashmob or an occupy style protest) would invite inclusion on the drone assassination list"
Read 4 tweets
John Robb Profile picture
17 Jun
White House Domestic Terrorism strategy document is out.

It's a Patriot Act on steroids.

In short, it reorients Homeland Security to focus on domestic threats/unrest.

/continued

whitehouse.gov/wp-content/upl…
It calls for new spending on:

Expansion of domestic data collection/analysis

Consolidation/sharing of intelligence on groups/individuals of interest

Discovery of transnational connections (an NSA trigger)

/cont.
Government-wide training on identifying and dealing with domestic threats

Expanded online surveillance and censorship

Expanded legal resources

Legislative reforms - new criminal laws

Screening and vetting of all DoD, Homeland Security, and Law Enforcement employees
Read 5 tweets
John Robb Profile picture
7 Jun
The establishment is gearing up for "the next great emergency"
More:
Put into this perspective -- the power outage in Texas was a sign of things to come.
Read 5 tweets
John Robb Profile picture
19 May
"a message appeared in a new WhatsApp channel called “Death to the Arabs.” The message urged Israelis to join a mass street brawl against Palestinian citizens of Israel.

That evening... black-clad Israelis smashing car windows and roaming the streets"

nytimes.com/2021/05/19/tec…
"at least 100 new WhatsApp groups have been formed for the express purpose of committing violence against Palestinians"

"The WhatsApp groups, with names like 'The Jewish Guard' and 'The Revenge Troops,' have added hundreds of new members a day over the past week"
"On one new WhatsApp group that The Times reviewed, “The Revenge Troops,” people recently shared instructions for how to build Molotov cocktails and makeshift explosives. The group asked its 400 members to also provide addresses of Arab-owned businesses that could be targeted."
Read 4 tweets
John Robb Profile picture
29 Apr
Digital Rights

Here's the first pass I made last fall

patreon.com/posts/44495131

Digital rights are a way to stabilize the online environment. To turn it into a place that generates positive returns over time.
Right now, the online environment is unstable, prone to non-linearity in the public sphere, and extractive (to the extreme) in the economic sphere.

How do digital rights emerge? Three pathways:

1) Government mandate.
2) Internet standard.
3) Crypto backdoor.
What are digital rights?

1) Identity + rights (access, speech, adjudication). Anonymity still exists, but it doesn't get the rights associated with identity.
Read 5 tweets
John Robb Profile picture
19 Apr
DeSantis: “If you riot, you are going to jail, and you are going to have to spend time in jail. If you assault law enforcement in a violent assembly, you are definitely going to go to jail. You burn down somebody’s business. ...”

sun-sentinel.com/news/politics/…
Harsher punishments if committed 'in furtherance of a riot.'

"For instance, a burglary committed by a rioter would be elevated from a third-degree felony, punishable by up to five years in prison, to a second-degree felony punishable by up to 15 years in prison."
New definitions for a riot:

"a public disturbance of at least three people with a “common intent.." A new crime of aggravated rioting... if the disturbance involves nine or more people and results in “great bodily harm,” property damage over $5,000 or blocks traffic..."
Read 5 tweets

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