The surveillance state has arrived… and it’s being implemented by our cities and towns

By Leo Hohmann

My old colleagues at World Net Daily have an interesting story up today about the city of Norfolk, Virginia. City officials have transformed Norfolk into a virtual lock-down surveillance society with more than 172 high-resolution, internet-connected cameras monitorying practically all human movement.

Of course Norfolk is not terribly unique in this regard and we have a full report below, including a Top 10 list of most surveilled American cities.


Multitudes of cities of all sizes across the U.S. are jumping on the technocracy bandwagon and setting up hidden surveillance cameras on every corner. They’re on light poles, bridges and overpasses, stoplights, buildings, you name it. Some are equipped with speakers so they can also listen in on what’s being said.
They claim it’s for our “safety.”

What makes Norfolk unique is a group of citizens is fighting back. They’ve filed a lawsuit against the city, which is something that needs to happen in every city that implements this technology.

A lawsuit has been filed that accuses elected officials in Norfolk, Virginia, of using a network of 170 cameras to impose a warrantless surveillance scheme on residents and visitors.

The Institute for Justice has filed the suit on behalf of several plaintiffs, charging that the actions violate Fourth Amendment rights protecting U.S. citizens against unwarranted searches and seizures.

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The surveillance state has arrived… and it’s being implemented by our cities and towns

Cities across the United States are installing hidden surviellance cameras that track everyone, everywhere, and nobody, not even Donald Trump, is talking about this. What are the Top 10 most survei…

leohohmann.com

 

[1LoverofGod]

My city has cameras everywhere. My apartment complex has them everywhere, most likely because it's a government subsidized housing.

I remember years ago when my city put cameras on the traffic lights and a lawsuit was filed because the argument was that it was entrapment for traffic violations and the Court ordered the removal of the cameras.
They're back and surely it's not about traffic safety. It's as the article calls it, Surveillance.

 

[Shinobi]

Forgive my chuckle but those are the cameras you see. While yes they are showing up even now grocery store parking lots have mobile cameras on trailers. It is the future predicted in 1984. What you should be worried about is the camera you carry every day which can be silently turned on and used and you never know it. Yep your smart phone. I also chuckled that who ever wrote this is not very tech savvy.

Some are equipped with speakers so they can also listen in on what’s being said.

Last time I looked speaker send out sound not record it. Again our smart devices are more of a concern than what is often times visible on streets. Let us not forget we are our own worse enemies as well. There are whole web sites devoted to providing images from web cams of beaches, Mountain ski resorts, famous tourist places that are all easily accessible from the internet.

My point is this looks like what I call fear porn news. It does not provide anything of real value in that we can know of what it speaks if we just remove our faces from our phones for a while. In recent years it has gotten so bad of people walking down the street smart phone in hand in front of them with heads down looking at the screen. For those of us that do live and die by our cell phones and still go out in public eyes open and practicing situational awareness we have already seen many of these and watched their slow growth. But this kind of article is written in a way to make it sound like it is suddenly something new and something to be afraid of. The whole purpose is what we call click bait.

Two things to consider here. First will pitching a fuss stop the growth of public cameras? Not likely. Second what does it matter if you are seen on a camera or not. Before the advent of web cams you were being viewed every time you went out in public. Did it bother you then? I doubt it. I know this sounds cliche but if you are not doing anything illegal what does it matter if you are seen in some camera? After all most of us are very small fishes in a big pond that no one really cares about anyway. Authorities are after the big fishes, the criminals, potential terrorist. Poor haggard and worn our Mary Mom and three rug rats don't garner attention. But walk down the street looking a little like the Unibomber with a ball cap covered by a hoody hood and a back pack looking like you are trying to avoid cameras will certainly get you a closer look.

So street and store and other security cameras are not going away ever. We should all know this by now. Even if it were possible to raise enough stink to make cities take some down it will not do enough because they just take footage from store security cameras or personal web cams. It will only slow them down a little but not stop the constant intrusion which is now a fact of life. Still it goes back to if you are not doing anything illegal what do you care? You don't care if other people on the street, in passing cars see you walking by or sitting in an outdoor cafe or fast food out door seating. So why is it so bad if you a camera sees the same thing. It is not unless people try to pass it off as something to be deathly afraid of. And sadly that is the new nature of so called citizen journalism. People thinking themselves public watch dogs are really now the new version of tabloid news papers of old. Even original journalism went by the old saying, "if it bleeds, it leads." Why did they say that? The answer is simple the more outlandish the head line the more sales they made. In the end it is all about money.

Jesus's first sign in Mathew 24 was about not being deceived. Well not all deception is scriptural or prophetic base. Plenty of it happens in every day life. You see it all the time. It is called advertising. You know that any product that is displayed in a single image or in a short 30 second video is only showing the good reasons why you should buy it. That is deception plain and simple. So to it is true that the modern day citizen journalist is no better. Like the great papers of old, sensationalistic headlines are eye catchers to get you to stop and look or more so buy or click. Jesus told us to practice discernment.

 

[1LoverofGod]

Forgive my chuckle but those are the cameras you see. While yes they are showing up even now grocery store parking lots have mobile cameras on trailers. It is the future predicted in 1984. What you should be worried about is the camera you carry every day which can be silently turned on and used and you never know it. Yep your smart phone. I also chuckled that who ever wrote this is not very tech savvy.

Last time I looked speaker send out sound not record it. Again our smart devices are more of a concern than what is often times visible on streets. Let us not forget we are our own worse enemies as well. There are whole web sites devoted to providing images from web cams of beaches, Mountain ski resorts, famous tourist places that are all easily accessible from the internet.

My point is this looks like what I call fear porn news. It does not provide anything of real value in that we can know of what it speaks if we just remove our faces from our phones for a while. In recent years it has gotten so bad of people walking down the street smart phone in hand in front of them with heads down looking at the screen. For those of us that do live and die by our cell phones and still go out in public eyes open and practicing situational awareness we have already seen many of these and watched their slow growth. But this kind of article is written in a way to make it sound like it is suddenly something new and something to be afraid of. The whole purpose is what we call click bait.

Two things to consider here. First will pitching a fuss stop the growth of public cameras? Not likely. Second what does it matter if you are seen on a camera or not. Before the advent of web cams you were being viewed every time you went out in public. Did it bother you then? I doubt it. I know this sounds cliche but if you are not doing anything illegal what does it matter if you are seen in some camera? After all most of us are very small fishes in a big pond that no one really cares about anyway. Authorities are after the big fishes, the criminals, potential terrorist. Poor haggard and worn our Mary Mom and three rug rats don't garner attention. But walk down the street looking a little like the Unibomber with a ball cap covered by a hoody hood and a back pack looking like you are trying to avoid cameras will certainly get you a closer look.

So street and store and other security cameras are not going away ever. We should all know this by now. Even if it were possible to raise enough stink to make cities take some down it will not do enough because they just take footage from store security cameras or personal web cams. It will only slow them down a little but not stop the constant intrusion which is now a fact of life. Still it goes back to if you are not doing anything illegal what do you care? You don't care if other people on the street, in passing cars see you walking by or sitting in an outdoor cafe or fast food out door seating. So why is it so bad if you a camera sees the same thing. It is not unless people try to pass it off as something to be deathly afraid of. And sadly that is the new nature of so called citizen journalism. People thinking themselves public watch dogs are really now the new version of tabloid news papers of old. Even original journalism went by the old saying, "if it bleeds, it leads." Why did they say that? The answer is simple the more outlandish the head line the more sales they made. In the end it is all about money.

Jesus's first sign in Mathew 24 was about not being deceived. Well not all deception is scriptural or prophetic base. Plenty of it happens in every day life. You see it all the time. It is called advertising. You know that any product that is displayed in a single image or in a short 30 second video is only showing the good reasons why you should buy it. That is deception plain and simple. So to it is true that the modern day citizen journalist is no better. Like the great papers of old, sensationalistic headlines are eye catchers to get you to stop and look or more so buy or click. Jesus told us to practice discernment.

Oh we've been getting spied on ever since the Smart came out in our TV, Refrigerator, Yes cell phone, our cars, watches, anything called Smart is listening to or watching us.

 

[Shinobi]

Oh we've been getting spied on ever since the Smart came out in our TV, Refrigerator, Yes cell phone, our cars, watches, anything called Smart is listening to or watching us.

Yeah it has gotten very bad. Once my wife asked me why I carry a side arm in the house. I told her in a low voice close to her ear, "Decepticons." Then she laughed, I laughed, and the toaster laughed. I shot the toaster.

 

[Everlasting Life]

Yeah it has gotten very bad. Once my wife asked me why I carry a side arm in the house. I told her in a low voice close to her ear, "Decepticons." Then she laughed, I laughed, and the toaster laughed. I shot the toaster.

You just really wanted a new toaster.....

 

[Ghoti Ichthus]

There is limited expectation of privacy when one is in public.
Lots of case law about this, especially concerning vehicles.

It's nice when video shows who the guilty and innocent parties to a crime, accident, etc. are.

It's super good when a lost/wandering child or elderly person is found right away because of video.


If God doesn't call me home by death or Rapture before persecution gets going, I'll likely be one of the first ones rounded up here. The cameras will help TPTB find me quicker, so I get home quicker

 

[Ghoti Ichthus]

Oh we've been getting spied on ever since the Smart came out in our TV, Refrigerator, Yes cell phone, our cars, watches, anything called Smart is listening to or watching us.

Don't forget the robo-vacs

 

[Ghoti Ichthus]

What you should be worried about is the camera you carry every day which can be silently turned on and used and you never know it. Yep your smart phone.

Non-smart phones, too.

 

[mattfivefour]

Forgive my chuckle but those are the cameras you see. While yes they are showing up even now grocery store parking lots have mobile cameras on trailers. It is the future predicted in 1984. What you should be worried about is the camera you carry every day which can be silently turned on and used and you never know it. Yep your smart phone. I also chuckled that who ever wrote this is not very tech savvy.

Last time I looked speaker send out sound not record it. Again our smart devices are more of a concern than what is often times visible on streets. Let us not forget we are our own worse enemies as well. There are whole web sites devoted to providing images from web cams of beaches, Mountain ski resorts, famous tourist places that are all easily accessible from the internet.

My point is this looks like what I call fear porn news. It does not provide anything of real value in that we can know of what it speaks if we just remove our faces from our phones for a while. In recent years it has gotten so bad of people walking down the street smart phone in hand in front of them with heads down looking at the screen. For those of us that do live and die by our cell phones and still go out in public eyes open and practicing situational awareness we have already seen many of these and watched their slow growth. But this kind of article is written in a way to make it sound like it is suddenly something new and something to be afraid of. The whole purpose is what we call click bait.

Two things to consider here. First will pitching a fuss stop the growth of public cameras? Not likely. Second what does it matter if you are seen on a camera or not. Before the advent of web cams you were being viewed every time you went out in public. Did it bother you then? I doubt it. I know this sounds cliche but if you are not doing anything illegal what does it matter if you are seen in some camera? After all most of us are very small fishes in a big pond that no one really cares about anyway. Authorities are after the big fishes, the criminals, potential terrorist. Poor haggard and worn our Mary Mom and three rug rats don't garner attention. But walk down the street looking a little like the Unibomber with a ball cap covered by a hoody hood and a back pack looking like you are trying to avoid cameras will certainly get you a closer look.

So street and store and other security cameras are not going away ever. We should all know this by now. Even if it were possible to raise enough stink to make cities take some down it will not do enough because they just take footage from store security cameras or personal web cams. It will only slow them down a little but not stop the constant intrusion which is now a fact of life. Still it goes back to if you are not doing anything illegal what do you care? You don't care if other people on the street, in passing cars see you walking by or sitting in an outdoor cafe or fast food out door seating. So why is it so bad if you a camera sees the same thing. It is not unless people try to pass it off as something to be deathly afraid of. And sadly that is the new nature of so called citizen journalism. People thinking themselves public watch dogs are really now the new version of tabloid news papers of old. Even original journalism went by the old saying, "if it bleeds, it leads." Why did they say that? The answer is simple the more outlandish the head line the more sales they made. In the end it is all about money.

Jesus's first sign in Mathew 24 was about not being deceived. Well not all deception is scriptural or prophetic base. Plenty of it happens in every day life. You see it all the time. It is called advertising. You know that any product that is displayed in a single image or in a short 30 second video is only showing the good reasons why you should buy it. That is deception plain and simple. So to it is true that the modern day citizen journalist is no better. Like the great papers of old, sensationalistic headlines are eye catchers to get you to stop and look or more so buy or click. Jesus told us to practice discernment.

That said, the advantage of stories like the OP is that they remind us of things that we tend to forget because they're so common. I appreciate such reminders. They help me to remain vigilant.

 

[Shinobi]

That said, the advantage of stories like the OP is that they remind us of things that we tend to forget because they're so common. I appreciate such reminders. They help me to remain vigilant.

I think you missed my point. In this day and age with the advent of the internet we have many who fancy themselves news hounds and that because of their particular politics. Yet if you look at the material they put out rarely are they the first to break such news. More often than not they get their material from other people like themselves who never really research what they put out. No they sit at home or office going through the internet picking up stuff from people like themselves that are not journalist but folks looking for a little fame by building a gathering of followers. We now have a name for such people, influencers, like those that put up junk on sites like Tik Tok, X-Twitter, and mainly YouTube.

Why do I say this. There are several such people I have stumbled on in the past and once seeing some of their material and what they are talking about actually know nothing of what they are saying. For instance in my area we house the Region X FEMA office on an old government Nike site. On that land is also an Army Reserve center. Government often uses land it controls for more than one purpose and that is the case with this piece of property. Yet to listen to this man who thinks he is an investigative journalist claims that the Army Facility was put up there to protect the FEMA office. In his video he makes several other wild claims about the facility and what is going on there which none of what he said was or is true. I say that to point out he is one of many thousands across the US that do the very same thing. Yet I see often many of these site links posted all over the places especially in Christian based End Times focused sites. It is sad to see so many sold junk news and them eating it up.

Let me put it another way, have you seen a rise in Flat Earth Believers? If so do you know when that really got out of hand? Do most people even know where and when the modern day Flat Earth movement started? Most do not because they never get past thinking, "wow they may be onto something." Even though their math is faulty and their claims are outrageously insane. Yet thousands if not millions now have drank deeply form the Flat Earth koolaid vat. And believe the earth is flat and they do it with a fervency that hard core Calvinist believe what they believe. It starts in the secular world and moves to the spiritual world and Satan is the producer and director of the show from start to finish.

 

[Everlasting Life]

You know, there's this one site where a knowledgeable sounding guy is putting forth the theory that the earth is actually triangular shaped instead of round. I think he's really onto something!




(Just in case there's confusion...I'm being sarcastic...)

 

[Shinobi]

You know, there's this one site where a knowledgeable sounding guy is putting forth the theory that the earth is actually triangular shaped instead of round. I think he's really onto something!




(Just in case there's confusion...I'm being sarcastic...)

I know. But there is a new one trying to gain traction and that is that the earth is the shape of a donut.

 

[mattfivefour]

I know. But there is a new one trying to gain traction and that is that the earth is the shape of a donut.

I could get onboard with that as long as it's jelly filled.

 

[Shinobi]

I could get onboard with that as long as it's jelly filled.

I am a cream filled kind of guy but those kind of donuts don't have holes in the middle like what the claim is for a donut shaped earth.

 

[Bethlehem57]

Forgive my chuckle but those are the cameras you see. While yes they are showing up even now grocery store parking lots have mobile cameras on trailers. It is the future predicted in 1984. What you should be worried about is the camera you carry every day which can be silently turned on and used and you never know it. Yep your smart phone. I also chuckled that who ever wrote this is not very tech savvy.

Last time I looked speaker send out sound not record it. Again our smart devices are more of a concern than what is often times visible on streets. Let us not forget we are our own worse enemies as well. There are whole web sites devoted to providing images from web cams of beaches, Mountain ski resorts, famous tourist places that are all easily accessible from the internet.

My point is this looks like what I call fear porn news. It does not provide anything of real value in that we can know of what it speaks if we just remove our faces from our phones for a while. In recent years it has gotten so bad of people walking down the street smart phone in hand in front of them with heads down looking at the screen. For those of us that do live and die by our cell phones and still go out in public eyes open and practicing situational awareness we have already seen many of these and watched their slow growth. But this kind of article is written in a way to make it sound like it is suddenly something new and something to be afraid of. The whole purpose is what we call click bait.

Two things to consider here. First will pitching a fuss stop the growth of public cameras? Not likely. Second what does it matter if you are seen on a camera or not. Before the advent of web cams you were being viewed every time you went out in public. Did it bother you then? I doubt it. I know this sounds cliche but if you are not doing anything illegal what does it matter if you are seen in some camera? After all most of us are very small fishes in a big pond that no one really cares about anyway. Authorities are after the big fishes, the criminals, potential terrorist. Poor haggard and worn our Mary Mom and three rug rats don't garner attention. But walk down the street looking a little like the Unibomber with a ball cap covered by a hoody hood and a back pack looking like you are trying to avoid cameras will certainly get you a closer look.

So street and store and other security cameras are not going away ever. We should all know this by now. Even if it were possible to raise enough stink to make cities take some down it will not do enough because they just take footage from store security cameras or personal web cams. It will only slow them down a little but not stop the constant intrusion which is now a fact of life. Still it goes back to if you are not doing anything illegal what do you care? You don't care if other people on the street, in passing cars see you walking by or sitting in an outdoor cafe or fast food out door seating. So why is it so bad if you a camera sees the same thing. It is not unless people try to pass it off as something to be deathly afraid of. And sadly that is the new nature of so called citizen journalism. People thinking themselves public watch dogs are really now the new version of tabloid news papers of old. Even original journalism went by the old saying, "if it bleeds, it leads." Why did they say that? The answer is simple the more outlandish the head line the more sales they made. In the end it is all about money.

Jesus's first sign in Mathew 24 was about not being deceived. Well not all deception is scriptural or prophetic base. Plenty of it happens in every day life. You see it all the time. It is called advertising. You know that any product that is displayed in a single image or in a short 30 second video is only showing the good reasons why you should buy it. That is deception plain and simple. So to it is true that the modern day citizen journalist is no better. Like the great papers of old, sensationalistic headlines are eye catchers to get you to stop and look or more so buy or click. Jesus told us to practice discernment.

Love your profile pic Shinobi!

 

[Shinobi]

Love your profile pic Shinobi!

Thank you. It fits my personality not in my right mind and my left mind done up and left me.

 

[Bethlehem57]

Thank you. It fits my personality not in my right mind and my left mind done up and left me.

Does your hump shift from one side to the other?