By Cory Doctorow (GPG 0xBF3D9110957E5F4C) @doctorow.pluralistic.net · 05/10/2026While this is certainly a *kind* of surveillance, I think it's better to call it *scrutiny*. It's something worse than the sense of being watched: it's the sense of being *judged*. Inducing this feeling of being judged has long been a (sociopathic) desire of wealthy and powerful people. 1486
By Cory Doctorow (GPG 0xBF3D9110957E5F4C) @doctorow.pluralistic.net · 05/10/2026It's the foundation of Bentham's "panopticon," a prison where prisoners can never tell if they're being watched, which is meant to induce a continuous performance of virtue: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Panopti...en.wikipedia.orgPanopticon - Wikipedia 1456
By Cory Doctorow (GPG 0xBF3D9110957E5F4C) @doctorow.pluralistic.net · 05/10/2026Today, Bentham's heir is the odious Larry Ellison, the famously secretive billionaire, Trump crony and Oracle founder who goes to enormous lengths to prevent the public from finding out about his personal life.futurism.comBillionaire Drools That "Citizens Will Be on Their Best Behavior" Under Constant AI SurveillanceLarry Ellison, cofounder of the software giant Oracle, believes that an age of surveillance supercharged by AI will soon be upon us. 15015