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Adam Burke

@adamburkeil.bsky.social
125 followers 101 following 205 posts

Husband, dad, techy, love my BMWs, very part-time woodworker and cares a bit too much about politics. I stand with the willing 🇺🇦🇨🇦

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Reposted by Adam Burke
ACLU @aclu.org · 26/09/2026
Banning Flock and other surveillance companies from tracking our every move isn't a partisan issue. Tell Congress to ban automatic license plate readers at aclu.org/get-flock_out
Two-panel graphic featuring photos of Chad Marlow testifying before Congress with subtitles reading "More than 200 municipalities have terminated their relationships with Flock and other ALPR companies. The question is: Will their Congress join them? The time has come for Congress to prohibit any law enforcement entity who receives federal funding from using ALPRs — without exception."
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Robert Reich @rbreich.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
Benjamin Netanyahu is a war criminal and his government has committed genocide in Gaza. The United States should stop all military assistance to Israel. Saying this is not antisemitic. (I’m Jewish, by the way.)
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Robert Reich @rbreich.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
AI is being used to... -Facilitate online scams -Process health insurance claims, leading to wrongful denials -Price gouge customers via surveillance pricing -Set higher car insurance premiums using personal data The dangers of AI aren’t in some far-off future. They're already here.
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ACLU @aclu.org · 24/09/2026
No amount of regulation will keep our privacy safe from automatic license plate readers. Congress must ban them — full stop.
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Frances Larina @franceslarina.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
"Gov Gavin Newsom over the weekend vetoed legislation aimed at protecting providers of gender-affirming care from being extradited to face charges for doing so by another state." He was "worried about constraints on the governor's power to approve extraditions". www.ebar.com/story/170505...
ebar.com
Newsom vetoes bill aimed at protecting providers of transgender care
Governor Gavin Newsom used his veto pen over the weekend to ax legislation aimed at protecting providers of gender-affirming care from being extradited to face charges for doing so by another state.
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Adam Becker @adambecker.bsky.social · 19/09/2026
@aoc.bsky.social just put out a great statement on AI. Refreshing to see a major politician on the left nail this. "Silicon Valley billionaires want us to believe that Al robots will destroy humanity. But the biggest threat to humanity are the tech oligarchs themselves." 🎯
Charles,

Last weekend, Dario Amodei, the CEO of Anthropic, one of the largest Al companies in the world, publicly asked his industry to slow down Al development.

Shortly after, Sam Altman, the CEO of OpenAl, followed suit. Then Elon Musk.

This all came days after an Anthropic researcher quit, citing his belief that this technology could wipe out humanity and that Al companies are "gambling with our lives."

For years, people have warned that generative Al could slip out of our direct control.

Those safety concerns must be taken seriously.

And this is why I have advocated for strict safety standards on how Al is built and deployed, public oversight over this technology, and using existing laws to hold these companies accountable when they cause harm.

But I want to draw your attention to another reality: Right now, the U.S. economy and our financial futures are riding on Silicon Valley's bet that Al will soon be immensely profitable and pay off. And that bet isn't looking good.

The formula for a profitable business isn't complicated: make more money than you spend. But the biggest Al companies aren't doing that. They are spending hundreds of billions per year on data centers, chips, and other costs while their ability to make revenues that exceed their already-immense sunk costs are unclear. Experts estimate that these Al companies will require another $600 billion of debt just to financethemselves in 2026 alone. That is more than the entire budgets of the U.S. Departments of Justice, Transportation, & Education combined.
Meanwhile, despite almost every single one of these companies not turning a profit & having sunk billions of investor dollars in development of data centers & other infrastructure, Al companies are also on a spending spree of hundreds of millions of dollars in lobbying & dark money in our elections.
It would be one thing if we were discussing a few private companies with a poor business model. But last year, virtually all stock market gains - 80% - rested entirely on just a handful of Al companies.
That tells us two things:
1. Nearly the entire U.S. economy outside the Al industry is relatively stagnating and faring poorly & the gains from these few companies are disguising it; &
2. Millions of people's retirements - including their pensions, 401ks, & investments - are potentially exposed to this risk.
That's why these Al companies' dubious financial positions matter to working people.
These companies argue that debt is necessary. They'll tell you that building transformative technologies requires upfront capital, & that massive borrowing today will pay off in generating unprecedented prosperity tomorrow.
But this is not the typical debt that startups take on while they build out a company. We are talking about billions going on trillions of dollars leveraged with no indication that these companies will be able to recoup these funds profitably. And they are increasingly looking to the government as their source of cash.
In an effort to hide their debt, tech companies have been relying on "circular financing" where tech giants like Google, Amazon, & Microsoft give billions to Al startups like OpenAl & Anthropic, only for those startups to hand that money right back to buy Al processing power.
In other words, these Al companies are luring in new investors by making it look like their financials are healthier than they really are.What's even worse is that retirement & pension funds are key to supporting this illusion.
When the Al companies issue bonds to raise more money, your pension funds & retirement accounts are some of the biggest buyers. When Musk's Al business went public, it became part of index funds where millions of Americans invest our savings. Many Americans don't even know that their retirement investments are tied up in these companies at all.
From Big Tech's perspective, that's a feature, not a bug. By tying our futures to their reckless gambling, Al billionaires are trying to make themselves too big to fail. They think they can take such dangerous risks because we will bail them out if things go wrong.
Sound familiar? This scene is dangerously reminiscent of the rampant speculation, corruption, & broken incentives leading up to the 2008 financial crisis that plunged millions of working class Americans into financial chaos that we never fully recovered from.
It is no accident that these warnings from Altman & Amodei come months-if not weeks-before these companies were meant to go public.
When companies go public, they have to be more transparent about how they are doing financially. And after a waiting period, they typically have to let private investors-like their own employees-sell their shares.
The New York Times recently confirmed that OpenAl has postponed going public for this very reason. They are in no rush for the truth about their finances to come out.
But the moment these oligarchs began to seek our public tax dollars & public contracts while exposing their companies to public pension funds & investments, they opened themselves to public accountability & scrutiny.
Silicon Valley billionaires have rigged the game & are attempting to shift their financial risk to working people: If they're right about Al's potential, they reap the profits. If they're wrong & the bubble bursts, they are setting up the American people to pick up the tab.
Heads, they win; tails, we lose.We can stop this, and we shouldn't play their game. Together we can address both the economic and safety threats of unrestricted Al development and prevent financial chaos and stabilize market risk.

We must make it clear now that should the Al bubble pop, Congress should not bail out Big Tech.

And across our federal agencies, we have the authorities and tools to hold Al companies and their leaders accountable for releasing dangerous, unvetted, and defective products. We must not wait.

Silicon Valley billionaires want us to believe that Al robots will destroy humanity.

But the biggest threat to humanity are the tech oligarchs themselves.

It's time we hold them accountable.

Thank you for reading.

In solidarity,

Alexandria
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Reposted by Adam Burke
Robert Reich @rbreich.bsky.social · 19/09/2026
By moving to the “center,” Democrats have failed to fight the forces that led us to Donald Trump: widening inequality, economic insecurity, and the unchecked political power of corporations and the rich. Political centrism is nonsense. There is no middle ground between democracy and oligarchy.
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DeFlock @deflock.org · 11/09/2026
"given 20 billion monthly plate reads, that 4% error rate equates to 800 million potential nonsense traffic tickets, wrongful stolen car arrests, and, in the worst case, dangerous and unnecessary police encounters every single month." 🤬 www.jalopnik.com/2255575/unim... #Surveillance
jalopnik.com
Here's The Unimaginably Huge Number Of Pictures Taken By Flock Cameras Every Month - Jalopnik
Flock is taking over 20 billion photos per day across 49 states, and reading license plates without permission at a rate of 157 photos per second.
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Marc Elias @marcelias.bsky.social · 11/09/2026
I am tired of people saying we can’t win in front of the Supreme Court. I’m annoyed by those who say my firm is too partisan to be effective. Today we won a huge redistricting fight before SCOTUS and a ballot access case before the Nebraska Supreme Court. The lesson: When we fight we win.
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Abdul El-Sayed @abdulelsayed.bsky.social · 28/08/2026
US national debt just hit $40 trillion. Why? HINT: It's NOT because the government is trying to provide its citizens healthcare or childcare.
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MeidasTouch @meidastouch.com · 23/08/2026
Trump reported 1,051 trades in his June disclosure. These two stood out: — June 18: Bought $250K–$500K in Boeing, the same day the Navy awarded Boeing an $880 million contract — June 23: Bought $15K–$50K in SpaceX, the same day NASA recorded a $425.6 million award to SpaceX
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Adam Burke @adamburkeil.bsky.social · 22/08/2026
Nazis
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God @thegodshow.com · 21/08/2026
This is fascism.
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Abdul El-Sayed @abdulelsayed.bsky.social · 19/08/2026
Does it ever feel like you're in a cage being watched? Well, you are. By Flock cameras, thanks to Mike Rogers.
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Robert Reich @rbreich.bsky.social · 17/08/2026
Dozens of gas-burning power plants are being built across the country, solely to power data centers. These plants could emit as much planet-warming pollution as half of all passenger vehicles in the entire country in a single YEAR. We need a data center moratorium — now.
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Coach Finstock @coachfinstock.bsky.social · 01/02/2026
People say we can't compare this to the Third Reich because of the atrocities but we only found out about the atrocities after the fact when it was all said and done and we're not done with this yet so I am sure the worst stomach churning shit has yet to be revealed.
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🇲🇽🕷️rustbelt rebel🕷️🇲🇽 @rustbeltrebel.bsky.social · 28/07/2026
As I’ve said a thousand times- bill Clinton ushered in this increased militarization of the border and criminalization of migration. This is something the entirety of the US needs to reflect on, not one party or another.
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Detritus Books @detritusbooks.bsky.social · 22/07/2026
The danger is in believing that this man is a bad apple, an outlier. This stuff is baked into the position of enforcer of hierarchical oppression.
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Julia Serano @juliaserano.bsky.social · 20/07/2026
...I provide evidence that anti-trans policies & positions don't win over voters, plus everyone knows such policies are merely a stepping stone for the GOP's desire to pass broader anti-LGBTQ legislation. Dems can't excise trans rights w/o alienating all of us... www.bostonreview.net/forum/how-no...
screenshot from linked to essay that reads:
If you think Republicans will stop once they’ve rolled back transgender rights, you are out of your mind.
Given all this, the supposed strategic advantage for Democrats just doesn’t wash. While trans adults only constitute 0.8 percent of the population, that amounts to over 80,000 voters in a crucial swing state like Pennsylvania—enough to make a difference in a close election if they choose to stay home or cast third-party protest votes. Of course, trans people also have loved ones—our partners, family, friends—who may become disenchanted with Democrats if they abandon us. And if gay, lesbian, and bisexual people (correctly) interpret Democrats speaking out against trans athletes and gender-affirming care as a sign that they are retreating from LGBTQ rights more generally, it could have even more devastating effects at the ballot box. An NBC News Exit Poll of the 2024 presidential election found that LGBTQ people represented 8 percent of all voters and 86 percent of us voted for Harris. This is a fairly solid voting block that has the potential to grow, as a 2025 Gallup poll estimates that 23.1 percent of Gen Z identifies as LGBTQ.
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Robert Reich @rbreich.bsky.social · 19/07/2026
Reminder: there's NO legitimate use for crypto. Its only practical uses are tax evasion, money laundering, fraud, specualtion, and crime. No Democrat should vote for the so-called CLARITY Act, a bill backed by the crypto lobby that would make this Ponzi scheme even worse.
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Taniel @taniel.bsky.social · 16/07/2026
NEW: We reported two years ago that Chicago police had made 200,000 secret traffic stops, failing to disclose them as required by law. Chicago police then admitted the problem, & promised to 'fix' it in a legislative hearing. We just investigated again: The problem... got WORSE.
boltsmag.org
Chicago Police Promised to 'Fix' Secret Traffic Stops. A Year Later, the Problem Has Only Gotten Worse. - Bolts
This story was produced as a collaboration between Bolts and Injustice Watch, a nonprofit news organization in Chicago focused on issues of equity and justice in the court system. In... Read More
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Juliana Stratton @julianastratton.bsky.social · 14/07/2026
These aren’t rogue incidents — this is a feature of ICE. We have a responsibility, to Joan and to all of us, to take action and stop further tragedy. Abolish ICE.
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Robert Reich @rbreich.bsky.social · 06/07/2026
If we want to clean up Trump’s mess and prevent future Trumps from taking power, we must make major changes to our broken political system. Here are the 10 reforms necessary to get anything done.
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Mayor Zohran Kwame Mamdani @mayor.nyc.gov · 04/07/2026
Today marks 250 years since a small group of newspaper editors, farmers, and soldiers signed a document declaring our nation's independence — a truth that feels self-evident now but was revolutionary then.
What a privilege us Americans have, to live in a nation that every one of its inhabitants can shape. What an honor us New Yorkers have, to look out over our city's waters from the shores where so many Americans bravely entered their country for the first time.
Today and all days, let us remember that patriotism is not pretending our nation is without flaws. Patriotism is every act of righteous dissent — because loving our country means fighting for the best version of it.
Happy Fourth of July, New York City.
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Abdul El-Sayed @abdulelsayed.bsky.social · 03/07/2026
Why don't our schools get the funding they need? Because there's not a lobby for public schools. Kids don't have a corporate PAC. We must be willing to take on the political system that always puts corporations over people.
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Michael McDonald @electproject.bsky.social · 01/07/2026
If Democrats can reform the Supreme Court they could also: - Increase the size of the Senate with DC statehood - Increase the size of the House - Update the Voting Rights Act - Pass a federal ban on partisan congressional gerrymandering
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Joseph Cox @josephcox.bsky.social · 01/07/2026
New: there is a major vulnerability with Apple’s Hide My Email feature that lets attackers discover peoples’ real emails. Verified it works on my own email. We’re not disclosing how it works because Apple has not fixed it. But Apple has known for more than a year www.404media.co/apple-hide-m...
404media.co
Apple ‘Hide My Email’ Vulnerability Reveals Peoples’ Real Email Addresses
”Hide My Email users deserve to know that it may be possible for attackers to discover their hidden email addresses,” the person who reported the issue said.
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KOJAMF🤘🖤🤘 @kojamf.bsky.social · 05/10/2025
Dr. Jane Goodall filmed an interview with Netflix in March 2025 that she understood would only be released after her death.
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Brian Tyler Cohen @briantylercohen.bsky.social · 01/07/2026
"We have to decide if we want to just win symbolic victories, or if we actually want to make permanent, meaningful change. If it’s the latter, then inherently, that requires us to reform and expand the Supreme Court." Full video: youtu.be/f9ZvU1CT9T0
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More Perfect Union @moreperfectunion.bsky.social · 01/07/2026
BREAKING: Melat Kiros has won the Democratic primary in Colorado’s 1st district. The democratic socialist has unseated the district’s 29-year incumbent by running on Medicare for All, abolishing ICE, ending forever wars and more.
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Robert Reich @rbreich.bsky.social · 30/06/2026
When Trump said, "I don’t think about Americans’ financial situation," he wasn't lying. He's too focused on lining his own pockets — growing his crypto empire while simultaneously deregulating the industry.
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Congressman Greg Casar @repcasar.bsky.social · 30/06/2026
While we won the birthright citizenship case today, we also got a grave warning about the future. Four far-right Supreme Court justices ruled against a right that is clearly written in the Constitution. None of our rights are safe. We must reign in this hyper-partisan Court.
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MoveOn @moveon.org · 30/06/2026
Trans kids deserve to feel supported and free to be themselves. Today's Supreme Court decision opens the door to even more discrimination against some of the country's most vulnerable children. They deserve the chance to learn without fear. We'll keep fighting for them. vist.ly/59mh3
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Illinois Department of Human Rights @illinoisdhr.bsky.social · 30/06/2026
We want to be clear – the U.S. Supreme Court ruling on state bans involving trans athletes does not change Illinois law or weaken the protections that exist for transgender, nonbinary, and gender-expansive individuals in our state. Read our statement and learn more: bit.ly/transathletesprotections
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Ben Collins @bencollins.bsky.social · 30/06/2026
Trans rights are human rights always and forever.
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Marisa Kabas @marisakabas.bsky.social · 30/06/2026
love to my trans friends. fuck SCOTUS.
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Marisa Kabas @marisakabas.bsky.social · 29/06/2026
i cannot stress enough how much this man should not be the democratic presidential nominee
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Robert Reich @rbreich.bsky.social · 28/06/2026
Just 10 people have already poured $617 MILLION into this year’s midterm elections. In the entire 2008 presidential cycle, the last election before Citizens United, total billionaire spending was $16 million. This is not sustainable. We need to get Big Money out of our democracy.
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404 Media @404media.co · 28/06/2026
These cases repeatedly show that, because there are few limits on what police can use Flock for, they are often able to abuse the system for months or years before being caught. www.404media.co/cops-keep-ge...
404media.co
Cops Keep Getting Arrested for Using Flock to Stalk People
There have been more than a dozen cases around the country where police use Flock to obsessively and illegally stalk people.
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DeFlock @deflock.org · 26/06/2026
A Richmond County deputy has been arrested and fired after he is accused of misusing license plate readers. The sheriff’s office conducted a routine audit of its Flock License Plate Reader (LPR) camera system on June 25. #Surveillance #Privacy #DeFlock www.wrdw.com/2026/06/26/r...
wrdw.com
Richmond County deputy arrested, fired over misusing license plate readers
A Richmond County deputy has been arrested and fired after he is accused of misusing license plate readers.
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Democracy Docket @democracydocket.com · 25/06/2026
🎉 WIN: Key parts of Trump’s 2025 anti-voting EO have been permanently blocked by a federal judge. The order sought to: ❌ Override state election rules ❌ Impose new barriers to voter registration ❌ Pressure states to abandon mail ballot protections The ruling cements a major defeat for Trump.
democracydocket.com
In big win for voters, court permanently blocks key parts of Trump’s first anti-voting executive order
The ruling, which found that the order exceeded Trump’s authority, turns earlier temporary blocks into final relief for Democratic-led states fighting the administration’s attack on free elections.
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Rep. Robert Garcia @robertgarcia.house.gov · 24/06/2026
Trump and RFK Jr. have broken their promise to "make America healthy." Instead, they're increasing exposure to toxins, making healthy food unaffordable, and cutting research funding and federal programs. This should concern every single American.
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Robert Reich @rbreich.bsky.social · 24/06/2026
Trump says that six people have been arrested for alleged vandalism of the Reflecting Pool, despite not providing specific evidence. Meanwhile, there have been ZERO arrests following the release of the Epstein files and Trump is pardoning crooks and fraudsters left and right. "Law and order."
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Josh Marshall @joshtpm.bsky.social · 24/06/2026
good to see this. Musk is clearly getting visibly angry at the rising awareness of how many hundreds of thousands of people his DOGE wilding spree has already killed, millions more if this stays in place into the future. Everyone can participate in spreading the word about all the blood on his hands
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DeFlock @deflock.org · 24/06/2026
Roanoke paused Flock Raven installs after 16 audio devices were placed in locations not approved by City Council. Nothing says “public trust” like installing surveillance tech in the wrong spots and finding out after a citizen complaint. #DeFlock #Surveillance cardinalnews.org/2026/06/24/i...
cardinalnews.org
Installation of Flock Raven audio devices paused in Roanoke after 16 installed in wrong locations
The city council approved permits for 75 locations to place audio detectors in April. At that point, contracts had already been signed with Flock, city attorney says.
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Marisa Kabas @marisakabas.bsky.social · 24/06/2026
i’m a jewish NY-10 resident and i’m damn proud of the message we sent.
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Brian Tyler Cohen @briantylercohen.bsky.social · 23/06/2026
Funny how the people who spent years wailing about DEI can’t even manage a pool renovation.
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John Brooks @johnbrooks.bsky.social · 23/06/2026
Millions of Americans are finally learning the hard way that the reason they thought the government didn't do anything because nothing ever seemed to happen is because thousands of government workers were busy doing things that would ensure nothing would happen They were all fired by Elon Musk
sciencenews.org
The New World screwworm has returned to the U.S. Now what?
At least a dozen animals have been found with the flesh-eating maggots. It could take more than a year to eradicate the parasite again, experts warn.
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DeFlock @deflock.org · 23/06/2026
Two more Cherokee County deputies were arrested over suspected misuse of a license plate reader database. That makes three in just over a week. Please stop telling the public “there are safeguards” when the safeguards keep turning into mugshots. #DeFlock #Privacy #Surveillance #ALPR
atlantanewsfirst.com
2 more Cherokee County deputies arrested, accused of misusing license plate reader database
Two Cherokee County deputies have been arrested and accused of misusing the county’s license plate reader database, the sheriff’s office said.
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Dr. DaShanne Stokes @dashannestokes.com · 21/06/2026
Your reminder that Trump benefitted from a massive and illegal coordinated terrorist attack, executed by his pal Putin, that targeted polling places in key swing states with bomb threats on election day and hardly anyone bothered to talk about it.
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