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Recent Minnesota Mass Shooting Now Being Exploited to Impose A.I. Mass Surveillance // Glenn Greenwald
Glenn Greenwald | Trusted Newsmaker
Exploiting Fear: How a Minnesota Shooting Became a Launchpad for AI Mass Surveillance
In the wake of a tragic shooting in Minnesota, security contractors and media outlets are seizing the moment to promote sweeping surveillance technologies. Analysts warn that this mirrors the post-9/11 pattern: leverage grief and fear to fast-track programs that would otherwise face resistance .
From 9/11 to Now: The Playbook
After the September 11 attacks and the subsequent anthrax scare, the U.S. government justified measures like the Patriot Act, warrantless eavesdropping, and mass NSA surveillance. All were initially framed as temporary safeguards, yet many remain in place decades later. The lesson: fear lowers public resistance, allowing authoritarian systems to embed themselves permanently .
Enter “Gideon”
On Fox News, former Israeli special operations officer Aaron Cohen promoted an AI-driven threat detection system called *Gideon*. Marketed as America’s “first AI threat detection platform,” the system claims to scrape the internet 24/7 for “threat language,” routing alerts directly to local law enforcement. Cohen described it as “Israeli-grade ontology,” a vague but ominous label suggesting military-grade surveillance expertise. He announced that dozens of U.S. agencies have already signed on .
Always On, Always Watching
The system is designed to crawl public forums, gaming chats, Reddit threads, and social media posts, scanning for patterns such as grievance buildup, martyrdom rhetoric, or tactical planning. It never switches off. While presented as a life-saving tool to prevent shootings, experts question who defines “radicalization” or “dangerous speech.” Would calls to end foreign wars be flagged? Would criticism of allies be logged as threats? These unanswered questions highlight the dangers of algorithmic surveillance creep .
The Israeli Connection
Cohen’s background in elite Israeli counterterrorism units underscores the international pipeline of surveillance methods. Systems refined in occupied territories are being repackaged for U.S. cities under the banner of public safety. Analysts caution that this effectively imports militarized intelligence models into civilian policing, eroding civil liberties while enriching private contractors .
Media’s Role in Normalization
Fox News treated the rollout as a reassuring innovation rather than interrogating its dangers. Instead of pressing Cohen with critical questions — who decides what counts as a threat, how oversight will work, or whether foreign governments have access — the broadcast framed Gideon as the solution America needs. Critics argue this is less journalism and more infomercial, conditioning viewers to accept permanent surveillance as the cost of safety .
The Danger of Preemptive Policing
Programs like Gideon expand the idea of “pre-crime policing,” where individuals are flagged not for actions, but for language patterns and online behavior. Civil rights experts emphasize that such systems risk entrenching bias, chilling dissent, and misclassifying lawful political speech. Once institutionalized, they are almost impossible to roll back — just as post-9/11 surveillance remains embedded today .
The Minnesota tragedy is now being used as a launchpad for a new surveillance regime. Gideon exemplifies the classic cycle: a violent event creates fear, fear creates demand for control, and control is delivered through invasive technologies. Unless checked, these systems risk turning temporary panic into permanent loss of freedom. America has seen this playbook before — and the cost of ignoring the lesson could be another generation living under “emergency” surveillance that never ends .
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