{"id":1076,"date":"2026-06-03T20:38:10","date_gmt":"2026-06-03T20:38:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/hometransferguide.com\/?p=1076"},"modified":"2026-06-03T20:38:10","modified_gmt":"2026-06-03T20:38:10","slug":"the-surveillance-state-is-here-congress-must-fight-back","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hometransferguide.com\/?p=1076","title":{"rendered":"The Surveillance State Is Here \u2014 Congress Must Fight Back"},"content":{"rendered":"
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<\/p>\n

It should shock every American that the <\/span>United States now ranks among the world\u2019s most heavily surveilled nations<\/span> \u2014 keeping dangerous company with authoritarian regimes like China, Russia, and Iran. How did the land of the free become one of the most watched societies on Earth?<\/span><\/p>\n

Read more REPORT: George Santos In Trouble Yet Again, This Time For Alleged Betting Shenanigans<\/a><\/p>\n

Our Founders designed the Bill of Rights as a fortress against government intrusion. Free speech, freedom of assembly, and protection from warrantless searches were meant to prevent exactly what is now unfolding in the United States: a government that is constantly watching its citizens.<\/span><\/p>\n

Since 9\/11, mass surveillance has been normalized. Cameras are everywhere. Data collection is constant. And few people stop to ask who\u2019s watching, why, and for how long.<\/span><\/p>\n

There are currently four main pillars of the surveillance state, and Congress has a duty to act to dismantle each of them.<\/span><\/p>\n

FISA: From Foreign Spying to Domestic Abuse<\/b><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) was originally created to track foreign threats abroad. Today, it has been twisted into a tool for spying on Americans.<\/span><\/p>\n

Under the Biden administration, the FBI conducted over <\/span>3 million<\/span> queries into a database of information gathered without a warrant in 2021. In 2023, around <\/span>278,000<\/span> queries spanning multiple years were found to have violated database use rules, according to FISA Court records. Agents batch-searched <\/span>19,000 political donors<\/span>. A National Security Agency <\/span>(NSA) analyst<\/span> allegedly spied on people he or she knew from an online dating service. <\/span>Senators, state judges, protesters, and journalists<\/span> have all been swept up in this spying dragnet. This is not foreign intelligence. This is warrantless domestic surveillance that violates the Fourth Amendment. (RELATED: Republicans Poised To Allow Continued Unfettered Government Spying On American Citizens)<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

While Congress has attempted to reform FISA several times, including in <\/span>2024<\/span>, those reforms have clearly fallen short. Real FISA reform, such as an actual warrant requirement and banning the government from skirting the Constitution by purchasing Americans\u2019 data from data brokers, is long overdue. Congress must get it done\u2014it is our responsibility to uphold the Constitution and protect our constituents\u2019 rights.<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

But FISA is only one piece of the puzzle. The surveillance state is also reaching into our everyday lives through our vehicles.<\/span><\/p>\n

The \u201cKill Switch\u201d in Your Car<\/b><\/p>\n

Quietly buried in a <\/span>Biden-era infrastructure bill<\/span>, the so-called <\/span>HALT Drunk Driving Act<\/span> sounds reasonable on the surface. In reality, it is far more sinister. Starting as early as 2027, new vehicles are required to include \u201cadvanced impaired driving prevention technology\u201d \u2014 AI cameras and sensors that automatically disable the vehicle if they detect \u201cimpairment,\u201d with no driver override.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The problem?\u00a0<\/span>According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), these systems currently have <\/span>\u201can error rate that would be unacceptably high.\u201d<\/span> This raises serious doubts about their ability to reliably distinguish drunk driving from other common factors \u2014 such as stress, a medical episode, glare from oncoming headlights, or even something as routine as hitting a pothole.<\/span><\/p>\n

What starts as a safety feature risks turning every American\u2019s car into a government-monitored judge, jury, and executioner \u2014 feeding data straight to law enforcement. Your car, your freedom of movement, would no longer be fully yours. Congress must repeal this mandate immediately. <\/span>(RELATED: The Orwellian \u2018Kill Switch\u2019 Some Republicans Want In Your Car)<\/strong><\/p>\n

This erosion of mobility is matched by an explosion of surveillance cameras on our streets and neighborhoods.<\/span><\/p>\n

Read more The Not-So-Shocking Reason Why Trump Picked Biggest Goon In Washington To Replace Tulsi Gabbard<\/a><\/p>\n

Flock: Eyes Everywhere<\/b><\/p>\n

Flock Safety\u2019s<\/span> automated license plate reader cameras now blanket communities in 49 states, scanning license plates billions of times per month. In my own Texas Third Congressional District, more than <\/span>500<\/span> of these cameras are already deployed, with cities planning to add more.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Automatic License Plate Readers (ALPRs) can incorporate <\/span>AI and facial recognition<\/span>, capturing not just vehicles but surrounding activity. There is minimal oversight\u00a0of this technology, and some feeds have reportedly been left exposed <\/span>online<\/span>.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

This isn\u2019t neighborhood watch \u2014 it\u2019s a privatized surveillance network operating with public authority. Congress must act to prevent the federal government from weaponizing these databases against American citizens.<\/span><\/p>\n

Even more dangerous is what\u2019s coming for our money.<\/span><\/p>\n

Central Bank Digital Currency: Programmable Money<\/b><\/p>\n

A <\/span>Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDC)<\/span> would represent the final leg of the surveillance state. While the Federal Reserve already tracks major money flows, a CBDC would go much further: every transaction monitored in real time. The government could restrict what you buy, where you spend, or freeze your account entirely \u2014 whether for political donations, gun purchases, or expressing the wrong opinions.<\/span><\/p>\n

Think of what happened with the <\/span>Canadian truckers<\/span> who protested their government\u2019s draconian COVID mandates \u2014 a CBDC would be that on steroids. Your money would become permissioned. It would no longer be yours, although you earned it! Your economic liberty would simply vanish. (RELATED: Trump Puts Kibosh On Idea For Fed Digital Currency With One Stroke Of His Pen)<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

We know where this road leads. In China, Russia, and Iran, total surveillance enables persecution of dissidents, economic control, and social engineering. Americans must reject that path.<\/span><\/p>\n

The surveillance state is not science fiction \u2014 it\u2019s infrastructure is already built. If we fail to impose real warrant requirements, strict data limits, and constitutional guardrails, our children will never know true privacy.<\/span><\/p>\n

We must act now: Reform FISA with a warrant requirement. Repeal the car kill switch mandate. Ban CBDC forever. Dismantle the surveillance grid.<\/span><\/p>\n

Protect the Fourth Amendment. Do it now \u2014 before freedom is lost forever.<\/span><\/p>\n

Republican Congressman Keith Self represents Texas\u2019 Third Congressional District.<\/em><\/p>\n

The views and opinions expressed in this commentary are those of the author and do not reflect the official position of the Daily Caller.<\/i><\/p>\n

Read more SPLC Softened Criticism Of Hate Group To Avoid Scaring Off New Members, DOJ Says<\/a><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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