TRASHFUTURE Panopticon :3 feat. Cory Doctorow
Feb 10, 2026
Cory Doctorow, author and tech policy activist, returns to debate surveillance, corporate power, and space‑age tech fantasies. He mocks plans for space data centers and unpacks Ring’s sentimental features as surveillance boosters. The conversation also covers Musk’s corporate maneuvers, Starlink’s geopolitical risks, and global legal pushback against big tech.
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Neom-Inspired Spectacle Over Substance
- Neom-style mega-projects often exist as seductive visualizations rather than practical plans.
- Architects leverage spectacle to chase funding and prestige, not realistic public benefit.
Surveillance Masquerading As Community Help
- Amazon's Ring monetizes neighborhood surveillance under the guise of community safety.
- The Super Bowl ad for an AI 'lost dog' feature normalizes pervasive camera monitoring and data collection.
CES Confrontation Over Ring Encryption
- Cory described confronting a Ring product manager at CES about encryption and data access.
- The manager couldn't answer whether Amazon holds decryption keys for Ring video.
