Social media censorship is at an all-time high. De-platforming, cancel culture, and surveillance is increasing to levels many of us never thought we would see in America. There is more coming. Just look to our neighbor to the north, and our western allies across the pond. It is even more repressive and shocking what is happening there—and it may be headed to America under the current administration, who has the mindset that we need surveillance to be safe and compliance to be secure. Read these two reports below with the mindset for prayer. We know that we are seeing radical changes to our freedoms–let’s pray against even more intrusiveness and control and pray for a spirit of freedom to break forth in our nation.

According to The Burkean, “Marketed as a multiplatform analytical tool to evaluate speech and facial patterns in order to create visual mapping for authorities and identity suspects, ROXANNE is a new breed of surveillance technology in the process of development and currently being backed by both An Garda Síochána and the PSNI to bring into use.

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An acronym for Real time netwOrk, teXt, and speaker ANalytics for combating orgaNized crimE, it was announced in November the Republic’s involvement in the project currently being developed in Switzerland.

A biometrics-based platform ostensibly to monitor and crackdown on organized crime, an additional application of ROXANNE which its creators advertise freely is the ability to monitor those guilty of alleged hate speech and political extremism.

A product of the EU funded Horizon 2020 to foster new surveillance technology, ROXANNE works across social media sites such as Facebook, YouTube as well as normal telecommunications platforms to identify, categorise, and track faces and voices enabling authorities to paint a more in-depth picture of the network being investigated, whether it be in relation to criminal activity or those deemed politically extreme. . . .

Developed at the Swiss Idiap Research Institute, ROXANNE is a transnational collaboration effort between European and Israeli policing agencies as well as some private sector entities.  . . .

Irish participation in the project was confirmed by Minister McEntee under questioning in the Oireachtas from Social Democrat TD Catherine Murphy. In a subsequent statement outlining the state’s involvement with the project, An Garda Síochána released the following statement to the Belfast Telegraph.

“It is important (we) partake in EU projects that strengthen and enhance the capabilities and capacity of Ireland’s national police and security service to combat international and transnational serious and organised crime, in addition to combating threats against the security of the state“

Irish involvement on both sides of the border with ROXANNE received disapproval from left wing TD Richard Boyd Barrett, questioning the inclusion of the Israeli Ministry of Public Security due to their record on human rights. . . .

In September of last year, the first field test of ROXANNE was conducted with sample casework being provided by Czech Police pertaining to a narcotics network. A sample of phone numbers relating to an alleged drug syndicate were run through the programme which provided analysis in terms of speech recognition and location with a broader picture being created of the nexus under investigation by compiling hundreds of phone calls. The end result was to provide investigators with a better understanding of the group and to automatically highlight parts of the call transcripts that were of interest to them automatically.

While the field test was trialed solely on phone calls, ROXANNE is advertised as also being able to uncover the creators of so-called ‘hate or propaganda speech’, no matter the platform.  . . .

Governed by a variety of statutes, the surveillance of private individuals is a rather murky world but once which gives authorities a wide berth from which to operate on both jurisdictions of the island.

This is all occurring in the context of enhanced surveillance on right wing groups across Europe, with German authorities likely to rule in favour of allowing security forces to formally put the nation’s primary opposition party the AfD under surveillance for alleged extremism this month. . . .

Whether ROXANNE will be deployed against political targets as well as members of organised crime awaits to be seen. However, as the recent history of this state validates, surveillance can become very politicised very quickly in the confines of our security establishment. Regardless, even the potential for such a tactic to be quickly rolled out is a hint to the extent to which the general stakes of this all are about to be raised. . . .

BIG BROTHER is also alive and well in the realm of healthcare. Those of you who scoff at the reality of “covid camps” may be surprised to learn that even in western nations, there has been increased overreach of personal rights all in the name of safety.  And yes, “COVID camps” exist– there is (at least) one in Canada. How many others are out there, disguised as “voluntary” or simple quarantine processes. The following account from Steve Duesing in the Toronto Sun, shares his first-hand experience in a COVID internment facility.

“I am not allowed to leave the room,” [Steve Duesing] said. “There is a guard at the end of the hall.”

So, he must remain in a ninth-floor hotel room while waiting for the results of a COVID test he was forced to take. . . . “But I was told I can’t order in food,” said Steve.